History of mathematics in Dutch teacher training

In most teacher training programs for Dutch mathematics teachers, history of mathematics is a required part of the curriculum. The courses provide historical background knowledge of certain mathematical developments to the students.

This knowledge could also affect prospective teachers’ views on the nature of mathematics and the pedagogical choices they make for their classrooms. These effects have been examined in a small qualitative research project with two different groups of students from a teacher-training program in Amsterdam. The results are discussed in this paper and can be useful in describing and evaluating the relation between knowledge of history of mathematics and classroom activities.