Back to the future: From University Lecture Halls to Secondary and Primary School Classrooms

Abstract

Will a mathematics major graduating with good academic results make a successful teacher in school mathematics? Maybe yes, but not necessarily. Why not? What kind of insights and views about mathematics should a teacher possess? What kind of mathematical content knowledge should a teacher have? This paper attempts to address these questions by looking at many varied examples gleaned from classroom teaching or historical sources, illustrating that university mathematics and school mathematics are not totally disconnected.

主修數學且成績優異的大學畢業生是否一定成為一位優秀的中小學教師呢？也許可以，但不一定。為什麼不一定呢？要成為一位優秀的中小學教師，需要具備怎樣的眼光和見地？需要擁有什麼數學知識？本文試圖通過眾多源自課堂經歷或者數學史素材的事例探討這些問題，由此也可以看到高等數學和初等數學並非風馬牛不相及。