The history of the fourth dimension: a way of engaging pupils in secondary classrooms

Conference paper

Lawrence, S. 2015. The history of the fourth dimension: a way of engaging pupils in secondary classrooms. Krainer, K. and Vondrová, N. (ed.) CERME 9 - Ninth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. Prague, Czech Republic 04 - 08 Feb 2015 Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education and ERME. pp. 1846-1852
TypeConference paper
TitleThe history of the fourth dimension: a way of engaging pupils in secondary classrooms
AuthorsLawrence, S.
Abstract

The National Curriculum in England has, over the past decade, been revised a multitude of times. Disengagement of pupils was one of the reasons for revisions. In September of 2014, a new curriculum in mathematics was introduced, aiming to give greater freedom to teachers and schools to construct a curriculum and teaching episodes that are engaging and appropriate for their students. This paper investigates how such episodes can be constructed through the investigations based on historical development of mathematical concepts and how they could easily link to the new curriculum, offering at the same time greater opportunities for pupils’ engagement. The history of the fourth dimension is one such possible topic, and the paper suggests a way of using it in a secondary classroom.

ConferenceCERME 9 - Ninth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education
Page range1846-1852
EditorsKrainer, K. and Vondrová, N.
ISBN
Hardcover9788072908448
PublisherCharles University in Prague, Faculty of Education and ERME
Publication dates
Print08 Feb 2015
Online03 Mar 2016
Publication process dates
Deposited21 Apr 2020
Accepted10 Jan 2015
Output statusPublished
Copyright Statement

Copyright 2015 left to the authors

Web address (URL)https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/CERME9-TWG12/hal-01288395v1
LanguageEnglish
Book titleProceedings of the Ninth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME 9, February 4 – 8, 2015). Prague, Czech Republic
Permalink -

https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/88wzy

Log in to edit

Restricted files

Publisher's version

  • 30
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

A little history of mathematics
Lawrence, S. 2025. A little history of mathematics. New York & London Yale University Press.
Mathematical meditations
Lawrence, S. 2025. Mathematical meditations. London & New York Taylor & Francis (Routledge).
Authenticity in learning, teaching and assessment
Masterson, B., Sharples, N., Jones, M., Megeney, A. and Lawrence, S. 2024. Authenticity in learning, teaching and assessment. MSOR Connections. 22 (2), pp. 29-36. https://doi.org/10.21100/msor.v22i2.1488
Revising the role of the history of mathematics in post-pandemic world
Lawrence, S., Megeney, A., Sharples, N., Masterson, B. and Jones, M. 2022. Revising the role of the history of mathematics in post-pandemic world. Uzdanica. XIX, pp. 17-28. https://doi.org/10.46793/Uzdanica19.S.017L
New Math and the South Slavs
Lawrence, S. 2023. New Math and the South Slavs. in: De Bock, D. (ed.) Modern Mathematics: An International Movement? Cham Springer. pp. 303–317
Book review: The new mathematics education of new Europe. Alexander Karp (Ed.) (2020) Eastern European mathematics education in the decades of change
Lawrence, S. 2023. Book review: The new mathematics education of new Europe. Alexander Karp (Ed.) (2020) Eastern European mathematics education in the decades of change. Educational Studies in Mathematics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-023-10269-2
Gersonides – translating divinity within the limits of knowledge
Lawrence, S. 2023. Gersonides – translating divinity within the limits of knowledge. in: Vestrucci, A. (ed.) Beyond Babel: Religion and Linguistic Pluralism Cham, Switzerland. Springer. pp. 215–226
Student video curation
Jones, M., Lawrence, S., Masterson, B., Megeney, A. and Sharples, N. 2023. Student video curation. MSOR Connections. 21 (2), pp. 15-24. https://doi.org/10.21100/msor.v21i2.1403
Authentic by design: developing mathematicians for the talent economy
Masterson, B., Jones, M., Lawrence, S., Megeney, A. and Sharples, N. 2023. Authentic by design: developing mathematicians for the talent economy. MSOR Connections. 21 (2), pp. 44-51. https://doi.org/10.21100/msor.v21i2.1400
Student video curation
Jones, M., Lawrence, S., Masterson, B., Megeney, A. and Sharples, N. 2022. Student video curation. CETL-MSOR Conference 2022. Abertay University, Dundee, UK 01 - 02 Sep 2022
Authentic by design: developing mathematicians for the talent economy
Masterson, B., Megeney, A., Sharples, N., Lawrence, S. and Jones, M. 2022. Authentic by design: developing mathematicians for the talent economy. CETL-MSOR Conference 2022. Abertay University, Dundee, UK 01 - 02 Sep 2022
Serbian mathematics education periodicals for the New Millennium
Lawrence, S. 2021. Serbian mathematics education periodicals for the New Millennium. ZDM – Mathematics Education. 53 (7), pp. 1555-1564. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-021-01298-3
History of mathematics in education and history of mathematics education – mathematical education cultures. Special issue: Teaching innovations, Vol. 27 No. 3
Lawrence, S. 2014. History of mathematics in education and history of mathematics education – mathematical education cultures. Special issue: Teaching innovations, Vol. 27 No. 3. University of Belgrade, Teacher Education Faculty.
The art and architecture of mathematics education: a study in metaphors
Lawrence, S. 2018. The art and architecture of mathematics education: a study in metaphors. Barbin, E., Jankvist, U., Kjeldsen, T. and Smestad, B. (ed.) Eight European Summer University (ESU 8). Oslo Metropolitan University 20 - 24 Jul 2018 Oslo Metropolitan University. pp. 515-530
The epistemology of mathematics in the digital age
Lawrence, S. 2014. The epistemology of mathematics in the digital age. Sinteza Conference. Begrade, Serbia 25 - 26 Apr 2014 Singidunum University. pp. 62-65 https://doi.org/10.15308/sinteza-2014-62-65
Learning new mathematics from old
Lawrence, S. 2018. Learning new mathematics from old. in: Clark, K., Kjeldsen, T., Schorcht, S. and Tzanakis, C. (ed.) Mathematics, education and history: Towards a harmonious partnership New York Springer International Publishing. pp. 367-382
The love affair with descriptive geometry: its history in Serbia
Jevtić-Novaković, K. and Lawrence, S. 2019. The love affair with descriptive geometry: its history in Serbia. in: Barbin, É., Menghini, M. and Volkert, K. (ed.) Descriptive Geometry, The Spread of a Polytechnic Art: The legacy of Gaspard Monge Cham, Switzerland Springer International Publishing. pp. 295-311
A theatre of mathematical history – a historical memoir
Lawrence, S. 2020. A theatre of mathematical history – a historical memoir. Teaching Innovations. 33 (1), pp. 123-135. https://doi.org/10.5937/inovacije2001124L
Birth of a theorem: a mathematical adventure by Cédric Villani (trans Malcolm DeBevoise, ill Claude Gongard). The Bodley Head, 2015, 272pp. [Book Review]
Lawrence, S. 2016. Birth of a theorem: a mathematical adventure by Cédric Villani (trans Malcolm DeBevoise, ill Claude Gongard). The Bodley Head, 2015, 272pp. [Book Review]. BSHM Bulletin: Journal of the British Society for the History of Mathematics. 31 (3), pp. 263-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/17498430.2016.1208394
Book Review: the power of a great introduction. Karp, Alexander, Schubring, Gert (Eds.) (2014). Handbook on the history of mathematics education
Lawrence, S. 2016. Book Review: the power of a great introduction. Karp, Alexander, Schubring, Gert (Eds.) (2014). Handbook on the history of mathematics education. Educational Studies in Mathematics. 92 (2), pp. 279-285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-016-9688-5
Review of “What the Tortoise Said to Achilles”: Lewis Carroll's Paradox of Inference, special issue of: The Carrollian: The Lewis Carroll Journal, edited by Amirouche Moktefi and Francine F Abeles
Lawrence, S. 2018. Review of “What the Tortoise Said to Achilles”: Lewis Carroll's Paradox of Inference, special issue of: The Carrollian: The Lewis Carroll Journal, edited by Amirouche Moktefi and Francine F Abeles. BSHM Bulletin: Journal of the British Society for the History of Mathematics. 33 (3), pp. 194-195. https://doi.org/10.1080/17498430.2018.1472470
Mathematics education in the Balkan societies up to the WWI
Lawrence, S. 2014. Mathematics education in the Balkan societies up to the WWI. Teaching Innovations. 27 (3), pp. 46-57. https://doi.org/10.5937/inovacije1403046L
The old teacher Euclid: and his science in the art of finding one's mathematical voice
Lawrence, S. 2016. The old teacher Euclid: and his science in the art of finding one's mathematical voice. Menon: Journal of Educational Research.
Mihailo Petrović (1868-1943)
Lawrence, S. 2022. Mihailo Petrović (1868-1943). in: Furinghetti, F. and Giacardi, L. (ed.) The International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, 1908-2008: A history through the portraits of its officers and leading figures New York Springer.
A new year's present from a mathematician
Lawrence, S. 2019. A new year's present from a mathematician. New York Chapman & Hall / CRC Press.
Descriptive geometry in England: lost in translation
Lawrence, S. 2019. Descriptive geometry in England: lost in translation. in: Barbin, É., Menghini, M. and Volkert, K. (ed.) Descriptive geometry, the spread of a polytechnic art: the legacy of Gaspard Monge Cham, Switzerland Springer. pp. 313-335
What are we like...
Lawrence, S. 2016. What are we like... in: Larvor, B. (ed.) Mathematical Cultures: the London meetings 2012-2014 Cham, Switzerland Birkhäuser. pp. 111-125
Capital G for geometry: Masonic lore and the history of geometry
Lawrence, S. 2015. Capital G for geometry: Masonic lore and the history of geometry. in: Lawrence, S. and McCartney, M. (ed.) Mathematicians and their gods: interactions between mathematics and religious beliefs Oxford, UK Oxford University Press (OUP). pp. 167-190
Life, architecture, mathematics, and the fourth dimension
Lawrence, S. 2015. Life, architecture, mathematics, and the fourth dimension. Nexus Network Journal. 17 (2), pp. 587-604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-014-0221-9
Developable surfaces: their history and application
Lawrence, S. 2011. Developable surfaces: their history and application. Nexus Network Journal. 13 (3), pp. 701-714. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-011-0087-z