Rewriting the History of School Mathematics in North America 1607-1861: The Central Role of Cyphering Books [Paperback]

The focus of this book is the fundamental influence of the cyphering tradition on mathematics education in North American colleges, schools, and apprenticeship training classes between 1607 and 1861. It is the first book on the history of North American mathematics education to be written from that perspective. The principal data source is a set of 207 handwritten cyphering books that have never previously been subjected to careful historical analysis.

Preface.- Table of Contents.- List of Tables.- List of Figures.- Abstract.- Foreword (by Jeremy Kilpatrick).- 1. The Historical Challenge.- 2. Development of a Tradition.- 3. Translating the Cyphering-Book Tradition to North America.- 4. Formulating the Research Questions.- 5. The Principal Data Set.- 6. Ending a 600-Year Tradition: The Demise of the Cypering-Book Approach.- 7. Conclusions, and some Final Comments.- References.- Appendices.

From the reviews:

This book shows that the authors see it as opening the way for further study, and indeed they include very carefully thought out questions for further research. & Other students of life in Colonial North America will also find this a must read book & . book is extensively referenced and represents a high level of scholarship. & scholars of mathematics education and its history in North America will find this book a gold mine of information and questions for further research. (Robert George Stein, Educational Studies in Mathematics, Vol. 82, 2013)

Two centuries ago, American teachers did not stand at the front of the room and teach, and most studentseven those studying mathematicsdid not own a mathematics textbook. Written examinations of any kind were not used. Most teachers of mathematics did not have formal qualifications in mathematics. The modern educator might well ask: If all of that is true, then how were teachers expected to teach and how were students expected to learn mathematics?<BR> &