My name is Travis Kimm, a teacher at Skyview High School in Billings, and I am grateful to receive the Karen Longhart Scholarship for professional development. 

I recently read a quote that stated, “To become a great artist, don’t just study art, study artists.” I don't exactly have a passion for art myself, but I thought it was a wise principle no matter what field you pursue.  We can certainly apply it to our own field: to become a great mathematician, or a great math teacher, we must study the greats. I have had a recent interest to do just that, by studying more of the history of mathematics and the mathematicians that shaped how we think of the field now. I took an online course this summer through Fresno Pacific University on Great Mathematicians Before 1700. 

In an age of AI and instantaneous calculations and problem-solving at our fingertips, math especially can start to feel like a less human endeavor. Calculations and procedures can begin to feel like robotic work that should stay as such–so should we leave it to the robots? A way to counter this mindset is to put ourselves in the shoes of the humans that had a desire and a need to develop the mathematics we rely on today. Mathematics continues to be a human endeavor and a process to engage our minds with logic and problem solving. When we take a historical perspective, we can marvel at how many different people from various time periods and cultures have contributed to this field not just out of necessity but also out of joy, and sometimes unaware of how significant their work would be. Pierre de Fermat enjoyed math as a hobby, but made lasting contributions in number theory, physics, and calculus that have made his name live on, and leaving some margin notes that continue to intrigue many mathematicians. Students would do well to consider such examples! When a student asks why we are studying a certain concept, it is beneficial to go back to the origin and purpose, as well as the intrinsic satisfaction in a problem well solved. 

This course encouraged finding creative ways to incorporate historical mathematicians. There may be some spaces to incorporate specific anecdotes depending on your content.  Examples include exploring Euclid and Pythagoras in geometry, Descartes when exploring graphical ideas, and Newton and Leibniz in Calculus. I would like to explore more ways to engage students with some of the specific math some of the people of the past were engaging with.

Beyond specific lessons, there are other creative ways we can weave in history:

● Strategic Posters: I have a "Wall of Fame" that includes both historical figures and current students! (more info below)

● Birthday Celebrations: Highlighting mathematicians on their birthdays to make them more relatable.

● Quick Research: Having students do mini-research projects on a famous mathematician.

I want my students to build a positive identity as a mathematician (which is often not the case) and I think finding some math role models and celebrating successes is a great way of doing that. By highlighting great mathematicians of the past, as well as students who excel in my own classroom, students more likely see success as attainable and worth pursuing.

A good first step in incorporating more history is to learn more history yourself! This does not need to be exhaustive, but could include learning a few names and facts about them. I have included a handful of resources at the end that could be helpful, both from the course I took and things I have read personally. I am glad to hear any resources you have found helpful. I am grateful to be part of a learning community with you all at MCTM, and hope that we always pursue excellence and improvement, whether it's by attending a conference, working on a master’s degree (MSU has a high-quality, affordable program!), taking an online course, or participating in a book study, we have so many opportunities to better ourselves—and, in turn, better our students. While not all of our teaching looks the same, we have a lot to learn from each other, and I am thankful for this Montana math community.

Thanks,

Travis Kimm

History Resources

History for a teacher or student perspective:

● Reimer, L., & Reimer, W. (1990). Mathematicians are people, too: Stories from the lives of great mathematicians. [Dale Seymour Publications]

 ○ These volumes were utilized in the course and have some very readable anecdotes that make the legendary mathematicians seem more relatable

● Strogatz, S. (2019). Infinite powers: How calculus reveals the secrets of the universe. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

 ○ A relatively popular work on the history, development, and applications of calculus. Highly recommend!

● Nickel, J. D. (2001). Mathematics: Is God silent? (Rev. ed.). Ross House Books

  ○ A religious perspective on math education, which may not be for all, but some helpful history and biographical info on many mathematicians and philosophers of the past. Classroom decoration:

● Choprasss. (2026). Mathematicians of the world - version 2 [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/mathematicians-of-the-world-version2pdf/266650291

 ○ This has a variety of many mathematicians across time and cultures. I have a selection of these posted in my classroom, and have formatted similar slides to highlight some of my own students