Introducing the history of mathematics to third level students with weak mathematical backgrounds: a case study

Many students who traditionally struggle with basic aspects of Mathematics have little or no concept of; Mathematics as a living and growing subject area. They appear not to appreciate the background of the day-to-; day Mathematics that they study, and which some of them may one day teach. These students generally; have no exposure to this material and are unlikely to investigate the History of Mathematics independently.; In this paper we will discuss the incidents that lead us to consider how to introduce students with weak; mathematical backgrounds to the History of Mathematics. We will briefly mention the reasons why there are; such significant numbers of students with these issues. We will also provide some detail on the first steps; taken by the Mathematics Support Centre in the National University of Ireland Maynooth to try to introduce; the background and context of Mathematics to these students. Based on the feedback we have received to; date, we will discuss if these initiatives have had a positive impact in terms of students’ attitudes and results.