Mathematics is Story

Mathematics is often viewed as a set of invariantprepositions theorems and axioms. However from ahistorical perspective these mathematical objectsand results have evolved and are contingent oncultural developments within society. Studies ofteacher learning suggest that teachers tend to makesense of new ideas through existing views of thenature of mathematics: in this way images of thenature of mathematics impact pedagogy. In this book I investigate the experiences of fourelementary teachers as they engaged in a professionaldevelopment project concerned with designing a seriesof mathematics lessons where historical stories wereused as instructional tools. Working with threeemerging metaphoric themes I consider how images ofthe nature of mathematics can be altered throughimmersion in the uncertainty and indeterminacy ofhistorical mathematical stories. By creating with theteachers a parable that presents mathematics as avibrant and creative activity the predominant viewmany elementary teachers have of mathematics asisolated facts and procedures that must be memorizedis challenged.