OxTalks is Changing
OxTalks will soon be transitioning to Oxford Events (full details are available on the Staff Gateway). A two-week publishing freeze is expected in early Hilary to allow all events to be migrated to the new platform. During this period, you will not be able to submit or edit events on OxTalks. The exact freeze dates will be confirmed as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
From Flatland to Cannonballs – designing historical lessons and workshops for secondary school pupils & their teachers
In this talk I will outline framework I have designed and used that has helped me create engaging history of mathematics lessons and workshops for pupils aged 11+ as well as train teachers to do the same. This presupposes a use of history of mathematics to enchant and engage, rather than create an academic account or lecture for a listening audience. It is, in other words, a practical guidance to be discussed further at the end of the talk.
Starting from familiar contexts such as Flatland, honeycombs, and cannonball stacks, a number of lessons and workshops can be designed to motivate curiosity for learning more about exciting mathematical ideas as well as exploring high-dimensional concepts. This talk is suitable for all and anyone interested in the role the history of mathematics can play in mathematics education.
Date:
12 January 2026, 17:00
Venue:
Mathematical Institute, Woodstock Road OX2 6GG
Venue Details:
C1
Speaker:
Snezana Lawrence (Independent Scholar)
Organising department:
Mathematical Institute
Organiser:
Christopher Hollings (University of Oxford)
Part of:
History of Mathematics Seminar
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Christopher Hollings
