History of mathematics in the classroom: a didactic proposal inspired by Johannes Kepler

Abstract

The adoption of primary historical sources is an effective tool for teaching mathematics in an engaging way. This paper proposes some workshop activities, easily implementable in secondary school classrooms, based on the works of Johannes Kepler. Starting from passages from the Nova stereometria doliorum vinariorum on the calculation of volumes and the Strena seu de nive sexangula on the geometry of snow, the approach aims to consolidate specific mathematical topics, encourage students’ critical thinking, and foster interdisciplinary connections.