Title: Recency Bias in the Era of Big Data: The Need to Strengthen the Status of History of Mathematics in Nigerian Schools,
Abstract: The amount of information available to the mathematics teacher is so enormous
that the selection of desirable content is gradually becoming a huge task in
itself. With respect to the inclusion of elements of history of mathematics in
mathematics instruction, the era of Big Data introduces a high likelihood of
Recency Bias, a hitherto unconnected challenge for stakeholders in mathematics
education. This tendency to choose recent information at the expense of
relevant older, composite, historical facts stands to defeat the aims and
objectives of the epistemological and cultural approach to mathematics
instructional delivery. This study is a didactic discourse with focus on this
threat to the history and pedagogy of mathematics, particularly as it affects
mathematics education in Nigeria. The implications for mathematics curriculum
developers, teacher-training programmes, teacher lesson preparation, and
publication of mathematics instructional materials were also deeply considered.