Is “Ad Fontes” the exclusive call of the humanities, or could mathematics and science classes profit by using primary sources as well? This session will consider the benefits and challenges of using primary sources in math and science classes and help sort out how to make them effective. We will explore how primary sources can augment textbooks by giving students first hand access to the technical narrative of discovery. We will also discuss replicating these great historic discoveries as lab work as well as using primary sources to consider issues in faith and science. Whether your class has never attempted to use primary sources before, or whether you’ve been reading Newton’s Principia Mathematica for years, this session will offer an accessible path for fully integrating primary source material into any of your lessons from arithmetic to electricity.
Ravi Jain
Ravi Jain graduated from Davidson College with a BA and interests in physics, ancient Greek, and international political economy. He worked at various churches, received an MA from Reformed Theological Seminary, and later earned a Graduate Certi cate in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida. He began teaching Calculus and Physics at The Geneva School in 2003, where he has developed an integrated double-period class called “The Scienti c Revolution.” In this class the students read primary sources such as Galileo and Newton in order to recapitulate the narrative of discovery while preserving the mathematical and scienti c rigor expected of a college-level treatment. During his tenure there, he co-authored The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education. He has given more than 100 talks and workshops throughout the country and overseas on topics related to education, mathematics, and science. He has two young boys, Judah and Xavier. A er the duties of the week have been discharged (by 8:53 Saturday night), the few remaining hours he enjoys spending with family, friends, and his wife, Kelley Anne, whom he met in Japan.
