The advantages of using original sources in school mathematics have been discussed widely. Within academic studies for prospective teachers, history of mathematics is also attributed an important role, with a great variety of possible implementations. At Siegen University the integration of history of mathematics is one of the key features: In addition to special courses on history of mathematics, we integrate historical aspects and work with original sources in didactics courses as well as in lectures on mathematics and elementary mathematics. From a normative point of view, working with original sources can contribute to widely accepted aims of teachers’ education, such as understanding the process character of mathematics and fostering authentic
experiences in mathematical research on an elementary level. Furthermore, the
alienation by historical sources can provoke cognitive conflicts that can enhance the perspective on current mathematical processes of conceptualizations. After discussing advantages and problems of an approach to original sources on an abstract and theoretical level, we will present concrete examples and expériences from courses on elementary mathematics as well as didactic seminars, which show the broad use of original sources.