We were fortunate to have Dr. Michael Nakamaye from the University of New Mexico as a guest presenter at MaTCH. The focus of the session was on making sense of ratios as they related to the gears of a bicycle. Although many of us have experiences riding bikes, not many of us had thought about […]

Single-Cut Geometry This investigation into cutting out regular and irregular polygons using only a single cut of the scissors led to interesting discussions of symmetry, geometric centers and angle bisectors. The teachers in this session loved the use of representation and how the task might allow diverse students access into the mathematics. A discussion into […]

The Number Line Activity In this session, using a human number line, we investigated transformational geometric motions related to operations on numbers. For example, what happens to one’s position on a number line when two is subtracted from your given number? What happens when your number is multiplied by negative one? What number would we […]

Bicycle Tracks Our first session of the year involved an investigation of the Bicycle Tracks problem, developed by mathematician James Tanton. As they worked through this task, teachers were encouraged to ask intriguing questions about paths created by the front and rear wheels of a bicycle as it moves down a length of paper, eventually […]