Session 01: September 12, 2015

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 leading to an investigation of tangent lines. Teachers were also introduced to open problem solving as an approach to learning mathematics, an important aspect of how they engage with mathematics in MaTCH sessions.