Philipp Larmann | MathCityMap

40.000 MathCityMap-Tasks

Not even half a year has passed since we cracked the mark of 30,000 tasks in the MathCityMap system. Today, we are more than happy to announce the achievement of the next milestone. We are celebrating over 40,000 tasks in the web portal! Our users were also very active in the first half of 2022, […]

Not even half a year has passed since we cracked the mark of 30,000 tasks in the MathCityMap system. Today, we are more than happy to announce the achievement of the next milestone. We are celebrating over 40,000 tasks in the web portal! Our users were also very active in the first half of 2022, and today we have exactly 41,356 tasks in the portal.

Our anniversary task, which cracked the 40,000 mark, was created by Tobi Walter-Born in Berlin and asks for the area of the front of a goal wall. Click here to go to the task.

We look forward to many more MathCityMap tasks and we are excited to see when we will reach the next mark of 50,000 tasks!

MCM-Spring in Slovakia

Spring with warmer temperatures and sunshine has reached many parts of Europe. So it’s high time again to do mathematics outside and explore your surroundings with mathematical eyes. The steadily growing MCM community in Slovakia took this thought to heart in April and carried out a wide range of activities, which we would like to […]

Spring with warmer temperatures and sunshine has reached many parts of Europe. So it’s high time again to do mathematics outside and explore your surroundings with mathematical eyes. The steadily growing MCM community in Slovakia took this thought to heart in April and carried out a wide range of activities, which we would like to report on in more detail below.

It started on April 6, when the Student scientific conference, a joint scientific event of the Faculty of natural sciences and informatics (FNSaI) of the Constantine the Philosopher University (CPU) in Nitra, Slovakia and the Faculty of natural sciences of the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, took place. The graduated student Silvia Haringová won the section Professional didactics II with the paper: The importance of including math trails in teaching.

Veronika Bočková and Silvia Haringová, graduates of the Mathematics Department of the FNSaI CPU in Nitra, visited the lower secondary school in Nové Zámky on April 8, where they prepared a math trail for grade 5 students together with math teacher Elena Závodská. An open lesson for primary and lower secondary math teachers will also be held there, where all fifth graders will complete the trail.

On April 12, Silvia Haringová and Janka Medová went to Nemšová, where primary and lower secondary math teachers were trained in designing and implementing lessons with MathCityMap.

On April 14, a training workshop on MathCityMap paths for primary, secondary and university teachers was held at the Faculty of Science and Informatics in Nitra. Thirty teachers registered for the event. In the first block, teachers received the basic information about MathCityMap and became students again for a while when they tried a math trail themselves. In the second block, the teachers learned how to create the trails in the MathCityMap portal.

The EME 2022 conference – New challenges in mathematics education in primary school – was held in Liberec, Czech Republic on 21-23 April. At the conference, PhD students Silvia Haringová and Veronika Bočková presented the paper: Mathematical trails as a tool to stimulate teacher cooperation. They also created a trail on the campus of the Technical University for pre-service teachers and conference participants to experience.

At the end of the month, on April 26, a group of student teachers from the Physics Department of the University of Pilzen visited the University in Nitra. In the atrium of the Faculty of Science and Informatics and in the center of Nitra, they were introduced to the MCM system and were also able to try out a Mathtrail.

The coming months will also be interesting in Slovakia. The design and implementation of trails in the town of Bánovce nad Bebravou is already planned for May and mathtrails will also be created in Poland. In addition, the University in Nitra is working with mathematics teachers as part of the national project KEGA Cooperation, a project for the professional development of mathematics teachers, and aims to use Mathtrails and MathCityMap specifically for this purpose.

Task of the Week: Height of the Powder Tower in Merano

In the beautiful South Tyrolean city of Merano, teacher Michael Perkmann recently created the task “Height of the Powder Tower in Merano”, which we would like to present to you today as the task of the week. The goal of the task is to determine the height of the old powder tower. Michael Perkmann reports […]

In the beautiful South Tyrolean city of Merano, teacher Michael Perkmann recently created the task “Height of the Powder Tower in Merano”, which we would like to present to you today as the task of the week. The goal of the task is to determine the height of the old powder tower. Michael Perkmann reports about his task and the use of MathCityMap in the classroom in the following.

How did you come across the MathCityMap project? How do you use MCM?

I first heard about MathCityMap about 3 to 4 years ago at a teacher training course in South Tyrol. At that time we did the first Mathtrails in groups and tried to create our own tasks.

Since there are hardly any tasks and trails in South Tyrol and especially in Merano at the moment, I have always planned to create my own math parkour with my students one day.

I created this task for the Powder Tower together with my students from the Business School in Merano as part of an interdisciplinary project to get to know the MathCityMap platform better.
The goal is that the students themselves will soon create several tasks in the vicinity of Merano.

Together we will try to enter the tasks into the portal and then create a trail.

What can the learners gain by working on the tasks?

I think that working on tasks requires many competences of the students, especially modeling, creating text tasks, applying mathematical representations, creativity in solving mathematical problems.

This is often neglected in frontal teaching. MathCityMap is therefore a great addition to the lessons and the work outside the class motivates and makes fun for the students.

Trail of the month: Helsinki Tour

Through the Trail of the Month of May, we get to know a European capital from a slightly different angle. We’re talking about Finland’s largest city, Helsinki, where Nina Salminen, a local mathematics, chemistry and physics teacher, created the Helsinki Tour trail, which is available in the MCM app by using the code 129638 and […]

Through the Trail of the Month of May, we get to know a European capital from a slightly different angle. We’re talking about Finland’s largest city, Helsinki, where Nina Salminen, a local mathematics, chemistry and physics teacher, created the Helsinki Tour trail, which is available in the MCM app by using the code 129638 and on the MathCityMap web portal here.

On this extensive mathematical walking trail we get to know the city and its sights in connection with six mathematical tasks based on intermediate level topics. Starting at the Sibelius Monument, the trail covers a total distance of 2.9 km, passing the Olympic Stadium, the Parliament Building and the famous Temppeliaukio Church, which was carved directly into a rock.

In a short interview Nina Salminen tells us how she got to know MathCityMap and gives us some background information about her trail:

How did you come across the MathCityMap project?

My Italian colleague Giovanna Zito from Brindisi asked me to join an Erasmus+ project, where a MathCityMap trail is being planned with students in each of the five countries participating in the project. I found out about the MathCityMap project and made one trail with my students near our school, Munkkiniemi School. This spring we went further and planned two trails in the center of Helsinki.

Please describe your Mathtrail.

Along the trail you will see points of interest in Helsinki and at the same time solve short math problems. For each task, you will get to know one of Helsinki’s attractions. Thus, the route also serves as a tourist tour in our capital. Math problems are suitable not only for students but also for anyone who wants to recall the basics of mathematics or enjoy problem solving.

How do you use MCM and why?

MCM trail brings good variation for math lessons. A trip outside breaks up the monotony of the school day. Showing math in different contexts is also a good way to reach students who, for one reason or another, don’t like math and don’t think they’re good at it.

We can also get around the trails on theme days or when there are foreign guests at our school. The trail makes it easy to introduce our hometown. The Finnish mobility of the Erasmus+ project will take place in May and all 50 students from five different countries will take the MCM trail.

Describe your favorite task of the trail. How can it be solved and what can students learn from it?

My students have come up with ideas for the tasks and were so excited about planning them that I consider everyone a favorite. The tasks differ from each other and many of them require knowledge of geometry. In addition to connect math with real life, students get to know their hometown. They also learn to work together as a group when solving tasks and navigating from one task to another.

MCM Training in Ober-Ramstadt, Germany

At the beginning of April, a MathCityMap advanced training course was held in Ober-Ramstadt as part of a project day for the more than 30 students of the advanced mathematics courses at the Georg-Christoph Lichtenbergschool. The students first learned how to use MCM and then developed creative MCM tasks on the school campus for the […]

At the beginning of April, a MathCityMap advanced training course was held in Ober-Ramstadt as part of a project day for the more than 30 students of the advanced mathematics courses at the Georg-Christoph Lichtenbergschool.

The students first learned how to use MCM and then developed creative MCM tasks on the school campus for the lower and middle school. In total, the math teachers can now draw on about 50 new tasks and develop trails for their classes.

An overview of the different tasks created by the students* can be found in the trails sorted by grade level with codes 489376 for 5th/6th grade, 569374 for 7th/8th grade, and 199375 for 9th/10th grade.

The students were happy that they could create math tasks for current and future students in the spirit of sustainability. This project day showed that students can also create meaningful MCM tasks for the school community.

The project day was led by our team members Melanie Schubert and Rebecca Stäter and was carried out at the direct request of the Georg-Christoph Lichtenbergschool Ober-Ramstadt, whose teachers had already attended a MathCityMap training course in advance. If you would like to learn more about MathCityMap in the context of a teacher or student training, perhaps even directly at your school, please contact us at any time at info@mathcitymap.eu .

Portugal’s MathCityMap Partner School No. 3

Three is a charm! We are very happy to welcome the third Portuguese school in our partner school program. The “Escola Básica e Secundária Pintor José de Brito” has also successfully completed the application process and is now the fourth official MCM partner school. Two dedicated math teachers from the school created and tested the […]

Three is a charm! We are very happy to welcome the third Portuguese school in our partner school program. The “Escola Básica e Secundária Pintor José de Brito” has also successfully completed the application process and is now the fourth official MCM partner school.

Two dedicated math teachers from the school created and tested the three math trails required for the application here, and also wrote a short report on their experience with MCM so far, which you can read later in this article.

Again, the package with the measuring instruments and the official partner school plaque is on its way to the school and we are already very much looking forward to receiving more applications from all over the world.

All further information about the partner school program and the prerequisites for the application can be found in the article about the first MCM partner school as well as on the homepage of our project MaSCE³.

Two teachers (of Mathematics and Mathematics/ICT) working at Escola Básica e Secundária Pintor José de Brito (Viana do Castelo, Portugal), built and applied in partnership three trails; two of these were intended for 12th grade students, and the remaining one for 7th grade students. One of the 12th grade tracks was applied using the digital classroom. Two more trails are currently being prepared, one for 9th grade students and the other for 10th grade students, with a total of 27 tasks published on the school grounds.

The trail tasks were solved in groups of three/four students, who worked collaboratively, using the MathCityMap application on smartphones.

By applying these mathematical trails on the school grounds, we involve all students in active learning, working on the physical, cognitive and collaborative aspects. The different groups used creativity and different forms of mathematical representations in solving the tasks.

We provide students with a different learning experience from the usual one, in which assessment, reflection, critical mobilization of information with a view to solving tasks and strengthening self–esteem and well–being were present.

Students, who are usually less participative in the classroom, were involved in solving the tasks, collaborating with not only group colleagues but also 12th grade students who get involved in the tasks according to the way they perceive their importance for results in national exams.

They all claimed it to be an interesting activity, allowing them to experience mathematics in a different way. As for the fact that the trails allow gamification, the students got engaged with commitment in order to achieve maximum scores.

It is usual for students to question about the importance of mathematics and how it applies to real life. The execution of the mathematical trails on the school grounds allowed them to see the application of different mathematical concepts and procedures in the world around them.

Generic Tasks: Growth

This Generic Tasks article is about the wizard task from the “Growth” topic. As always with our Generic Tasks, the tasks can be created in no time with the help of the task wizard, and this time you can find the corresponding objects everywhere in your environment with even greater certainty than usual. The first […]

This Generic Tasks article is about the wizard task from the “Growth” topic. As always with our Generic Tasks, the tasks can be created in no time with the help of the task wizard, and this time you can find the corresponding objects everywhere in your environment with even greater certainty than usual. The first article on Generic Tasks, which also tells you how to get to the Task Wizard and what Generic Tasks are, can be found here.

The objects we are looking at in this article on growth are, of course, trees. Whether in the countryside or in the city, the next MCM task is never far away. The task that is stored in the task wizard is:

“Determine the age of this tree. A tree with a diameter of approximately 40cm (measured in 130cm height) is about 72 years old. One can assume that the diameter grows proportionally. Give the result in years.”

To create the task, we need the circumference of the tree at a height of approx. 130 cm and the type of tree, i.e. whether it is an oak, a maple or a sycamore, since different trees naturally grow at different rates. The task can then be solved via the fact that the growth takes place almost linearly, so we can determine the growth of the tree per year via proportionality.

The next article on the issue of Generic Taks will deal with the topic of velocities, for which we will take a closer look at the escalator. Until then, have fun and save time when creating MCM tasks with the Task Wizard!

Attention Android users!

Dear MathCityMap users, there is currently a problem with the Android 11 version of the MathCityMap app. Fortunately, our IT team has already been able to identify and fix the cause of the problem. An update can now be installed in the Google Play Store, which makes the app run smoothly again. We apologize for […]

Dear MathCityMap users,

there is currently a problem with the Android 11 version of the MathCityMap app. Fortunately, our IT team has already been able to identify and fix the cause of the problem. An update can now be installed in the Google Play Store, which makes the app run smoothly again.

We apologize for any inconvenience this disruption may have caused. Please feel free to write to us at info@mathcitymap.eu if we can assist you with any technical difficulties.

Your MCM Team

Trail of the month: Lindau Island MathTrail

The Trail of the Month for April was created at a picturesque location on Lake Constance, on the island of the city of Lindau in Bavaria. Together with his P-Seminar, a special type of course in the Bavarian gymnasiale Oberstufe, teacher Jan Neuendorf created the “Lindau Island Mathtrail” (Lindauer Insel Mathtrail), which is available in […]

The Trail of the Month for April was created at a picturesque location on Lake Constance, on the island of the city of Lindau in Bavaria. Together with his P-Seminar, a special type of course in the Bavarian gymnasiale Oberstufe, teacher Jan Neuendorf created the “Lindau Island Mathtrail” (Lindauer Insel Mathtrail), which is available in the MCM app under the code 376526 and in the MathCityMap web portal here.

Along the harbor and through lindau’s old town, the trail winds its way across the entire island and integrates various sights of the city, making it very interesting not only mathematically, but also architecturally and historically. The trail contains a total of ten tasks that focus in particular on the content of the eighth and ninth grades.

An interview about the background of the trail is given by Jan Neuendorf in the following interview:

How did you come across the MathCityMap project?

I first heard about the project from colleagues who had spoken about it in various training courses. Afterwards, I found out more about the MathCityMap project on the Internet. This gave me the idea to offer a P-seminar in mathematics, which had the goal to develop a Math-Trail on the island of Lindau and to make it accessible to interested people via the MathCityMap-App. The P-Seminar is a special feature of the gymnasiale Oberstufe in Bavaria. It supports students in their study and career orientation and focuses on the planning and implementation of a subject-related project.

Where is your trail located? What is special about your trail?

The trail is located on the island of Lindau in Lake Constance. With its historic old town, narrow streets, medieval buildings and picturesque harbor with lighthouse, lion and mountain view, the island provides a unique backdrop for the elaborate math trail. Therefore, it was also an exciting challenge to discover and develop suitable mathematical tasks on objects on the island. Thus, the trail combines sightseeing with math activities, which is an exciting combination.

How do you use MCM and why?

So far, MCM has served as a guiding idea for the P-Seminar in mathematics. The goal of the participating students was to plan and implement a math trail on the island of Lindau. In the future, the trail will be used in grades 9 and 10 as a subject outside the classroom or as part of our project week. It is certainly also desirable that other schools in the Lindau area will use the trail for classroom excursions and class action days.

Describe your favorite task on the trail. How can it be solved?

My favorite task of the trail is the task to the Mangturm (Mangtower) at the Lindau harbor. On the one hand, the task is to be solved directly at the harbor in the heart of Lindau, which gives the task an exposed place within the trail. On the other hand, it is a suitable task from the field of geometry, in which mathematics is applied in practice and in which geometry as the science of measurement can be understood in its most original form.
The task is solved with the ray theorem. The fascinating thing is that this theorem can be used to determine lengths that are difficult or impossible to measure.
If you form the 2m long meter stick into an isosceles, right-angled triangle and place it on the harbor railing in such a way that you can aim at the top of the tower via the tip of the leg of the meter stick that is far from your eye, you are not far from the solution. After you have measured the horizontal distance of your location to the Mangturm with the help of the railing elements, you add the height of the railing to this quantity and thus obtain the height of the tower.

MaSCE Meeting in Lyon

Nach zwei Jahren voller Onlinemeetings konnte sich das Team des aktuellen MathCityMap EU-Projektes MaSCE3 (“Math Trails in School, Curriculum and Educational Environments of Europe”) endlich wieder persönlich Treffen und die Aktivitäten für das Abschlussjahr des Projektes planen. Ausgerichtet wurde das Meeting von den Projektpartnern der Universität Claude Bernard in Lyon, Christian Mercat und Patrick Berger, […]

Nach zwei Jahren voller Onlinemeetings konnte sich das Team des aktuellen MathCityMap EU-Projektes MaSCE³ (“Math Trails in School, Curriculum and Educational Environments of Europe”) endlich wieder persönlich Treffen und die Aktivitäten für das Abschlussjahr des Projektes planen. Ausgerichtet wurde das Meeting von den Projektpartnern der Universität Claude Bernard in Lyon, Christian Mercat und Patrick Berger, die für einen gelungenen Austausch und eine strukturierte Organisation sorgten.

Im Rahmen des MaSCE³ Projektes wurden schon fantastische Neuerungen für MathCityMap realisiert. Zum Beispiel wurden unter anderem neue Antwortformate, wie der Vektor, der Lückentext oder die Informationsstation eingeführt. Weiterhin wurde die Möglichkeit implementiert sogenannte Subtasks, also Unteraufgaben, zu bestehende Aufgaben hinzuzufügen. Außerdem wurde durch das Projekt, dass schon jetzt viel genutzte und effektive “Digitale Klassenzimmer” mit seinen mannigfaltigen Einsatzmöglichkeiten entwickelt. Über die vielen weiteren Projektergebnisse kann man sich natürlich auf der Website des Projektes informieren.

Wir sind sehr gespannt, welche weiteren Entwicklungen durch MaSCE³ in diesem Jahr auf MathCityMap zukommen, über die wir natürlich auch auf unserer Website informieren werden!