Task of the Week: Jacobean Pilgrim

Today, we would like to introduce you a task from Speyer, which was created there by Katalin Retterath. It is about the famous Way of St. James, which leads through the city to Santiago de Compostela.

Task: Jacobean Pilgrim (task number: 1614)

Measure/estimate the step of the Jacobean Pilgrim. How many steps would he have to take if he were to travel the 2,500 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela?

How did you get the idea to create MathCityMap?

I am a consultant for teaching development in mathematics at the Pedagogical State Institute in Rhineland-Palatinate. For a number of years, we have been developing mathematical rallies, which are well received by both our pupils and the training events. First we experimented with LearningApps, then with Actionbound – both were OK, but not really satisfactory. We have become acquainted with MathCityMap and we would like to introduce the MathCityMap project here.

What are the mathematical competences and contents associated with the task?

Students must estimate and/or measure, work with large numbers. The task is solved by a group – thus, communicating plays a great role and if the students explain their their solution to one another (which would be desirable), then also argue.

Has the task already been tested by students or did you receive feedback in other forms?

The task itself has been tested by students (many different classes), but still with Actionbound. The students were able to solve the problem without major (content) difficulties – with the units and number of zeros, however, it was not so good. I have only entered two-three tasks at MathCityMap to test the software. A test of the tool will be considered in spring.  

The MCM team thanks for the interview and is looking forward to further tasks in Speyer!