Traveling Salesperson

Mode of Instruction: Teamwork/Teacher-led           Purpose: Communicate mathematical ideas

Objective: To implement tasks that promote reasoning, students solve a problem and decide on an effective strategy within a team. One team member shares that strategy with other teams.

Teams receive a topic or problem—same/different from other teams—and a presentation is prepared. Teams plan and practice within teams. Then one team member—Traveling Salesperson—rotates to another team to pitch the presentation. The team asks clarifying questions. Then the Traveling Salesperson returns to the team so that roles may rotate. The use of Numbered Heads allows all team members to rotate. The teacher circulates to make informed instructional decisions about which team member is assigned the role of Traveling Salesperson.

  • Teams receive a topic or problem from the teacher.

  • Teams complete the problem by planning a presentation.

  • Team Member (1) shares the presentation with another team.

  • The process continues with another topic or problem, and roles may rotate.


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