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Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with mathematics performance (Ashcraft 2002). College students who major in early childhood and elementary education have among the highest levels of mathematics anxiety among college majors (Malinsky et al. 2006). I have seen this anxiety reflected in the mathematics autobiographies written by preservice elementary teachers in my methods courses over the past decade (Gujarati 2022). In these life histories, they detail their relationship with mathematics and the greatest influences on that relationship. At least 75% of each class has noted some degree of mathematics anxiety, which is reflected in titles of their mathematics autobiographies, such as The Horror of Mathematics, The Struggle is Real with Math, A Rollercoaster Ride Named Mathematics, Stressful, and She Persisted to name just a few.

From their mathematics stories, the preservice teachers can usually pinpoint the teacher or teachers who have accounted for the way they feel about themselves in relation to mathematics (Gujarati 2022). One point that many mathematics anxious preservice teachers consistently make is that they did not feel connected to the subject because it was not presented with real-life applications. As one of my students wrote in spring 2020: 

I think the biggest mistake teachers of math make is thinking they can just lecture through each lesson and that each student will eventually pick it up. I have always learned mathematics best when it applies to something I might come across in real-life situations or when the lesson was truly engaging and didn't involve the students just sitting and listening for the entire class period. 

Because I use these mathematics autobiographies to inform my teaching, I begin the semester with a real-world application so they can see that mathematics is not such a scary subject if it has some context to it. One way is through Mathematics People Bingo. 

Mathematics People Bingo as a Community Builder 

As an icebreaker on the first day of every semester of my elementary mathematics methods course, we engage in Mathematics People Bingo to not only start to cultivate our classroom community, but to explore the different ways mathematics can be presented in the classroom. I hand out the Bingo activity sheet (see Appendix A) and a nametag on which they need to clearly write their first and last name. Before I send these preservice teachers off to complete the task with their peers, I have them carefully look at the activity sheet as I ask some guiding questions such as:  

I usually have students play whole-card Bingo, which requires completing all nine spaces instead of just the traditional three in a row to maximize their interaction with classmates on the first day of the semester. 

Whole-Class Debrief of Mathematics People Bingo 

After ample time is given to complete this task, I bring the preservice teachers back together for a discussion. Some questions which guide our conversation are: 

Since these teacher candidates are preparing for a career in teaching elementary students, I want to make sure my questions are not solely about what they just engaged in, but how they can apply it in their future classrooms. 

Versatility of Mathematics People Bingo 

There are many possibilities for using Mathematics People Bingo. It can be used as a diagnostic assessment to gauge what students know about a particular mathematics concept before beginning a unit, as an ongoing formative assessment during a unit, or as a summative assessment to gauge what students have retained from a mathematics unit. It can be tailored to any grade level to tap concepts that are being taught. It can be used as a homework assignment to get family members involved. It can be tailored for virtual environments too. 

By doing this community building activity on the first day of the semester, teacher candidates can see that mathematics does not have to be intimidating; it can be made fun yet purposeful with real-life applications. They can see how they might teach mathematics to their future students that can potentially reduce cycles of mathematics anxiety. 

Appendix A: Mathematics People Bingo

Directions: Find people who fit the descriptions in the squares below and have them sign their names. Play until you get “whole card Bingo” or until the allotted time is up.

References