Leveraging AI, magic, and field trips to prevent math anxiety in elementary school pupils

Abstract

Math anxiety is common among elementary school pupils and its negative consequences are a serious concern. Traditional teaching methods have largely failed to address this widespread fear. One effective way to reduce this anxiety is by presenting mathematics as a fun and relevant subject for young learners in the classroom. Educators can introduce activities that align with the interests of elementary students, such as group outings, collaborative poetry readings, or watching and performing magic tricks. By blending math concepts into these enjoyable activities, teachers can help students engage more relaxed and positively with the subject. This relaxation, in turn, can reduce the math anxiety. With the help of recent advancements in generative artificial intelligence, teachers can create innovative learning experiences, organize field trips that connect classroom lessons to real-world applications, and present mathematical techniques as exciting tools for solving problems. In this article, we present five activities that we hope motivate other practitioners to create and implement activities that can prevent the development of math anxiety in elementary school kids.