Beyond Traditional Teaching: Games and Origami as Tools for Mathematics Learning

The use of innovative and engaging teaching methodologies is crucial in the education of future teachers, as it improves their current learning experiences and provides valuable teaching resources for their future classrooms. This paper presents a study which explores the integration of games and origami as educational tools in a math course for pre-service teachers. The implementation of playful challenges in mathematics education encourages students to apply mathematical concepts in a practical and interactive manner, thereby enhancing their engagement and comprehension. Furthermore, these strategies extend beyond reinforcing curricular content. They help foster a more positive attitude towards the subject matter. The activities were carefully designed to address specific mathematics topics identified as either the most relevant or those where students revealed more difficulties. At the end of the semester, a survey was conducted to evaluate students' perceptions towards the use of games and origami in the mathematics teaching-learning process. In this paper we describe some of the activities designed for this study and analyse the results of the survey. Previous studies reveal that students generally welcome the incorporation of games and origami, perceiving them as effective tools for enhancing motivation and promoting positive learning outcomes. Our findings corroborate these studies.