Operations sudoku: playfulness as an approach to mathematics teaching

Abstract

This study examines pedagogical practices that incorporate interactive elements as resources to foster student engagement and mitigate barriers frequently associated with mathematics education, such as inattention, low motivation, and aversion to making mistakes. The proposed approach is based on the adaptation of the Sudoku game, named "Operations Sudoku," as a dynamic strategy aimed at stimulating logical reasoning and concentration within elementary education contexts. The investigation stems from the understanding that traditional approaches, excessively focused on content formalism, contribute to reinforcing what is commonly referred to as "math anxiety," a term used to describe the affective and cognitive blockages related to the subject. The methodological approach is grounded in a bibliographic review, with emphasis on academic works that discuss teacher mediation, the relevance of playful experimentation, and the progressive construction of knowledge by students. The findings indicate that the use of games for educational purposes promotes a reorganization of students' relationship with mathematical content, encouraging active involvement and the reinterpretation of mistakes as a natural part of conceptual development. It is concluded that the teacher’s role, when integrating practices mediated by exploratory dynamics, is crucial for overcoming structural obstacles that hinder learning, thus fostering more participatory and intellectually stimulating environments.