Five Ways To Overcoming Math Anxiety

Math Anxiety is the reaction some people get when confronted with numbers and mathematical problems, causing tension, lack of confidence in math and sometimes other physical symptoms. The primary problem associated with math anxiety is, of course, the loss of self-confidence and forgetfulness.

Overcoming Math Anxiety Tip #1- Students with math anxiety need a lot of positive reinforcement to build their confidence back up, and get rid of the negative associations they have with math. By starting with the basics, at a level the student can handle, they will see successes and build new associations with math along with building neural pathways. As they progress, they can take on more difficult problems with confidence and build on the successes rather than the failures.

Overcoming Math Anxiety Tip #2- Another reason that students have math anxiety is because math has its own language. Many people look at math problems and see numbers and symbols and it is like a language that they don’t know. Teaching math needs to start with teaching the language and building associations in the mind between the symbols and their meaning. The first step is to associate the symbols or numbers with something tangible or pictorial. The brain will begin to connect the symbols with a picture in the mind, and eventually it will look at problems and immediately make the interpretation in their minds. That is how languages are learned and it is effective with math as well.

Overcoming Math Anxiety Tip #3- There are many different learning styles. These include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. By using a variety of learning modalities, you can address all of the students’ learning styles. This reaches more students than just using the traditional left-brain style of teaching.

Overcoming Math Anxiety Tip #4- It has been demonstrated that many students learn better when they are active rather than passive learners. The Accelerated Learning program for teaching math, utilizes hands on activities, and using tangible objects and visual aids while learning math concepts. If you think about how infants learn, they are exposed to activities, color and sound which fully engages the brain and multiple senses in the learning process.

Overcoming Math Anxiety Tip #5- Children and teens today are used to working on computers, and are very comfortable with it. Working on a computer is more active than just listening to a teacher or tutor, thus it holds their attention more. They tend to enjoy learning this way as opposed to merely listening. This is one reason why online tutoring is becoming more popular.

In conclusion, math anxiety is very real and common, but can be overcome by the teaching or tutoring style. The language of math needs to be explained first by explaining concepts with manipulatives or pictures. By addressing a variety of styles of learning and incorporating various tools such as the use of tangible objects or colors, games, and technology, and using positive reinforcement, they can overcome the anxiety and start to see math as more enjoyable.

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