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Math Related Anxiety and how to reduce it

People may have one of two relationships with math. Either they love it or they hate it. There is no in between. It may sound awkward but students shy away from math and they carry this shyness on throughout their life. They never get to know what they can truly accomplish and just let it pass as a phase of their life.

A study was done on math anxiety where first and second grade students were asked how they felt when taking a big math test. After a considerable number of days, they took a math test involving simple fractions, telling the time, money word problems etc. Nearly half of the 154 students in the survey had anxiety levels skewed towards the red end. 

Just how exactly can one reduce math Anxiety?

See how math relates to life

Teachers should do this from elementary classes. Give relatable real life examples of situations relatable to the students. Creating math based interactive activities that students can take part in can make the classroom environment interactive and fun. Even if the teacher uses a test creator to make a test, they should be able to put questions in that can help the student imagine the scenario as if it was happening right in front of them.

 For example, for a sixth grader, an algebra exam question created using online testing software can relate to real life. It could use situations dealing with distance and speed to create an equation. This would allow the student to think in real terms provided that something similar has been taught in class. It is also important to note that most of the technology you use today uses advanced math to function. Hopefully, the more students begin to realize that math does on fact relate to real life, the more it will be easier for them to reduce math anxiety.

Change your perception about math

People associate math with nerds. It’s a very unfortunate stereotype that exists in society. If people picture mathematicians as someone dressed in a baggy clothes with a pocket protector, number 2 pencils and a calculator, they will never want to know more about math. People, especially students, need to change their thoughts about math. They will still be able to make new friends and their friends will not abandon them if they are good at math.

The negative image created about math needs to be overcome; knowing math will actually make school more enjoyable. Kids in the fourth grade will be able to calculate the change from the grocery store before the cashier hands it to them. To achieve this, teachers using online testing software can create meaningful problems suited to the levels of cognition of their students.

 

Remember: mathematical concepts build upon each other. Math teachers using online testing software or a test creator can assess help students test the previous concepts that they were taught in earlier classes. The students’ previous concepts will be reinforced and help them build up on those concepts in the courses to come.