Overcoming Math Anxiety

Like many of my peers, I have always struggled with math. Overcoming math anxiety has something that has been a part of my life since my early school days and still remains to a certain extent. I was interested to learn more about this debilitating phobia and strategies for overcoming it. While conducting research for this article, I was very surprised I was to discover the vast amount of literature covering math anxiety. I was also amazed by the amount of people who suffer from this terrible, debilitating condition. Although, it was comforting to know I am not alone.

I found a very interesting article discussing ways of overcoming math anxiety. This particular article begins by providing the definition of math anxiety as a learned emotional response to one or more of the following: participating in a math class, listening to a lecture, working through a math problem, discussing mathematics. The authors then go on to explain some of the various causes of math anxiety. Additionally, ineffective teaching methods are also addresses as likely culprits. A few of these ineffective instructing techniques are: designating math homework as a penalty for acting up, contending that there is only one right way to finish a problem, and assigning all students the same problems.

Berman and Furner offer suggestions for parents to help students conquer math anxiety such as organizing family math nights and remaining current on teaching strategies. Parents can also help by engaging their children in math activities that are meaningful and fun. It is also noted that if teachers can assist their students in having more positive attitudes towards math, they will be less anxious. The authors point out the importance of attempting to prevent math anxiety completely as well as reducing it, and presents an extensive list of ways for accomplishing those goals. Other suggestions that have helped me include finding a friend who enjoys math and wouldn't mind coaching you and practicing math problems regularly. If your school has a math club or tutoring center, I highly encourage you to participate.

In conclusion, I feel that the authors did a phenomenal job of defining math anxiety, identifying its causes, and providing solutions for the reduction and prevention of math anxiety. I hope you learned a few tips that will be helpful for controlling math anxiety in your or someone you know.

Sources:

Berman, Barbara T., and Joseph M. Furner. "Math Anxiety: Overcoming a major obstacle to the improvement of student math performance." (Review of Research). Childhood Education, Spring 2003 v79 i3 p170(5)