Challenging math problems can provoke anxiety and confusion for students, so accompanying challenges with positive feedback is very important. Positive feedback is best when it's applied not only to correct answers, but also for the attempt itself regardless of the outcome (e.g., “I love how you went for the harder one” and “This is a great try.”). Positive feedback like this can help to normalize challenges students face and help them become more resilient as they continue to learn (e.g., “It's okay we can figure this one out together. It took me a long time to get to the answer too.”)

Math self-concept pertains to students’ perception of their own abilities related to math. Math self-concept and math anxiety are related in that students with lower math self-concept often report higher levels of math anxiety. You can help increase math self-concept not only through skill development, but also by helping students see how their current learning relates to future success (e.g., “All of these practices you do on probability will really help once we get to statistics”).

It can be easy for students to be distracted by comparing themselves to others in their math learning. Positive and attainable goals help students focus on the problem at hand instead of how they compare to one another or to stereotypes in popular culture. When possible, tailor learning goals for each student.

It's critical to clearly communicate high expectations to all students. This is where learning happens as students feel supported to push themselves beyond their current skill level into new ideas and practices. While you can set individualized expectations for each student, it's also important to cultivate a learning environment (e.g., group norm) where students expect one another to reach beyond their current skill-level. You can also normalize challenges, mistakes, and failures as a critical component for growth instead of something to be feared and avoided.