Math Anxiety

"How is never as important as why."

Researchers think that about 20% of the human population suffers from Math Anxiety!

Some people develop math anxiety because they have not mastered the foundational skills. It is hard to master fractions, for example, if you do not yet have a grasp on whole numbers. But even those who do well in the subject can develop math anxiety. Some students struggle with math in school, because they often just can’t express their thinking in symbols. Their brains can do math, but have language problems.
Math anxiety can lead kids to avoid studying. They can end up less prepared for tests, and even more anxious. Math is cumulative, with one lesson building on another. If they are too anxious to learn, they can fall behind and have trouble catching up.
Laurent Schwartz, French mathematician, wrote in his autobiography that he was a slow thinker in math and even believed that he was stupid. That is until he realized that 'What is important is to deeply understand things and their relations to each other. This is where intelligence lies. The fact of being quick or slow isn't really relevant.'
To avoid students falling behind in math, we must work together to help your child practice math through real-world experiences, keep up with their work as they move through the math curriculum, and help them to develop good overall study skills.

Are You a Complainer? AssessmentJon Gordon, in his book The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work, attacks this notion head-on with effective strategies for dealing with our culture of expectation. The no complaining rule which follows is structured for businesses, but is equally suitable for families and schools.

Math performance is influenced by a number of factors!

Math performance is affected by Math-self efficacy (confidence), math anxiety, dyscalculia, motivation, parental influences, effective teacher support, classroom instruction, class size, and students' reading/language skills.