Around two million school children feel apprehension about mathematics. Tutor Prathap Chandran looks for the signs and solutions.
Building good relationships with your class will help to identify students with maths anxiety.
Does the thought of solving a maths problem make you feel uneasy? Well, don’t worry, you’re not alone and there might be a reason for your apprehension: maths anxiety.
According to figures from three years ago,this affects up to two million children. When I asked my own students how they felt about maths, they showed me pictures like this:
How does maths anxiety come about?
It’s usually because of a bad experience, for example being punished for failing a test or feeling embarrassed after answering a question incorrectly.
The way teachers feel about the subject also has an impact – if we think maths is hard and scary our class will too. Instead of taking shortcuts, teachers must help children see the relationship between the different challenges to ease their anxiety.
Parents also have an impact, increasing worry in their child if they also find the subject stressful. A study conducted by the university of Chicago found that parents who felt anxious about maths, but provided frequent help at home, actually slowed their child’s progress.
Lastly, timed tests are known to contribute to this phenomenon. Even if a child is confident working at home, that mindset can crumble during an exam. This is why taking the emphasis off assessment can be useful; it gives children some space to explore the subject without any added pressure.
How can teachers spot maths anxiety?
It’s important to build up good relationships with your class so they can tell you when they’re anxious. But if your students don’t communicate their worries directly, there are signs to look out for.
The first is panic – a child will seem particularly tense when presented with a maths problem. This may result in a real stress reaction, such as rapid breathing, increased heart rate, clammy hands or an upset stomach.
Another symptom is paranoia. Your student may think they are the only person who isn’t able to do the maths problem. This happens even when they are presented with a particularly challenging piece of work that most people would struggle with.
Children can also display a lack of confidence; they won’t want to work alone and will double check their answers with you. They are likely to skip questions even though you know they are capable of doing the work.
The final symptom is passive behaviour: instead of getting on with their work they will do nothing about their problem.
It’s hard to distinguish some of these issues with learning difficulties or a general dislike of maths, so the best way to work out what’s going wrong is through communication.
How can you handle it?
Go slow
Reassure pupils using the topics they already understand, and then gently explore similar concepts with slow increments in complexity. For example, if a student struggles with percentages, begin by working with multiplying and dividing by 100, showing them how adept they are at this, and progress slowly to master percentages the same way.
Spend more time on their areas of discomfort
This could involve one-to-one after school sessions, or specific lesson plans that can be delivered by teaching assistants. Design personalised activities around their interests. If a student likes football, use the sport’s statistics to reinforce maths concepts. If they like storytelling, make them the hero of their own maths story and co-solve puzzles with them.
Six creative ideas for practical maths lessons
Make lessons fun
Play maths games that focus on applying knowledge. For example, I divide my students into two groups and make them compete against each other to solve certain problems. The students within a team help each other out, and since it’s also a competition, they try their hardest to solve problems. Such activities do not involve grading or put individual students under the spotlight, so the cost of failure becomes very low. Students relax and enjoy the activity without worrying.
Explain it’s not just about getting it right
Reward students for taking the right approach even if their answer is wrong. I give my year 6 class flipped tests where we mark both the answers and the steps involved. We have a rule that giving the right answer without showing working out will not be awarded any mark, but the right approach to a problem will be rewarded even if the final answer is wrong. This avoids children jumping to solutions to get the right answer without thinking through the questions properly. The more importance the students place on getting the right answer, the more anxious they are.
Use positive language
Show them how they have improved from yesterday, and how they will be better still tomorrow. Praise them in front of their peers and parents. Instead of using phrases like, “You have potential but you don’t use it”, perhaps say, “How can I help you reach your full potential?” Since being embarrassed in front of their peers makes them anxious, any words of assurance will go a long way in helping them cope with their anxiety issues.