Aug30

How can you avoid math anxiety?

https://youtu.be/Hfq7CUdq0nE

Your heart beats faster. Your hands get clammy. Sweat beads start to hinder your eyesight. You’re not running a race. Instead, the teacher just called on you to solve a math problem in front of the class. Your anxiety skyrockets.

Many students (and adults) can relate to this uncomfortable situation. Unfortunately, more often than not, people tend to steer clear from math, whether it’s avoiding the topic in conversation, or the subject entirely in school. There’s a veil of math anxiety that permeates classrooms and homes. This fear isn’t just a mere feeling, instead it can be both mentally and physically blocking children (and adults) from reaching their full potential. This nerve-racking anxiety can pop up in front of the classroom, while taking exams, or for adults, when dealing with project budgets and more.

How can we minimize math anxiety ?

Approaching the subject with a different attitude can do wonders. Apart from feeling unsure of the subject, people claim they ¨are just not math people or have never been good at math.¨ Children are conditioned to believe they are good or bad at math. We know that kids have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to any subject. This leads us to our second point:
A positive attitude towards the subject is great but only part of the solution. Children need to work through exercises, and practice. It is through practice can one really learn and master the foundations. Once they grasp the concepts and develop the necessary tools, they can become more confident.

Take it from Yasmin, one of our Smartick moms residing in South Africa:

¨To be honest, I didn’t like maths when I was young.¨

¨It’s not scary as you think. All you need is practice. Every day you practice.¨

math anxiety

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Katrina Intal

Hails from the Bronx, NY and the Head of Business Development. She studied International Relations and Economics at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and went abroad during her junior year to the Complutense University in Madrid. When she isn't eating or traveling, she loves kickboxing and playing squash.