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Math Anxiety Tips

 

Math Anxiety is about fear.  We often fear what we don't know and understand.   How can we defeat this type of fear?  By examining it closely, unmasking it, and learning what the root causes behind it actually are and how to deal with them.  When you do this you will find your fear tends to diminish.

 

So lets take a look at the 5 common factors and feelings that make people avoid math, and what you can do about them.

 

I'm just not a "math person"

 

Sound familiar? The truth is that there is no such thing as a "math person." While there are studies that indicate the existence of different brain types, those types just concern your approach at problem solving, or learning style. Your approach may be different from other students, but it can still be just as effective.

 

A vital factor affecting math performance is confidence. Stereotypes can actually cause you to believe that you are naturally less capable than others. Research shows that math stereotypes are simply not true!

 

Here is the good news - studies do show that a positive attitude can improve math performance.  There are two things that you can do to immediately improve your math performance:

 

 

If you are smart at any other skill, then you can be smart at math. If you are good at writing or a foreign language, for instance, it proves you can be smart at math.

 

 

Weak Foundation of Prior Knowledge

 

Large gaps in your knowledge base and weak prior learning is a legitimate cause for anxiety.  If you avoided math in lower grades, didn't pay quite enough attention during classes, or maybe didn't put forth your best effort, you may be feeling a wee bit stressed out because your background/prior knowledge is not very strong.

 

Don't despair - You can overcome this problem with some extra effort, and some help (from a great tutor!) to shore up and or build those concepts that give you trouble.  It's likely that you will be surprised at how much you actually do know.  Also, you'll see that there are probably only a few core skills you need to practice before you're up to speed.  Your old textbook or review and practice websites, like IXL, can aid in this process.  It's not as hard as you might think to sharpen up your skills!

 

Need proof? Consider this:  There are many adult students who start college after being out of class for ten and twenty years! They survive entrance tests and college level math by brushing up quickly on forgotten (or never acquired) basic skills using old text books, a refresher course, and/or a few targeted tutoring sessions. 

 

You're not as far behind as you may think!  It's never too late to get caught up.

 

Math - Why is it So Boring?!

 

Math itself, is not boring or capable of being boring.  Math is only boring if you think it's boring.  Math is interesting, and once you've figured out that it's interesting.  Believe it or not, but its very true.  So the real questions are:  Why don't you find math interesting?  And is there anything you can do about it?

 

Consider something that you have been able to learn easily - playing the piano, another language, how to play a complex game, the names and stats of every player on your favourite hockey team, or whatever. What do you think made it easy to learn?  The answer is almost certainly interest!  If you are interested in something, it's easier to learn.  So, if you want to make math easy to learn, you must find a way to make it more interesting to you. There are several ways to achieve this. One is to find some relation between math and some of your personal interest(s). This might be making electronic music, playing video games, fashion, playing golf, volleyball, basketball, building electronic devices, playing poker, betting on a hockey pool, driving, or playing with model airplanes.  It's a good bet that no matter what you like to do, learning about math can help you do it more easily, and can even increase the amount of enjoyment that you get out of it.  You may start to realize, math is literally embedded in almost everything you personally use (iphone, facebook, xbox, cars, satellites, television, the internet, music..).

 

You just might start to have an appreciation, or at least, a grudging respect for math. Math is everywhere, and you probably already have an intuitive understanding behind much of this math already - you just don't know it yet!  The best way to understand  anything that you're told in a math class is to come at it from the direction of something that you understand at a gut level.  (Eg, studying quadratic equations, think projectiles like angry birds! Those angry avians fly in parabolic arcs you know!)  This way, each new pattern or formula isn't a new, isolated fact to be memorized, but may instead be a new way of looking at something you already know.

 

Lastly, try to shift your thinking to appreciate math the way many appreciate art, fashion, or music - that is, because it's beautiful.  You can start to see this once your brain is no longer completely occupied obessessing over how stressed out it can make you. 

 

It Takes Too Much Time

 

Many people experience real anxiety when it comes to setting aside a certain amount of time and committing to a less preferred activity. This is one of the factors that often leads to procrastination, and it happens to people of all ages.

 

For example, many people put off tasks when they know they will have to devote themselves completely for an hour or two. Especially when we don't particularly enjoy the task at hand.  Have you every found yourself thinking "I should clean up my room now!", instead of studying for your math test?  

 

Maybe, deep down, we're worried we'll miss out on something, if we commit to an hour or two of homework. There is a certain amount of anxiety or fear that comes with "stepping out" of our life for an hour or two and focusing on one specific thing. This explains why some adults put off paying bills or doing odd jobs around the house.  This is one of those fears that we can overcome, simply by acknowledging it. Acknowledging that we are, in fact, procrastinating can be enough to just get on with the job we are avoiding. Avoiding an undesirable task makes our anxiety about the task grow, so we procrastinate even more.  

 

Understand that it's normal to resist devoting an hour of your time and thoughts to your math homework. Think about the other things in your life that you'll need to set aside. You'll soon realize that you can do without them all for an hour or two - Minecraft, your Instagram account, and your friends text messages will be there when you are done!  Then simply take a breath, face your anxiety, and get moving! Taking action instantly makes us feel stronger and more capable. Promise to reward yourself for completing your homework with some time engaged doing something you really enjoy.  Try it, it works!

 

It's Too Complex to Understand

 

Math does involve some complex formulas.  Its true.  However, anything complex is built from a number of smaller, more simple parts.  You can break down a complex task into individual, easy to digest steps.  This helps reduce anxiety while learning complex routines, tasks, or formulas. A complex task can seem next to impossible if you think of the whole thing at once, like standing at the bottom of a mountain.  But if you break the task into small, manageable steps, and only focus on learning one at a time, anxiety decreases, and the job suddenly seems much easier.

 

When you encounter a formula or process that seems too complex, just break it down.  I tell my students to try to write the formula or equation down, from memory, each time they are going to use it, then plug numbers into it.  This method builds in practicing recall into homework itself. Students often find that if they do this, the equations start to 'stick' in their brains without any extra time or effort!  Try it!

 

 

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