Math Anxiety By Sarah Carothers

(cc) Creative Commons License.
Photo By Aaron Escobar

What is Math Anxiety?
Math anxiety or fear of math is actually quite common. Math anxiety is quite similar to stage fright. Why does someone suffer stage fright: Fear of something going wrong in front of a crowd? Fear of forgetting the lines? Fear of being judged poorly? Fear of going completely blank? Math anxiety conjures up fear of some type. The fear that one won't be able to do the math or the fear that it's too hard or the fear of failure often stems from having a lack of confidence.

For the most part, math anxiety is the fear about doing the math right; our minds draw a blank, and we think we'll fail. Of course the more frustrated and anxious our minds become, the greater the chance for drawing blanks. Added pressure of having time limits on math tests and exams also cause the levels of anxiety grow for many students.

Where Does Math Anxiety Come From?
Usually math anxiety stems from unpleasant experiences in mathematics. Typically math phobics have had math presented in such a fashion that it led to limited understanding. Unfortunately, math anxiety is often due to poor teaching and poor experiences in math. Many of the students I've encountered with math anxiety have demonstrated an over-reliance on procedures in math as opposed to actually understanding the math. When one tries to memorize procedures, rules and routines without much understanding, the math is quickly forgotten and panic soon sets in. Think about your experiences with one concept - the division of fractions.

You probably learned about reciprocals and inverses. In other words, 'It's not yours to reason why, just invert and multiply.' Well, you memorized the rule, and it works. Why does it work? Do you really understand why it works? Did anyone every use pizzas or math manipulatives to show you why it works? If not, you simply memorized the procedure and that was that. Think of math as memorizing all the procedures, but what if you forget a few? Therefore, with this type of strategy, a good memory will help, but, what if you don’t have a good memory?

Understanding the math is critical. Once students realize they can do the math, the whole notion of math anxiety can be overcome. Teachers and parents have an important role to ensure students understand the math being presented to them.

Myths and Misconceptions
None of the following are true!

·       You're born with a math gene; either you get it or you don't.

·       Math is for males; females never get math!

·       It's hopeless and much too hard for average people.

·       If the logical side of your brain isn't your strength, you'll never do well in math.

·       Math is a cultural thing; my culture never got it!

·       There's only one right way to do math.

Overcoming Math Anxiety
1. A positive attitude will help. However, positive attitudes come with quality teaching for understanding (which often isn't the case with many traditional approaches to teaching mathematics).

2. Ask questions and be determined to 'understand the math.' Don't settle for anything less during instruction. Ask for clear illustrations and/or demonstrations or simulations.

3. Practice regularly, especially when you're having difficulty.

4. When total understanding escapes you, hire a tutor or work with peers that understand the math. You can do the math; sometimes it just take a different approach for you to understand some of the concepts.

5. Don't just read over your notes - do the math. Practice the math and make sure you can honestly state that you understand what you are doing.

6. Be persistent and don't over emphasize the fact that we all make mistakes. Remember, some of the most powerful learning stems from making a mistake.

Find out more about the myths of doing math and you too will overcome math anxiety. And, if you think making mistakes is a bad thing, look again. Sometimes the most powerful learning stems from making mistakes. Find out how to learn from your mistakes.

Life Lessons By Carroll Vernon

Carroll Vernon is a writing and grammar tutor in Learning Support Services.

A few of the many life lessons I have tried to live by include: 

1) Your children only get one childhood.  

2) Believe in miracles.  

3) Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.  

4) Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does.  

5) Yield! 

6) Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.  

7) What other people think of you is none of your business.   

8) Don't compare your life to others.  You have no idea what their journey is all about.  

9) When in doubt, just take the next small step. 

10) Laugh!

Tips to Improve Your Study Habits By Myriah Strivelli

By Tulane Public Relations (Studying  Uploaded by AlbertHerring) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Research has shown that there are certain steps you can take to improve your study habits. Here are a few techniques you should consider to make your studying more effective and enjoyable.

Try a new study space – Test out several study spots to see which environment works best for you. A few options include the Learning Support Services (LSS) room, the library, a picnic table on campus, a room in your house, or a café. Most people concentrate best in a quiet space, so keep that in mind.

Vary study places – According to the New York Times, cognitive scientists have revealed that switching up study places can be more effective to retain information (9 Awesome Study Tips). For instance, you could study at the library one day and at LSS the next day.

Study groups – You may want to consider studying with fellow classmates or friends. You can motivate each other, share ideas, and help each other understand the material.

Flash cards – Write your study material on index cards. This method can be a creative way to retain memory.

Test yourself – After you study put your notes away, and see what you can recall without looking at the material. You can also get someone else to quiz you on the material, or you can use flash cards. This will show you what you need to work on.

Be an active learner – Students learn and remember more information when they ask questions and participate in class discussions. This will also impress your instructor and make class more interesting.

Take breaks – Take short breaks every hour or so when you are studying. This will help clear your mind, so you won’t get bored and overloaded with too much information all at once.

Get enough sleep – Research shows that our brains work best when we have gotten enough sleep. Adults perform best with seven to nine hours of sleep a night (How Much Sleep). If you don’t get enough sleep at night, see if you can incorporate a power nap into your schedule.

Stay organized and manage your time – Use a calendar to mark important deadlines and plan your week. This will help you keep track of what is coming up and what you need to work on now. If you have a busy schedule, you can also plan hour by hour to make sure you have enough time for your work.

Works Cited

“9 Awesome Study Tips for College Students.” Huffington Post. 9 Sept 2010. Web. 10 Sept 2015.

“How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?” National Sleep Foundation. Web. 10 Sept 2015.