MATH ANXIETY: Taming the Monster

MATH ANXIETY:Taming the Monster

Dorothea Steinke, presenter

Dorothea@numberworks4all.com

Math Anxiety

Math anxiety is a form of PERFORMANCE ANXIETY

Math Anxiety: General

Reduce the stress in your body

◦DEEP BREATHS – Hands behind back, thumbs forward Touch middle fingers at spine Breathe SLOWLY in Breathe so middle fingers move apart Breathe SLOWLY out Middle fingers come together

DEEP BREATHS –

PRACTICE slowly four times whenever you sit down to do a lesson

PRACTICE every time a commercial comes on TV

◦RELAX MUSCLES in neck and shoulders - Raise shoulders to touch ears (feel tight) Drop shoulders down (feel loose) Puppet string from top of head pulling you “tall” Feel straight back Drop shoulders; feel loose arms and hands

Reduce the stress in your body◦RELAX MUSCLES

PRACTICE 3 times every day

PRACTICE at set times –◦Before class◦On the bus◦During TV commercials◦Before going to bed

HAVE SOMEONE READ THE STEPS TO YOU

Calm your emotions

Fear rises up when you don’t know or understand something.

As you understand math better, you will fear it less.

Calm your emotions◦Reduce the fear of the unknown

◦POSITIVE SELF-TALK

“I will answer what I do know. I can come back to this later.”

“I don’t know this, but I know a lot.” “I am not afraid of this because it is new.”

Calm your emotions◦Reduce the fear of forgetting

GROUP INFORMATION (7 +/– 2 rule)

EXAMPLE: Multiplication facts◦Four at a time (start at “x 1” and “x 5”)◦Repeat in rhythm 4 to 6 times per set◦Hand motions to remember “how many times ___”

Muscles produce BDNF when moving BDNF aids neuron growth

◦Math Vocabulary: FLASHCARDS Symbol on one side, Words on the other

Example: Front: 73

Back: Exponent Multiply 7 x 7 x 7

DIFFERENT COLORS for different topics

◦Link with something familiar

7 x 7 is San Francisco 49ers Denominator is DOWN Percents to decimals:

position of D and P in alphabet

◦Link with something familiar

DATA: mean, mode, median, range RANGE: wide open spaces (Home on the…) MODE: sounds like “most” MEDIAN: the middle of the highway

Calm your emotionsReduce the fear of forgetting

◦Link to something familiar

EXAMPLE: Multiplication facts SING to a familiar tune (or say in rhythm)

◦7s Happy Birthday◦3s Star-Spangled Banner (to 3 x 8)◦4s Jingle Bells (to 4 x 8)

◦Link a physical action to the information

• EXAMPLE: Number of degrees in anglesCircle arms 360˚ “circle”Arms out 180˚ “straight angle”One arm out, one up 90˚ “right angle”Hands on top of head, elbows out 180˚

◦MNEMONICS Word or phrase Uses first letter of each word in a list

GERMDAS Guys, Excuse – REALLY – My Dear Aunt Sally GROUPS Expon ROOT Mult Div Add Sub

Calm your emotions◦Reduce the fear of failure

◦Acknowledge your fear

◦“What is the worst that could happen?”

◦A math test is not a fatal disease.

Calm your emotionsReduce the fear of failure

Talk to someone. Teacher, friend, classmate

Someone you trust

Someone who will give honest, positive support

Calm your emotionsReduce the fear of failure

ROLE PLAY With a partner – One is the fearful student

One is the supportive friend

Write down comments you found helpful as the student.

Focus on your success

Pretend you have already passed the test

Keep that “up” feeling as you visualize your day

Getting up◦Feel good◦See your smile◦Plenty of time◦Feel relaxed

Nourishing breakfast (protein)Not much caffeine or sugar

Dress in a great outfit◦(something comfortable that makes you feel

good about yourself)

Picture yourself leaving for schoolSee the streets and buildingsFeel comfortableFeel proud and confident

Closer to school –◦Your stomach acts up

BREATHE DEEPLY & RELAX (Do it now.)

See yourself◦Entering the building◦Walking toward the classroom

See yourself◦Entering the classroom◦Greeting classmates and teacher◦Sitting in your desk, ready to go

See yourself Taking the test◦Scan for easy questions; do those first◦Build confidence: you know these◦Come to a confusing question:

Look at the question again. You can do it now!

See yourself Taking the test◦Stay calm, not rushed◦Can answer most of the questions easily◦Stay focused◦Have time left to check your work!!

See yourself AFTER the test◦Smiling◦Confident you did your best◦Feel that confidence through your day –

And your life!

Practice visualization by having someone else read the script to you.

Reader coaches person to “breathe, relax” when reader sees tension.

Math Anxiety: Life Experiences

Youngest in Your Grade

◦Bedard & Dhuey: “The Persistence of Early Childhood Maturity”

◦Tony Kushner: Screenplay for Lincoln “I’m innumerate.”

JULY birthday

Youngest in Your Grade

2nd grade: Younger students’ brains not mature enough to grasp part-whole concept (needed to understand subtraction)

Student awareness of “relative age” effect can immediately reduce math anxiety

(i.e., smart in everything else, never liked math)

Family moved frequently

Curriculum topics in different order from state to state, district to districtMulti-digit multiplication in 3rd grade one place, 4th

grade in another

Stress of new rules, new friends, etc.

Emotional upheaval at home

Divorce/death/deployment of parentSubstance abuse/addictions of adultsParent in prison

Student unable to focus, misses concepts

Undiagnosed hearing problems

Multiple ear infections – no health insurance

Parent Talk / Teach Talk

Negative comments about math

Parent (or teacher) has math anxiety

Parent Talk / Teach Talk

Negative talk about student

TALK BACK!! ROLE PLAYING ◦Student talks to pillow (or picture of person), is

open about emotions and long-term effects of the “put-downs,” expresses confidence in own abilities

Math Anxiety: Tools for Tests

Math Anxiety

TEST ANXIETY MYTHSStudents are born with it

It cannot be reduced

Any level of test anxiety is bad

From Dr. Paul NoltingNADE presentation, Denver 2013

Math Anxiety

TEST ANXIETY MYTHSStudents who are well-prepared don’t have

Intelligent students don’t have it

Attending class and doing homework should reduce it

From Dr. Paul NoltingNADE presentation,Denver 2013

Math Anxiety

TEST ANXIETY MYTHSBeing told to relax will make you relaxed

Doing nothing about it will make it go away

Reducing test anxiety guarantees better grades

From Dr. Paul NoltingNADE presentation,Denver 2013

Dumbo’s magic feather

Teacher’s belief/verbalization can help◦Honest – “This is what you do understand.”◦Repeated – praise whenever possible◦Consistent – similar language

Student will “hear” positive during test

Physical Action

Breathing and conscious relaxation◦Grab the seat of your chair with your hands;

Pull your body into the seat as strongly as possible

Push down with your feet as legs as hard as possible◦Relax your muscles

Physical Action

PUSH the anxiety away from your body◦New body cue makes new brain pathway◦20 minutes of piano practice reorganizes brain

Different location/physical sensation

Take test standing at whiteboard◦Work all problems on board◦Copy to test paper◦In another room

Longer term: wean away in steps to take test in class at seat

Stand/walk between problems◦Seat student in back facing away from class

At seat, write problems on small dry-erase board, copy to test paper◦Different look (symbols larger, colored markers)◦Different feel (markers larger than pencils)

Use colored pencils

Say every step of the problem out loud as someone else writes down EXACTLY what the student says

Thanks for attending.

MATH ANXIETY: Taming the Monster

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