by Anna Dalglish
Kumon Guildford North Study Centre
Many children develop a fear of maths which can affect their performance in carrying out mathematical tasks, particularly in test conditions, and which can go on to affect their adult lives and careers.
Solving mathematical problems requires students to use working memory, but stress and anxiety occupy the working memory with anxious thoughts, preventing the student from concentrating upon the problem at hand. A vicious cycle leads the student to avoid maths tasks, consequently falling further behind in their understanding, which in turn increases their anxiety.
What can we do to help our children avoid or overcome maths anxiety?
Here are ten tips:
1. Help your child develop a positive attitude to maths from a young age. This will build motivation, confidence and a ‘can-do’ attitude. Children learn from their parents, and so we should aim to model a positive attitude about maths. Try not to say, “I’m terrible at maths” (even if it is true). Focus instead on positive achievements from your own experience – “I used to find the 9 times table difficult but then I worked out a way to remember it”.
2. Make maths fun by playing games involving numbers – card games, Monopoly, any game which uses dice, playing shops and counting out the correct money, magnetic number boards, joining the dots, counting together up to and over 100, baking together (measuring out the ingredients), counting the ducks in the pond, and so on. Even with older children you can make a game out of maths. A long car journey with the family is a chance for healthy competition between siblings and parents! How quickly can you answer 3 x 8, 7 x 6? Who can recite the 7 times table backwards (from 10 x 7 down to 1 x 7)? What is the square root of 64?
3. Negative criticism and unrealistic expectations increase anxiety. Concentrate on the process rather than the result, praising your children for the effort they put into their work rather than the scores they achieve. Always seek something positive to praise, even if a child scores poorly in a maths task – “Well done for concentrating really hard on your work today” or “You did really well to keep going despite finding it difficult.” After praising achievements, suggest one more ‘can-do’ for your child to work on next.
4. Encourage a ‘growth mindset’ in your child – the belief that talent and ability are not innate or static but can be developed through effort, learning and persistence. This enables children to face challenges with confidence that they can be overcome. Intrinsic elements of the growth mindset include perseverance, and viewing mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures.
5. Avoid stereotyping. Research shows that girls suffer maths anxiety more than boys. A possible reason being unhelpful cultural stereotypes regarding maths ability such as the belief that ‘boys are good at maths’ or that ‘maths is for Geeks’. Encourage your children from a young age not to make stereo-typical assumptions about the innate ability of boys and girls.
6. Encourage your child to take ownership of their learning and to develop an independent approach to learning. Anxiety can be increased by a feeling of lack of control over circumstances. Giving your child control over their learning (with appropriate support and guidance) can boost their confidence in their own ability to tackle difficulties. Even as young as three or four years old, something as simple as allowing your child to turn their own pages in a book is the beginning of independence.
7. Enable your child to become their own teacher, not dependent on others – instead of giving them answers, guide them towards answers and show them how, using the knowledge they already have, they can use various techniques to answer questions.
8. Mastery – maths anxiety can arise because a student has moved on too quickly before fully mastering a topic, such as number bonds or multiplication, both of which are essential foundations for more advanced topics. Sufficient practise is essential and children should not try to run before they can walk. If necessary, go back to basics and help your child fill in any gaps in their understanding.
9. Everyday familiarity with numbers and maths helps to reduce anxiety. A regular daily study habit of just five or 10 minutes a day is a good habit to develop at any age and will enable children to practise and embed basic concepts such as number bonds and times tables, thus freeing up their working memory for more challenging tasks as they progress to more advanced maths topics.
10. Find a method of learning or tuition that is tailored to your child. Every child is different and needs an approach that works for their particular needs and abilities.
Anna Dalglish is the Maths and English Instructor at the Kumon Guildford North Study Centre, one of over 600 Kumon Study Centres nationwide. For further information please visit www.kumon.co.uk
