What is Math Anxiety and How to Help

Math anxiety might sound like a made-up concept but take my word for it: it’s all too real. I’m an “English guy” to my bones; I love to read, I enjoy writing, and grammar stuff just makes sense to me. It always has. Math, on the other hand, has never come easily. I can remember dreading math class and its requisite assignments—not out of laziness, but, rather, because I simply felt I could not understand the concepts and it wasn’t for lack of trying. I went for extra help, sought the assistance of classmates, and tried to spend more time studying, but nothing really seemed to help. As the problems compounded, so did my anxiety. Math, for me, became synonymous with stress and worry. It turns out, some twenty years later, that there is an actual thing known as “math anxiety.” Research shows that math avoidance, low achievement, and fear can manifest as early as kindergarten and affect half of elementary school kids.

So, what can we do to help our young people cope with math anxiety and develop skills for dealing with it and improving overall math ability? Below, we will explore how to recognize and support a student who is made anxious by math.

Recognize it: First and foremost, we need to recognize when math anxiety is occurring and be mindful not to confuse it with laziness. Because it often manifests in the form of avoidance, it can be very easy to see it as misbehavior when, in fact, it is more akin to a cry for help. The student who is frequently distracted and off-task or who makes constant trips to the restroom or the nurse’s office may simply be attempting to escape a stressful situation. A common human response to anxiety and fear is avoidance: consider the person who is afraid of flying and thus does not travel by plane. Math anxiety presents a similar situation with a similar response. Recognition of what is really happening beneath the surface is a vital first step in addressing the problem.

Further signs of math anxiety can be angry outbursts or tearful responses to assignments, tests, and grades. Again, these types of reactions may not signal a “bad” or “oppositional” student, but, rather, one who is unsure of how to cope with his or her anxiety. Ultimately, poor grades and low achievement are the result of such marked negative feelings surrounding math. Again, we must be aware of how anxiety manifests and what it looks like in students, all the while being careful not to jump to conclusions about a student’s level of effort.

Acknowledge and support: With any type of anxiety, it is important to acknowledge its presence. Anxiety is a natural human reaction to uncomfortable situations and it can be helpful to let young people know that it does not mean there is anything wrong with them but, rather, that it is common and that there are coping skills that can be developed. One acknowledgement has been achieved, it is easier to focus on solutions and interventions.

Keeping in mind that many students who struggle envision math as a series of nonsensical steps (I can relate), it is important to build support systems that best address each student’s individual needs. While it may be tempting to simply focus on and stress mathematical procedures and processes, this approach may not work for all students. A good tutor or teacher is mindful of all dimensions of a student’s struggle and is therefore able to exercise flexibility and creativity in their teaching style. This can help put students at ease and understand that there is more than one way to approach a problem.

Another way to support anxious students is to employ positive talk and healthy messaging. With anxiety comes a tendency for negative self-talk, so it is a great relief to students when they hear positive messages from their educators. Had someone told me way back when that “there’s no such thing as an English or a math person” (and helped me reduce my black-and-white thinking), I may have been more successful with my nemesis subject. The point is that support can come in many forms, and it is absolutely vital in improving student outcomes. At iAchieve, our tutors have a deep understanding of math anxiety and are skilled at helping students cope with this very real fear.

Written by Phil Lane

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