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How to overcome the Math Phobia?

7.6k views

09 November 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Introduction

Mathematical anxiety, also known as math phobia, is anxiety about one's ability to do mathematics. It is a phenomenon that is often considered when examining students' problems in mathematics.

Students often develop mathematical anxiety in schools, often as a result of learning from teachers who are themselves anxious about their mathematical abilities in certain areas.

Child with symptoms of Math phobia

High-risk teaching styles are often explored to gain a better understanding of math anxiety. Research suggests that there are linkages between a teacher's lack of subject knowledge and the ability to plan teaching material effectively.

These findings suggest that teachers that do not have a sufficient background in mathematics may struggle with the development of comprehensive lesson plans for their students.

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📥 How to overcome the Math Phobia?

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Tips to Overcome Math Phobia

To understand maths phobia, we need to accept the fact that it's not an easy subject to grasp as compared to other subjects. Here are a few tips to overcome math phobia.

  1. Practice math daily
  2. Acknowledge the phobia
  3. Apply math in real life
  4. Try breathing exercises
  5. Ask Questions

child trying to grasp math

15th August 1947, was the day our country got independence. It is a day worth celebrating every year. However, if we look deeper, how much has education evolved since then? For the past 69 years, our country has followed the same rudimentary methods in education.

On average, children go to school for 8 hours a day, where they are taught by at least 5-6 teachers every day. Each teacher handles a class of roughly 30-40 students and these students have the pressure of understanding and learning concepts within 40 minutes of a class.

child with math phobia

Education experts agree that each child learns differently and pushing them to cope with a faulty system is a tad bit unfair. It hinders their curiosity and if they score low, they begin to believe that they are weak in math and start fearing it.

Here's a video of Dr. Nall, a Certified Practitioner in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping) explaining the techniques to eliminate math phobia to assist others in overcoming fear, anxiety, and stress.

Cuemath, with its well-designed curriculum which ensures true math learning, set out on a mission 2 years ago to remove the fear of math from kids and instead make them fall in love with the subject.

Fundamental learning ensures that a child learns concepts through a “why behind the what” approach. While children are usually taught steps and formulae with little or no explanation, the Cuemath Program makes them understand the “why” behind using certain methods.

This way, the child builds his/her reasoning power and knows how to make a wise decision on his/her own. This in-depth learning prepares children for becoming future leaders, thinkers, and game-changers.

Freedom from fear of math

Cuemath students fall in love with math through engaging multi-modal material like worksheets, tabs, puzzle cards, etc. Moreover, the Cuemath Program allows children to learn at their own pace. This gives them the freedom to think big.

In the spirit to celebrate Independence Day this year, Cuemath students across the nation took part in an interesting kite making session in their respective Cuemath Centers.

About 200+ Cuemath Teachers organized the amazing kite-making session and along with their students relished in the glory of the change that Cuemath is bringing in the current education system.


Conclusion

Math is not about doing calculations and limiting kids to textbook problems. Maths is a way of life! Forcing kids to follow set instructions will inhibit their ability to think and they will lose their natural curiosity.

Even though it gets annoying when a young child continuously asks “why”, you must understand that this is the way they learn best and begin thinking.

It is important for students to understand the WHY behind what they are learning. Here are a few measures to overcome math phobia;

  • Having a strong foundation is the key to becoming good at maths. Hence, get back to basics.
  • Acknowledging the subject is one of the major steps to conquer math phobia
  • Revising the concepts daily

 As a teacher, in order to be more effective, never punish your students if they make mistakes. Always be patient and appreciate the efforts of your students.

So this Independence Day, liberate your child from the fear of math and make him/her excel in life with Cuemath!


About Cuemath

Cuemath, a student-friendly mathematics and coding platform, conducts regular Online Classes for academics and skill-development, and their Mental Math App, on both iOS and Android, is a one-stop solution for kids to develop multiple skills. Understand the Cuemath Fee structure and sign up for a free trial.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is Math Phobia? How to overcome the fear of math?

Math phobia is defined as a feeling of anxiety that stops one from efficiently tackling mathematical problems. 

  • Debunk Myth Around Math. When it comes to overcoming math anxiety, the first thing you need to do is to debunk every myth surrounding math.

  • Positive Reinforcement

  • Back To Basics

  • Make Math Fun

  • Develop A Growth Mindset