Mathematics is an important discipline which forms the basis of many technological and scientific discoveries. But, in case of some students and children, the 4-letter word “math” generates emotions like anxiety or fear.
Mathematics anxiety, known as math phobia in a severe term, has been keeping most students away from study of some challenging subjects or courses where maths is an integral part. Please have a glimpse to know more about the steps on how to get over the fear of maths and maybe see Maths in a positive manner.
Some adult students feel the math anxiety while they appear for a maths test or when facing maths after a long break. This may be due to the dread of unknown or with tests in general and not particularly due to maths. But there are a huge number of students who experience a deep-rooted fear for math problems, as they might have struggled badly in class to understand math in high school.
Math as a discipline is a generic education course. There are certain things you can do to win over your fear of maths:
- Recognizing and acknowledging of math phobia
Do you feel anxiety frustration when you deal with numbers or maths in general, then you may be suffering from math phobia? Some of the common signs which you may recognizeare:paranoia, passive behaviour, panic and confidence lack.
Panic – It is a sense of helplessness or terrorthat you feel for any test, class, quiz or homework related with math.
Paranoia –You feel like you are the only one who cannot do the problems in maths.
Passive behaviour –You feel that you do not own the intelligence to understand and succeed in Maths, so you have given up completely on the subject.
Lack of confidence – You are completely dependent on others to validate your answers in maths and to go through the materials.
When you have any of the above situations, it is a phobia. The first step to overcome this is to admit the problem to yourself and others.
- Sign-up for the proper level of math course
As students, each one differs from the others in terms of learning speed and abilities. The most important thing is assessing the aptitude of a student and then getting admitted to the correct level of maths before starting. If you study in a curriculum that is more ahead of you, it can be quite frustrating, since you cannot cope with the study material.
- You must discuss with your tutors and decide on the appropriate math level depending on your age and skill.
- You may take some online math test to estimate your knowledge level.
- Selection of the perfectprofessor fitting your learning is important
This point is not valid at thehighschool or school, but you have the liberty to select your professor at the University for Math Section. Some educational sites also provide the feedback of a certain teacher you are searching for, that the earlier students have rated. So you can decide accordingly.Since a tutor is the one who will shape your thoughts and teach you the skill about how to excel in maths, so it is very important.
- You can discuss with other pupils about the teaching style of the professor and the good and bad points about it.
- You can set up a one to one meeting with the tutor and find out if his teaching pattern suits your learning style and then take a final call.
- Ask questions when you don’t understand.
Math as a discipline is built on the understanding on the previous topic. Like a building, in maths also one concept is built on another logically. So if you are not able to grasp a particular topic in the start, it will be almost impossible to understand the upcoming chapters. Teachers wish that the students excel in their studies, but if you are not vocal about your issues, it is not feasible for your tutors to know what is in your mind.
So, be open and ask your questions when you havedoubt in the class! There is no need to be embarrassed to ask a question, however, silly it may be. Once you clear your doubts at the beginning, your understanding in Maths becomes deeper and easier.
When you are assigned maths homework, it is generally seen that the easier problems are at first and then the difficulty level increases one by one as you move to the end.
Try to solve the easiest problems first before moving to the more difficult ones, so it builds your confidence well.You may also move to another problem if you get stuck on one. Come back to it later.
- You need to devote sufficient timeto preparation of a maths test
Some students cram for the test just the previous night, which obviously brings poor score. You must follow a proper routine and make some time each day for studying and practicing math problems. In this way, your anxiety will be lessened, and you will have sufficient time to learn before a test, and there will be no need to panic.
- Long-term continuous practice helps the students in remembering the methods for problem-solving even when they are stressed for exams.
- Moreover, when you study early, you can master the difficult concepts better instead of rush through them.
Making a test plan always helps in reducing the anxiety
Students feel anxious when they sit for a Maths exam since they have to complete the problem in a limited span of time.
Try to approach a test in maths with a positive mind and plan of attack. You keep in mind the proper perspective of test which is just to estimate how you learned the topic in the syllabus it covers, not deducing your worth as an overall student.
During test,the key point is to keep your cool and manage time wisely. Donot dawdle and rush. First, read the question one or two times to understand fully. Then you must attack the easiest problems first and then work the most difficult ones in remaining time.
Write the answers to your maths problems with proper steps and it will be easier for your tutor to give you partial marking on your method of approach which is as important as your final answer.
You need to modify your study habits while learning maths and that can change your attitude towards it.You must read the chapters in the text book thoroughly, take notes in class, can do some group studies, may use online resources for help and top it all with a positive attitude.