Mathematics anxiety can be an all too familiar feeling for some of our students - and maybe even for some parents! Thoughts of ‘I’m not good at maths’, or ‘I’m not a maths person’, can not only impact student development, but also lead to a negative impact on mindset and attitude towards Mathematics.

To target any barrier to learning new mathematical concepts, or to improve misconceptions of taught concepts, we can implement a range of strategies to help reduce any negative effects on learning.

One way to address negative emotions, is through reading and discussion. It is a strategy that can help students, particularly younger students, understand their mathematics anxiety as it encourages them to empathise with a character who is experiencing similar challenges to those that occur during mathematics lessons. This empathy supports students to identify their own ways of overcoming these challenges as they observe how the character in the book approaches the problem. Below is a list of fantastic books, that we recently purchased and are in the library, that will prompt and promote these discussions:

1. ‘The Neverending Math Test: Working to Understand Our Strengths and Limitations’ by Tosca Killoran, Jeff Hoffart, Riva Zietsoff
2. ‘The Monster Who Did My Math’ by Danny Shnitzlein
3. ‘Math Curse’ by Jon Scieszka
4. ‘I'm Trying to Love Math’ by Bethany Barton
5. ‘When Sophie Thinks She Can't’ by Molly Bang

When using these texts at home, it is important to engage in follow up discussions with students to draw out the key experiences of the characters and link these to the emotions that students may be feeling.

Additionally, reading books with students as part of the process of learning mathematical concepts can also help to reduce negative emotional responses and elicit more positive reactions towards mathematics instruction.

If you have any further questions about this or would like to discuss strategies to reduce your child’s mathematical anxiety, please feel free to contact the Heads of Curriculum.

Haley Buckley - Head of Curriculum P - 2 (Mt Ridley)
buckleyh@humegrammar.vic.edu.au

Matthew Brady - Head of Curriculum 3 - 6 (Mt Ridley)
bradym@humegrammar.vic.edu.au

Matthew Brady - Head of Curriculum 3 - 6 (Mt Ridley)