Understanding and Overcoming Math Anxiety

Concern over math performance is quickly becoming a familiar and sensitive topic for schools, students and their parents. Math scores in the US have dropped. In a national sample of educational statistics, 13 year-old students’ average math scores fell by nine points between 2020-23, as compared to the previous two-years. This data is concerning, as there is much at stake when it comes to learning math.

Math anxiety manifests as a sense of increasing fear when solving equations, such as on a math test or just thinking about numbers. Usually one knows how to do the math, but the challenge comes when there is an emotional overreaction to working through the problems. When we are upset, we cannot access the parts of the brain necessary for solving problems. And…the ability to think is exactly what is needed to solve problems in the first place. Choosing to believe you are “just not a math person” can complicate your life. It is clear that math is used throughout our lifespan and can affect career choice, money management, calculating dimensions for home projects or planning for retirement.

Learning math in an academic setting is different than it used to be and is increasingly more abstract. Children’s brains have not developed to a stage where these newer concepts are easily grasped. Figures are unforgiving because, if one mistake is made in the process, the entire problem is wrong. Performance is enhanced by a little nervousness. Yet MRI studies have demonstrated that math anxiety expresses itself by activating brain regions along pain pathways. This kind of mental duress is one reason kids avoid their math homework and agonize over tests. Adverse academic experiences can follow the young into adulthood holding them back career-wise. Math worries are seen early on in elementary school. These fears are predictive of future achievement, as math skills are built on a foundational structure. When an individual avoids engaging in mathematics to evade stress in the earlier stages of learning, they find themselves later unprepared when problems become more complex. Math is a cumulative process. I like the metaphor of building a house, brick-by-brick, to recognize how math skills are developed. Early instruction from a basic model presented in logical, incremental steps facilitates the structuring of a strong foundation. Confidence and skills to succeed are more apt to be in place once the work grows complex in middle school.

Attitude is key here. Trying to perceive math as a fun challenge that helps to acquire new skills is more adaptive than thinking, “I’m just not good at math.” A discouraging self-concept can be foretelling of math issues. If one believes they can do a task, there is a sense of control and that reduces anxious responses. Young people reference the adults around them as to how to act, and math anxiety can be a learned behavior. Teachers that project their own unease while teaching math results in their students learning less, as anxiety is contagious. A low-key, relaxed teacher may be beneficial to student learning. I have one client who finds comfort in studying with a laid-back older brother. Some find reassurance in working with an easy-going friend or tutor. Instead of facing the anxiety of math alone, this strategy allows support in tackling both the math problem and the fear of anxiety itself. What can be done about math anxiety from a teaching standpoint? To avoid negative emotional modeling, teachers can develop self-regulation skills to keep their own issues out of classroom environments. Teachers and adults can be mindful of how calculation tasks are verbally framed. For example a comment, such as, “Let’s put math away and do something more fun,” speaks volumes.

Ten ideas to overcome math anxiety
1. Identify your source of fear. Is it fear of failure or avoiding the repeat of an aversive past experience?

2. Next identify the negative self-talk about those fears and replace with a supportive, but realistic, private conversation.

3. Engage in a lot of practice to increase confidence through familiar desensitization with numbers.

4. Break problems down into smaller, more manageable steps to reduce a feeling of overwhelm.

5. Set realistic goals for what you want to achieve.

6. Seek support to calm your emotional reactions to, in turn, improve the ability to reason.

7. Online resources such as tutorials, math games or websites can assist.

8. Take a few short periodic breathers during study to prevent anxiety from building over longer periods of time.

9 Improve study habits to confront challenges during homework instead of waiting for these problems to emerge during test time.

10. Keep a growth mindset by holding the belief that math intelligence increases over time and evolves differently for each person. This gives a sense of hope and improves chances for achievement.