How Students Can Turn Math Anxiety into Math Confidence

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether calculating a tip at a restaurant or cooking a favorite recipe, math is everywhere, making it an essential part of every student's school day. Despite its daily use, many students face anxiety around math, leading them to despise the subject. However, National Heritage Academies' (NHA) Math Curriculum Specialist Farina Sami explained that greater engagement from students and partnership with parents can help curb math anxiety.

A student's attitude about math is formed early on, and Sami pinned math anxiety on a few different factors: past experience, intimidating concepts, and a fear of failure. Math lessons build upon one another, and bad memories make for a shaky foundation for students in the subject.

"When these students get to fourth or fifth grade and haven't experienced successes, they seem to have more anxiety because now they think, 'I've done the worst that I can do, which ended in failure, and now I know that this is difficult,'" Sami said. "Self-doubt about math leads to a decrease in math performance."

Shredding this self-doubt starts with engaging in math, and at NHA partner-schools, the interactive curriculum gets students involved from the start. At the beginning of lessons, teachers show a problem or prompt and let students work through solutions. This allows them to actively engage with the material before the teacher intervenes and guides conversation.

Educators then talk through students' problem-solving experiences and process what challenges they faced. During this time, teachers can evaluate who needs help and how to guide them through roadblocks.

Sami said a key to unlocking confidence in math is using visual models as concrete examples to lean on. She added that a student's confidence level improves when they connect what they're seeing to the reason it works.

"Any time a student starts floundering, they need something to come back to," Sami said. "They might come across a difficult problem, but they can use the tools already in their toolbelt to help pull through. We're trying to make sure these tools are used throughout the learning process and in different ways."

While NHA's curriculum is empowering students in class, Sami also highlighted parent partnership as a factor in increasing confidence levels. She said teachers can direct families on how best to tackle the material at home, sometimes even providing worksheets or games.

Parents also can work with teachers to identify areas of improvement for their child. This teamwork with parents and educators supports student growth and encourages them to engage.

"When there's a good partnership between parents and teachers, I love how it helps students grow," Sami said, adding that these supplemental materials aren't the only way to help children become more comfortable with math.

Sami said that exposing students to real-world math utility, such as investing in the stock market or playing board games, reinforces concepts from class and shows how these skills are used in everyday life.

One of Sami's favorite at-home activities is to cook together. Recipes, especially for baked goods, use fractions and are based on proportions. Kids are not only sharpening their math tools in the kitchen, but they are also spending quality time with their family.

"When you partner up and show your student you have a good relationship and care about their education, then that student feels more secure, in my opinion," Sami said.

This culmination of in-class and at-home approaches allows students more opportunity for engagement, equipping them to tackle math class with confidence.

"When you put as much engagement into the material as you can, I feel like students are more likely to get something out of it," Sami said. "When you're engaged, you start taking that risk. When you ask and have conversations, your knowledge grows. You have a deeper understanding."

About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 68,000 students in kindergarten through 12^th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com. To find the nearest charter school near you, use the NHA school finder.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies