Tips For Reducing Math Phobia

If you were to ask most adults which subject they liked the least when they were at school, it’s a fair bet that the majority would say, “math”.

A five-year old study from the UK found that fewer than a quarter of adults were functionally numerate – and that number is decreasing.

So why is it that so many people have this math phobia (sometimes known as maths anxiety) – what is it about numbers that makes people’s brains go numb and sends shivers down their spines?

I think a large part of this problem can be traced back to the way that mathematics is taught, and there are a few issues.

Engagement

Firstly, the subject is simply not taught in a very engaging way, and the ton of super-dry formulas that you are forced to memorize is just part of the problem.

Now, you could argue that since traditional education methods focus primarily on left-brain activities, which is reckoned to be the logical, rational half of the brain, and math is clearly more to do with logic and rationality than anything else, it should all sink in pretty easily.

But that just goes to show how badly it is being taught – or that the left / right hemisphere theory is not quite accurate (because, surprisingly perhaps, not all math is logical – there are occasions when creativity is required or, at least, an option).

Relevance

Secondly, maths is rarely taught in a manner that highlights its relevance to everyday life, because, let’s face it, whether you like it or not, numbers are hard to avoid on a day-to-day basis.

Even taking our reliance on calculators, computers / smartphones, and spreadsheets into account, some basic mental math is still a useful, if not necessary, tool to have, if only to cross-check the answers from our various electronic devices.

For example, without some fundamental numeracy skills, people today (and I’m mainly, but not exclusively, talking about youngsters here) cannot spot obviously wrong answers (e.g. where an additional digit was input to their calculator by mistake) because that grounding in number relationships is just not there.

When I was at school, calculators hadn’t been invented yet, but we were allowed to take slide rules into both the math lessons and exams.

I was given my first slide rule by my parents when I was no older than ten, and this was the more common straight type, but later on, at school, we used circular ones.

Either way, they were far from intuitive to use, and you needed to understand the basics of numbers and mathematics to make sure you were reading the answer correctly – it was easy to get the decimal place in the wrong location or to end up with the wrong number of zeroes.

Inflexibility vs. Flexibility

In some subjects (e.g. English language), there is often no right or wrong answer – an essay might contain spelling and/or grammar mistakes, but the overall essay is typically neither right nor wrong.

In math, however, the answer you provide is almost always one or the other.

I’m not sure whether this is still the case today, because it’s over 40 years since I was at school, but this was why you had to show your workings – if your answer was wrong, but you could show that your method of arriving at that answer was correct (e.g. you used the right formula or process), you would still get some marks.

The other aspect of this is that, while there may be only one correct answer, it’s possible there are several different ways of arriving at that answer – which is where the creativity may come in.

Age

Children are often taught arithmetic when they’re already too old.

Now, that may seem strange, as people generally assume that math is too difficult for really young children to learn…

…but they’d be wrong!

The human brain is like a sponge for the first four years or so – soaking up all sorts of knowledge, processing all those inputs from the five senses, and making sense of the world at large.

And yet most parents don’t take advantage of this unique period in their child’s life.

It is our experience, in fact, that parents have no clue just how much their babies are taking in – until it’s too late.

For example, I had friends whose three-year old daughter used the F word in front of grandma, much to grandma’s complete shock and horror – all because the girl heard her parents use the word (and other equally unsavoury ones) all the time, and even though she couldn’t talk herself at the time, it sank in and was, of course, regurgitated at the most inappropriate and embarrassing moment possible.

Solutions

So, what can you do to reduce the chances of your children developing math phobia, then?

1. Relevance.

   Well, first off, find ways to make math relevant – no more arcane problems about bathtubs filling up and other such nonsense.

   Daily life is full of opportunities to make use of math skills, and do we really want children to be so dependent on their calculators that they can’t even add two small numbers together in their heads?

   For example, one thing that is not taught in school is balancing your bank account, and while this is not exactly relevant to young children, you could show them how to maintain a ledger for their allowance and any money they earn (e.g. from doing chores), as well as anything they spend their money on.

2. Passion.

   Secondly, maths should be taught with passion – enthusiasm rubs off on people, and the last thing you need is for children to think that their math teacher is doing some sort of penance, being forced to teach some boring old subject nobody cares about (including the teacher).

3. Fun.

   You need to try to make maths fun – and yes, I know this sounds a bit like an oxymoron, but it doesn’t have to be a dry subject.

   For example, check out these math cartoons – we learn better when humour is involved.

   One popular method uses flash cards, which most people associate with learning words, but they can be used to help teach arithmetic too.

   Another thing that could be useful is playing games that necessitate simple maths.

   There are plenty of games (and apps for phones and tablets) available these days that are designed to help children learn simple mathematics.

   I was taught by my parents how to play cribbage when I was quite young (and home computers and any mobile phones were not yet a thing), and it demands basic math skills such as adding up to 31 and being able to find combinations of numbers that add up to 15, for example.

   You could also look for math-based puzzles and other unusual activities (e.g. magic squares) to stimulate their interest.

4. Positive Reinforcement.

   Studies have shown that people perform better when encouraged and praised.

   So, if your child gets a math problem wrong, you need to help them see where they went wrong, either by guiding them yourself or by letting them work it out with another child.

   Also, remember that carrots often work better than sticks.

5. Understanding.
   
   The education system focuses too much on memorization, in my opinion, and too little on true understanding, and I think part of this problem is caused by multiple choice tests.

   In the longer term, it’s more important, I feel, to have children who grow up understanding why things work the way they do, because those skills are more reusable than simply plugging numbers into a formula to get an answer without knowing why that formula works.

   And if your child does get the wrong answer, you should see this as an opportunity for them to learn.

6. No Time Pressure.

   While some people think quicker than others, some (especially introverts) prefer to think things through before speaking, rather than trying to do their thinking on the fly as they talk.

   Research shows that it usually takes at least ten seconds to understand a question and formulate an answer, so don’t pressure your child to come up with an answer too quickly – if you do, there is a good chance they will get flustered and come up with the wrong answer.

7. Start Young.

   It’s never too early to start teaching your infant some basic math skills – e.g. counting, addition, subtraction, the relationships between numbers.

   To get you started, there’s an excellent book by Glenn and Janet Doman.

8. Nature.

   One of the things that makes humans different from other species is their ability to appreciate beauty (or art, if you will), and however unlikely it may seem (to somebody suffering from math phobia, at least), there is an innate beauty and elegance in numbers that can be simply awe-inspiring (and the math doesn’t even have to be that complex to appreciate it).

   And what better way to illustrate this beauty than to highlight the many interconnections between numbers and Mother Nature herself?

   For example, there are many examples in nature of the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio, but you can read about more of them in this fascinating book.

Conclusion

Even if you, as one of the child’s parents, dislike and/or are scared of math, you should do all you can to ensure your child does not inherit that math anxiety from you.

Unfortunately, if you’re going to help your child learn to be comfortable with numbers and arithmetic, you may need to brush up on a few maths skills yourself. (Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos is one of my all-time favourite books and an excellent place to start.)

But in my view, it would be worth it – even though it’s likely that future technology may reduce our need to do mental arithmetic even further, it’s not only about working out the correct answers to mathematical problems – it’s also a way of developing logical and rational thinking skills, and I cannot foresee a time when those will be of no value.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Games To Teach Math
2. Innumeracy
3. Magic Squares
4. Math Flash Cards
5. Math In Nature
6. Maths Topics & Mental Starters
7. Prodigy Game
8. Teach Your Baby Math