Math Anxiety Essay

Concerning the readings and the presentation in this week, there are several interesting elements. For instance, according to the Introduction Pointcast, Math begins with an attitude. How well one does in math is partially dependent on the mentality that he or she approaches Math. In addition, according to the pointcast, Math anxiety is a real and hurtful factor with individuals who fear math. Whenever math anxiety happens, take deep breaths, roll shoulders, and relax. Afterward, continue completing the math assignment. Furthermore, math requires diligence. According to his article, "Math Anxiety," Deb Russell provided six points that can aid in overcoming math anxiety. His first point is similar to a point that the Introduction Pointcast mentioned:

2. Describe the pattern of growth in the “Number of people told” column for both Scenario A and Scenario B.

Anxiety has both mental and physical effects, it is our internal alarm system to put our mind on a physical alert and prepares for us a "fight or flight response". This alarm can go away when we know that everything is okay and there is no danger nearby or nothing is going to happen but sometimes our alarm will not shut off and then an anxiety problem persists. There are different types of anxiety disorders and I will discuss generalized anxiety disorder

Anxiety is a mental disorder in which a person experiences extreme worry or fear. This feeling of fear causes the majority of people to have trembling in their hands or to exaggerate the event that is coming their way. Most people also experience racing thoughts or thoughts that are unwanted. “For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time.” (Anxiety Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health). As you can tell, fear and worry is the source to all of these signs and symptoms. When you experience anxiety, you are not able to control your thoughts and the feeling would probably intensify. In worse cases, it is possible for the person to experience a panic attack. “...recurrent unexpected panic attacks, which are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate…” (Anxiety

Anxiety is a very common disorder when it comes to students in school. There are various types of anxiety, one common example is test taking anxiety. Test taking anxiety is a nervous feeling that students have while taking a test, and sometimes before or after taking the exam. This makes it impossible for students to do their best and to show their knowledge. When students are under stress it causes them to have physical symptoms, such as sweating or rapid breathing. Students who aren't prepared for tests, but care about doing well are also likely to have test anxiety before taking any type of test. Supporters argue standardized tests effectively measure student achievement, and opponents argue that tests are good for measuring students’ performances.

Children enjoy moving playing games and taking every chance to playing outside. However, many school administrators do not consider physical education an essential part of the academic curriculum. According to Satcher’s article “Healthy and Ready to Learn” (2005), there are an estimated 20 percent of all elementary schools in the United States have dropped recess in favor of more classroom time, 9 million children are overweight, childhood weight problems can lead to elevated blood pressure and joint problems, these problems often continue into adulthood. At the same time, many children have such a hard time learning math which is one of three foundation classes. Children with math anxiety are so worried about doing math that it lowers

Math is all around us. Everywhere you go there is some sort of math involved consciously or subconsciously. Even though math is all around us, and everything we do involves math, I myself must say I dislike math. Research has shown there are many more people that dislike math compared to those who do like it. A survey done by a nonprofit organization named Change the Equation asked 1,000 middle school kids in 2010 whether they would prefer to eat broccoli or do one math problem, surprisingly more than half answered they would eat broccoli. Throughout the years, there have been many different strategies created on how to introduce and/or teach math to children.

Mathematics anxiety has been studies for the past “50 years” (McMahon 2015), because it is a problem that affect many Americans. With all of the studies done, there is still much to be known about it and its effect on students. Mathematics anxiety has been defined by Vahedi and Farrokhi (2011) as “negative cognitions, avoidance behaviors, and feeling pressured and inadequate in performance that combined interfere with solving math

Based on the example of Juanita, there are strategies that could be used to help reduce her anxiety that she is experiencing due to having to take a math test. Test anxiety can negatively affect Juanita’s academic performance on the test so it is important for the counselor to be able to provide her with strategies that can help her to cope with the anxiety (Parsons, 2007). Different strategies to help Juanita could include teaching coping skills, study skills, and relaxation techniques (Capuzzi & Gross, 2014; Parsons, 2007). Also, to normalize the strategies the counselor can provide guidance lessons for all students using the same relaxation techniques and provide an overview for teachers and parents so that the same techniques could be used

Type the names of the five categories you have chosen in the table below in the column marked “Categories.”

I learned first and foremost is that the United States has more young high school graduates than any other nation and have a large population of those enrolling in post-secondary as well. I do believe that this is true because in order to succeed in the US we must have some sort of degree. Other nations teach a trade which is amazing because those are the ones who we contract to fix our homes and businesses. No, most do not have a degree but a certificate in their field of trade. Math anxiety is the feeling of nervousness towards Math and it’s problems during classes and or exams. It normally begins when we are a child and escalates throughout life. By the time we are adults and have not dealt with it, we feel dumb when approached with an issue involving possibly the simplest numbers. Due to this many of us stay within our comfort zone which is away from numbers as long as it’s in a form of a paycheck. Math anxiety is not just a problem in our heads, it can cause us to discontinue taking math classes beyond the requirements. This tends to limit our choices with regard to college or career opportunities. Because we've had a bad past experience we avoid Math at all cost, just like myself. Most people tend to leave school feeling like a failure due to Math. There were many words I came across in the reading which described me and those are:

It is not uncommon for the learner to experience some type of anxiety throughout the learning process; in fact “facilitating anxiety” is a type of anxiety, which encourages the learner in their work. Without facilitating anxiety, learners might have little or no drive. However learners who are consistently apprehensive, uneasy, or nervous may be experiencing “debilitating anxiety” which is known to hinder the thought process as well as concentration.

This story begins with an 8th grader named Michael who gets very anxious and nervous about tests. Math is not Michael’s expertise, and he is in fact, very second-rate at math. What’s particularly disturbing is that his math finals are tomorrow. Because he is very unskilled at math, he is really jumpy about the test. Michael knows that if he does not study for the test and develop a understanding of his troubling subject, he is going to fail the test. Michael’s anxiety about this test stems from fears that if he fails the test, his parents will ground him for life, and worse, he will not move on to high school with his classmates and friends. No matter how hard he studies the tense feelings never go away.

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).

Mathematics has always been a difficult subject for students. Many children have developed phobias and barriers towards mathematics, which prevail into adulthood, thus limiting their potential. This limitation implies problems of learning, resulting in the child a sense of inferiority.