Last Updated on February 4, 2022 by Editorial Team
Confidence is often a mortar that binds individuals with success. Be it be life or math; confidence is the foundation for the splendid accomplishment of assignments. While some students lack motivation in math, some develop anxiety. Evidently, boosting confidence is the key to conquering these impermanent compromises. However, you may be bewildered to apprehend what leads to surpassing motivation.
Mathematics accommodates at some point in our lives, including arts and culinary, and thus it is essential to infer. So, what is the best and innovative way to study mathematics? How may one gain confidence in this particular subject? Math difficulties and anxieties can be set on through a few upgrades ensuring math confidence.
In this post, we will edify you on how to boost confidence in math.
Why are kids afraid of math?
When children compromise on grasping math abilities, they often develop math anxiety. They are often persuaded to do complex math when they haven’t mastered even the basics, which is even more oppressive. Though it can be worked upon, this fear can also lead to a lot of self-doubt and life long impact if not addressed.
Before you may comprehend how math confidence can be fostered; we must dive into some common reasons why kids get afraid of math:
- Deadlines of various assessments may not have the same impact on all students. When a student needs additional time to solve, time constraints may turn troublesome, leading to anxiety.
- The perception of instructors towards the subject and pupils sometimes turns pivotal. Since some students need a slower pace, they may feel compulsive to cope with peers.
- Fear of disciplinarian instructors and public embracement may extinguish exuberance.
Diagnosing lack of confidence in Math- Can this be overcome?
Diagnosing a lack of confidence is not intricate. Students may avoid putting themselves in resolving problems and keep their heads away from questions asked. Therefore, they feel it is taxing to explain how they would solve it. Moreover, they also avoid getting attention from others. Accordingly, the following signs may be marked to diagnose math anxiety:
- Leaving off math assignments to the last minute
- Challenging to recall math formulas and facts
- Memorizing instead of understanding the concepts
- Always sharing negative about the subject and problems
- Keeping away from practicing.
Mathematical anxiety and the fear of humiliation among peers massacre confidence! The dissimilar judgment thus needs to be addressed well. To overcome such scenarios, pupils may need to try to manifest confidence. Here’s what they can do:
- Respecting, appreciating, and trusting others’ judgment, ensuring self-assurance.
- Acknowledge and learn from past errors.
- Following their guts, even if others mock or condemn for it. Ultimately, this ameriolates confidence.
- Learn to take risks and go the additional mile to obtain better results.
- Admitting failures and learning from them. Failures preach the right path.
- Staying calm and composed, believing in decision-making ability.
- Accepting compliments with grace, Thanking others for their well-wishes and concerns by congratulating them on their accomplishments
How to advance in math?- Here’s how you can conquer mathematical anxiety
1. Comprehend basics
Math evidently follows a sequential approach while being trained to students. Thus, before one starts to learn a new concept, they usually require to have gripping knowledge of the previous concepts. In this accord, experts like Jasmine Wriston[1] rightly suggest that a strong foundation is crucial to grasp math. Incepting a clear understanding of concepts and logic behind, it ensures good command over key notions. For instance, numbers form the base of algebra, while algebra is the base for more advanced math later.
2. Indulge in frequent exercises
Whether it is math or any other subject, rigorous practice can be the key to mastery. Students may need to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the expedition of learning, thus recognizing those concepts they need to master. Focusing on these while solving exercises can advance them and instigate a pulse of motivation in them.
3. Focus on tips and tricks
Math problems mostly have more than one way to get solved; preferably, the easiest one is picked. Sometimes, tips and tricks can come in handy to get things solved faster. For instance, one may round them up to the nearest tens to make resolution faster while adding two large numbers. These tricks can be accompanied any time along with some self-made and Vedic mathematics techniques like quick square root.
4. Look back on real life examples
Math notions mostly have real-life applications. But, some students develop math anxiety by looking at its abstract side. Discerning probable real-life applications for each concept can make interpretation effective. Research conducted by Micheal Bornar,[2] eighth-grade students, showed improved performance in math when they were exposed to real-life applications of the same since it generated interest. Whenever a student feels stuck, interpreting real-life examples of the same can aid.
5. Indulge in math games and activities
Who doesn’t like games and activities? Learning-based games are gaining popularity due to their exceptional results. When students feel anxious, indulging them in relevant games or activities can assist. For instance, algebra can be mastered with tiles activities, games like Polyhedron enhance geometry skills. Researchers like Richard Blunt[3] prove how game-based pedagogies remain efficacious.
Conclusion
Mathematics is a fascinating subject that is used all across the world. As a result, people must be aware of this topic. Individuals should not be subjected to mathematical havoc. It is not easy to achieve the appropriate level of self-confidence, but making an effort to address these concerns will yield excellent benefits. One must realize that it is a continual process in which self-motivation is essential on a daily divergence from this, which reduces confidence. A good sense of self-esteem leads to a better future.
References
[1] The Importance of a Strong Mathematical Foundation: University of Akron Main Campus (Wriston J.) (2015)
[2] Real-Life Problem Solving in Eighth Grade Mathematics: University of Nebraska – Lincoln (Bomar M.) (2009)
[3] Does Game-Based Learning Work? Results from Three Recent Studies: Blunt R.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,