Teaching that counteracts Maths Anxiety

Yaratan & Kasapoglu (2012) make the following statement, which to me seems synonymous with all we have been taught on our journey so far as pre-service teachers. Moreover, the approach they advocate is, I feel, congruous with the intent of the New Zealand Currcilumum:

In their teaching, teachers should always concentrate on the comprehension of the main concepts, use of mathematical terminology correctly, communicating mathematically, developing problem solving skills, transferring mathematical knowledge to real life situations, but above all, teachers should design leaning activities which would be appropriate to the ability of each individual student in their classes. Student-centered teaching methods, creative activities such as group work, mathematics projects and mathematical games should be employed by teachers to make their students enjoy mathematics.

                                                        Yaratan & Kasapoglu (2012, p. 169, emphasis added)

To use an often quoted mantra, “It’s not rocket science…” Student-centred teaching underpinned by formative practice to meet the needs of each and every learner in the classroom is not a new or controversial epistemological argument. However, this may be an overly simplistic and idealistic view. If there was a simple solution then surely maths anxiety would obviously not be the major issue it undoubtedly is (If potentially 25% of my students may exhibit some degree of maths anxiety, it is unequivocally a major issue for me and them!).

I believe the first step is ensuring that as a teacher you are not a perpetuator of maths anxiety. Your attitude towards maths, where you may be the only ‘mathematician’ students have contact with, is perhaps one of the most cogently influential –and controllable- factors in the classroom. There needs to be a balance in your maths programme. I was struck by the tension apparent in the competing arguments around rote/repetition and number sense. Students at risk of maths anxiety need to be able to be able to retrieve information (such as basic facts) to free up working memory, and similarly they need to have number sense to help alleviate anxiety.  I think educationalists in the past have been guilty of pushing the ‘theory du jour’ to the exclusion of all else…students need to develop both number sense and a store of retrievable facts.

There are, however, practical strategies that can be used to lessen the affects of anxiety. Sheffield and Hunt (2006) identify “two types of intervention strategy: behavioural approaches that focus directly on the emotional component of maths anxiety, and cognitive approaches that focus on altering the negative thought’s (e.g., “I’m useless at maths”) contributing to anxiety” (p. 22). They believe that the most effective interventions are behavioural interventions, as opposed to those that target cognitive or intellectual abilities. One approach they reported success with involved instructing children in the practice of “relaxing diaphragmatic breathing, using imagery to reduce anxiety, and in situ desensitization” (p. 22). The in situ desensitisation relate to the gradual exposure to problems of increasing difficulty while practicing relaxing breathing. One final point they make is a recommendation for teachers to actively mitigate ‘threatening’ situations such as assessments. High stakes assessments and time constraints have already been discussed as injurious causes of maths anxiety.

This last statement has real implications for us and the National Standards discourse. National Standards has the potential to cause students with maths anxiety, who may be below the standard, to spiral downwards even further. Similarly, why is assessment so determined by the element of manageability through time constraints? Time constraints undermine the validity (fairness) and reliability of assessments, and we as teachers need to consider this for each and every task in the classroom. So, my journey is nearly at an end…perhaps, all that remains is for me to quietly ruminate on what I have learnt and discuss the body of work in relation to the implications for me personally.