Every Student can be an Einstein: Addressing Math Anxiety in Today’s Classrooms

This article is geared toward mathematics educators in hopes that they can ultimately excite young people about mathematics, encourage students to be confident in their ability to solve problems, understand mathematical concepts, and see math as a human endeavor. The author believes that as students feel less anxious about and more confident in their abilities to do math that their performance will improve. As math test scores are often a concern for principals, teachers, and society at large, success and confidence with mathematics is critical in our high-tech globally competitive world. Math anxiety has become a growing concern in the United States as well as in many other countries around the globe. Educators need to address this alarming problem and work toward developing mathematically confident young people for a world where Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields dominate the globe. Many strategies and recommendations are included for addressing how to improve attitudes toward mathematics so that all students can be like Einstein

Tackling Math Anxiety through Photography while using GeoGebra

Math teachers can insert photographs into GeoGebra software then explore various math objectives related to the Common Core Math Standards, the paper shows how to motivate students to learn math and minimize math anxiety while doing it. While covering the new Common Core State Standards, the topics will explore the math that surrounds us in the real world thus creating a connection between the abstract math and the life experiences. When math has a purpose, then students are willing to spend time in exploring and understanding new concepts. Real-life photographs that are inserted into GeoGebra will provide the basis to observe relationships with different and similar shapes. Technology like GeoGebra can help motivate young learners to enjoy learning mathematics while addressing math anxiety and attitudes. The presentation/paper will show educators how by importing photography into the GeoGebra software, teachers can explain math concepts and make the learning of math more real-world and relevant. In an age of STEM, it is critical that we motivate and turn young people onto math through technology. Online websites and resources for addressing math anxiety and attitudes are also shared

An Alternative Sudoku Puzzle with Letters While Addressing Math Anxiety

Math anxiety remains a critical issue affecting student performance and confidence across grade levels throughout the world. This paper looks at the impact of math anxiety on students and also how using letters instead of numbers with Sudoku puzzles can perhaps alleviate math anxiety and number anxiety as an alternative to doing Sudoku puzzles and turning students on to the logic of magic squares and Sudoku puzzles. This paper shares data on math anxiety levels by grade level from a study, provides some examples of some Sudoku puzzles with Greek letters and our English alphabet along with much research, and recommendations of best practices for teaching math and addressing such concerns in light of the reality of math anxiety existing in a world where we are preparing young people for a STEM world. The data in this study shows an upward trend in higher math anxiety levels as students increase in grade level. It is evident teachers need to do more starting in the early grades and each grade to use best practices for teaching math and also use math anxiety reduction strategies to work on reducing math anxiety as students advance each grade level. Research, best practices for teaching mathematics, strategies, and a survey are included

Using Cooperative Learning to Teach Mathematics to Help Promising ELL and All Students Develop Social Skills: A Case Study

This paper shares the story of Jung and how a gifted young student in mathematics learns social skills and shares knowledge and also helps to improve his own learning of the English language while sharing his understanding of mathematics with others. Students working together in math classrooms all benefit in many ways including language acquisition, problem solving, math achievement, social skills, cultural differences, and a shared sense of community in a classroom, when all working together for a goal in learning mathematics while also learning social skills so to fit in better within society. Cooperative learning plays a critical role today in teaching mathematics and preparing young people how to be successful and fit into society better and get along with each other. This paper shares the story of Jung a young mathematically gifted student who lacks English language mastery and social skills and how his teacher employs cooperative learning with an emphasis on social skills, language acquisition, and problem solving to help this gifted student and all students in the classroom in building community and camaraderie while learning mathematics. Steps and the process for setting up your own classroom to employ cooperative learning are outlined in this paper. An emphasis on social skills is addressed showing what it looks like and what it sounds like as students learn mathematics together

Planning a Family Math Night-The How To\u27s: A Checklist for Success

This paper shares the “how to’s” of putting on a family math night at an elementary school in South Florida. The paper discusses the importance of parent involvement and knowing about the standards and how math, science, and literacy are taught in schools today. The paper provides concrete steps for setting up a family night with suggested activities and organizational ideas to involve teachers, students, and parents at the school. Several checklists are provided along with websites and ideas for activities for the family night booths. Today family nights at schools can provide a real powerful means for promoting parent involvement while also informing parents as to how young people are taught today covering important state standards and making connections from school to home and the STEM world we now live in

Propensities by Grade of Math Anxiety Levels K-12: Addressing Mathematics Dispositions and How Manipulatives May Help

Math anxiety remains a critical issue affecting student performance and confidence across grade levels throughout the world today. This paper looks at the impact of math anxiety and how students’ dispositions toward math from a leadership perspective and the real hinderance for them as learners in life in a STEM world. The paper shares data from a K-12 school on math anxiety levels and offers insights from a school principal who has served K-12 levels where math anxiety and discomfort levels of math are seen across the spectrum. This paper provides much research and recommendations of best practices for teaching math, leadership responsibility, and the use of math manipulatives to address the reality of math anxiety as we prepare our young people to compete for jobs in a STEM world. Research, best practices for teaching, strategies, and a survey are included

Using GeoGebra, Photography, and Vocabulary to Teach Mathematics while Aiding our ESOL Populations

This paper shares many important examples of using real world photography and GeoGebra software in teaching math to all students including the ESOL population. ESOL learners can benefit immensely from the use of real-world photography imported into GeoGebra software because new vocabulary and math concepts are concretized. Students are often excited and motivated by photography and technology. Thus, this paper will demonstrate how mathematics teachers can insert photos into GeoGebra Software and then explore math concepts relevant in the photographs, i.e. shapes, symmetry, measurement, fractions, parabolas, etc. By using software and a visual approach to teaching math with photographs, many of the Common Core and state math standards are met while also helping all students including the ESOL learners. GeoGebra software is available as a free download and many school districts are adopting this software in their classrooms as it is a powerful tool for teaching and connecting geometry, measurement, and algebra. The authors advocate teaching mathematics using authentic and relevant materials such as photography and technology in meeting the needs of all students, particularly the ESOL learners who have limited English language skills. Undoubtedly, using photographs is one way to motivate ESOL learners to learn mathematics and English simultaneously

Empowering Teacher Leadership to Address Math Anxiety in Today’s Schools

Math anxiety is an uneasiness or worry when dealing with doing mathematics, ranging from slight nervousness, nausea, to complete panic. It prevents students from learning math and makes them more likely to give up. Math anxiety is common in many math classrooms today. Teachers can work together and take a real leadership role in addressing this problem to build math confidence. Solutions range from undergoing therapy to changing teaching styles to being more inclusive of students with math anxiety. This paper looks at ways teachers as leaders can work together to address math anxiety in their schools. School leaders can empower math teachers to work together to prevent and reduce math anxiety with a goal of improved math achievement school-wide while addressing math anxiety by teachers taking on active leadership roles in their schools and classrooms. This paper gives many recommendations to address math anxiety

Mathematics Anxiety in Society: A Real Phenomena and a Real Solution

While math anxiety still remains a real issue affecting student performance and confidence, today it is even more critical with the greater emphasis on producing more students for careers in STEM fields. In an effort to understand ways to ease math anxiety and encourage adaptive achievement behaviors to deal with such anxiety, this paper will explore the topic and provide research-based practices in providing a solution to this existing problem in our schools. There are many studies that show using technology in the teaching of mathematics will help to alleviate math anxiety and encourage students to enjoy learning mathematics. GeoGebra, a dynamic mathematics software, can assist in developing a deeper understanding of geometric/measurement/algebraic concepts in the mathematics classrooms from Grades K-16. Emphasis on addressing math anxiety as a teacher and using technologies like GeoGebra software to teach math are the main foci of the paper

The Importance of Using Manipulatives in Teaching Math Today

This paper explores the research and use of mathematics manipulatives in the teaching of mathematics today during an age of technology and standardized testing. It looks at the drawbacks and cautions educators as they use math manipulatives in their instruction. It also explores some cognitive concerns as a teacher goes about teaching with math manipulatives. The paper shares many commonly used math manipulatives used in today’s classrooms and matches them up to some of the Common Core Math Standards that are taught today in classrooms in the USA and around the world