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Two professors say we've got to stop sending messages to young children — especially girls — that math is something to fear. Humans are actually hardwired to think mathematically, they say.
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Scooped by Beth Dichter |
Scoop.it!
Beth Dichter's insight:
At what age to learners experience fear of math? This post notes that "common wisdom" said that it not until sixth grade, but current research "demonstrates that children as young as first grade report math anxiety symptoms" and that the anxiety "affects their ability to learn math."
Learn more about the negative impacts of math anxiety as well as strategies that may be used to help learners.
As Ms. Dichter already stated, this article draws an interesting comparison between our belief that math anxiety doesn't start until sixth grade with the overwhelming reality that we're seeing symptoms of anxiety as early as first grade. This SchoolBook article gives an interesting example, a 7-year-old girl named Zoey, who excels in reading, but struggles in math. The pressure that her parents put on her largely contributes to her anxiousness. The article gives a multitude of ideas for how to combat math anxiety, even beginning as young as first grade. Constantly providing reassurance, demonstrating patience, and exhibiting that it's okay to not get something on the first try are all suggestions that I hope to implement in my own classroom.