Math-Whizz Blog

Many students that struggle with math develop a negative attitude toward the subject that can last a lifetime. Does “I was never good with numbers,” or “I just don’t have the math gene” sound familiar? Seemingly as innocuous as saying, “I don’t like chocolate,” these comments can be inadvertently transferred to a child’s perception of math.  Regrettably, I am one of these people. As a child I struggled with math so much that I would often breakdown in to tears trying to complete my math homework.  Constantly having to meet with my teacher after school or schedule a tutoring session to receive additional help, I suffered from horrible anxiety before math tests (thanks to supportive and patient teachers, I was able to overcome this). 

It turns out these feelings are so common that they have been given official name and definition; Math Anxiety, defined as feelings of tension and apprehension that interfere with a person’s ability to solve mathematical problems both in academic and non-academic situations.  These feelings often result in a loss of self-confidence that continues into adulthood, impacting a person’s personal and career choices (Tobias, S., 1993).  In light of April being Math Appreciation Month, it seems appropriate to consider how we can help children move past their anxiety and develop positive associations with math. 

In Judy Willis’ book, “Learning to Love Math,” she explains how reversing negative math emotions are the key to success in the subject. Students suffering from negativity when thinking of or doing math problems are likely to dislike math, feel frustrated and lose confidence.   Parents and Teachers can help children to view math in a positive light by guiding them to change their attitude.  Some of her suggestions are:

·         Find out how children and their parents feel about math. What has been their experience with math?

·         Learn what the child’s stressors are and discuss ways to limit these stresses

·         Help children see how math is used outside of the classroom in day-to-day life.  Helping them see practical uses for math and understand its purpose will help reduce anxiety around the subject.

·         Make math fun! Include games (like Math-Whizz), puzzles and fun activities into daily activities so learning is fun and engaging.

Services like Math-Whizz can help ease Math Anxiety by providing a fun, interactive and completely responsive environment that is safe for children to explore math.  If a student makes an error – that is ok, the tutor will respond immediately with help. Correct answers elicit positive feedback which builds confidence. I believe when a child has confidence in their math abilities this creates a positive attitude toward math.

As mentioned earlier, Tobias discussed that a child’s perception of math often determines their choices in life. Let’s refocus attention toward math appreciation and show children how cool math can be.  Let them know it’s okay (and perhaps even cool) to like math and to admire the astronauts, doctors, and scientists of the world.

Math-Whizz is helping children build confidence and find happiness in numbers…

 “As a principal, I see Math Whizz as an incredible tool for meeting student’s academic needs because it teaches students exactly what they need.  I am so impressed with how engaging and useful Math Whizz is that I have my own sons using it at home!  Both the students at my school and my own boys are greatly improving their skills and they love using Math Whizz and doing math!”

Principal, Highline School District

“Since using Math Whizz I noticed my child is more willing to do math openly, in the past she held back and would not express her math skills publicly.”

Kelly, Parent

“Not only has my child learned math that she was struggling with but now she has a positive attitude towards math.”

Jillian, Parent