Math Anxiety

Note. These materials were produced for the WA STEM partnership coaching meeting on 2/1/18.
 Icebreaker (Option 1)

What is the first word that comes to mind when

you see these images?

What do you notice about your reactions to

these images?
 Icebreaker (Option 2)

Take a few minutes to write your “math autobiography”:

The last math course I took was ___________.

When I think about having to do math, I feel ________________.
An early experience in a math class that stands out for me was when
________________________________________________________.
One math teacher I remember is ___________________________.
My family’s attitude toward math was ______________________.
I think I learned my present attitude toward math when
________________________________________________________.
 Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

Define math anxiety

Describe the impact of math anxiety on academic

performance and other outcomes

Apply actionable strategies to alleviate math anxiety in

classrooms
 What is Math Anxiety?

“Math. I hate math. It makes me

feel all wiggly inside. During the
[high-stakes test] last year, I
thought I was going to throw up
when we did the math part. I
didn’t, but I always feel that
way—even when we just line
up for math class.”
Quote from 10-year-old girl
asked to write about her least favorite subject

Quote reported in Maloney, Schaeffer, & Beilock (2013)

 What is Math Anxiety?

• It is different from just “not liking math” or having

poor math skills.
• People with math anxiety feel apprehensive,
tense, and fearful about situations involving math.
• It is a global phenomenon, and it is highly
prevalent—even in very young children.
• It increases with age, particularly math test
anxiety.

Ashcraft (2002); Gierl & Bisanz (1995)

 Implications of Math Anxiety

Students with math anxiety perform worse in

math compared with their less math-anxious
peers from elementary school through college.

Ma & Xu (2004)
 Reciprocal Cycle

Math anxiety

Worse Math
performance avoidance

Poor
preparation

Ashcraft (2002)
 Math Anxiety Robs Performance

• Math anxiety disrupts working

memory. (Working memory is
necessary for holding concepts in
your mind and manipulating
information.)

• Thus, math anxiety hurts

performance by robbing the brain of
cognitive capacity that could be
spent on solving the math problems
at hand.

Ashcraft & Kirk (2001)

 What Causes Math Anxiety?

Multiple interrelated sources:

• The student perceives that their
math skills need work.
• The student is trying to use a lot of
higher-order approaches instead of
simpler ones.
• The student didn’t learn some of the
fundamental “building blocks” in
early years.
• The student is picking up subtle (and
not-so-subtle) cues from their
environment that convey negative
messages about math.
Beilock & Willingham (2014)
 Adult Math Anxiety Impacts Students

• Children whose parents are anxious about math are more likely to have
math anxiety themselves.

• Higher math anxiety among female elementary school teachers is related

to lower math achievement among their female students and a greater
likelihood that girls believe that “boys are good at math, and girls are good
at reading.”

Beilock, Gunderson, Ramirez, &

Levine (2010); Maloney, Ramirez,
Gunderson, Levine, & Beilock (2015)
 Math Stereotypes

• Stereotypes about race and gender can act as

barriers that prevent girls and students of color
from developing interests in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM).

• “Stereotype threat” is when someone

underperforms because of a negative stereotype
about how they should perform.

• Math anxiety and stereotype threat likely share a

common mechanism: working memory.

• Both math anxiety and stereotype threat start early.

Children can form automatic associations that
affect performance before they even consciously
endorse stereotypes.

Master & Meltzoff (2017); Galdi, Cadinu, & Tomasetto (2014)

 What’s Inside a Stereotype?

Example: Gender stereotype

May represent multiple intertwined stereotypes (e.g., cultural fit and ability)

Cultural
Stereotypes
STEM = male

Gender
gaps in
Ability STEM
Stereotypes
Girls have
less ability
than boys

Figure adapted from Cheryan, Master, & Meltzoff (2015)

Counteracting stereotypes can increase interest in STEM among

girls and students of color by increasing their confidence and
making them feel like they belong in math.
 Classroom
Strategies to
Reduce Math
Anxiety
 Key Strategies

•Cultivate your own math

self-awareness and skills

•Celebrate mistakes
•Support students
•Be conscious of messages
•Practice and teach
mindfulness
 Cultivate Your Own
Math Self-Awareness and Skills

• Be aware of your own feelings

about math and how you
express them

• When possible, seek

professional development
to gain confidence in teaching
new concepts

Kutaka et al. (2017)

Celebrate Mistakes

Create a classroom culture that

normalizes struggles and celebrates
mistakes:
• Communicate to students that you love
mistakes and welcome them in your class

• Give work that encourages mistakes by keeping

students at the edge of their skills

• Consider having students present incorrect

solutions to the class and then work as a team
to find a correct answer
 Celebrate Mistakes: Inverted Test

1. Give students a test/assignment

completed by a fictitious student
that has several incorrect
answers.
2. Have students correct the test.
Ask them to identify the
mistakes and explain how they
would approach or solve the
problems differently.

Activity adapted from mindsetkit.org

 Celebrate Mistakes: Mistakes Game

1. Have students complete a set of

problems independently.
2. Put students into groups. Each group
is assigned one problem to present to
the class.
3. During the presentation, each group
must make (at least) one intentional
mistake in its solution.
4. The rest of the class listens to the
group’s presentation and tries to find
the mistake(s).

Activity adapted from mindsetkit.org

 Support Students

•Identify students who may need a

refresher on the basics.
•Avoid having anxious students
perform in front of a large group.
•Avoid unnecessary time pressures
(e.g., timed drills). When
appropriate, consider an untimed
option for a quiz or other
assessments.

Faust, Ashcraft, & Fleck (1996)

 Be Conscious of Messages

Be conscious of how you

speak to students when they
are struggling; consoling
students can comfort them
in the moment, but it can
also be demotivating. It’s
better to express confidence
and encouragement.

Rattan, Good, & Dweck (2012)

 Practice and Teach Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a focused
awareness on the present,
without judgment, to calmly
attend to the present state.

Research shows that

mindfulness can have
benefits for both teachers
and students.

Brunyé et al. (2013); Khng (2016); Shobe, Brewin, & Carmack (2005)
 Focused Breathing

1. Deep breathing is a quick and simple technique even

young children can use to calm themselves and free
up working memory.
2. Focused breathing can be done as a form of ritual
before performing high-anxiety math tasks.

Order Distraction Purpose Placebo

 Activity: Mixed Messages

How might students interpret these messages?

You just need

It’s OK, not to try harder.
everyone can be
good at this kind of
problem.
Don’t worry
about it. I’m not
good at math
either.
 Activity: Mixed Messages (continued)

It’s OK, not You just Don’t worry

everyone can be need to about it. I’m
good at this kind try harder. not good at
of problem. math either.

I DID try hard, They never

I’m not good at but I still don’t improved at
this and never get it. I must math, and I
will be. not be cut out
won’t either.
for this.
 Activity: Mixed Messages (continued)

How might students interpret these messages?

You’re smart—this
As I’m sure will be easy for
you’ll you.
remember from
last year ... This
assignment
shouldn’t
take you
very long.
 Activity: Mixed Messages (continued)

How might students interpret these messages?

This
As I’m sure assignment You’re smart—
you’ll shouldn’t this will be easy
remember from take you for you.
last year ... very long.

I don’t So if it takes
remember. me awhile, It wasn’t easy.
Does that does that I guess I’m not
mean I’m mean I’m smart.
dumb? bad at this?
Activity: Focused Breathing Practice
 Reflection

What stood out to you, increased your

knowledge, or changed your thinking
during this session?

What is one thing you learned or

discussed today that you will apply to
your work with teachers and/or your
classroom?
 References

• Ashcraft, M. H. (2002). Math anxiety: Personal, educational, and cognitive consequences. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 11(5), 181–185.
• Ashcraft, M. H., & Kirk, E. P. (2001). The relationships among working memory, math anxiety, and performance.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130(2), 224–237.
• Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female teachers’ math anxiety affects
girls’ math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860–1863.
• Beilock, S. L., & Willingham, D. T. (2014). Math anxiety: Can teachers help students reduce it? Ask the cognitive
scientist. American Educator, 38(2), 28–32, 43. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1043398
• Brooks, A. W., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Gino, F., Galinsky, A. D., Norton, M. I. et al. (2016). Don't stop
believing: Rituals improve performance by decreasing anxiety. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision
Process, 137, 71–85.
• Brunyé, T. T., Mahoney, C. R., Giles, G. E., Rapp, D. N., Taylor, H. A., & Kanarek, R. B. (2013). Learning to relax:
Evaluating four brief interventions for overcoming the negative emotions accompanying math anxiety. Learning
and Individual Differences, 27, 1–7.
• Faust M. W., Ashcraft M. H., & Fleck D. E. (1996). Mathematics anxiety effects in simple and complex addition.
Mathematical Cognition, 2(1), 25–62. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ525151
• Galdi, S., Cadinu, M., & Tomasetto, C. (2014). The roots of stereotype threat: When automatic associations
disrupt girls' math performance. Child Development, 85(1), 250–263. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1027527
• Gierl, M. J., & Bisanz, J. (1995). Anxieties and attitudes related to mathematics in grades 3 and 6. Journal of
Experimental Education, 63(2), 139–158. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ509291
 References
• Khng, K. H. (2016). A better state-of-mind: Deep breathing reduces state anxiety and enhances test performance
through regulating test cognitions in children. Cognition and Emotion, 31(7), 1–9.
• Kutaka, T. S., Smith, W. M., Albano, A. A., Edwards, C. P., Ren, L., Beattie, H. L. et al. (2017). Connecting teacher
professional development and student mathematics achievement: A 4-year study of an elementary mathematics
specialist program. Journal of Teacher Education, 68(2), 140–154.
• Ma, X., & Xu, J. (2004). The causal ordering of mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement: A
longitudinal panel analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 27(2), 165–179. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ730091
• Maloney, E. A., Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2015). Intergenerational effects of
parents’ math anxiety on children’s math achievement and anxiety. Psychological Science, 26(9), 1480–1488.
• Maloney, E. A., Schaeffer, M. W., & Beilock, S. L. (2013). Mathematics anxiety and stereotype threat: Shared
mechanisms, negative consequences and promising interventions. Research in Mathematics Education, 15(2),
115–128. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1090367
• Master, A., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2017). Building bridges between psychological science and education: Cultural
stereotypes, STEM, and equity. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, 46(2), 215–234.
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1143727
• Rattan, A., Good, C., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). “It's ok—Not everyone can be good at math”: Instructors with an
entity theory comfort (and demotivate) students. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(3), 731–737.
• Shobe, E., Brewin, A., & Carmack, S. (2005). A simple visualization exercise for reducing test anxiety and
improving performance on difficult math tests. Journal of Worry & Affective Experience, 1(1), 34–52.
• Transforming Education. (2017). Mindfulness toolkit. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from
https://www.transformingeducation.org/mindfulness-toolkit/
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