Mathematics is a unique subject and it is a fundamental part of school curriculum. It is an instrument for the development of all other sciences. Knowingly or unknowingly, mathematics is used in every field of life. However, majority of students across the world dislike mathematics. Nowadays teachers are under heavy pressure due to student’s annual board exam result. A good portion of students fail to qualify in Mathematics Subjects in Board Exam. There are a multitude of reasons why students struggle with mathematics, one of which is having a general dislike, often expressed as a hatred, of mathematics. Since mathematics is a an important part of curriculum in schooling stage, so disinterest in it is quite likely to affect their confidence and success rate in the course. Mathematics is a subject that causes many negative emotions. One of the main challenges to mathematics teacher is to make a positive attitude in students toward learning mathematics. Therefore, teachers should be aware of student’s affective beliefs and inter relations of those in learning mathematics so as to employ more effective strategies in teaching and to improve students’ mathematics learning by reducing their negative beliefs. Liking of mathematics is associated with more positive affects like interest, positive expectations, higher self-efficacy and personal values towards it, whereas dislike is associated with boredom, low self-efficacy, fear and negative expectancies. Mathematics has some inherent difficulties due to its abstract and cumulative nature. So students require a firm foundation, they may not be able to learn new things without previous knowledge. For many students expectancy about the difficulty of math is high, and personal value attached with math is low. Students are accepting the utility value of mathematics, but they haven’t any personal value attached with mathematics. So, though they do not like mathematics they may choose to study because of its practical value. But when a task is difficult to them chance for avoiding that task will be higher. Mathematics is often experienced as difficult but that does not mean mathematics is undoable. One can apply qualities and character aspects that make one successful in areas of his or her life to the task of learning mathematics. The same levels of self-motivation, self-confidence, and work ethic that get one through life day in and day out can be applied to the endeavor of learning mathematics. It is safe to say that we are not all born with the same inherent mathematics abilities. Mathematics is considered a difficult subject by most of the students due to aversive teaching style, difficulty in following the instruction, difficulty in understanding the subject, and difficulty in remembering its equations and ways to solve problem. The same reason is given by students for disliking mathematics and there is a strong association between their belief regarding the difficulty of subject and dislike towards math. However, mathematics needs a public relations makeover. Perceptions need to be remolded. Hard and difficult are figments of one’s psyche. Mathematics can be viewed as an intellectual game, an opportunity to question, explore, have fun, and get excited. Wrong answers are a path to learning and an opportunity to “play the game” again and again. Students enjoy challenges in many aspects of their lives; mathematics can be viewed as a challenge that can be overcome with effort and commitment. Mathematics can be viewed as exercise for the mind; it can be a confidence builder, not breaker. For many, learning mathematics may be the most difficult thing they will do throughout their educational life; perhaps if they can do mathematics, the world and its opportunities is their playground. Mathematics, for many students, is no less furious than a demon. Many students feel sleepy as soon as they open the Mathematics book. Their score in mathematics is very less. They just give up saying that they can’t do it. Unfortunately, math avoidance leads to less competency, exposure and math practice, leaving students more anxious and mathematically unprepared to realize learning goals. This results in Math phobia. Math Phobia may be a feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with math performance. An individual with math phobia doesn’t necessarily lack ability in mathematics; rather, s/he can’t perform to her/his full potential thanks to the interfering symptoms of anxiety.
Common causes due to which students struggle to learn math:
1. Basic Concepts Are Not Clear: The most common problem while learning mathematics is that students lack an understanding of the basic concepts. Think of math as building blocks, you need to first lay the foundation before moving forward. And if the foundation is not laid properly, the blocks will fall apart. Similarly, only if your students have a clear understanding of the basics, they’ll be able to move ahead in class. For example, to reduce fractions, students need to know division and to solve linear equations they need to be thorough with arithmetic processes. Many students also find it uncomfortable to admit their difficulty with a certain topic in the class while the teacher has moved to the next lesson. This is the main reason why students start to lag behind in class.
2. Method of Teaching : Teachers should lean towards methods of teaching that are easy to comprehend. But more often they are not, the techniques, steps, and formulas taught are not only difficult to understand but also to apply in the real world. If students struggle with grasping a certain method, they will not be able to remember it after class. It is important in this case, that teachers modify their method of teaching to suit the entire class.
3. Lack of Practice: Many students simply don’t spend enough time practising math concepts. Even though students have a thorough understanding of the math lesson, without practice the concepts will be lost on them. This may also stem from a lack of interest in the subject or topic. Sometimes students will feel like they understand a concept, but when attempting to solve a problem themselves, they end up struggling through the process. It is, therefore, important for teachers to take time to revisit math topics that are difficult to grasp and help students practise it frequently by taking tests every now and then.
4. Attention Disorder: What you might pass off as ‘not paying attention in class’ can be the emerging signs of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in certain students. Students with attention disorder are prone to drifting off during class lessons and might find it very challenging to follow the teacher’s instructions. As a result, they miss important steps in the problem-solving process and later struggle with math when trying to solve problems on their own. Children with ADHD also tend to rush through math problems. Because of the low attention span, they might not read the entire question and as a result, skip steps or make mistakes. They put down answers impulsively or their handwritten work might be messy and hard to read. If you notice your students struggling in a similar way, it is important to guide them and give proper attention during and after class.
How to Help Students Overcome Their Struggle With Math: As mentioned before, not every student can cope with a particular method of teaching. Therefore, if your students are struggling you might want to switch to a different approach that is more engaging and easier to understand. Many teachers have turned to modern approaches like game-based learning to help engage their students better in class and also to make it easier for them to understand. Game-based learning also helps students with short attention span to engage with class lessons since it is essentially a video game that they focus on. You can try puzzles, brain teasers or use an online math platform like Prodigy to assist you in class. Prodigy is a free game-based math platform for students that has numerous math challenges and puzzles for grades 1-8 which helps them in solving curriculum-aligned math problems while battling monsters, earning badges, going on quests and more. This math platform is specifically built to engage students so that they are able to solve math problems and learn about new topics in a fun and interactive way without losing any focus. If your students are having trouble understanding basic concepts or applying them in practicing math, it is important that you start with simpler problems that they can solve easily. These simple questions are useful in developing their concepts and also grow their confidence. It has been found that students attempting the hardest problems first tend to lose interest in learning when they cannot solve them. So, always start by giving simple problems and gradually move onto difficult sums. This goes without saying that students need to practise math regularly, irrespective of whether they are struggling or not. Solving different mathematical problems regularly would help students understand and grasp the basic concepts of the subject. Therefore, as a teacher, you can help your students to practise math by giving them homework on a regular basis. Especially when you are teaching challenging topics like trigonometry, geometry and such, practising it daily will get their mind acclimatized to the different problem-solving techniques. The most important thing to understand is that struggling with math is a common occurrence among students and that it should not demotivate a student. Many children end up lacking confidence in themselves and feel like they are not ‘smart enough’ because of their struggle. As a teacher, your first step should be to make them feel comfortable about making mistakes and build their confidence. Using these tips will go a long way in helping your students overcome math anxieties.
(The author is a teacher at Govt High School Brakpora Anantnag. Views are his own)
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