Math Is Scary, Part 1

By Monica Leigh Nelson

Math is scary. I think many people, both adults and children, would agree with that statement. When they hear it’s math time, many children suddenly have to go to the bathroom, get a drink, sharpen a pencil, or see the nurse. Adults laugh it off and say, “I was never good at math.” My college students grimace and slouch lower in their seats. In my elementary classroom, I have more students complaining about math than about any other subject. Which, of course, begs the question: Why?

I asked Google ‘Why is math scary?’ and got the following answer:

“Math can be scary due to its abstract nature, pressure from a focus on one right answer, and a history of negative learning experiences like memorization without understanding. These factors can lead to math anxiety, where fear and tension cause physical symptoms and make it harder to perform well. Past negative experiences, pressure to get a perfect score, and a lack of real-world connection to concepts also contribute to this fear. “

I just watched a webinar on anxiety this weekend. All it takes is one negative experience in a math class for students to become anxious with the entire subject – for the rest of their life! And many of us have had more than one negative experience. 

Math has a heavy emphasis on finding the one right answer. And there are often big consequences for getting it wrong. You make one little copying error in a two-step word problem, and you may never find your way to a correct solution. 

So we know the problem. What’s the fix?

One suggestion: Celebrate mistakes. 

Each new school year, I have to teach students that mistakes are how we learn. If you didn’t make any mistakes on a worksheet, then you didn’t learn anything from doing it. Instead of applauding perfect papers, we should be celebrating the effort and the actual learning taking place. Which means looking more closely at the mistakes.

Each year, the first time I ask my students if anyone made a mistake, no one will make eye contact with me. If I can’t get a volunteer, I’ll share about a mistake that I made. If someone does volunteer, we’ll take a look at their work using a document camera. We’ll talk about the mistake they made and how it changed their answer. Then we’ll listen as they explain how they figured out their mistake and what they did to fix it. If they haven’t fixed it yet, we’ll do it together as a class. Then, we’ll clap and applaud the student for growing their brain. Because mistakes make our brains grow. 

Sometimes, I do a Math ER (emergency room) problem where I post a math problem with a faulty solution. I give students time to be the teacher and figure out where the mistake was before we go over it together. 

Another strategy I’ve used is ‘My Favorite Mistake.’ I go through student work and pick a mistake that I feel would create a good teaching opportunity. Then I’ll present it anonymously – though usually the student who made the mistake will shout out that it’s theirs. Because my students are learning to own their mistakes as badges of their learning.

One of my favorite teaching moments was in the first year I taught students this concept. We had just finished a math lesson, and I was moving on to something new, when a student shouted out, “Wait! Wait! We haven’t talked about my mistake yet!” 

That was one of those moments that teaching is all about. 

That’s why we’re here.

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