The document discusses the challenges students face in learning mathematics, emphasizing that success relies on a strong understanding of basic concepts, visualization, and a supportive learning environment. It highlights the impact of math anxiety and offers strategies to overcome it, such as fostering a positive attitude, strengthening basic skills, and implementing effective teaching methods. The importance of teacher attitudes and ongoing professional development is also noted as key to creating a supportive environment for students to learn mathematics confidently.

2.  Mathematics is a major subject in primary education. Some
perceive Mathematics to be easy whereas others rank it as the
toughest among all the subjects.
 It largely depends upon the basic understanding of the child and
the way in which a child visualizes the concepts. Students go
wrong in Mathematics mainly due to two reasons.
 The first one is that the child is unable to proceed further from a
certain step in the problem due to lack of understanding or a
silly mistake committed.
 The second one is that concepts in Mathematics are very inter-
related. We keep building on the knowledge of existing concepts
to master new concepts.
 For examples – we first learn numbers, then fractions and then
decimals. If we didn’t understand fractions well, it is difficult to
get the concept of decimals.

3.  It is thus essential to ascertain the reason behind the child going
wrong, in order to overcome and work on the same.
 Thorough understanding of a concept is mandatory when it comes to
answering questions based on Mathematics.
 If a child fails to have a clear knowledge about the basics, he starts
finding the subject difficult and is unable to solve questions when the
complexity increases A few may go wrong in fractions as they find it
difficult to visualize fractions which in turn makes them go wrong in the
problem solving part.
 Visualization is of utmost importance in various concepts. This gives
the child a clear picture about what the question is and which
approach has to be chosen to solve the same.
 Also, students get paranoid and demotivated when they go wrong in
Mathematical problems. They lose confidence easily and end up going
wrong more frequently.
 Children have to be taught the problem solving approach and
methodologies so that they can apply it precisely on any problem that
has to be solved.
 Examples are to be provided so that the child can understand the
solution, which is very challenging to be done in the classroom
learning process. Interactive content can be used to demonstrate the
same by means of online learning platforms.
 It is found that children grasp concepts at a faster pace when they are
illustrated giving examples.

4.  Math is particularly challenging because it
requires a level of precise, clear thinking and
problem-solving activities quite different than
in other disciplines.
 Students tend to go wrong in various aspects
while solving math.

5. 1. Lack of learning support.
 In most educational institutions, it is not unusual to see 20 to 30
students in a class. This makes it difficult for the teacher to
understand and meet the learning needs of each student.
 Learning math is different from learning other subject because
math follows a sequential learning pattern. It means that the
mathematical concept learned on one day is used the next day
and the next day, and so forth.
 This is the reason it is difficult to catch up when you fall behind.
Even when the student attends class regularly, it may happen
that he/she lacks the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed
to learn and understand a new math topic. The student may
have particular learning disabilities that can slow down progress
in school.

6.  Math anxiety is not an intellectual disability but an
emotional reaction to math. A state of mind that can
diminish your ability to succeed in math. A
development phase of math anxiety is math
avoidance.
 If a student is avoiding math there is a greater
chance that he/she has math anxiety. This
behaviour is rooted in the belief that math is innate
and not learned.
 Negative life experiences associated with learning
math may trigger math anxiety. Also, poor teaching
method, social pressure and high expectation can
increase math anxiety.

7.  General learning study methods can help you
pass most of your courses, but to be good in
math, you will need to adopt a different
approach and develop math study skills.
 All the student has to do to succeed in other
courses is to read, understand, and recall the
subject material.
 To pass math, an extra step is required: You
must use the information you have learned to
solve math problems accurately.

9. If you are struggling with math or you are afraid you will fail math
here are some tips to help you become a better math student:
• Have a positive attitude.
 Educators agree that success requires more than ability,
competence, or hard work. You need to have a positive attitude
in math. You must visualize yourself now as a successful
student and be convinced that you have the ability to succeed in
math. Of course a little worry about your performance is normal
and can even be helpful. Resist the temptation of blaming
yourself with negative words. Negative thoughts are the cause
of math anxiety. The good news is that you have the power to
control your thoughts. Change your negative math self-talk into
positive math self-talk. Instead of “I will not pass math”, say “I
am smart enough to pass math”.

10. • Use the resources of your school, college or university.
 Most of them have a tutoring lab, if your education institution doesn’t have one;
consider hiring an upper level math student or a professional math tutor for
individual learning support.
 A tutor can help guide you through the labyrinth of content in a way that facilitates
learning and reduces math anxiety.
• Consider math a foreign language.
 Learning math is like learning a foreign language. It requires daily practice. If you do
not practice a foreign language, you lose it.
 The same holds true for math, if you do not practice, you are likely to forget it. There
are many symbols and new words to know.
• Do your homework assignments later that same day after class.
 After each math class, allow at least half an hour to read your class notes and then
do your homework. Remember to read your notes first before doing your homework.
• Attend every class.
 If you ever have to miss a class, it’s imperative that you meet with your professor or
teacher during office hours and make certain that you understand the material you
missed. If you don’t, you may be lost or struggling for weeks or the rest of the term.
• You should avoid reading your mathematics textbooks like a novel.
 You should sit at a desk, with paper and pencil in hand, verifying statements that are
unclear to you and inserting question marks in margins so that you will be ready to
ask questions and improve your understanding of new mathematical concepts.
• Be proactive, plan ahead.
 Have a mind set of an over achiever and make a habit of preparing your math tests
well in advance. Start your study program as early as a week before the schedule
exam.

12.  Students often fear math word problems, and
feeling intimidated means they can’t relax and
apply what they’ve learned to even the simplest
problems.
 The resulting brain freeze serves to reinforce
the idea that word problems are scary and
difficult.
 Here are a few strategies that will thaw their
attitudes, help them overcome their test anxiety
and motivate them to look forward to math
problems rather than dreading them!

13. Daily Problem Solving
 Implement a problem-solving program in which students solve just one word problem a day.
Instead of assigning three or four problems at a time, present a single problem and include class
time to debrief and discuss the solution.
Mix It Up
 Mix up the types of problems you assign so your students are reviewing a variety of content
knowledge and skills over time.
Start Small
 Keep problem solving sessions short at first - no more than 10 to 15 minutes a day. As students
begin to enjoy these sessions, occasionally include longer problems that require more
persistence.
Make It a Challenge!
 Refer to word problems as "puzzlers," "brain teasers," or "stumpers," and present them as fun
challenges rather than dreaded math problems.
Solve Problems Together
 Alternate cooperative learning strategies with independent work to add an element of fun and to
stimulate higher level thinking.
 However, even when allowing students to work with others, provide time for them to read and
think about the problem independently before discussing it with a partner or team.
Get 'Em Up and Moving
 Occasionally combine problem solving with a class-movement activity to energize your students
and spark creative thinking.
 Try Music-Mix-Math in which students quietly mix around the room until you stop the music, at
which time they find a partner and solve the next problem on their math worksheet.

14. Compute with Calculators
 Allow students to use calculators during problem-solving sessions.
Being able to use a calculator encourages your students to choose
strategies that involve more complex thinking than their limited
computation skills might normally allow.
Show, Don’t Tell
 Require students to show their work with pictures, symbols, or words,
but don't require them to write complete sentence explanations for
every problem they solve.
 Making students write paragraph explanations every day is a sure way
to kill their enthusiasm. Once a week is plenty for written explanations.
Brush Away Mistakes
 Have students solve math problems on dry erase boards. It's easy to
brush away mistakes and it's easy for you to see their work as you
walk around the room monitoring and providing assistance.
Reveal the Answer First
 After giving students time to solve a problem, reveal the correct
answer yourself rather than calling on different students to find out if
they have the right answer.
 This step will greatly relieve your students' anxiety. It takes the focus
away from finding the answer, and it sets the stage for a great
discussion on how to solve the problem.

15. Demonstrate on the Document Camera
 If you have a document camera, ask students volunteers to bring their
math papers or dry erase boards up to show the class how they solved
the problem.
 Be sure they explain the steps they used to arrive at their answers.
Encourage Creative Approaches
 After the first student shows how to solve the problem, ask, "How
many more ways can we solve this problem?" Keep a class tally of all
the different strategies. It's amazing how many different ways kids will
dream up when you show that you value "outside of the box" thinking.
 This step motivates kids to pay attention during the discussion and it
encourages creativity. They quickily figure out that if they want to be
called on to share their strategy, they will have to come up with novel
methods of solving problems.
 I've had great success with the test anxiety lessening strategies
above, and other teachers have had similar results when they tried
these methods. Many have said that their students now look forward
to solving word problems instead of dreading them!
 In the same way that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, it seems
that a problem a day keeps the brain freeze away!

17. The first step is to build confidence
 It’s no surprise that confidence is a huge factor in students’ anxiety towards mathematics.
Previous negative experiences with the subject can lead to a negative and defeatist attitude. To
overcome this, you should provide students with regular confidence-building exercises that look
challenging but enable all students to do well. This boost in confidence and self-efficacy can
decrease anxiety and fear, as students feel more and more capable and motivated.
Strengthen students’ basic skills
 Linked closely to building confidence is strengthening students’ basic numerical skills. Giving
students opportunities to practise and master essential skills for computational fluency is
essential: when students don’t have the basic skills at hand, their working memories are taxed
and this can be both distracting and discouraging. You should get students to practise mental
maths and basic maths skills regularly, incorporating them into games and warm-up activities.
Use a step-by-step approach
 There is evidence that even strong students of maths can feel daunted and overwhelmed when
there is too much information at once and not enough time to practise. It's a good idea to chunk
material into smaller steps so that students are able to understand and master one step before
moving to the next. An important design feature of JUMP Math’s programme is an approach we
call 'guided discovery', where the building of skills and concepts is carefully scaffolded, so that
students have time to try out and practise each step. Especially in a subject such as
mathematics, a gap in understanding can be a huge obstacle to progress, so it is vital that
students fully master each step before moving on.

18. Develop a growth mindset
 Research and literature on 'growth mindset' – the belief that our abilities can be
developed – have illuminated the role of student effort and self-efficacy, and
gained significant footing in educational practice.
 Research shows that encouraging a growth mindset and risk-taking can
motivate students. By giving students problems that get harder, you can show
them they can surmount any challenge through hard work and practice.
The attitude of teachers
 Last, but certainly not least, a teacher’s attitude towards mathematics can have
a huge influence. Just as we ask teachers to demonstrate a love of reading
when it comes to literacy, we must also encourage teachers to show a love of
maths.
 Teachers are instrumental in creating positive and active
learning environments, such as by incorporating maths puzzles and games into
explanations and examples.
 By demonstrating an enjoyment and appreciation of mathematics, teachers can
encourage a healthy relationship with the subject. And if teachers aren't quite
comfortable with maths themselves, a good idea is to invest in professional
development.
 Learning how and why to teach maths in ways that build understanding and
excitement can really help reduce maths anxiety in teachers themselves.
Professional development also helps teachers network with fellow educators to
mentor and support each other in teaching mathematics.