3 Super Easy Ways to Minimize Math Phobia! So last time we established that Yes! Math Phobia (the fear of Math) is a real thing. Contrary to popular belief, students can suffer from it too.. It’s NOT JUST THE TEACHERS! In my last post, we explored some reasons why our students might have Math Phobia as well as some practical teaching strategies with how to help them. (Did you miss it? Click here to catch up!)
Today, we’re going to get into 3 super easy (very practical) ways to minimize Math Phobia for your students! AND don’t miss out on the Math Freebie!! Here we go!
So I want you to understand that your students with Math Phobia literally have locked doors on their brains from anxiety. This means that they have shut down and basically prevented themselves from learning before you have even started teaching. It’s not their fault and most of them couldn’t even tell you that… all they know is that they feel defeated before the lesson begins. So what do you do if you come across a locked door? Well, you have to find another way in. Stop trying to go through a door if it’s locked (unless you can “unlock” it with the strategies from my last post!) So this brings us to Math Phobia Teaching Tip #1
1. FUN and GAMES!! I just can’t begin to describe the POWER of calling something a “Game” (even when it’s not really one!) As soon as you mention that Math is going to be “Fun” today and then you kick your Math lesson off with an unconventional method like a Game… you have immediately found a way back into engaging with your students’ minds. It’s super easy and it’s super effective! It really only takes a few minutes to tweak your lesson plans to allow for a Fun way to shake things up. Games can be integrated as part of teaching a new concept or as a fun review! However they are used, they will lessen anxiety and maybe, just maybe motivate your students to look forward to Math everyday (gasp!)! But if your brain doesn’t naturally think “fun” and if need some help getting there, don’t worry! I have taken the time and done the work for you! Hop on over to The Owl Spot at TpT to find all kinds of Math Games including: Math Puzzle Races, Math Boggle, Emoji Multiplication Mystery Pictures, a Decimal Game Pack and SO MUCH MORE! Remember structure and routine are so important for learning but it can also be those times when things are out of the routine that you have piqued curiosity and generated some enthusiastic attention from your students. Use Fun and Games to your advantage and you will minimize Math Phobia for sure! Here’s a super fun Math FREEBIE on Division Practice to get you started!
2. Use Food Whenever Possible. Yes. I’m absolutely serious. (Just remind them that there is no eating until the end of the lesson!) Are you teaching a lesson that requires manipulatives? Bring out the goldfish crackers and just watch your kids become the most motivated math students ever! M&M’s work great for sorting, for teaching fractions in relation to parts of a set as well as all the operations! (Just remember to have them do their addition and multiplication before the subtraction because subtraction means EATING!) If you’re worried about food allergies, use mini marshmallows or even the time old classic Cheerios! (Don’t want to use food? Try substituting your boring paper manipulatives for Legos, or Hot Wheels cars, mini erasers, or other mini toys. It’s out of the ordinary so it will grab your students’ attention FAST!)
3. Create Personalized Word Problems. So even your students that don’t feel Math Phobia for regular math lessons, may begin to feel their hearts race when those word problems surface! There is something about applying math that makes it especially overwhelming! Remembering this about your students can further motivate you to find ways to get them to relax (maybe even laugh a little!) so that they can strategically think through how to solve a problem. Take some time and write out your own word problems with silly storylines or with names of people that you know (including yourself or maybe have the principal buying donuts for a staff meeting!), or with fads or trends that the kids are all talking about anyway! Some kids love to see their own names used in word problems! (Just be sensitive about what the problem is about and remember that some kids wouldn’t like their name included!)
I hope that these 3 super easy teaching tricks can help you to minimize Math Phobia for your students! Teaching math so that all of your students understand can be a challenge. I once read a reminder that if your students are willing and eager to learn, then it is up to us as teachers to FIND A WAY to help them understand and learn. That’s a pretty powerful perspective. I hope that these strategies will help you help your students!
Join Me Next Time for More Teaching Tips!
Martha
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