cengage learning webinar, psychology: math anxiety and math test anxiety: causes, effects and s…
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Math anxiety – the feeling of tension and apprehension associated with math performance or testing – can manifest in students as young as first-grade age. By the time learners reach high school and college, this condition can have serious implications for future education and employment. Focusing on the theoretical and practical aspects of both math anxiety and math test anxiety, and offers solutions targeted to faculty and students alike, this March 19, 2013 webinar provided techniques for anxiety-reduction, classroom management, test-taking skills and test analysis to improve future outcomes.TRANSCRIPT
Math Anxiety and Math Test Anxiety: Causes, Affects and Solutions
Dr. Paul Nolting
Academic Success Press, Inc. 2013
It is like a race.
Train for it first.
Design your race strategies.
Learn to take mental control.
Manage any anxiety that can slow you down.
Understanding Math/Test Anxiety
Defining Math Anxiety
Types of Math Anxiety
Numerical anxiety
Abstraction anxiety
Math Test anxiety
Definition of Test AnxietyMeasurement of Test Anxiety Types of Test Anxiety
Worry/Cognitive test anxietyEmotionality/Somatic test anxiety
Managing Test Anxiety: Causes
Association of grades with self-worth.
Develops from different types of fears.
Can stem from feeling of lack of control and change of a situation.
Previous embarrassment from teacher, students, family.
Placed in the wrong class.
Past and continued negative experiences.
Consequence of perfectionism.
Fear of timed tests.
Poor study and personal habits
Began third or fourth grade –now you are that teacher.
Anxiety strikes all types of students
Test Anxiety: Myths
Students are born with it.Test anxiety is a mental illness.Test anxiety cannot be reduced.Any level of test anxiety is bad.All students who are not prepared have test anxietyStudents with test anxiety can’t learn math
Students who are well prepared don’t have it.Intelligent students don’t have it.Attending class and doing homework should reduce it.Being told to relax will make you relaxed.Doing nothing about it will make it go away.Reducing test anxiety guarantees better grades.
Other Anxiety Related Issues
It takes time to acquire the skills to manage anxiety.
Sometimes it takes the help of others.
Test/learning anxiety affects other times in the learning experience:
Attending class
Opening a textbook
Going to the library
Completing homework
Completing online classes
Seeking help
“I get anxious when the instructor goes off on tangents, and I need help learning the material for the test.”
“Sometimes I don’t think they care or want to know if I am anxious.”
Some instructors just scare you. I don’t feel like I can come and talk to them.
What Students Say About Anxiety
“Today I really got anxious when my math instructor kept on going fast. I got lost. I raised my hand and he said, ‘Hold on a second. 15 minutes later I still had my hand up.”“I get nervous when the teacher has chalk in one hand and the eraser in the other. I know we are in trouble then.”“Sometimes it just takes a look at the syllabus and I get anxious because I don’t know what is going on.”
What Students Say About Anxiety
“This is easy. We won’t have to spend much time on this.”“I will give you a test due date in about a week.”“You’re smart. You can handle it. Don’t worry. Calm down.”“If you would study more…” “You should have learned this in the last math class”
What Students Do Not Like to Hear
Managing Anxiety: Types of Management
Professional Assistance: campus counseling, mentor
Behavioral Changes
Environmental Changes
Emotional Self-talk Improvement
Emotional SupportMost of the time, you can’t learn to manage test or learning anxiety on your own.
When Test Day Comes Students Can
Control your self talk.
Avoid other students who are anxious.
Get good night’s rest.
Eat healthy breakfast.
Find a few minutes for quiet time.
Review mental cheat sheets.
Listen to some calming music. Set yourself up for a calm period of time before the test. If you have a class before your test period, focus on that class.
Get the day started off right.
Tensing and Relaxing Technique
Relax all your
muscles.
Tense your muscles.Pull up with your arms
tight.Press down with you feet
and legs.Hold for a few seconds.
Relax.Repeat one more time if necessary.
Calm Yourself Right before the Test
When you get to the classroom and you want to avoid all the panicky talk going all around you, try the “Palming” technique.
Place your palms on your forehead. Think of a place that is very relaxing to you. Pretend you are there. Or, you can think about your memory “mental” cheat
sheets. The other benefit is that the other students will think you have a headache and will leave you alone.
Classroom StrategiesGive practice testsGive frequent quizzesGive a chance for students to retake the testEncourage questionsDo group workDiscuss test anxiety as being realTeaching study skills/test taking skillsGive students Math Study Skills Evaluation
Faculty Helping Students Reduce Math/Test Anxiety
Office StrategiesListen to student concerns on anxiety
Have them take the Math Study Skills Evaluation
Teach study skills/test anxiety reduction techniques
Praise students for coming to you for help
Don’t “lecture” the student
Refer them to a counselor
Faculty Helping Students Reduce Math/Test Anxiety
Ten Steps to Doing Online Homework
1. Review related textbook material.2. Review appropriate lecture notes.3. Do homework neatly.4. Must write down problem and every
problem step.5. Understand reasons for problem steps
instead of using the click and go method.6. For difficult problems use the resources
provided by the software (videos /tutor line).7. Finish by working a problem successfully.8. Recall or write down important concepts.9. Develop virtual note cards by using
www.studystack.com.10. Don’t get behind – you could get block out.
Learning from online homework is more difficult than text book homework
Taking the Test: Ten Steps for Taking a Test
“The first student done with the test may not be the smartest in the class. Often the smart students are the ones that take the entire time to make sure they do everything accurately. Be brave. Stay in the room and make sure you complete everything accurately.”
1. Memory Data Dump
2. Preview Test
3. 2nd Memory Data Dump
4. Test Progress Schedule
5. Answer Easy Questions
6. Skip Difficult Questions
7. Review Skipped Questions
8. Guess at Remaining Questions
9. Review All of the Test
10.Use all the Test Time
Six Types of Test-taking Errors
1. Misread Directions
2. Careless Errors
3. Concept Errors
4. Application Errors
5. Test Procedure Errors
6. Study Errors
This is why they invented the eraser!
Use the eraser wisely. Sometimes it is better to scratch something out at first and then make sure the correction is right. Go back and erase, leaving the correct information. Sometimes when we are nervous, we may change a correct answer. We erase the right answer, go on to other problems, check the test and discover we changed an answer incorrectly and have forgotten the right answer.
Help Students Take Control Over Math With Self Motivation
Develop Internal Locus of Control, Self-Efficacy
Avoid Learned Helplessness
Overcome Procrastination by Defeating Fear of Failure, Fear of Success, Rebellion Against Authority and Perfectionism
How to Improve Self-Esteem
How to Communicate to Your Math Instructor
Motivate Students with Disabilities - Suggest Students go to Disability Resource Center
Good News! You can change!
Web Resources
American Math Association of Two Year Colleges http://www.amatyc.org
Beyond Crossroads by the American Math Association of Two Year Colleges http://www.bc.amatyc.org
Math Research and Study Skills by Dr. Paul Nolting and others http://www.academicsuccess.com/research/math.php
National Developmental Education Association www.nade.net
Math Study Skills Workbook Web site http://mathstudyskills.tropicalminds.com/
Web –Based Program for Online Math Students. http://www.mathreadinness.com