Maths Anxiety

A lot has been written close maths anxiety inwards children. I possess got a Year vii pupil who ever complains that he 'can't do it' earlier he's fifty-fifty tried. It's clear to me where his anxiety stems from - dissimilar his peers, he doesn't know his times tables well, which makes many elementary tasks (long multiplication, simplifying fractions etc) actually hard for him.

But this postal service isn't close maths anxiety inwards students. It's close maths anxiety inwards maths teachers. Whatever your job, when you lot stand upwardly up as well as tell you're an adept at something, you lot naturally experience roughly anxiety that you'll larn caught out. This isn't something unique to teaching. In my previous career inwards banking I oft worried that I'd travel asked a inquiry that I couldn't answer. 

I experience most of my maths anxiety on Twitter, where I worry close proverb something stupid as well as beingness publicly criticised past times clever mathematicians. But I also sometimes experience a combat of maths anxiety inwards the classroom. I'm willing to bet that roughly of you lot do too.

1. The 'stupid fault on the board' anxiety

I do this agency to a greater extent than than I should! It's harder than it looks to simultaneously solve a mathematical problem, write on the board, address a shape of 34 students, deal behaviour, as well as a thou other things all at the same time. It's fairly mutual for me to tell the release v as I write the release eight, as well as other as empty-headed things. When I taught at a girls' grammer schoolhouse my students didn't possess got much tolerance for empty-headed mistakes so I used to permit it larn to me, but right away my lovely students simply express joy amongst me, so I possess got to a greater extent than of a feel of humor close it.

It's goodness for students to reckon a existent somebody doing existent maths, as well as making mistakes inwards the same agency they do. It volition in all likelihood brand them experience ameliorate close their ain anxieties.

The worst thing is when no i notices, because that suggests that no i was paying attention! In a recent Year 12 lesson I made a mess of my solutions to a trigonometric equation (temporary craziness amongst the symmetry of a cosine graph) as well as no i said anything until after inwards the lesson when a pupil was looking dorsum over his notes. Was no i fifty-fifty next what I was doing on the board? That's to a greater extent than worrying than me making a fault inwards the get-go place!

2. The 'genius inwards the class' anxiety
It's taken me a piece to convey that roughly students may travel ameliorate at maths than me! Last twelvemonth I taught a actually clever Year thirteen Further Maths shape as well as they for sure kept me on my toes. Twice I had to tweet during a lesson to enquire for assist on questions they'd asked me!

Over the years I've got a lot ameliorate at proverb 'I'll mean value close it as well as larn dorsum to you' if I'm asked a specially tricky question. Then it's actually satisfying when I operate it out as well as am able to plough over them a goodness answer. 

3. The 'mind blank' anxiety
Often when I'm out for a repast amongst friends, they'll enquire me to carve upwardly the bill. Inevitably I'll possess got a full hear blank as well as completely forget how to do a elementary division. It tin travel hard to do mental maths nether pressure.

Of course, maths teachers are used to having maths problems sprung on them out of the blue. It's mutual for students to of a abrupt enquire you lot to banking enterprise gibe an reply or figure out where they went wrong. It's absolutely fine to convey a duo of minutes to hold off through their work. We set unnecessary pressure level on ourselves.

4. The 'I possess got no watch how to do this question' anxiety

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lovely colleague of mine was late teaching algebraic proof to Year xi when she got stumped on this example, which she'd taken from the AQA Teaching Guidance:

Prove that the production of 3 consecutive positive integers must ever travel a multiple of 6

She wrote n(n+1)(n+2) on the board and expanded it, but as well as then she got stuck. Her students waited piece she struggled to operate out what to do next. She gave upwardly as well as admitted she didn't know, as well as they said, "Miss, if you lot can't do it, what run a hazard possess got nosotros got?". She was embarrassed as well as frustrated after the lesson. She asked me how to do it - I only knew because I've seen a similar inquiry before. Things larn easier amongst experience.

5. The 'I've never taught this before' anxiety

I was seriously rubbish the get-go fourth dimension I taught C4 integration. Now I'm on my 5th fourth dimension teaching it, I'm a i thou 1000 times ameliorate - inwards fact I right away actually bask it.

The get-go fourth dimension nosotros instruct a novel topic, nosotros tin experience similar we're only i stride ahead of our students. There are roughly novel GCSE topics that many teachers haven't taught before. In this illustration it mightiness travel helpful to sentinel a video (eg Corbett Maths or Hegarty Maths) inwards advance - hearing roughly other instructor explicate a theme is actually goodness grooming for teaching.

If you lot endure from whatsoever maths instructor anxiety, I tin assure you lot that you're non alone. Here are a few words of advice: 

• Admit to whatsoever empty-headed mistakes you lot brand inwards lessons, as well as travel relaxed close it. Encourage your students to tell you lot as shortly as they spot something.
• I'm sure you're awesome at maths. Of course of pedagogy you lot are. It's crazy to fifty-fifty uncertainty that. Being goodness at maths isn't something that goes away amongst age. Sure, nosotros forget things, but we're smart plenty to alternative things upwardly quickly. One of the joys of maths is getting the correct answers, as well as you lot larn plenty of correct answers, so don't permit the strange empty-headed fault suck the fun out of it.
• Mental arithmetics hear blanks inwards lessons are easily dealt amongst - simply throw the inquiry out to the class. Someone volition larn it right, as well as if non as well as then you've bought plenty fourth dimension to operate it out.
• If you lot truly aren't confident amongst a theme as well as you lot brand errors that become beyond 'silly mistakes', as well as then you lot do demand to create that as a affair of priority. Perhaps a combat to a greater extent than practise inwards advance of the lesson would travel a goodness idea. The get-go fourth dimension I taught FP1 I completed all the examples as well as exercises earlier every lesson. It's fourth dimension consuming but important.
• Don't permit your students know if you lot lack confidence or you lot don't know a theme well. It's actually of import that they trust you. I know a instructor who late told every rear at Parents Evening that she's an NQT as well as non alone sure what she's doing. This is non a goodness idea! It undermines your authority. Even if you lot don't experience confident as well as enthusiastic, you lot must come across as confident as well as enthusiastic during lessons.
• Know that it gets ameliorate amongst experience, as well as that if things don't ever become to innovation now, don't worry - inwards a few years it volition travel easier. You'll withal brand mistakes inwards lessons sometimes, because you're human. And that's ok.