According to a research article, on average, 93% of adult Americans experience a certain level of math anxiety. As per a study in the ‘Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment’, alarmingly, around 17% of Americans were seen to suffer from high levels of math anxiety. Again, another study found that, for 11% of American University students, the anxiety is severe enough to warrant counseling.
If you find your heart racing, the knot in your stomach tightening, your palm growing sweaty, fear of failure weighing heavy on your shoulders at the very mention of the word ‘math’, chances are you’re too suffering from math anxiety. Math anxiety can be a vicious cycle.
Researchers headed by Alana Foley from the University of Chicago studied the phenomenon across 64 distinct countries. They found that students with greater math anxiety tended to do worse on math tests.
But, what comes first, the low scores or huge anxiety? The researchers asserted that it’s interrelated. If one is anxious, he/she will perform worse, which only ups his/her anxiety even more. So, make no mistake, math anxiety is indeed a real-life challenge for most students. And it’s something you must make a conscious effort to tackle with.
In today’s post, we will walk you through certain tried-and-tested strategies that will enable you to kick your anxiety to the curb before writing the next assignment and ensure math success this year.
Let’s dive right in!
9 Essential Strategies To Overcome Math Anxiety
- Stop Believing You Can’t Be Good At Math
Most people think that one needs to be born with a mathematical mind to be brilliant at it. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Most even fail to realize how mathematically inclined they are or how much math can be found in their existing interests.
Know most people who you see perform remarkably in their math assignments are well-prepared. If you invest a little time preparing for your next math class, you may also find the subject easy. Further, studies demonstrate that simply believing you can perform well at maths can help you improve.
- Give A Try To Expressive Writing
Before going knee-deep into your next math assignment, consider engaging in expressive writing. According to the best minds associated with math assignment help online services, expressive writing implies writing consciously about a subject, especially one that is emotionally challenging and can be non-stop for around10-20 minutes. This writing must not be shared, and writers are encouraged not to think about spelling, grammar, or sentence structure.
Both repeated and a single-time use of expressive writing has shown to help numerous students reappraise traumatic experiences, question the need to worry and put an end to ruminating on those experiences. This helps free up your working memory and enables you to concentrate better on the task at hand, like a math assignment or math exam.
- Make Math Relevant For You
It’s completely understandable why most students believe they aren’t ‘math people’. Truth be said, the way math is taught in educational institutions is often monotonous, overly abstracted and not connected to anything you’ll ever want to use in real life.
However, it is crucial to remember math is much more than that. Whether you’re working out how your soccer team needs to score to win the Champion game or calculating how much tax you have to pay for the mobile you purchase, you’ll need to use math. Thus, it becomes important to comprehend the fundamentals to perform even everyday minute tasks in the long run.
- Concentrate On The Positives
Jameson Stuart, a math professor who often caters to requests like ‘do my math assignments online’ asserts part of any anxiety, even math anxiety, is a disproportionate focus on the negatives and completely ignoring the positives. This may seem cliché, but concentrating on the positives intentionally is a valuable tactic.
Suppose you get your math assignment back and find that you got 10/17 correct. You may be thinking, ‘only 10 out of 17! I needed a 12 for a B grade, and I require a B average to pass the semester. It is impossible for me to do this’. However, the reality is that you’ve already answered 2/3 of the math questions in the assignment. If you consider too much about the five bits you need to work on, you simply risk forgetting about the 12 questions you knocked out of the park.
- Begin With Easy Questions
One simple strategy for feeling better about the subject is forgetting the order in which questions are written in an assignment or an exam. Start with the ones you know how to do before taking on any bigger challenges.
This will ensure you bag those scores. But more importantly, it will help develop confidence for the difficult questions you need to tackle later. Furthermore, it will provide you with the much-needed math assignment help online you need.
- Know The ‘Why’ Instead Of Memorizing Formulas
One of the most remarkable ways to master math is to concentrate on conceptual understanding instead of worrying about remembering a specific formula. If you comprehend why the math works the way it does, then the specifics become much easier to remember.
Thus, stop beating yourself up about any concept or formula you’re striving to remember. Begin concentrating on being able to explain what the formula does even if you can’t always remember exactly which symbol goes where.
- Participate In Math Class
Stop worrying about what other students will say. Raise your hand whenever possible. Volunteer, ask questions and answer. Ensure your teacher calls on you as much as he/she calls on others. Try to be persistent.
You’ll find that you know as much as your classmates. This will also boost your confidence, enhance your math skill set, and before you know it, you’ll be one other kids can look up to.
- Look For A Study Buddy
It is always wise to have a study buddy to help you with math assignments, homework, and exams. Having a buddy also will provide you with confidence, a supportive friend with similar objectives, and the friendly challenge you require to stay on track.
It also becomes easier to ask a study buddy questions you’re skeptical of asking your professor. What’s more, when grades start increasing, you’ll have someone to celebrate with.
- Celebrate Successes
It doesn’t have to be a grand celebration but invest some time to recognize your math growth. Each time you arrive at a correct solution, ask questions in class, volunteer or perform well in a math test or assignment, remember to give yourself a high-five. Celebrate that you’re improving.
Parting Words,
We truly hope that by implementing the foolproof strategies mentioned above, students will feel empowered again and gain the necessary confidence required to improve their performance in math assignments.
The real trick is shifting your attitude towards the subject. It isn’t your ability that’s the issue- you’re certainly capable of acing it- it’s the very idea that math is a challenging subject that is impossible to crack. So, start committing to improving, notice small changes, and give yourself credit for removing anxieties from your life and replacing them with confidence. Here’s wishing you all the luck!
Author Bio
James Wilson is a reputed math professor and an active blogger in the US. A proud member of Assignmenthelp.us for 10+ years now, he is famous among students for catering to urgent requests like ‘I need to pay someone to do my assignment’. When he isn’t working, he can be seen engrossed in a book or listening to old vintage records.
