Mathematics is one of the few words that will cause a person to instantly cringe no matter what their age or stage of life may be. As a teacher, I have heard several times that math is not a word but instead an acronym, Mental Abuse To Humans. This stress or “math anxiety” is described as a “feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with math performance”. (Ashcraft, 2002) When this anxiety is not addressed in the beginning stage of learning math or if there is not a teacher that can show students that there is a way to solve problems without feeling like doomsday is the next question, the result is an adult that cannot complete a math-related task without an assistant. These individuals are more likely to rely on others to solve math-related problems but they are also at the mercy of those who have a strong grasp o the concept than they do.

If people are taught mathematics in a manner that is not stressful and unrelated to everyday life, I believe that they would be able to see the benefit in the content taught instead of the multiple strategies to find one solution to a seemingly irrelevant problem. (That is how most students feel while going through middle school and high school math courses.)

The first step to creating a less anxious anti-math person is to start with students while they are in elementary and middle school. In elementary, there are teachers that work to make the instruction of the subject colorful and vibrant by using manipulatives that even get adults excited (ie candy, puffballs, paints, games). As students transition into middle school, these fun colorful manipulatives are replaced by the mundane calculator and simple paper to pencil. If middle school mathematics kept some of the colorful manipulatives of elementary and coupled it with the instant real-world application there would be a shift in mindset.

How does changing a fraction to percent benefit me? Why is multiply or dividing fractions even important? Who cares if you can rotate a shape around an axis by 30 degrees and then slide it over there? Who needs to know how to convert numbers or measurements? When will I ever use the Pythagorean Theorem in my life?

The truth is I am not sure when the average person will ever use the Pythagorean Theorem again and I still am asking the same question but I digress.

Students, especially, in middle school need to learn how to utilize the concepts they are learning in math class for everyday life. Teaching students how to multiply and divide fractions using a cooking project will not only show them the importance of the topic but it will also give them the hands-on practice of manipulating a recipe. Showing students how to code and create video games using concepts that are learning during geometry will allow them to see that rotations, translations, and reflections are great concepts in math and not just when referring to clocks, languages or looking into a mirror. To create a curriculum for teachers to use that taught the same concepts/ standards but instantly related them all to everyday life skills would not only alleviate math anxiety but would prepare more students to be better citizens.

Ashcraft, M. H. (2002). Math anxiety: Personal, educational, and cognitive consequences. Current directions in psychological science, 11(5), 181-185.