Sweaty palms. A lump in your throat. Panic setting in.
This is the reaction many are faced with when they need to do maths.
There are many reasons why someone might feel this anxiety. It could be that they had a teacher who told them they “weren’t a maths person,” or that their parents transferred this anxiety with numbers on to them. Yet maths is such an important subject, both at school and beyond.
The real-life implications for being able to do simple mathematics is obvious; it sets you up in good stead for money management, not to mention opens doors for choosing a career path.
The classroom environment is one place we can begin to tackle this anxiety. It has always been a supportive and encouraging place, where children can ask for help when they need it, but try independently first, comfortable with making mistakes. It is this sort of setting where confidence can thrive, and DoodleMaths works to further cultivate this.
The DoodleMaths founders have years of teaching experience under their belts, and they learnt the following when it comes to children asking for help:
*If a child has low confidence in maths, they ask too freely when they don’t actually need help.
*If they risk failure, but then get the answer right, it will build their confidence.
*If they get it wrong, their confidence is still in tact because they already knew it was a tricky question.
DoodleMaths encourages children to attempt the questions for themselves before pressing help. And, as they keep trying and put in the effort,
they are rewarded for this effort with DoodleStars. As each DoodleMaths programme is unique to the child, hard work takes precedence over ability, which creates a level playing field in the classroom.
Sadly, there is no quick fix for those who suffer from maths anxiety, but with continued work and effort on both the child and parent/teacher’s behalf, we can certainly take steps in the right direction.
Teachers can sign up for DoodleMaths by clicking here – and right now, it’s FREE!
Parents can download the app here.
