Stress-relief aids math education
By Cassandra McCarty
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: TruLife
"We are taking techniques designed for one-on-one situations and transferring them into classrooms," Voss said. "We want to find some treatment non-physiologists could implant in their classrooms that would treat math anxiety and improve the performance of the students."
Students at Truman also might carry a fear of math into the classroom environment. Sophomore Andrea Jones is taking trigonometry but said she is affected by anxiety she feels toward the subject.
"Yeah, I definitely have trouble taking tests," Jones said. "I can understand the stuff, but when it's put in front of me, I have no idea what to do or where to start."
Jones said she could try to start using a technique Voss developed such as daily journaling.
"Journaling probably would help me because then I could get all of those frustrations out, and then I could have them all out of the way so I could start my homework," Jones said. "Get it all out before I do it and then try to focus on doing it and not complaining."
Although the causes of math anxiety have not been fully determined, all three professors involved in the research recognized anxiety and the problems that occur because of its debilitating effects.
Jones said learning to work past her difficulties with math is more important than getting a good grade.
"I am really bad at math," Jones said. "I was never good with math to begin with and so the basic stuff you need to know, I am not really good at. So I can't even recognize to do that with the problems and then work my way through them. Obviously grades matter, but I just want to be able to do it."
Students at Truman also might carry a fear of math into the classroom environment. Sophomore Andrea Jones is taking trigonometry but said she is affected by anxiety she feels toward the subject.
"Yeah, I definitely have trouble taking tests," Jones said. "I can understand the stuff, but when it's put in front of me, I have no idea what to do or where to start."
Jones said she could try to start using a technique Voss developed such as daily journaling.
"Journaling probably would help me because then I could get all of those frustrations out, and then I could have them all out of the way so I could start my homework," Jones said. "Get it all out before I do it and then try to focus on doing it and not complaining."
Although the causes of math anxiety have not been fully determined, all three professors involved in the research recognized anxiety and the problems that occur because of its debilitating effects.
Jones said learning to work past her difficulties with math is more important than getting a good grade.
"I am really bad at math," Jones said. "I was never good with math to begin with and so the basic stuff you need to know, I am not really good at. So I can't even recognize to do that with the problems and then work my way through them. Obviously grades matter, but I just want to be able to do it."
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