The fear of any subject can be a real hindrance to learning for students. If left unaddressed, this fear can grow into a phobia. One of the most common subjects students have feared and struggled with for many years is Mathematics. ‘Mathphobia’ can be understood as a feeling of anxiety, fear, and tension around the ability to do Math and can seriously impair a child’s performance in the subject.

So what can be done to help students combat this phobia? There are majorly two ways to teach Math at a primary level. One way is to get students to work on math problems like a routine task. The second way, which is also the better way is to cultivate an interest in the subject by involving students in it. There are a number of ways to make Math interesting and fun for children.

Let us explore some ways that the Top CBSE schools in Bangalore have adopted and implemented to help students overcome their Mathphobia:

Being positive: When you hear a child say things like 'I’m not good in Maths; I am stupid,' intervene to change this thought. Such thoughts are damaging to the self-esteem and confidence of children. You can help the child understand how all of us are differently skilled, and he/she can be proud of all their strengths instead of focussing on the struggle they might face in this one subject. Make it known to them that with patience, help, and extra effort from them getting better at Math is possible. Your reassurance in their abilities will serve as a major boost in their confidence levels and improve performance levels.

Make Math fun and simple: A good way to help mitigate the fear of any subject is to simplify methods of instruction. By making the learning method fun and easy, complicated problems can be made to appear less intimidating. This will motivate students to approach the problem by taking small steps in order to solve it. Using math puzzles, games, and apps are some other ways to make the learning process enjoyable for students.

Encourage peer learning: Pair-work and group-work to solve Maths problems are very effective ways of reinforcing concepts learnt and particularly useful for students who might be shy or uncomfortable to directly approach teachers for doubts beyond classroom time.

Identify the root cause: Determining the underlying cause for a child’s fear of math is important to ensure the efforts to remove this phobia are in the right direction. There could be several contributing factors to the formation of this fear ranging from an early weak foundation in Math, poorly motivated or uninspired teachers, dull or uninteresting teaching methods, or wrongful emphasis on formulae and procedures with a lack of true understanding of the underlying concepts.

There you have it now you know some of the methods followed by the best CBSE schools in Bangalore to help children overcome the troubling but treatable phobia of Math. We hope these tips help your students too!