Brain-Booster: How to overcome the fear of maths?

If we do what we do without panicking, we can accomplish great things.

Tony Dungy – American Sports Analyst

Are you a Numerophobia? According to wiki, Numerophobia, arithmophobia or mathematics anxiety is an anxiety disorder, where the condition is fear of dealing with numbers or mathematics. It is a fear that many face everyday in their life especially children. Children of all ages should not have fear of maths but should start loving this wonderful subject. It is vital while trying to do math sums; do not think it is tough and you can’t do it. Indeed life begins when all fears and phobias end.

Program your mind: I CAN DO IT!

Constantly train your mind and motivate yourself by repeating that you can do maths and you will do it well. In quite a few students, it is seen as a Math Phobia. Stress can range from general uneasiness to total mental disorganization. Students could feel stressed by feeling lost completely and eventually fall into a state of panic. As it is famously stated – Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Even though many children do cope with this stress, the fear for some is so huge that it affects their math learning abilities and eventually cause a rise in fear.

Why fear maths problems?

So math is complex? Let us take a simple sum, e.g. ‘1+2+3+4+5… until 32’. Usually, adding the numbers will take time, and the answer could be right or wrong. To add it, one would add all the consecutive numbers. Alternatively, take a shortcut by taking 32 x 33 (Answer 1056) and then divide it by ‘2’ to get the answer is 528. Amazingly simple.

It is not difficult. How about totalling all the numbers from 1 to 44; do 44 times 45= 1980 and divide it by 2 to get 990.

Maths is really easy, but one has to get over the I-can’t-do-it fear. Try the following 12 tips to be more competent in Maths:

1. Solve some Math Problems daily and not occasionally.
2. Enjoy the time you do Math; do not feel bored.
3. In the beginning, have smaller sessions and increase the time allocated to Math. Start with 30 minutes and increase it to 60-90 minutes later on
4. Take it as a challenge. Refer to word problems as “puzzlers,” “brain teasers,” or “stumpers,” and present them as Fun Challenges rather than dreaded Math Problems.
5. Students should solve Math Sums together, but when allowing students to work with others, provide time for them to read and think about the problem independently before discussing it with a partner or team.
6. For students weak in Maths; do not deny it. Accept it with a smile and improve.
7. Remove all false thoughts which create stress and anxiety. Having wrong thoughts in your mind will confuse you and leave you flummoxed. Some are a little slow to learn, and they should be encouraged, not discouraged.
8. Avoid frequently using the calculator since it makes you dependent and you do not improve. Students should use mental calculations to solve basic questions at least. Students usually get stuck with complex calculations, but they will save their valuable time and effort with the mental calculations of simple arithmetic. Top-level students accept the fact that they do Mental Calculations, play with numbers and become quicker and more accurate. In 9th grade, I used to add bus numbers, car numbers, subtract, etc. It became a lifelong NUMBER CRUNCHING HABIT, which I still do and will always continue.
9. Treat the word problem as FUN. Just as one enjoys puzzles, brainteasers, stumpers, oneliners, treat the word problem as a Fun Challenge, and you will surely succeed. If you have to subtract 9 from a two digit number e.g. 76-9=67, I will minus 1 from tens place(7) and add 1 to unit’s place(6) and get the final answer 67. You can do this with bigger 3 digit and more numbers too only if the units place is 9.
10. Basics like additions, subtractions, and tables must be STRONG. All the basics have to be constantly improved; only then you can do complex problems with ease. Practising Mental Maths will improve your working memory and help them proceed ahead. The more you practice basic math concepts, the stronger your logical skills will become, which will help you gain confidence.
11. Develop a keen sense of observation. How many of us see our mother’s or wife’s hands every day? Have you ever observed if she wears a watch or bracelet? THIS is OBSERVATION. A person with a good observation capacity can remember fast and quick. Try this. Ask anybody the time and then immediately ask how many seconds were there. One in a thousand might give the correct answer even though he had seen the watch just few moments ago. Observe in number too, e.g. 12 x 12=144 and 13 x 13=169. But have you ever observed that 21 which is 12 reverse= 441 which is 144 reverse and similarly 31 times 31= 961 which is 169 reverse. But 14 and 41 Squares won’t be reverse as 31 square 961 is the last 3 digit perfect square and then 4 digits squares come. So always be very observant; it helps a lot in Maths.

12. Along with keen observation, you should also be creative. Creativity is one aspect that all have neglected. This is a core issue to be tackled. Employing a dry, boring way of reading and then forgetting will not take us far. Also, some, rather many individuals’ especially young students, try to learn any subject, even Maths, by mugging the topics by which they learn for some time and then forget the stuff. However, this does not help much.

Lastly, try listening to different songs while doing different Math Problems. Change the song for a different problem. It motivates you a lot.

About the writer: Minoo Jokhi is a Mathemagician cum Memory Development Trainer based in Mumbai, India. He trains people of all ages right from 4 to 80 years of age and shows them how to increase their Memory-Power and once and for all shatter the myth that memory is neither good nor bad but in reality, is trained or untrained. Readers can contact him via email on [email protected] or follow him on http://www.minoojokhi.in/

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