How to combat mathematics phobia

Mathematics has no generally accepted definition. Simply put, Mathematics is the science of numbers, quantities and shapes. It is regarded as the Queen of sciences owing to the use of numbers in virtually all scientific study, research and analysis. Many academic fields and disciplines make use of mathematical operations in their work.

Lots of students dislike Mathematics and they often perform woefully in the subject. The question is “how can students overcome Math phobia?”

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Firstly, a student needs to cram/memorize the mathematical table at least from table 2 to 12. The fundamental truth is that no student can understand mathematical concepts without the knowledge of the mathematical tables. This is because the table relates the basic mathematical operations which are required to solve various mathematical problems.

Furthermore, whenever a Mathematics teacher is explaining a topic or subtopic, a student MUST listen attentively and be devoid of any distractions. They should focus their attention on the explanations step by step until the final answer is got, and immediately ask questions on areas that are ambiguous.

A student is not expected to cram how to solve any mathematical problems rather they should try as much as possible to understand the solutions in-to-to. At the elementary level, the only thing you can cram in Mathematics is the formulas for the topics that require them.

Practice makes perfect, thorough research has revealed that students who score low marks in Mathematics had failed to constantly revise or practice what they were taught. In addition, the way to studying Mathematics is quite different from other subjects that do not require calculations.

A student must actually work out the examples step by step and arrive at the right answer. He/she must carry out each of the operations (i.e. calculate either by adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying or otherwise).

Self-study helps students understand Mathematics. Solve many examples on your own and always try to know different methods of solving a problem. Practice continuously and make sure you understand the topics/concepts independently.

Whenever the teacher is doing correction in the classroom pay utmost attention to it and ensure that you truly understand it very well. Students failed Mathematics because they do not solve questions the way their teachers had taught them or do not take to correction or by repeating their mistakes in subsequent questions.

In theory questions, when solving problems that require the use of formulas, ensure that you write out the formulas correctly and state out the given parameters properly.

Also in theory questions, if you cannot solve a problem completely until you would arrive at the final answer, but can attempt some steps, make sure you write down the steps you know, these can fetch you some marks.

Do not be a truant in Mathematics class because the knowledge of one concept will make it easy for you to understand others. Seek the assistance of those who know Mathematics around you when certain areas are unclear.

Name: Rasheed Olayemi Nojeem

Email address: [email protected]