There are many things I’m frightened of from spiders to looking stupid, but sometimes I just have to suck it up and deal with them. When it comes to spiders I either have to live alongside the spider, or I have to move it. That, or I never enter my house again! As to looking stupid, that happens regularly… and often involves spiders, come to think of it.

Following on from last week’s blog post ‘Are Your Limiting Beliefs Sabotaging Your Maths?’, this week I’d like to explore how fear stops you from learning maths.

Fear of getting it wrong

Did you have a maths teacher who was a dragon? I’ve come across a few! (S)he had no patience with those who didn’t get the right answer. These experiences haunt us for the rest of our lives and can shame us to a point where we are incredibly anxious about getting an answer incorrect. 

But have you ever thought that it wasn’t your fault? Maybe the way you are taught didn’t work for you. We also learn so much more from our mistakes. Just like a baby learning to walk we have to get back up again and try again.

Fear of looking stupid

We all are worried about what we look like, it’s even worse when it is in front of your own children. But your vulnerability could be the unlocking for them to build resilience in maths.

Fear of the unknown

Do all the buttons on a calculator fill you with dread because you don’t know what they mean? That fear of all the things you don’t know can stop us from learning. 

Fear of succeeding

Maths has a bad rap! Those of us who can do it get called ‘geeks’, which comes . Therefore some people wear ‘I can’t do maths’ as a badge of honor. 

But if maths doesn’t come naturally to you then you should be proud of succeeding. 

Feel the fear and do it anyway!

Here are some steps that you can take to move through the fear so that you can become a confident maths learner, whatever stage in life you are at.

Change your mindset – Learn from your mistakes

FAIL – First Attempt In Learning. Keep getting it wrong until you get it right.

Know your learning style

Once you are comfortable with the way that you learn you can then keep

Get my free VARK questionnaire here and discover your learning styles 

Find a non-threatening environment

One of the reasons I am successful with girls with a low confidence in maths, is because of how comfortable they are working with me. I will never tell them off, and encourage them to say what they think. 

In the classroom my students would give an ‘educated guess’ and they were always surprised by how their instincts were correct, or were the start of the journey to the right answer.

Come and join us in Education Support 4 Parents, we are a supportive group and we you’ll find plenty of help with learning maths.