By Chelsi Devaul/reporter
When students go into a math class, they need to be prepared, confident and not psych themselves out, a South Campus math professor said recently.
“Math anxiety is a feeling of intense frustration or helplessness about one’s ability to do math,” said Natalie Johnson during a Sept. 12 workshop.
Many students are good at math, but they get it in their heads that they will never succeed in math because they have failed in the past, Johnson said.
Students often say, “I’m just not good at it,” she said.
Johnson said math anxiety affects students in several ways. They often panic or are fearful. Whenever some students walk into a math room to take an exam, their minds automatically freeze and go blank.
“If you have prepared yourself and studied, you know you’ve done all you could,” she said.
Yoga is a good technique to calm and relax. Johnson suggested doing yoga before going to math class or taking a math test. Notes from classes and the way students take them are important and beneficial. Another important key to taking notes is writing down the date of the lesson and the title. When copying a problem, students should write what they did in each step to help themselves fully understand when they study.
Studying the textbook is important, Johnson said, but students often get discouraged by math books, so Johnson offered some advice.
“Never skip information,” she said. “Slowly read, and reread information.”
Getting good sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, being positive and not stressing are all ways to prepare for a test, she said.
“Do your best,” she said. “Don’t give up and finish strong.”
