Overcoming Math Anxiety

YOU are the KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS How much effort do you intend to put into your learning? When you desire to LEARN as much as you desire AIR when your head is held under water… will you have the motivation necessary to achieve that learning!! - Socrates' advice on learning to Plato 1. Make good use of the CourseCompass Technology that accompanies your textbook by following this strategy: a. Take a TEST in CourseCompass to discover your math weaknesses. b. Go to your CourseCompass Study Plan that was generated as a result of that test and click on those objectives/sections that require more work to achieve mastery. c. Upon completion of your study, go back and take the same test over again and go to your CourseCompass Study Plan to see what objectives you have mastered and which ones still require more work. d. Continue in this success cycle until you reach mastery of all the material!! 2. Try the Cover-Sheet/Smart-Sheet Strategies to take some of the anxiety out of taking a math test or reading a math textbook. 3. Always come to class or Lab prepared. 4. Use the tutors whenever necessary. 5. Ask questions in class when you don’t understand something. YOU must have The right ATTITUDE Towards Learning! YOU must DO What it takes to Get that learning! YOU must have a real DESIRE to LEARN! SUCCESS!! Lose the “can’t do ” attitude and replace it with a winner’s “can do” attitude! Then DO what it takes to get you where you want to go!!

Before you can learn anything… …YOU must have a CAN-DO ATTITUDE ….about your ability to learn!

If you have a negative attitude about studying math… …If you break out in cold sweats at the thought of taking a math test… …If you feel stressed out at the very thought of doing a math problem… …Relax… you are not alone!

If you believe that you can’t do something, …you can be assured of this one thing: you will not likely be successful at that particular thing. As long as you tell yourself you are not good at math …or that you don’t like math, you will have a tough time ever being successful at math. First…. The Bad News!

You CAN turn that CAN’T DO …into a CAN DO …by changing your outlook! Then you CAN take the steps necessary …to make success happen! Now…Here’s the GOOD NEWS!!!

Now, with a positive, …CAN …CAN DO DO attitude, …you can learn some things …that will make success happen!

This strategy can take the stress out of reading a math textbook or taking a math test. Consider this: The mind is like a computer. When a computer gets too many programs opened, it will oftentimes crash. Your mind does the same thing when it has information overload. The Cover-Sheet Strategy

Information overload happens when you become overwhelmed by the complexity of the material presented, because your eyes are taking it all in at the same time, trying to process more information than you can handle at one time.

Now if you were to cover up everything on the two pages of your book… …except for that portion that you are immediately reading… …you could prevent your mind from going into stress overload and thereby “crashing” from all that math anxiety!

When you see the math… …one line at a time …you will be much more likely to grasp the concept, …than if you become overwhelmed by the complexity of seeing the whole thing at once.

When you are in the classroom… Your teacher presents the lesson material one step at a time… …and it is usually …readily understood.

When you cover up the textbook page… …So you only see only one line at a time, …you can create that step-by-step learning experience on your own… …and thus have a more positive feeling about learning math!

People who suffer from math test anxiety …can really benefit from …the Cover-Sheet approach.

By applying this cover-sheet strategy to test-taking… …you will see yourself becoming …a more successful math student. Allow yourself to see only one problem at a time …and you can avoid information overload that stresses out the average math student.

Your mind will become more productive… …as you focus on only one problem at a time.

Do you ever get anxious… …worrying that you might forget something important on the test?? Do you ever get anxious… …worrying that you might forget something important on the test??

If you have studied properly, using your Computerized courseware as it was designed: testing, –studying, retesting until mastery is reached… “Smart-Sheet” Strategy

And if you practice making a “smart-sheet” of memory aids, helpful tips, –formulas, etc., that will be useful on the test… You can go in there with confidence and do your very best on that test!!

How to Apply “Smart-Sheet” Test-taking Strategy Prepare a practice sheet of useful tips, memory aids, formulas, ‘game plans’, etc. that would be useful for remembering the material you are studying.

Practice writing this “Smart-Sheet” …over and over several times …from memory… …in exactly the same way each time …before going in to take the test.

When you are in the testing center …preparing to take that test, …cover up the test …and write down your “Smart-sheet” …from memory …in exactly the same way as you memorized it… …before doing anything else.

Turn this “Smart-sheet” over …and cover up your test with it …so you can only see …one test problem at a time …and only turn it back over … when you need something from it …to help you do your problem.

Would you like some Hints, Helps, and Memory Aids for Math to put on your “Smart-Sheet” to help you to remember and understand the math better?

You can find Mrs. B.F. Lee’s Math Memory Aids by going to and logging in to Blackboard with this username and password: Username: mathstudent Password: math Then click on DVMLAB: Hints, Helps, and Memory Aids for Math. Finally, click on the Math Memory Aids button on the left side of your screen.

Click on Mrs. B.F. Lee’s Hints, Helps, & Memory Aids for Math.

Click on the folder of your choice.

It is important that you learn these fraction modules in the order they are given. So you must begin with Module 1 and move on from there. WHY? The knowledge and skill presented by the first module is necessary to do the next module, and so on and so forth.

CourseCompass students can find Mrs. B.F. Lee’s MathAids in their CourseCompass courseware, by clicking on the Math Memory Aids button on the left side of your CourseCompass homepage.

Click on the folder you desire.

1. Do the EDUCO tutorial first in order to learn the math & also HOW to ENTER your answers in the computer. 2. Do any assigned EDUCO homework. 3. Do any assigned quizzes or tests in EDUCO & when finished click on Test Analysis and write down the codes of those objectives that need more work. 4. Go to the EDUCO tutorial and do the work for those objectives. 5. Upon completion of your study, go back & take the same test or quiz over again. Click on Test Analysis to see if there is anything else you need to study. 6. Continue in this success cycle until you reach mastery of all the objectives!! How to use EDUCO to be the best math student you can be!!

Take a Test in CourseCompass to discover your math weaknesses. Upon completion of the test, go to the CourseCompass Study Plan and do the objectives designated in the sections that are listed as weaknesses. Upon completion of your study return and take the same Test over to see which sections you have mastered and which sections still need more work. Continue in this cycle until you have mastered all the objectives!! How to use CourseCompass to be the best math student you can be!!