Math’s anxiety explored with Kip

Could your child be suffering with maths anxiety?

For some children disliking maths turns into ‘maths anxiety’. This can cause strong negative emotions including a fear of failure. Sadly, fear impacts on working memory and hinders attempts to conduct maths calculations.

What does maths anxiety look like? Some symptoms to look out for in your child:

• Unusual nervousness when doing or thinking about maths • Passive behaviour - will not even try or has ‘given up’ • Feeling that they are the only child in the class who cannot find the answer • A belief that they can’t improve and are naturally ‘bad at maths’ • Lack of confidence, expecting to not know the answer before the question is asked • Panics in tests or if called on to give an answer in the classroom • Is beginning to dread going to school

As a parent, what can I do to ease my child’s maths anxiety?

At home try to focus on what they can do, rather than on what they cannot. Find ways to enjoy maths at home. Baking, gardening, shopping, and board games are all fun ways to practise core maths skills. Talk about your own maths experiences using positive rather than negative language. Try talking to your child’s teacher. They may be able to offer further advice or put measures in place to help your child at school. Sadly, there are some children who still do not progress and may have dyscalculia. www.steve.chinn.co.uk is a useful website for information and advice.

The Kip McGrath approach to maths teaching:

A short initial assessment finds where each student is in their learning journey. It is designed to show what they can do as well as what they cannot. At Kip McGrath the aim is to provide a low-pressure environment and teach each child from their unique starting point, not according to their age or year group. With lessons focusing first on core arithmetic skills, ensuring that strong written calculation methods are developed. Other maths activities are designed to help students see and explore links within and between maths topics. Kip McGrath tutors talk about and explicitly teach place value so that students begin to understand the number system. This helps them to cope with many different aspects of maths and improves their confidence. Finally, Kip McGrath moves the student on when they are ready to progress. Topics are returned to regularly so that skills and knowledge are fully embedded into their long-term memory.

To book a free assessment visit www.kipmcgrath.co.uk/book-assessment

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