“You can walk into a math class on the first day and it’s like walking into a morgue,” said Steve Ochoa, a Math Specialist in the Math Department. “Everybody is quiet, petrified. There is no movement, because they’re afraid.”
Math anxiety is something that most students deal with at some time. Math anxiety affects students whether they have been out of school for a while and are coming back, or if they are in their final semester of their major.
“When a teacher forces me to learn something difficult
in a short time, it causes me to have math anxiety,” said James Matthews,
a sophomore Engineering major.
Choosing your teacher wisely can also be helpful. Make sure to ask students
who they would recommend and why.
“I have only had one math teacher so I don’t really know,”
said Ernest Ruiz, a sophomore, Psychology major. “I hear Alvarez
is a good teacher.”
Melissa Shodrock, a sophomore Education major, said Mrs. Kirk. “She
shows you videos that show you better ways to study, said Shodrock. “She
spent a whole class on telling us that we can do it.”
Teachers play a big part when it comes to math anxiety. Many students
swear that their anxiety is the teacher’s fault.
“I do believe that an instructor can contribute to math anxiety,”
said Steve Ochoa.
Besides choosing your instructor, there are ways to cope with math anxiety.
Some ways are conventional, while others are less conventional.
Ellen Freedman, a professor at Camden County College, offers 10 ways to
reduce math anxiety on her website at www.mathpower.com.
She advocates overcoming negative self-talk, asking questions, considering
math a foreign language that must be learned, not relying on memorization
to study mathematics, reading your math text, studying according to your
learning style, getting help the same day you don’t understand, being
relaxed and comfortable while studying math, talking mathematics and accepting
responsibility for your own successes and failures.
“ I just take as long as I need to take. I take a break and then
continue,” said Ernest Ruiz, a sophomore, Psychology major. “I’ll
probably take a remedial class to brush up even though I am exempt from
the TASP.”
TASP prep classes, math tutoring and self-paced classes are some of the
many options available, yet very few students use these opportunities
to help them overcome math anxiety.
Steve Ochoa, the Math Specialist, said he gives practice tests two weeks
before an exam. Students may then ask him questions in a group or individually.
When weighing your options on which method would be best for you, consider
math tutoring. The Math Learning Center is available to all students free
of charge. The Math Learning Center is located in EL115, between the Student
Center and the General Education building. With four Math Specialists,
your questions will be answered. In many cases, teachers are also willing
to take time out of their busy schedules to tutor. Their office hours
are for students.
“I think instructors have to make themselves available. We teach
a subject that people absolutely are afraid of,” said Ochoa.
If you’re a new student or just need a refresher course, Palo Alto
offers many classes to help you. One class that offers help with test
anxiety, general test taking strategies, TASP polices and procedures,
and a refresher in Math, Reading and Writing, is the Test Anxiety and
Academic Refresher Course. This course is seven hours long and is offered
at several different times during the semester. The charge for the course
is $21.50, and it is offered through Continuing Education. You may register
in person, by mail or fax at the Palomino Center, room 101C. All students
are welcomed and encouraged to take this class.
You must deal with your math demons. Every major requires some kind of
math course, and you must pass College Algebra or its equivalent to obtain
your associate’s degree.
lHere are some sites that may be helpful to you: