'Teachers can help cure maths phobia among kids'

There are some students who suffer from an irrational fear of mathematics or mathematical activities. This is completely unnecessary. It's just a psychological issue and not related to knowledge of mathematics. This type of fear is known as maths phobia. It demoralizes the student and makes him or her lose confidence.
Research says that the traditional examination system and a negative attitude towards mathematics are the main causes of such anxiety among students.
There are many symptoms of maths anxiety in students, including lack of self-confidence, negative thinking, fear of failure, inability to solve problems, irregular homework and so on.
The question is, how can we deal with such anxiety? There are some techniques that students can follow to overcome this phobia. These include practising and revising the fundamental methods and theories on a regular basis, developing a positive attitude towards learning mathematics and making repeated attempts to solve problems. These methods build self-confidence and reduce fear. Students can also interpret a theory in various ways. They must try to stay stress-free because stress affects concentration, thinking and memory.
We teachers also need to be careful in dealing with maths phobia among students. We have to create a suitable learning environment in the classroom using various tools and techniques of teaching. According to the National Council of Teaching of Mathematics, teachers should create an experimental environment while teaching mathematics. They should relate maths to real-life situations and discuss common mistakes that students make, all the while helping them understand concepts by thinking rather than memorizing.
(The writer is the head of the mathematics department at Miles Bronson Residential School)