Mathematics Anxiety: general overview, what has been done and what we need to do to help learners

 Mathematics Anxiety: general overview, what has been done and what we need to do to help learners

Mathematical competence is an important ability to master, often accompanied by a feeling of apprehension, anxiety and fear which influence the achievements, career choices or performance of an individual. This is called Math Anxiety, a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in ordinary life and academic situations. In this seminar I will discuss this problem and show how tailored educational approaches in combination with motivational and Mindset Theories can be used to mitigate the negative effects of Math Anxiety. In the last part I will present the development and initial results obtained from a mathematical puzzle I am using in research which relies on counting abilities, spatial reasoning, working memory and exploits basic mathematical knowledge adapted and used in a different and more engaging way in order to solve a series of puzzles.

Speaker

Frederica Armani, University of Essex

How to attend

If not a member of the Dept.  Mathematical Science at the University of Essex, you can register your interest in attending the seminar and request the Zoom's meeting password by emailing Dr Jesus Martinez-Garcia (jesus.martinez-garcia@essex.ac.uk)