The Fear of Mathematics: a Life Obstacle
University of Santo Tomas High School
España, Manila
This Research Paper
THE FEAR OF MATHEMATICS:
A LIFE OBSTACLE
is presented by
PEREZ, IAN MICHAEL B.
IV – SAINT DOMINIC
to
MRS. MARIA TERESA CASADO-RAMOS, M.A. on February 27, 2009
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
A. OVERVIEW
Just as the disposition and ability of children to benefit from having nursery rhymes and picture books to read then, children acquire a sense of number when they have early opportunities to encounter them in action. Families that provide opportunities for children to share a treat equally, to make intelligent guesses, and to play simple board and card games that require them to count, add, subtract, and match are giving them thinking challenges that develop number sense. Wakefield (1998, 59) stated that children who come to school without such previous experience usually encounter problems when mathematics programs and activities assume that mathematical relationships can be taught directly by the teacher in accordance with the curriculum, rather than being constructed by each child according to his or her level of previous knowledge.
Aside from equipping the children with reading comprehension and vocabulary, parents also equip them with mathematical skills. It is good that some parents do exercise their children in terms of mathematical abilities at a very young age. Doing this will surely benefit their learning process as they grow up and mature. However, not all people are able to withstand this mathematical ability because some parents do not actually care about the intellectual performance and capabilities of their children. This phenomenon may lead children into a serious dilemma of mathematical difficulty and fear. This may stem into the scenario wherein these children may not be able to cope up with the teaching strategy of the teacher and understand the mathematical lessons because of this mathematical difficulty and fear.
This
España, Manila
This Research Paper
THE FEAR OF MATHEMATICS:
A LIFE OBSTACLE
is presented by
PEREZ, IAN MICHAEL B.
IV – SAINT DOMINIC
to
MRS. MARIA TERESA CASADO-RAMOS, M.A. on February 27, 2009
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
A. OVERVIEW
Just as the disposition and ability of children to benefit from having nursery rhymes and picture books to read then, children acquire a sense of number when they have early opportunities to encounter them in action. Families that provide opportunities for children to share a treat equally, to make intelligent guesses, and to play simple board and card games that require them to count, add, subtract, and match are giving them thinking challenges that develop number sense. Wakefield (1998, 59) stated that children who come to school without such previous experience usually encounter problems when mathematics programs and activities assume that mathematical relationships can be taught directly by the teacher in accordance with the curriculum, rather than being constructed by each child according to his or her level of previous knowledge.
Aside from equipping the children with reading comprehension and vocabulary, parents also equip them with mathematical skills. It is good that some parents do exercise their children in terms of mathematical abilities at a very young age. Doing this will surely benefit their learning process as they grow up and mature. However, not all people are able to withstand this mathematical ability because some parents do not actually care about the intellectual performance and capabilities of their children. This phenomenon may lead children into a serious dilemma of mathematical difficulty and fear. This may stem into the scenario wherein these children may not be able to cope up with the teaching strategy of the teacher and understand the mathematical lessons because of this mathematical difficulty and fear.
This
Bibliography: Glasersfeld, E. (1991) . Radical Constructivism in Mathematics Education . Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic . pp. 13-52; 75-78 . Kline, M. (1973) . Why Johny Can’t Add: The Failure of New Math . New York: Vintage Books . pp. 13-52; 75-78 . Martinez, J. (1996) . Math Without Fear: A Guide for Preventing Math Anxiety . Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon . Proga, R. (2005) . Math for the Anxious: Building Basic Skills . Boston, Massachusetts: McGraw-Hill . Tobias, S. (1993) . Overcoming Math Anxiety . New York: Norton Company . Schwartz, A. (2000) . Axing Math Anxiety . Education Digest, Vol. 60 no. 5 . pp. 62-64 . Steele, D. (1998) . Lowering Anxiety in the Math Curriculum . Education Digest, Vol. 63 no. 7 . pp. 18-23 . Wakefield, A. (1998) . Supporting Math Teaching . Education Digest, Vol. 63 no. 5 . pp. 59-64 . B. Online Sources http://learning.mgccc.cc.ms.us/jc/math/anxiety.pdf (February 4, 2009) . http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/dec102007/1481.pdf (February 4, 2009) . http://www.coe.fau.edu/mathitudes/Math%20Anxiety%20Research%20Paper%202.pdf (February 4, 2009) . http://www.ejmste.com/v4n1/Eurasia_v4n1_Zakaria_Noridn.pdf (February 4, 2009) .