Festival of Ideas 2019
Of all school subjects, mathematics is perhaps the one that is most likely to provoke fear and anxiety. In this talk, Charlie Gilderdale and Alison Kiddle from the NRICH Mathematics Project will look at some of the causes and effects of mathematics anxiety, and invite the audience to challenge the accepted narrative about what it means to be good at mathematics.
Many people have bad memories of maths lessons at school, and feelings of mathematical inadequacy have lingered into adulthood. Recent research on mindsets makes it clear that most people have the capacity to be much more mathematically successful than they might imagine. Whether you are anxious about maths and want to better understand what's holding you back, or you're mathematically comfortable and want to support others who don't feel the same way as you, this talk is for you!
- Reach 100 (7-11)
- Dozens (7-14)
- Estimating Angles (7-14)
- Treasure Hunt (7-14)
- Factors and Multiples Game (7-16)
- Got It (11-14)
- Frogs (11-14)
- Dicey Operations (11-14)
- Summing Consecutive Numbers (11-14)
- Tourism (11-14)
- and Add to 200 (11-14)
- Magic Letters (11-14)
- ACE, TWO, THREE... (11-14)
- Gabriel's Problem (11-14)
- Multiples Sudoku (11-14)
- Combining Lengths (11-16)
- Square It (11-16)
- Product Sudoku (11-16)
- Marbles in a Box (11-16)
- Magic Potting Sheds (11-16)
You may also be interested in this collection of resources:
Anxiety and Recall - The Mathematical Association's Autumn 2017 edition of Equals
In Getting into and staying in the Growth Zone Clare Lee and Sue Johnston-Wilder explain how the Growth Zone model can help develop resilience in learners of mathematics.
Pearson's Guide to Tackling Maths Anxiety with links to relevant research.
What might a lesson look like, in which students work collaboratively, sharing insights and discoveries in a safe environment? Here is one possible example.
Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew Maths for Mums and Dads and More Maths for Mums and Dads
You may also like to take a look at our list of Recommended Books and at our
Be a Mathematician! (primary) and Thinking Mathematically (secondary) collections.
Teachers, parents and students can Register for the NRICH monthly email newsletter if they'd like to be kept up to date with our latest developments.
You'd be very welcome at Mathsjam in Cambridge.
Contact details:
| Charlie Gilderdale and Alison Kiddle | ||
| secondary.nrich@maths.org | ||
| NRICH Mathematics Project | ||
| Centre for Mathematical Sciences | ||
| Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA |