It’s natural for students to dislike a few Math problems here and there, but entirely hating the subject is a bit too much. When students don’t understand or struggle to cope with a subject, they tend to develop a negative attitude, which makes them avoid studying it entirely. Therefore, patience and perseverance go a long way in helping your kiddo deal with Math phobia.

Here are some reasons why students might be struggling with Math:

#1 Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is particularly associated with difficulty studying Math, where students can’t quite cope with numbers, symbols, and other math problems. As they progress to higher standards, the difficulty persists and interferes with the child’s daily activities, such as not being able to read the time or unable to calculate the change of money to be handed over.

#2 Not Able To Cope In Class

The student may lag behind or not understand step 1, thereby creating confusion in step 2 and onward. For example; if the child I struggling with identifying basic numbers, how will he be able to proceed to addition and subtraction. This affects the child’s self-esteem and he may not feel included in the classroom. It is the school’s prerogative to help such students and provide extra-class support or alter the teaching pace to accommodate the needs of all kids. Some IB schools in Dubai introduce special educators to help slow students get on track.

#3 Finding Numbers

Boring Some don’t get enthused by numbers and find it dull. Remembering formulas and memorizing tables seems like a nonessential task for them which doesn’t spark an interest like other subjects like; science and English. They don’t understand why Math is important, and can’t make connections to real-world scenarios. Luckily times are changing now and the Playstore is flooded with educational Apps that stress on entertaining students while making sure important concepts are learned thoroughly. Mathseeds by Reading Eggs, is one such famous Math learning app, with a 3.9 rating on Google Play Store. Kids love engaging with eggy numbers and eggy times tables, without keeping track of time. To learn more about Mathseeds and its subscription across GCC regions in the Middle East, visit this link: <link>

#4 Getting Deterred by Mistakes

Making mistakes is a part of learning! Children often shy away from difficult Math problems, because they are scared of making a mistake. Parents & educators must encourage learners to make mistakes and correct them immediately so that they get registered and not repeated again. Often students feel they will be ridiculed or scolded if the solution is wrong, and hence they refrain from making independent attempts.

#5 Dislike Memorizing

It’s tedious to remember phone numbers by heart and so we save them on our devices. Imagine how frustrating it is for a child to memorize equations and Math rules. Instead of focusing on memorization, we must aim to concretize the concept, so that they don’t feel burdened to reproduce as-is answers in their exam. An approach to problem-solving must be inculcated, by intellectually stimulating students to use mathematical processes to derive the correct answer. Only the right Math mindset can promote a willingness to get involved, make mistakes, accept challenges, and learn, thereby succeeding in doing well.

#6 Low Motivation

Motivation comes when one can apply free-flowing creativity and think out of the box, which is fab in the case of other subjects like; computers, art, and general knowledge. But what about Maths? How can children apply this to number crunching? Well, the solution for this is to introduce activities & fun games in class which drives the pupil to look forward to Math sessions, rather than run away from it. Use colorful teaching aids and present concepts using videos with interesting characters. It is even a mandatory requirement in the UAE to have smart boards and AV aids in every classroom, to induce students to focus better & learn faster.

We just want to conclude by saying numbers are not aliens, make friends with them and it will serve you well.

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