Primary 5… some dreary day in mid-November. Maths test. The dread I felt when the teacher uttered the words the moment we came back into the classroom from morning break have never left me. I would not say I ‘fear’ maths however, it genuinely makes me feel uneasy. I think the main reason for this was this specific maths test. It was mental maths. 20 questions. And we had 10 minutes to answer as much as we could (no working allowed – including the use of fingers!!) It’s safe to say I never done very well, 7 out of 20. Although, at first, I was rather pleased with myself for getting that much correct, until my teacher stated that ‘you can only be good at either English or maths; you cannot be good at both.’ So from that moment, I had always considered myself rubbish at maths so really… Why try?! Eastaway and Askey state that people’s mathematics anxiety can develop from a parent or teacher but mainly it is not the fear of maths itself but the fear of being shamed. (Eastaway and Askey, 2013, p15.) Personally, for me, I feel that, this point in my education was one of the main factors as to why I feel anxious about mathematics.

As I have grown the idea that my primary 5 teacher had fixed in my head that you can only be good at maths or English slowly but surely started to vanish. I do not believe that if you are good at English, you cannot be good at maths, or vice versa. I have seen first-hand, many people that have the natural ability to be good at both.

You may prefer one subject to the other, therefore may shine in that said subject but this does not mean that you cannot then excel at the other if you put the work in for it. Eastaway and Askew tell us that, ‘there is no such thing as a maths gene’ (Eastaway and Askew, 2013, p14.)

According to these men, today’s society is much more sophisticated in maths compared to those in medieval times. Showing that over time we have adapted to the different concepts and ways to understand math that categorically there cannot be a gene that has programmed us to ‘be good at maths’ (Eastaway and Askey, 2013, p15.)

One of the main reasons for choosing ‘discovering maths’ was to get over this anxiety I had surrounding maths. I can already categorically say that I am so glad I choose the elective I did.

Our first lecture, ‘What is maths? Why teach it’ was an eye opener for me. I went in to this lecture a little apprehensive and left with a new excitement surrounding mathematics that I had not felt before. This was due to the lecture being made fun and relatable. The main task set to us was to work out how many snaps it would take to break up a bar of chocolate that had 64 squares. By working together in groups for this task with actual physical props we were able to explore maths in a way I don’t think I ever had. It brought out discussion, conversation, sharing language and most importantly, play.

As a learner, being able to relate my maths to real life was very important to me and I feel helped me understand clearer and ultimately enjoy what I was doing. As a teacher working with children that may feel anxious and withdrawn for maths, I will strive to ensure that I will relate it to real-life as much as I possibly can. By doing this and adding in the ‘fun factor’ I feel children will not had this fear of mathematics that most do today. This will hopefully give the children an insight as to why they need maths and I hope that they will never be asking themselves ‘when will I use this again?’

Eastaway, R., Askew, M. (2013) Maths for Mums and Dads. Square Peg. London.