Last week’s maths input opened my mind to many reasons why our maths ability really is more important than we think. As we become aware of the growing number of people who suffer from maths anxiety, we must look at ways to overcome it but most importantly, prevent it. We must firstly disregard the myths we are told around maths; “you are either good or bad at maths” or “maths is for geeks”. As teachers we have a responsibility and the opportunity to change these stereotypical views.

Maths and numeracy are used in our everyday lives and it is important for each child to have the ability to work with numbers. They are categorised as the ‘Responsibility of All’ and are used throughout the curriculum. For example, measurements and graphs in Science, distance in Physical Education and sequence and pattern in Art. By making children aware maths is in everything we do, it will be less scary to them when it comes to a stand alone maths lesson. As teachers, we can also make children more confident in maths by talking about it more often. This will allow children to make sense of mathematical situations and understand different  approaches to reaching the correct answers.

Finally, it is important to step away from the standard textbook approach in maths and make it more interesting and memorable for children. By using, for example, ICT or outdoor activities, the children will become more intrigued in the lesson and therefore more focused on the learning.