Math Basics : How to Deal With Math Anxiety

The key to dealing with math anxiety is to have an open mind, time and patience. Get rid of your math anxiety with tips from a collegiate math teacher in this free video on math basics.

Expert: Jimmy Chang
Bio: Jimmy Chang has a master's degree in math and has been a math teacher at St. Pete College for more than eight years.
Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Series Description: Math skills can be very helpful in our everyday lives. Practice these basic math tips from a collegiate math teacher in this free video series on math basics.

[mrudulab]

Dear math, grow up and solve your own problems

[xavierkreiss]

It doesn't work.
- Keep an open mind: I failed totally as a child and student. Chose a career with no maths at all. But as an adult I tried to find out what this mysterious subject was all about. I had an open mind since maths no longer frightens me. But every source I've tried, books or friends, have assumed that I had a certain level. I don't have that 'basic" level. So even the books that are supposed to help are of no use. 
As for the friends who try to help, the question I hear most often from them is the same I used to hear from private tutors: "but what don't you understand?". Explanations that may seem clear to them are incomprehensible to me. So they try again, they explain in more detail. If I don't understand they might try again. Eventually (there have been two cases like this) they 
give up in despair.
- Ask questions: I never stop. I've explained (above) that I ask a lot of questions but that I don't understand the answers. And no-one can go on indefinitely trying to "explain explanations".If don't have the basic knowledge that's necessary, they are wasting their time.  
- Make a commitment. Easier to say than to do: how do I keep a commitment if long and  
strenuous efforts get me nowhere? I've made no progress at all. So what good is this doing? 
- Don't rely on memorising: in my case the only tiny pieces of maths that I learnt have been frommemorising. I don't know what they mean, but that's the point - I don't need to know the meaning if I memorise. Mr Chang says it's better to rely on logic and to go through the processes. No, it isn't: I don't understand any of those processes so going through them would be like a walk in pitch darkness.
- Read the book: I answered that one higher up. If the book is gibberish to me it's worse than useless. Who can I then turn to for help? 
- Successes and failures: I can state quite openly that I have never had any successes. 

And none of this can help the maths anxiety. The feeling of failure, hopelessness, the shortness of breath and the tingling in the arms and hands whenever I even approach a maths subject.

[youknowwhatflav]

the math test be totally different from what the teacher has taught you hahah

[OsagieGuobadia]

Thanks! Now I should always study without getting myself distracted.

[radendavis]

Good explanation and tips, thanks a lot!

[shorthobbit]

Omg why didn't anyone at school teach me this when i was there? would of helped me so much it's so hard now i'm older and out of education didn't even know this was a thing just always felt like an idiot at how badly i'd react to Maths. Now it's hard i'm out of education and looking for work i can't even read an analogue clock.

[Nevrbetrolled]

NO. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE GIVEN A LARGE AMOUNT OF PROBLEMS IN A FIXED TIME? YOU JUST CAN'T DEAL WITH THAT WITH PATIENCE. ALSO, WHEN YOU HAVE A CHAPTER TEST, IT COVERS VARIOUS EQUATIONS THST REQUIRE YOU TO REMEMBER THE DIFFERENCES OF FORMULAS TO SOLVE DIFFERENT OR THE SAME PROBLEM. HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO