SME 3023 TREND AND ISSUES IN EDUCATION FOR MATHEMATICAL SCIENCE

Semester I 2011/2012

TITTLE MATHEMATICS ANXIETY

NAME MATRIX NO. GROUP LECTURER

: NORHADISAH BINTI MOHD ZAINI : D20081032367 :A : PROF DR. MARZITA PUTEH

WH of Phenomenon in Mathematics Anxiety

1. What it is? Mathematics anxiety is defined as phenomenon is often considered when feeling such tension, fear, helpless, panic, shame, nervousness and loss of the ability to concentrate in something that involve mathematics.

2. Why does it happen? One of the main factors of mathematics anxiety occurs is depend on teacher personality and skill of teaching in mathematics class. The teachers who are very strict and always blaming student for not understanding with poor skill of teaching make mathematics very hard to understand for many students. Consequently, student will not be able to learn mathematics, unhappy, fear, worries toward mathematic and disability use it in daily life.

3. Who has it? Generally, the person who has the mathematics anxiety experience can develop the negative personality and behavior toward mathematics. The teachers who have mathematics phobia will transmit their anxiety to their student. What will happen if the student who has mathematics anxiety will become a teacher? Then, the attitude cycle toward mathematics come mainly from the teachers experience of learning mathematics.

4. When does it happen? Phenomenon mathematics anxiety occurs for a long time ago in Malaysias education and it happen until now. The cycle of attitude occur starting from teachers attitude that has mathematics anxiety will transmit their anxiety to their student.

5. What create it? The teacher-student relationship and teaching style can create mathematics anxiety. As an example, the students feel so shy, afraid and fear to request help from their teacher when they have difficulties in mathematics. Why does it happen? It is just because of the teachers attitude who blaming student for not understanding. This situation can create negative feeling of student toward mathematics.

6. How do you reduce it? The behavior of teacher such as caring, helpful, guiding, giving a lot of attention to the student will contribute student liking the mathematics subject and reduce their mathematics anxiety problem. Furthermore, teachers must be creating creativity in teaching to develop high thinking skill among the student. The teachers is always using old fashioned way of teaching such as memorizing, drill and practice, chalk and talk, figure number by hand, rigidity in the way the lesson no longer suitable in this century. The others way to reduce this problem is minimize test and teachers should be not give a stress to student by giving timed test.

7. How do you eliminate it? The root of mathematics anxiety problem is a teacher. Nowadays, the teachers prefer to use traditional style of teaching that not consistent in this century. So, how to ensure that the qualities of teacher consistent with the Ministry of Educations objective? A system of monitoring of teachers qualities must be introduced in our country. The student also must be induced into a different mode and style in teaching so that they do not reproduce the mistakes that made by their teachers.