Mathematics Anxiety: Stories of Six Women
The stories of six articulate and opinionated women in education, reflecting on critical incidents in their mathematical development, shedding light on the personal journey each took towards mathematics.
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Mathematics Anxiety what the stories of six women tell us Dr Clare Lee Clare.lee@open.ac.uk
The six women Six articulate and opinionated women in education Two deputy headteachers one in still in school one recently retired. One an MFL specialist the other a drama specialist Two mathematics education professionals in two different universities A primary teacher who also acts as a local authority advisor in English A special needs consultant in mathematics All the participants were mature women ranging from about 30 years to just over 60 years old. 2
The Narratives Critical incidents incidents that seemed significant to the women in reporting their mathematical development Each narrative was reported in an individual way although two pages or 700 words was suggested, one women needed many more words than this, others much less. The point was to tell their story and how they had ended up with the stance towards mathematics that they did. Hence the incidents recorded are very personal. 3
Miriams Story A deputy headteacher now keenly interested in how mathematics is taught I remember copying the problems into my book with a pencil and enjoying solving them. I was really engrossed in the work. The next thing I remember was Big Mrs W shouting at me, and the rest of the class looking at me. She was screaming at me because I should have moved on to art work with the rest of the class. I had been so engrossed in the mathematics, I had not heard her or noticed what was going on around me. I was in set 1E and our teacher was Mrs P. As the year went on, I became very nervous of her. She would never ask me to answer if I had my hand up, but would put me on the spot if I did not raise my hand I began to have butterflies during mathematics lessons. She would walk up and down the rows of desks and would tut whenever she looked at my book. 4
Sians Story A deputy headteacher and drama specialist Mrs R picks me - and four others - to go into a separate room. She places books in front of us, there are outlines of trees and birds on them. We have to count them and write the numbers on the lines. I know that my twin sister is not doing this yet. I know my times-tables. You get a gold star if you get them right. You have to say them to the Headmaster and he sticks the gold star on the class table. I m nearly at the top of the board - one of the first to complete it. The mathematics teacher looks young. She begins to stab at the board with her chalk. Her voice is clipped and precise. She rattles off numbers scratching out formulae that blossom on the board and the class scribbles them down. I write carefully in magical loops and strikes I walk into the mathematics lesson at the school. I am puzzled by the lack of conversation between the teachers and us. 5
Alices story A primary teacher and local authority consultant None of these events were significant to me when compared with the abject fear that mathematics lessons induced. It is not hyperbole when I say that my reaction to daily mathematics lessons was one of fear and embarrassment. I knew what was coming, I would be faced with my inability to succeed at most mental mathematics tasks. To this day I still cannot recall my 12 times tables. Instead of the feeling of excitement at not knowing but curious to find out, feeling safe to admit not knowing that I approached most learning situations with; I was full of dread. We were subjected to times tables games before lunch, in which all of the class would wait and be late if one person was unable to recall the randomly chosen multiplication fact they were asked to supply. Of course, I panicked and felt deep shame at the fact that all my efforts to remember my times tables failed. 6
Gwyneths Story A special needs consultant teacher I was an early developer, as a pre-schooler I loved numbers. My mum taught me to count to 100 and I could add when I started school In every class in primary I just whizzed through the work I was asked to do in mathematics lessons I finished my work very quickly in comparison to my peers. Once I had finished my mathematics work I was allowed to read a library book whilst the others finished. I had a very strict infant teacher in year 1 who used to make you stand in rubbish bin in corner if you did anything wrong. Mrs E asked me to help the others when I had completed my work. That led to me becoming isolated, as no one would be seen with The Swot I remember endless chanting of times tables and feeling a desperate sense of injustice when others were shouted at and humiliated when they got answer wrong. One teacher used to hit their wooden desks with ruler inches from their fingers and would keep them in at playtime until they finished. 7
What the stories tell me That teaching mathematics seems to have a brutalising effect on the way that teachers act possibly because: It is possible to demand one right answer in mathematics and teachers feel they should That mathematics engenders fear in teachers and they pass this on That teachers were truly awful when these women were growing up (they weren t !) That mathematics teaching was seen as purely remembering tables at primary and teachers were judged by the extent to which their pupils were able to recite their tables. 8
What the stories tell me Mathematics other than tables practice was seen as optional at primary school That teachers could not believe that a young girl would willingly engage in mathematics when she could be doing art. That being good at mathematics was somehow excluding from mainstream society. 9
What the stories tell me That many teachers at secondary school remained fearful of mathematics and also took it out on their pupils by: Refusing to believe that a girl was as good as she appeared to be and assuming that there was something going on Not allowing discussion between themselves and the pupils or between pupils Writing magical loops and strikes on the board which excluded Sian and probably many others 10
Mathematically anxious pupils may be the result of mathematically anxious teachers. passing it on. Please can we stop this? 11
