Math Anxiety in the Realm of e-Learning...
I have been a Mathematics Instructor, in Higher Education, for almost 20 years... Most of my career has involved teaching online courses, "hybrid" and "full". In my experience, I have identified two big hurdles that students must overcome, in order to successfully complete
an online math course:
- Math Anxiety (online AND in-class) - has many faces (testing difficulties, failure to even begin assignments, etc.
- Lack of Self-Discipline - students seem to ignore deadlines, lack of communication, "entitlement syndrome", dropping out early on, etc.
What are some safeguards/techniques/interventions that you guys use to intervene with students who show signs of these common issues?
Hi Karen! =D
To reduce procrastination, I try to "catch" students doing something right & on-time throughout my course & then lavishly praise them for it.
To reduce anxiety, have you tried slowly transitioning them through phases of learning the skill? After explaining the usefulness of the skill we're about to learn in the "real world," I like to break it down into learning phases to gradually ease the student into the new skill. I remember this approach as "I do; We do; You all do; You do." Take for example teaching students how to solve an algebraic equation. The steps would look something like the following:
- "I do:" I demonstrate how to solve a couple of equations that are similar.
- "We do:" While demonstrating, I start asking students questions to regarding the steps like, "Okay, now what should I do to solve for 'x?'" or "What should I put here?" I keep going until students are comfortable with directing me before moving to the next phase.
- "You all do:" For this phase, students are put into groups to solve equations together while I supervise & answer questions as needed. I don't let the student move to the next phase unless I'm confident they're ready.
- "You do:" In this phase, the student is to work on solving equations on their own. If the student was allowed to successfully progress in each of the previous phases, they should be comfortable & confident when moved to this phase. Therefore, it's important to not rush them before they're ready. Doing so could diminish their confidence & cause a set back.
With this approach, student anxiety should be significantly reduced.
Students with a lack of self-discipline really need to evaluate whether the career path they've chosen is a good fit. Also, being a "student” requires skills that are not inherent to a lot of people.
If I find a student is slacking, I'll try to help them re-evaluate their commitment to the program, and make it clear that I'm as invested in their success as they are. If the student puts little effort in the program, so will I, as their teacher.
Then I'll gauge “student” skills by asking how they can show me that they are giving an honest effort in learning the material. If the student can identify those avenues, it often opens up those channels for communication and commitment.
As for math, If the student is comfortable, I'll ask the student to speak out loud their thought process on their approach to solving the math problem. This way, I can question their logic and help guide the student to solving the problem.
Great insights.... Thanks!
Comment on Christine Peppers's post:
Hi, Chris.
I just reread your discussion post (from a few years ago) about using learning phases to help mitigate learning anxiety.
Super insightful approach! I want to make a poster of the "I do -We do - Y'all do - You do" Method.
Thanks!
Karen Smith
