Math Anxiety

Abstract

Teachers require ongoing professional development throughout their careers to learn and grow in instructional practices in order to best meet the needs of all students. In this chapter, math anxiety is addressed in terms of those professional development needs. Instead of providing support in the use of a specific program or curriculum, ideas for school and district leaders who provide such professional development are described in terms of easing the phenomenon of math anxiety, a common fear of math that can hinder one's ability to provide quality instruction in the content. People who experience math anxiety often avoid the subject to alleviate the negative feelings, which is detrimental to the ability to effectively teach mathematical concepts.