By Maria Teresa Arias
Staff Writer

Twenty students attended the SkillsShops session titled “Afraid of the Math Monster? Develop Techniques to Overcome Math Anxiety” Feb. 23 in S064.

Dr. Shirley Walker, Brookhaven counselor and professional psychologist, led the session, which focused on explaining causes of math anxiety and how to overcome them.

One of the slides in the PowerPoint presentation suggested getting a math tutor, repeating problems out loud, and learning the math rules and facts by memory.

Nursing student Maria Tucker said she has disliked math since she was a little girl. She solved problems differently than her teacher who would tell her she was wrong.

“It is not that the answers were different, the answers were the same,” Tucker said. “My process was different from her, so she would not accept it.”

Other tips and strategies provided during the session included the use of study groups and identifying whether students are visual or auditory learners.
Nursing student Shivani Manduva said she attended the talk to develop her math abilities for her chemistry classes and for extra credit in a class.
Walker said students can get information about SkillsShops from the Counseling Center in S124.
Students can submit ideas for SkillsShops via email at [email protected].