The provision of undergraduate statistics teaching varies across UK dental schools, but some challenges are faced in all schools. These include the need to (i) demonstrate the relevance of statistics to dentistry, (ii) address the phenomenon of statistical anxiety likely to be experienced, and (iii) deliver the teaching with a limited number of…

In this article, the author describes how nature can link maths and science to develop skills in both subjects. Experiencing maths, seeing maths, touching maths, playing with maths is a great start, giving children the opportunity to learn maths in the way that science is often experienced. This article does not aim to provide an answer for fully…

Students with math learning disabilities have been shown to experience math anxiety at rates nearly double those of their typical peers. Anxiety about math is thought to disrupt learning by co-opting attentional resources that could be used in problem-solving and may be caused by the way in which students interpret their math-related experiences.…

Life experiences can affect students' educational experiences as they continue through the middle years (grades 7-9). Children carry negative experiences, societal and family influences, and early educational experiences with them. All of these factors can contribute to student anxiety while learning mathematics. Anxiety in mathematics may present…

Math anxiety is becoming more prevalent in classrooms around the world. Students with math anxiety experience both physiological and psychological symptoms, in addition to long-term effects. This article examines the global context of math anxiety, the causes of math anxiety, and what educators can do to support students who experience math…

In our technologically advanced society proficiency in mathematics is paramount to success in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) employment sector. Mathematics anxiety negatively affects an individual's physiological and cognitive functioning, which results in the individual obtaining lower achievement in mathematics. The…

The fear of making mistakes and avoidance of risks can create disabling anxiety and limit learning opportunities. However, it is possible to teach mathematics in ways that not only reduce student agency but also have the effect of excluding some students. This article proposes approaches that are intended to both foster student decision making and…

This paper introduces a web-based, interactive point pattern analysis "game" that allows users to generate quickly and repeatedly a point pattern on screen and immediately learn whether the pattern is statistically different from random. It uses two point pattern analysis methods: quadrat analysis (QA) and nearest neighbor analysis…

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability caused by a neurological problem. It is a worldwide problem with a prevalence of 5-10% of the population. It is described mainly by difficulties in reading, spelling, accuracy, fluency, and decoding abilities. This article is chiefly concerned to provide an overview of dyslexia, some key issues based on…

Problem solving is at the heart of mathematics, and is known to support learning for a diverse range of children. However, challenges can be encountered when teaching mathematics through problem solving. This article provides insights from research literature into: (1) the nature of the challenges; and (2) some ways that problem solving can be…

Mathematics educators often know the widespread nature of mathematics anxiety and may even be aware of the debilitating effect it can have on their students. Although educators may develop tricks or tools that seem to help, a comprehensive understanding of what students are experiencing and how the classroom environment can be adjusted to address…

This article is a commentary for the special issue on affect and mathematics in young children, written from the perspective of research on affect in mathematics education. The studies in this special issue focus on the individual learners' affective traits and use primarily surveys as the method. The most common type of affect is emotions, but…

Today it is critical to excite young people about mathematics in our high-tech STEM world we live in. Math teachers today need to embolden students to be confident in their ability to solve problems, to think and use their imaginations, to understand mathematical concepts, to be creative, and to see math as a human endeavor. The author feels that…

Today, being confident and having a sound understanding of mathematics is critical in an age of STEM. Teachers must play in important role in seeing that all students display their confidence in their ability to do mathematics. This paper explains the process of using bibliotherapy when teaching mathematics to address both the math anxious or the…

Babies and infants love mathematics. Give babies a set of blocks, and they will build and order them, fascinated by the ways the edges line up. Children will look up at the sky and be delighted by the V formations in which birds fly. Count a set of objects with a young child and then move the objects and count them again, and they will be…