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How to Help Students Overcome a Fear of Math through GRIT!
India White • June 12, 2023
How to Help Students Overcome a Fear of Math through GRIT!
Helping Students Overcoming a Fear of Math through Grit
As a teacher, you may have noticed that some students struggle with math more than others. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including math anxiety and low self-esteem, but one common factor is fear. Having a fear of math can be a significant barrier to learning and can lead to students feeling discouraged and disengaged. However, by cultivating grit, you can help your students overcome their fear of math and become more confident and successful learners.
Dr. Angela Duckworth coins grit as the combination of passion and perseverance towards long-term goals.
In the context of math education, grit can help students overcome their fear of math by encouraging them to persist through challenges and setbacks. Here are four tips for cultivating grit in your math classroom:
1. Encourage a growth mindset
Dweck has taught in her work that a growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through hard work and dedication. Encouraging a growth mindset in your students can help them see math as a skill that can be improved with practice, rather than an innate ability that they either have or don't have. This can help students feel more confident and motivated to tackle challenging math problems. As you help students develop a growth mindset, present opportunities for their confidence to increase in your classroom. Include them in mathematical discourse and allow them to display their thoughts on the board as they explain their reasoning to their peers. Compliment them as you see them making gains and remind them of how their mindset has shifted from a fixed reasoning to growth and belief in their ability.
2. Provide opportunities for productive struggle
Productive struggle refers to the process of working through challenging problems and making mistakes to learn and grow. Providing opportunities for productive struggle
in your math classroom can help students develop grit by encouraging them to persist through challenges and setbacks. This can also help students develop a deeper understanding of math concepts and build problem-solving skills. It’s been said that a true teacher’s classroom is one in which the teacher is mainly the facilitator and allows students to “take over” instruction. This should be the end goal for educators, while making sure that all students have a chance to partake in mathematical discourse. As students use higher order thinking questioning stems and refer to prior knowledge along with points main during instructional delivery, they will begin to thrive through grit as they develop conceptual understanding as a result of enhancing their understanding through productive struggle.
3. Emphasize individual effort over natural talent
Emphasizing individual effort over natural talent can help students see that success in math is not just about innate ability, but also about hard work and dedication. Praising students for their effort and persistence can help them develop a growth mindset and feel more confident in their ability to succeed in math. Although it is imperative to praise students who naturally “get” math, it is critical to help students overcome their fears through scaffolding them as they give their best efforts. Dweck found that teachers who focus on praising learners on their natural intellect versus hard work actually harms their motivation and performance. Teachers are the number one coach of every learner, and learners deserve the opportunity to overcome various fears of the mathematical learning experience by developing and cultivating grit with the support of their teachers.
4. Provide feedback that encourages growth
Feedback that encourages growth can help students see mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth, rather than as failures. Providing feedback that focuses on specific areas for improvement and provides actionable steps for improvement can help students develop grit by encouraging them to persist through challenges and work towards their goals. Dr. John Hattie references teacher feedback as one of the top teaching strategies that helps students achieve significant learning gains in the classroom.
Hence, providing timely feedback is critical for students as they use feedback to help them analyze their fears and push through towards academic success.
Conclusion
As an educational leader, as you cultivate grit in your math classroom, you can help your students overcome their fear of math and become more confident and successful learners. Encouraging a growth mindset, providing opportunities for productive struggle, emphasizing effort over talent, and providing feedback that encourages growth are all effective strategies for cultivating grit in your students. Never underestimate the power of a kind word, positive feedback, and being by your students’ side as they overcome their fears in the math class as they cultivate grit. You’ve got the power to make success happen for your students; choose to them conquer their fears through grit!
References:
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302-314.
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Join us on the Let's Get Gritty Podcast with Dr. India White. On this show, we will repeat a show from the Grit and Equity talks Podcast with Dr. India White, where we walk through the recently released NAEP data from the National Report Card and speak about moving the needle forward. Listen on Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/india-white3 #grit #equity #naep #drindiawhite #nctm #ncsm #bwxme #math #teachers #students
🌟 Just wrapped up an incredible G.R.I.T. Training session with the amazing leaders from Imagine Schools! 💪✨ We took a deep dive into the G.R.I.T. framework, and I can't wait to see the results unfold! 🚀🙌 #drindiawhite #grit #imagineschools #tedx #nctm #ncsm #bwxme 🎉 (I don’t own music copyright
Check out my Feb. 2025 Newsletter!
Thankful for Partnership and Recognition: A Shoutout to Dr. Matthew Joseph and X-Factor EDU Network I am incredibly thankful to partner with Dr. Matthew Joseph and the amazing leadership of the X-Factor EDU Network! It is truly an honor to collaborate with such a visionary leader who is dedicated to amplifying voices in education and creating spaces for impactful conversations. This month, I was deeply grateful to be mentioned in Dr. Joseph’s newsletter during Black History Month. His recognition means so much, not just for me, but for the work we are all doing to inspire and empower educators and students alike. You can check out the newsletter here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drmxj_stongertogether-activity-7291502796753809408-0zX3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAmqD2wBkz8Qc7EA0bvwxWyMJH2HykCUA-Y But beyond the shoutout, I’m even more excited about the opportunities ahead—including the chance to have a podcast on Dr. Joseph’s platform! Partnering with X-Factor EDU Network opens doors to share insights, engage in meaningful discussions, and continue championing grit, resilience, and equity in education. Thank you, Dr. Matthew Joseph, for your support, encouragement, and belief in this mission. Looking forward to what’s to come! 🚀 #StrongerTogether #GRIT #XFactorEDU #BlackHistoryMonth #EducationalLeadership #Thankful
Fired Up for FDLA/FAMTE Keynote: Let’s Build Grit Together! I’m beyond excited to take the stage as the keynote speaker at the FDLA/FAMTE Conference tomorrow! 🎤🔥 We’ll be diving deep into the power of G.R.I.T.—Great Resilience in Time—and how it transforms both educators and students. This opportunity means so much, and I’m grateful to everyone who has supported this journey. Grit isn’t just a concept; it’s a movement. It’s about growth mindset, resilience, self-efficacy, and time management, and it’s what drives success in the classroom and beyond. Let’s empower educators and students across the nation to push past obstacles and embrace productive struggle. Who’s ready to get gritty? 💪🏾 #Grit #DrIndiaWhite #TEDx #FDLA #FAMTE #Education #GrowthMindset
Had an Amazing Time at the Imagine Summit! I had a fantastic time speaking at the Imagine Summit on G.R.I.T.! 🙌🏽 We engaged in powerful breakout sessions, had meaningful discussions about NAEP data, and explored strategies to build **growth mindset, resilience, self-efficacy, and time management** in education. Thank you to everyone who participated and brought such great energy to the conversations! Let’s continue working together to bridge gaps and empower students through grit and perseverance. 💪🏽 #GRIT #ImagineSummit #Resilience #Education #GrowthMindset #EquityInEducation #drindiawhite
Building Grit in Teachers at the Imagine Leadership Summit I am beyond excited to be speaking at the Imagine Leadership Summit today, sharing insights on how we can build grit in teachers and empower them to foster resilience, self-efficacy, and growth in their students. 🌟 This summit is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with principals and education leaders who are committed to supporting and strengthening teachers. When we invest in teacher grit, we build stronger, more effective classrooms where students develop the perseverance to tackle challenges and achieve success. A huge thank you to the Imagine Summit leaders for this amazing opportunity! It’s an honor to be among such an outstanding lineup of speakers, including the incredible Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr. Join our sessions today and take GRIT with you—because when teachers grow in resilience, our students thrive! #GRIT #Teachers #Principals #DrIndiaWhite #NCTM #NCSM #ImagineSummit 😊
🌟 What an incredible time at the ICTM conference in Indiana! The lineup was amazing, and the energy was contagious! 🎉 Since I missed the snow back in Florida, I embraced it fully here and made my very first snow angel! ❄️ So grateful for the fun and gritty spirit of the ICTM rockstars! Huge thanks to Angela and every rockstar for this fantastic opportunity! 💙 #drindiawhite #grit #ictm25 #math #teachers #students #indiana #nctm #ncsm
✨ Today’s Grit training at Stockton Unified was absolutely amazing! We had a fantastic time connecting with friends and meeting some incredible rockstars in California. 🌟 I can’t wait to see how gritty Stockton becomes! Huge thanks to Andrew and the tribe for the opportunity to train your amazing leaders. Let’s all take grit with us as we move forward! 💪 #Grit #Leadership #StocktonUnified #drindiawhite #tedx #nctm #ncsm #nabse
🎊Super excited about this opportunity! Looking forward to connecting with these amazing leaders! 🥰🥳🎉 Please register below and let’s connect so we can bridge the achievement gap together! hashtag#drindiawhite hashtag#ncsm hashtag#grit hashtag#math hashtag#teachers