Substitute Play-based Practice for Math Anxiety

Purpose & objective

Objective: To highlight elements of traditional classrooms rarely considered or discussed that put children in learned helpless conditions where anxiety, depression and avoidance of school work are natural outcomes. Then introduce a continuum of strategies that reduce and eliminate helpless conditions.

Google docs and Book Creator ebooks will be used.

Participants will use the progression details guide document and ebook focusing on a math standard. They will play the game.

Participants will leave with an understanding of situations that put students in helpless conditions. They will have alternative practices they can employ to create a learning environment without those conditions.

Outline

Participants are taken to an imaginary situation where they can relate to learned helplessness. (5 min)
Participants share thoughts, feelings, actions they would consider etc. (5 min)
Participants consider situations and frequency of children experiencing helplessness in their classroom. (5 min)
Present the elements that set up learning environments where helplessness is a common occurrence. (5 min)
Present graduated alternatives that progress from reduction to elimination of helplessness. (5 min)
Participants explore a self-directed ebook and progression details guide. (10 min)
Participants play a math game explained in the ebook. (15 min)
Discussion about the self-directed play based experience (10 min)

Supporting research

Yates, S. (2009). Teacher identification of student learned helplessness in mathematics. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 21(3), 86–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217554
Akca, F. (2011). The relationship between test anxiety and learned helplessness. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 39(1), 101–111. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2011.39.1.101
Maier, S. F., & Seligman, M. E. (1976). Learned helplessness: Theory and evidence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 105(1), 3–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.105.1.3
Gray, P. (2013). Free to learn: Why unleashing the instinct to play will make our children happier, more self-reliant, and better students for life (pp. xii, 274). Basic Books/Hachette Book Group.
Gray, P. (2011). The Decline of Play and the Rise of Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents. American Journal of Play, 3(4), 443–463.
de Freitas, S. (2018). Are Games Effective Learning Tools? A Review of Educational Games. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(2), 74–84.
Luttenberger S, Wimmer S, Paechter M. Spotlight on math anxiety. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2018;11:311-322 https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S141421