End of Year Exam - Fight or flight

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Term 4 is the time when we pull everything together and students prepare for end of year exams. Exams can cause anxiety. Maths anxiety simply compounds this.

Its time to stop the clock on maths anxiety - read the latest research on Youcubed

https://www.youcubed.org/resources/time-stop-clock-math-anxiety-heres-latest-research/

Is Maths Anxiety Real? adapted from http://study.com/academy/lesson/causes-effects-of-math-anxiety.html 

Does just hearing the word 'maths' make your heart race and your palms sweaty? 
Does  maths anxiety  exists. 
Many scientists believe maths anxiety is a very real condition. It can be defined as emotion including stress and tension that interfere with a student's ability to solve maths problem


http://mathematicsanxiety.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/where-does-math-anxiety-in-preservice.html

Causes of Maths Anxiety

Test anxiety is the impending feeling that you will or are failing an exam, and often leads to poor results
Maths classes often exacerbate this condition because students sit a lot of tests during the year.  
Causes for anxiety include:
  • Prior  maths experiences - Anxiety is often cumulative, and pupils may look back at a frustrating experience learning maths or even from parents
  • Timed tests - Maths tests tend to put a lot of material into little time, and this perceived pressure can lead to further emotional and physical stress.
  • Risk of public embarrassment - Who doesn't cringe at the thought of being publicly embarrassed?

 
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSWeSefJ3Gu7H7M1Oi79yib04JqcX2TO0jJ_lwn83vpUqslyPKkgg


This  PDF has strategies that you could use in class to help guide students in revision and exam taking
Revision can be more effective when done in short bursts of a longer period of time and help reduce aanxiety.



The following 3 activities can be found on this blendspace (you may have to sign in to TES to see)
  1. Linear graph Treasure Hunt
  2. Quadratic graph Treasure hunt 
  3. Evaluate algebraic expressions : Always sometimes Never

Transum.org activities
  1. Transum.org Algebra matching   Algebra Choice   Expanding and Factorising
  2. Solving Equations : starts at Level 1 and goes to Level 5 (not NZC levels)
  3. Algebra in action, lots of short word problems at different levels

From Don Steward's blog, Median,  to help clarify common algebraic misconceptions
  1. Spot the error
  2. Find the incorrect simplification
  3. Matching symbols and words 



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