Why do Students Struggle with Math?

Common Reasons for Children’s Trouble with Math:

• Dyscalculia 

 A learning difficulty that causes students to struggle with formulas and shapes, which makes it difficult for them to process and understand problems

• Math Anxiety 

Students with math anxiety don’t simply dislike math, for them, math can cause a feeling of fear which can hinder their ability to perform. 

• Poor Foundation 

These students may have fallen behind in a unit or moved on to advanced material before they were ready, leading to failing grades. Once fallen behind, it can be very difficult to make sense of advanced concepts without foundational knowledge.

• Students Expect Math to be Hard 

This is a simple case of the “self-fulfilling prophecy,” students expect math to be difficult and so it is. When children expect math to be difficult, they can be quicker to give up when they come to a topic that they don’t understand. This negative mindset can lead to poor performance.

• Putting Memorization Ahead of Understanding

For many students, math is all about memorizing concepts without truly understanding them. This may work for a short time, but as students progress they will begin to find that they don’t know how to solve problems because they lack the problem-solving skills needed to tackle them.

Mastering math can take a lot of effort, but with the proper skills, support team, and practice, it doesn’t have to be difficult!