Educators have categorized math anxiety into two categories; Type I (math aspect) and Type II (psychological aspect).

Type I math anxiety is caused by certain math symbols, concepts or terms which make mental blocks in the learning process. A child with this kind of anxiety tends to say "I used to be good in math, but I got lost in geometry and algebra”, or "I had a bad math teacher during my elementary years”. Oftentimes he will try to learn the lesson, but will not comprehend it - "I am sorry, but I tried”. A Type I child does not usually hate math or math teachers; in fact, he is enthusiastic to talk to math teachers who are willing to listen. Therefore, a compassionate and proficient math teacher can be of great help.

Type II math anxiety is triggered by socio-cultural factors. The myth that boys excel in math more than girls, or the phantom that math is stiff and hard and numb ignite these fears. The child tends to say, "I cannot do math”, or "Who needs math anyway?" or "I hate math, it sucks!" The child is likely to show illogical behavior toward math or mathematicians. He talks harshly about friends or relatives who are good in math and about pranks played on math teachers, who are hated passionately. It is almost inconceivable to get a Type II child to talk to a math teacher or to take him near a math class. Now a little bit of anxiety may actually be propitious, as in the case of a singer about to perform his first performance. It is when anxiety makes one ineffective to function that help is necessary.

Solving Math Anxiety:

The Type I student needs to grasp that building math skills is like constructing a house; If the foundation is not substantial, the top will cave in. The best way is to take review classes under an amiable and patient teacher. What can the teacher do? Recognize the source of anxiety and mitigate it. If, for example, the symbol % is causing anxiety, then the teacher should try to avoid using % until the student becomes cozy with it. This includes working with the student's communication abilities: graphs, written words, sounds, colors and others. Creativity is necessary. The teacher should also have more than one "teaching script" or approach for each lesson. If one topic is creating excessive stress, then deviating to another for the meantime may help. What can the parents do? They can help their children follow these particular steps:

· Make sure their children read their math homework before attending class.

· Teach them to jot down, underline, or outline the lesson's main points, key procedures, meanings, formulas, examples, solutions and proofs.

· Make sure they review their notes right after classes.

· At home, teach them to observe their assigned math readings before undertaking them in depth.

· Help the children review using different methods such as reciting aloud, writing and visualizing the lesson's important points.

· Help them work on at least ten new problems and five review problems during study sessions.

· Make sure they study math before their other subjects.

· Make sure they have short breaks every 20 to 40 minutes when they are studying math.

· Help them to finish their difficult math assignments.

· Ask them to reward themselves for having studied and concentrated.

· Do weekly and monthly reviews with your children.

The Type II student is harder to reach, for he has already full-blown math phobia. A math teacher alone may not be enough - a counselor or psychologist who can work with emotional troubles may be required. The aim here is to reduce the Type II student to Type I. The development of a math education is a must, and parents and teachers play a key role in this. Parents should share with their children the attitude that learning math is fun, that math entails real and significant problems and that a good foundation in math can lead to a successful career later on. It is only when math is viewed positively that the children consider it with curiosity, zest and aptitude.