Math Professor how-to

How to Help a Student with Math Anxiety

Confidence improves performance.

Updated By the Career Education Institute Curriculum Team
Quick answer

Confidence improves performance. In short: listen; normalize; break, then complete the remaining steps below.

Step by step

  1. Listen to concerns.

  2. Normalize mistakes.

  3. Break problems into steps.

  4. Celebrate progress.

  5. Recommend tutoring.

  6. Check in regularly.

Safety reminders for math professors

  • Protect student privacy
  • Follow academic integrity rules
  • Maintain boundaries
  • Follow campus safety

Proof · Theorem · Lemma · Calculus · Linear algebra · Statistics: see the full math professor glossary.

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