Chalk & Talk

Ep 17. Do timed tests cause math anxiety? with Robin Codding

Olivier Chabot's AI podcast notes
AI-generated based on their snips

1. The relationship between math achievement and math anxiety is bidirectional, with higher math anxiety associated with lower math achievement and vice versa. Early poor math performance may have a stronger impact on later math anxiety.
2. Timed tests provide critical information on students' mastery of key skills and concepts. Rate-based metrics are more reliable indicators of students' instructional levels than accuracy alone. Timed tests are necessary to assess students' fluency skills.
3. Teachers should include time for practice in their daily routine in the classroom. Timed activities have strong evidence for building fluency in mathematics. Assessment of students should be done to identify risk status and monitor progress, not excessively.
4. Fluency in math can be built before conceptual understanding and can lead to better outcomes. The iterative approach, combining conceptual and procedural learning, is the most effective. Prioritizing conceptual learning over fluency is not necessary.
5. Different types of practice, including guided practice, isolated practice, cumulative practice, and game-based practice, should be incorporated based on the students' learning stage. Timed practice should only be done when the student is already 90% accurate. The focus should be on well-constructed practice tailored to the students' needs.
6. Clear communication of expectations and task durations reduces students' math anxiety. Lack of control over a situation causes stress.
7. Therapeutic interventions like relaxation and cognitive behavioral therapy can mitigate math anxiety but do not address math achievement. Skill-building interventions such as tutoring and computer-assisted interventions have a small significant effect on math anxiety and a moderate to large effect on math achievement.
8. The effectiveness of productive struggle, a technique where students are allowed to struggle instead of receiving direct instruction, lacks supporting data and may cause anxiety and widen achievement gaps. Scaffolding and explicit instruction are recommended for effective learning of complex problems.

Highlights created by Olivier Chabot

The Relationship Between Math Achievement and Math Anxiety: Unidirectional or Bidirectional?

08:38 • 1min

Rate of performance is important to assess. Timed tests are more predictive of achievement

14:43 • 1min

Including Time to Practice as Part of the Routine: Evidence for Building Fluency in Mathematics

17:21 • 2min

The understanding can come after fluency.

22:41 • 1min

When to use what type of practice.

26:45 • 3min

Tell students how long they have to complete a complex task.

34:35 • 50sec

Comparing therapeutic and skill-building interventions for math anxiety.

38:33 • 2min

Widening Achievement Gaps: The Impact of Introducing Complex Problems Too Early in Math Instruction

42:33 • 4min