From my high school years, I still carry that careless whisper from my classmates, "How I hate this hour", I wish the teacher didn't attend. This thinking, although not generalized, was that of the vast majority. Without saying much, they will know that they were referring to math time, or some subject related to it. Fear or disagreement about mathematics is something experienced by grandparents, parents and children at some point in their school life, but it is something innate in students or it is an unfounded fear, such as learned behavior. The fear of mathematical calculations, in its various areas, is a deep-rooted predisposition, sometimes due to teaching strategies and methods, authority figures, peers and sometimes our relatives. This phenomenon, which we will call "Matephobia" or fear of mathematics, is often based on factors in our family and school environment, factors that we have already mentioned.   

   Determining factors, regarding Mathephobia:

There are many aspects to consider to determine the general factors of this phenomenon:

• An authority figure (teacher, Parent, or Tutor) who is very demanding.

• Little explicit curriculum or strategies.

• Learning problems (dyslexia, dyscalculia... others).

• Eye sight problems.

There are many factors that can lead a student to use the famous phrase “I hate math”. In my experience during my junior high school years, the inquisitor executioner was my own family with allusions to you'll see when algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics come along. The experiences of higher level friendships also created a bond of fear which I was able to overcome, with the help of colleagues who guided me properly, in the art of numbers and to appreciate the results obtained

This is one of the dilemmas that I usually hear from parents or guardians at school meetings or social gatherings. As a father and teacher I have had to live at some point in my own flesh with one of my children, nephews or children of friends said dilemma. Although it seems somewhat difficult many times the solution to the problem is more than simple, I will mention some tics that could help you determine the trigger factor of fear or boredom when facing the subject:• Determine the “how, when and why? of the case in question. You just need to engage in a light dialogue where the child expresses his point of view of mathematics.• Be empathetic, show your child that you also felt fear at some point and tell him how you overcame it, be his hero.• Look for a playful approach (game to calculate), playing cards, dominoes, dice, chess boards, Parcheesi, can be a source of learning, "chess is a good resource for multiplication and plane coordinates."• Make him count the syllables when speaking and relate to the numbers around him, so that he sees that by playing he can master calculations.This can be applied to all grades and school levels, let's break the paradigm that represents Mathephobia.

“WE CAN LEARN BY PLAYING”