About test anxiety and "productive disposition":

1) Yes, conceptual understanding removes a lot of it.  When people
understand number relationships, the fear subsides.

What is it that adults do not understand?
    > The true meaning of =    This is looked at as an operation rather than
a relationship because we say "makes" rather than "is".  There are studies
with student teachers documenting incorrect understanding of  =  .
    > The Part-Whole concept. This is the understanding that when I have 9,
I have 6 and 3 (or 5 and 2 and 2 or any other combination) in and with the 9
at the SAME TIME as I have the 9.
    This is the concept people are often missing when they have trouble with
fractions. The EMPower series talks about Part/Whole at the point that the
books introduce fractions. The concept needs to be brought in much earlier.
    Based on my work with Part/Whole thinking in math, I am hypothesizing
that about 20% of adults (across all educational levels) lack a firm grasp
of the Part/Whole concept. I have found a much higher percentage with the
GED and ABE/ASE math students I have worked with.

2) Countering performance anxiety (which is what test fear is) has received
a lot of attention in the performing arts. As a former piano teacher who
prepared students for competitions, I always used conscious relaxation (to
improve blood flow to the brain) and visualization of success (thinking
about the event and seeing yourself walk through it and come out with a good
result) beginning weeks before a contest. Try this as part of your test
preparation.

Melvin - My comments about Part/Whole concept are based on work by Les
Steffe (emeritus of the University of Georgia) and others. There may be
other developmental concepts besides Part/Whole that your "dyscalculia"
students missed somewhere along the line. Can you give a description of the
specific things your students seem unable to do? (I'm assuming your students
are of normal mental development and have not had traumatic brain injury.)

Dorothea Steinke
NumberWorks
300 Center Drive Suite G186
Superior, Colorado 80027
  -----Original Message-----
  From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Melvin Rice
  Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 10:48 AM
  To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
  Subject: [SpecialTopics 695] Re: Productive disposition




  >>> "Lynda Ginsburg" <ginsburg at rci.rutgers.edu> 9/18/2007 9:30 PM >>>
  Lenny, Pam and David,

  I agree that many adults are anxious about math, and it often has to do
  with tests. Lenny, your strategy of practicing for the test situation
  until some of the fear subsided seems to have worked well.

  In addition to anxiety there may be the possibility of a math specific
learning disability. I read an interesting article in the NCSALL publication
"Focus on Basics" on a condition called Dyscalculia. The article is
available on line at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=325 . According to the
article there are some specific signs of this condition, many of which I
have seen in a couple of my students.

  Melvin

  Melvin Rice
  ABE Instructor
  Kansas City Kansas Community College
  melvinr at kckcc.edu
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