Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, Sue Johnston-Wilder, discusses the prevalence of anxiety in our maths classrooms.

A transcript (PDF) of this episode is available to download.

Show notes
Taking part in the discussion:

• Sue Johnston-Wilder, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Warwick and co-founder of the international Mathematical Resilience Network


• Rebecca Longworth, Communications Manager at the NCETM.

Episode chapters

• 01.06 – Introduction and background of Sue’s work


• 04.29 – The brain and maths anxiety


• 10.34 – Who does maths anxiety affect?


• 16.00 – What signs to look out for


• 18.11 – Tips for teachers


• 23.07 – Where can we learn more about maths anxiety? Final thoughts from Sue

Useful links

• A Toolkit for Teachers and Learners, Parents, Carers and Support Staff: Improving Mathematical Safeguarding and Building Resilience to Increase Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning Mathematics


• Overcoming Mathematical Helplessness and Developing Mathematical Resilience in Parents: An Illustrative Case Study


• Addressing Mathematics Anxiety: A Case Study in a High School in Brazil


• Dan Siegel's Hand Model of the Brain video (YouTube)


• Explore previous episodes of the NCETM podcast in our archive.

Background reading

• Siegel D (2011) Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation


• Benson H (2000) The Relaxation Response.