RAFT Hands-On Education

What can cause math anxiety among students? Research shows an imposing authority figure, the risk of public embarrassment, and time deadlines (e.g. the pressure of timed tests) often cause math anxiety and unproductive tension among students. Students may not see relevance for knowing mathematics in their lives. Some teachers who do not understand much about math impose fear on students to prevent them from asking questions which might expose the teacher's ignorance. Math is often related with frustration --- students make negative associations with numbers from seeing adults with unpaid bills, unforeseen debts, overdrawn checkbooks, or other money experiences. What can be done to reduce math anxiety? Design classrooms to make students feel more successful. Students need a high level of success or a level of failure that they can tolerate. Incorrect responses must be handled in a positive way to encourage student participation and enhance student confidence. Studen...

Students do best when they are actively engaged in hands-on learning in a classroom environment that fosters social and emotional well-being.  RAFT joins hands with Stanford's Cleo Eulau Center Resilience Consultant, Lisa Medoff, Ph.D., and EnCorps to share ideas and thoughts on how new teachers can best prepare for success in the classroom and in their professional careers.  Teachers are given many ideas on how to foster resilience, to create positive classroom and school communities, and how to promote emotional and social competence.  Motivating students involves preparing goals, addressing communication, engagement, and identifying a positive sense of self.  Hands-on learning benefits students (and teachers) by addressing these concerns through collaborative groupwork, team building, multilevel interactions, active listening and risk taking, engagement, communication and organizational skill building.  These skills promote a positive environme...