Math Trauma in Teachers and Parents
“Maths trauma in teachers and parents contributes to the difficulty in learning and teaching mathematics. It is estimated that one third of primary school teachers suffer from “Math Trauma”. It is NOT their fault.
When I was in primary school in the sixties, I was in the first cohort to use the textbooks adapted from the US New Math textbooks. I loved them. They were bright and clean and had “Extra for Experts”. I have talked to teachers who used the textbooks, and they also liked them, as they provided a backbone for what they were doing in class. But these days, textbooks are seen as counter-productive, so teachers create their own worksheets. Or get them from Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teachers. An advantage of textbooks, is that generally they are based on good practice, whereas the other sources are not curated.
I am in no way saying that all teachers should use textbooks all the time. I am saying that when a teacher is struggling, a good textbook can help. I believe a moderately good teaching method done well is preferable to a fantastic teaching method, done poorly.” from a post by Dr. Nic (Nicola Petty) on creativemaths blog.
Read more about math trauma at theconversation.com and Anxiety in Mathematics here