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Math Therapy™
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Math Therapy™
5 Steps to Help Your Students Overcome Math Trauma and Build a Better Relationship With Math

Foreword by Jo Boaler



August 2024 | 320 pages | Corwin

Anything is possible – even building a better relationship with math!

This is much more than a book about math. This is a book about hope. Imagine failing 11th grade math – twice! – and going on to be known affectionately as The Lady Gaga of Math. That is the story of author Vanessa “The Math Guru” Vakharia.  Thanks to an inspiring teacher who helped Vanessa heal her own relationship with math, Vanessa was then able to see math in a way that literally changed the trajectory of her life. 

Most people have experienced math trauma at least once, but by early-mid elementary school, many students have gotten the message that either they are a math person or they are not. In Math Therapy™, Vanessa shows that with the right tools and strategies, teachers can foster a culture in which every student is capable of building a better relationship with math – and with themselves.

Through the five M’s of Math Therapy™—Mythbust, Moderate, Motivate, Makeover, and Measure—teachers can help their students overcome math trauma, cultivate a positive math identity, and develop a mathematical mindset.

Written in a fun and conversational style, and grounded in research on math education and neuropsychology, this book 

  • Provides practical, hands-on strategies and tools that make it easy and fun for teachers to implement each step of Math Therapy™ in their classroom
  • Helps teachers unpack their own math history before diving in to what they can do to help their students
  • Addresses the trauma-induced stumbling blocks that many students face when tackling mathematics
    Includes humorous and engaging real-life vignettes—from celebrating Pi Day by visiting a prison, to setting off a confetti cannon to celebrate a student’s milestone, to the time Vanessa's band opened for Bon Jovi, and more! 

Much more than a book about helping students kick butt in math class, this book is about empowering students to develop the skills they need to live a life in which they truly believe that anything is possible, even a better relationship with math!

 


 
Foreword by Jo Boaler
 
Preface: Anything Is Possible (Yes, Even Math)
 
Chapter 1: What is Math Trauma Anyway?
 
Chapter 2: What IS Math Therapy?
 
Chapter 3: Math Therapy Step 1: Mythbust Mindsets
 
Chapter 4: Math Therapy Step 2: Moderate out Math Trauma
 
Chapter 5: Math Therapy Step 3: Motivate Your Students
 
Chapter 6: Math Therapy Step 4: Makeover Math Identities
 
Chapter 7: Math Therapy Step 5: Measure Progress
 
Chapter 8: So Now What?
 
Appendix 1
 
References

Math class is so much more than teaching math. I have learned a great deal about my students by asking about their math stories, which for some include anxiety from past math experiences. In this book, Vanessa aligns our values to concrete strategies to help everyone see that they are a math person.

Howie Hua
Fresno State
Fresno, CA

She is not called “The Math Guru” for no reason! Vakharia does a fabulous job of providing specific examples of how to address math trauma, as well as activities and examples of what teachers can do each and every day to ensure this doesn’t continue to happen in our classrooms. Her quick wit and strong voice make you feel that you are right there having a conversation with her, and this is a book you will not be able to put down!

Kristin Kanaskie Grotewold
Iowa Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Urbandale, IA

This book is a healing gift to math education. Vanessa walks you through how to help students (and yourself) heal their relationship with math. The stories alone are a masterclass in inviting students to (metaphorically) sit on her pink velvet couch and transform the way they see themselves in relation to math, and beyond.

Liesl McConchie
Math With the Brain in Mind
San Diego, CA

This book is a valuable and engaging resource for mathematics teachers to counter the pervasive mathematics trauma that exists within so many in our society. By healing, students can come to see that we are all mathematics people and that the ability to excel in this discipline lies inside them.

Lidia Gonzalez
York College, City University of New York (CUNY)
New York, NY

Math Therapy™ provides teachers with the tools to humanize their classrooms and help all students rediscover their inherent connection to mathematics. Educators reading this book will discover tools and strategies to talk to young mathematicians in a way that empowers them to take back their mathematical identity. Ultimately, everyone will feel validated by following the strategies of Math Therapy™.

Jamie Mitchell
Halton District School Board
Ontario, Canada

Vanessa’s book sheds light on the anxiety present in many math classrooms and provides concrete and easy-to-implement strategies for engaging students in mathematical reflections and building a positive math identity. Everyone who teaches math, at any grade, should read this book.

Ana Maria Estela
Trinity School
New York, NY

This book fights back against the notion that there’s such a thing as a “math person” and challenges readers to eliminate any sort of limiting beliefs we have about ourselves. Vakharia breaks down everything wrong with the education system. Every educator needs to pick up this book to learn how we can repair this next generation of humans’ relationship with math!

Kyne Santos
Ontario, Canada

Math Therapy™ is more than a guide to mathematical competence—it’s a transformative journey toward emotional well-being and intellectual freedom. Vakharia demystifies math, turning it from a daunting subject into a path of discovery and growth. Essential for educators and anyone eager to embrace math’s beauty without fear or frustration.

Kaitlyn Baptist
Ontario, Canada
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