Teacher wants to support students with test anxiety

Q: I teach high school math, and while test anxiety is nothing new, it feels like more and more of my students these days are incapable of managing it. It shows up in all kinds of ways. Some students burst into tears before a test. Some skip class on test days if they feel unprepared. Many of them cheat. Some will ask me a thousand questions in the days leading up to a test in an attempt to figure out what I plan to include. None of this is new, but the cumulative anxiety is more palpable in recent years. I know I can’t “make” a student relax, but I want to do what I can to help them stay calm and do their best work. Plus, I can’t imagine they’re able to learn or retain much information when they’re in this stressed-out state. What can I do to help them? 

 A: I can tell you’re a thoughtful teacher by your question. You recognize that anxiety can manifest in different ways, and you understand that test anxiety is more complex than blowing out a candle. Plus, different students get stressed for different reasons. For instance, while some may be worried about long-term implications (i.e., college admissions), others may be worried about disappointing or angering parents. Some may not even know why they’re freaking out. What can you do? First, name the elephant in the room. Acknowledge students’ stress and initiate a conversation about how they might manage it more productively. Help them understand that not all stress is bad; for instance, a little stress can provide the motivation to study. Along those lines, remind them that they can ease their anxiety by developing a plan, such as seeking extra help from you in the days before the exam, studying with classmates, or doing extra practice problems. Talk about test-taking strategies, such as time management, reading questions carefully, and skipping tough problems and returning to them later. Research shows that practicing in performance conditions can help, too, so you could try giving them mock, timed tests in class and reviewing the answers together afterward.

You have an opportunity to do much more than teach them math — you can help them learn how to cope with stress and recover when they stumble.