A recent study from the University of Chicago sheds new light on
the widespread, yet under-investigated, phenomenon of anxiety
surrounding math performance. Researchers found that students
reported feelings of fear and worry about math as early as first
grade and that this fear affected the performance of high-
achieving students disproportionately. Whereas a child with less
math ability might employ strategies such as finger-counting to
work through problems, gifted students rely more on their
extensive working memory—a cognitive process that is disrupted
when they feel anxiety. According to the study, about half of
high-achieving students experience medium to high levels of math
anxiety, typically setting their math achievement almost half a
school year behind their less anxious peers. There is, however,
some good news for parents and educators—math performance can
improve when gifted students are taught to regulate or reframe
their anxiety. The researchers suggest two methods of helping
children overcome th