Math Therapy™: 5 Steps to Help Your Students Overcome Math Trauma and Build a Better Relationship With Math(Corwin Mathematics Series)

About the Book

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!

 

Table of Contents:
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

About the Author :
Known as the Lady Gaga of math education, Vanessa is the founder and director of The Math Guru, a super cool boutique math & science tutoring studio in Toronto that′s changing stereotypes about what math education looks like. She is also the host of the Math Therapy podcast, author of the Math Hacks Scholastic book series, and lead singer/keytarist for rock band Goodnight Sunrise. She has her Bachelor of Commerce, Teaching Degree, and Masters of Math Education. She appears regularly on national television and news outlets as an expert in math education and math positivity, and her #goals are to be are to be Oprah-level-famous and to totally change math culture so that STEM is finally as cool as every single Taylor Swift song ever written. She failed Grade 11 math twice, which was the best thing that ever happened to her.

Review :
Vanessa is a rock star—both literally and as a math educator—and her book will help you understand the origins of math trauma and its practical solutions. Now is the time and this is the book to help your students develop a new relationship with mathematics and create a new story about themselves as mathematicians. In Math Therapy™, Vakharia delivers a powerful message wrapped in warmth and practicality. As someone deeply entrenched in the world of mathematics, I appreciate how she seamlessly weaves personal anecdotes with actionable advice. Her call for educators to embrace the role of math therapists resonates deeply with the ICUCARE framework, making this book not just important but essential reading for anyone invested in equitable math education. In her rousing and radiantly witty style, Vanessa Vakharia offers extremely practical advice for schoolteachers willing to accept that a student’s emotional relationship with math is vitally important. This book is a gift to society. For too long, many people have believed that they are not "a math person" when the reality is that this belief says much more about how they learned math than about themself. Vanessa’s book helps normalize these feelings, unpacks why the trauma has happened, presents a plan for healing the trauma, and paints a picture of what’s possible. This is the perfect book for anyone who thinks that they’re not good at math or don’t belong in mathematics. Vakharia has already been sounding the alarm about the very real trauma that so many experience in math class. Now she’s put her therapeutic knowhow into Math Therapy™, a book to help cure math trauma—or better yet, not inflict it in the first place! I feel seen, as I know many will, in this book and WOW . . . I can read it. I’m tired of heavy academic language just to sound smart. Vanessa Vakharia is smart AND I can follow what’s going on!! I love it. Vakharia makes math an inclusive adventure. Drawing from her own experiences, she offers tangible, transformative steps to mend our uneasy relationship with math. Told in an unforgettable voice, this timely book is a beacon for educators committed to revolutionizing the math experience for all. If you are interested in your students examining and rebuilding their existing relationships with mathematics, then this book is for you! Vanessa offers a clear path for educators to help motivate their students to makeover their connection to math and math class. Not only will you know how to better help your students build a positive math identity, but you’ll also have the best time engaging with this joy-filled book! Math Therapy™ is the book many educators didn’t know they needed. The words of inspiration and practical strategies between these pages will change lives. Whether you believe you are a "math person" or not, this book will be a game-changer to help you heal and help others around you heal. It will become a guide for rewriting our collective math narrative. As someone who hated math when I was a student and during my first few years as a teacher, I can attest to the power of addressing past traumas and developing a fresh and healthy relationship with mathematics. Vanessa’s book is full of useful strategies and tips to help you shift your mindset about math and give you more confidence as a classroom teacher. It’s a must-read for any teacher who has a less-than-favorable view of mathematics. 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. 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! 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. 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. 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™. 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. 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! 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.