The new revolution: freedom from maths anxiety!

DATE:         Tuesday, 9th September 2025
TIME:          7pm - 8pm
VENUE:      Online Via Zoom

Target Audience: In-service and pre-service primary school teachers, primary school support staff.

In collaboration with the Mathematical Resilience Network (MRN) Ireland and Mary Immaculate College, this webinar introduces pre-service and in-service primary school teachers to the roots and impact of mathematics anxiety. The session explores how maths anxiety develops in primary school, and looks at the role of the teacher, parent and learner. 

Learning outcomes:

Having attended this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the causes and manifestation of maths anxiety in both students and adults, including teachers and parents
• Recognise how maths anxiety impacts student learning, confidence, classroom participation, and family attitudes.
• Reflect on their own experiences with maths to understand how personal beliefs may influence their teaching.
• Identify early signs of maths anxiety in young learners through behaviours, language, and performance patterns.
• Begin to explain the foundational principles of a supportive maths learning environment that helps reduce anxiety and build positive student attitudes towards maths.
• Begin to communicate effectively with parents about maths anxiety, providing guidance and reassurance to help them support their child's maths learning with confidence.

Presenters:

Dr Maria Ryanis a lecturer in Business at Mary Immaculate College, School of Post Primary Education, and has taught service mathematics in Higher Education for over 25 years. Maria’s research explores mathematics anxiety among adults and the use of life story to understand mathematics anxiety. Maria delivers maths anxiety awareness training to pre-service and in-service teachers across education sectors. She is co-chair of the Mathematical Resilience Network (MRN) Ireland.

Associate Prof. Sue Johnston-Wilder is an associate professor of Maths Education at the University of Warwick and a Coach for Mathematical Resilience. Her background is secondary maths teaching, teacher development, curriculum development, mentoring and coaching. She specialises in addressing maths anxiety and has co-developed the Mathematical Resilience framework. She is a co-founder of the international Mathematical Resilience Network.

Dr Janet Baker is a consultant and tutor for mathematics resilience. Her experience as a teacher, lecturer, researcher, and tutor prompted her to research approaches to address existing mathematics anxiety through psychological techniques. Her aim is to enable all learners to learn mathematics effectively.

Dr Rosemary Russell taught mathematics for many years; her expertise is parental engagement with mathematics. Her PhD, Parents Helping Their Children with Mathematics (University of Bristol, 2002) explored how parents impact their children’s mathematical learning. She has had several books and articles published on this subject. Rosemary helps parents nurture mathematical resilience in their children; she also trains primary teachers on how to support parents as they do this. Her latest book, Help Your Child Do Maths Even If You Don’t, has been translated into Welsh, Portuguese, French and Spanish.