2.2 Introduction
Because I don't know your level of math comfort, I am going to assume that you may share some
similarities with many students I have had in the past in that you may feel nervousness, fear,
trepidation and anxiety when you hear the word "math." Even though I am fairly certain you all
know how to calculate how much to tip a server at a restaurant, and know how much change you
would get when purchasing something; that somehow when a teacher in an institution says
"math," your sympathetic nervous system might activate.
Since I don't know what classes you all have taken yet, let's take a moment to review the
sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous systems are part of your autonomic nervous system (that is, the part of
your nervous system that functions automatically, without your conscious thought or effort).
Your autonomic nervous system regulates how fast your heart beats, how much melatonin to
release at 8:30pm, the digestion of your last meal, how sweaty you get, how dilated your pupils
are, etc.
Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system is also known as the "fight, flight, freeze, and fawn" system -- it
is the part of your autonomic nervous system that tends to activate when your body experiences
perceived danger. It tends to "speed up" the body to give it a burst of energy to deal with danger.
Have you experienced this? Your heart beats faster, your breathing rate increases, pupils dilate,
hormones release that help you run or fight faster and harder and lessen your sense of pain so if
you're injured, you will still be able to get out of danger.
This is a beautiful system that will help you if you are face to face with a wild animal who might
kill you! Alas, our sympathetic nervous system hasn't fully caught up with modern society, and
you may find that your sympathetic nervous system is activated when you "perceive danger"
even if it's not physically dangerous like a wild animal. Scenarios like your boss asking for a
meeting, your partner saying "we need to talk," a pop quiz, or a school exam, can all activate the
sympathetic nervous system. In the case of learning and school, the state of sympathetic nervous
system arousal is not the best place to be when you're trying to learn new information.
And, while the world and the educational institutions are evolving and changing, many of you
may have grown up in a school environment where you were punished, shamed, or singled out
for giving wrong answers in school, doing poorly on exams, and not knowing the correct
answers when called on. This might happen with many of your formative school subjects, but in
my experience, it seems to come out the worse with "math." Because humans are social creatures
and because children are incredibly vulnerable and entirely dependent on adults for their physical
survival; there is a part of you that might have "learned" that math is "scary" because you may
have been in a state of sympathetic nervous system arousal whenever you did math as a child. . .
, Indeed, I have often seen frozen panic ("freeze") on my student's faces, a look like they want to
run away ("flight"), and even a hard look like they wanted to punch something ("fight") when it
comes to math, or start engaging in behaviors to try to please someone (often an authority figure)
("fawn") . . . Again, the state of "fight, flight, freeze, fawn" is great if you need to lift a car off a
trapped baby, fight a wild bear, or stay still and quiet when there is danger present; but it is not a
great place to be when you are trying to learn academic subjects.
Parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system, in contrast to the sympathetic nervous system, is also
known as the "rest and digest" system. This is the system that tends to slow down the heart rate,
constrict pupils, activate slow, and relaxed breathing. The parasympathetic nervous system
supports long-term immune function, tissue repair, and digestion and extraction of nutrients in
food. This relaxed state is also a better state to be in when you're learning academic subjects.
The activation of the parasympathetic nervous system is where I would like you to be most of the
time for this class. I would like for you to be relaxed and calm, just not so "relaxed" that you are
bored and melt into a blob. I want you alert enough to stay centered and focused and relaxed
enough so that your internal resources can go to learning instead of panicking!
2.3 Introduction
We started off this module by discussing the sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous system
because one thing I noticed about some of my students is that they seemed to be in a constant
state of sympathetic nervous system response whenever "math" came up.
The next thing I'd like to talk about is something else I've noticed about my "math nervous"
students. That is, the thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that might come up automatically.
Internal Monologue and Self Talk
Have you ever noticed if you have an internal monologue? Some books have referred to it as
"self talk" or "inner conversations." Essentially it's an internal voice that you might have a
conversation with. You might consider your thoughts, and it might sound something like: "Where
did I put my phone? I think it might be in the bedroom. No, I don't see it. Is it in my purse? No.
Hmm. I hope I didn't forget it at my dad's. I'll text him and ask him if I left it there. OOOF! I
can't text him because I don't have my phone! Should I email him from my laptop? Nah, I'll just
drive by and hope he is home."
An internal conversation happens much more quickly than an external conversation, so you may
never have noticed them! They also sometimes happen in a way that you aren't aware of, but
now that you know they exist, you might notice them happening. They may happen in English,
they may happen in your native language, or they might not be in any earthly language since it's
Because I don't know your level of math comfort, I am going to assume that you may share some
similarities with many students I have had in the past in that you may feel nervousness, fear,
trepidation and anxiety when you hear the word "math." Even though I am fairly certain you all
know how to calculate how much to tip a server at a restaurant, and know how much change you
would get when purchasing something; that somehow when a teacher in an institution says
"math," your sympathetic nervous system might activate.
Since I don't know what classes you all have taken yet, let's take a moment to review the
sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous systems are part of your autonomic nervous system (that is, the part of
your nervous system that functions automatically, without your conscious thought or effort).
Your autonomic nervous system regulates how fast your heart beats, how much melatonin to
release at 8:30pm, the digestion of your last meal, how sweaty you get, how dilated your pupils
are, etc.
Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system is also known as the "fight, flight, freeze, and fawn" system -- it
is the part of your autonomic nervous system that tends to activate when your body experiences
perceived danger. It tends to "speed up" the body to give it a burst of energy to deal with danger.
Have you experienced this? Your heart beats faster, your breathing rate increases, pupils dilate,
hormones release that help you run or fight faster and harder and lessen your sense of pain so if
you're injured, you will still be able to get out of danger.
This is a beautiful system that will help you if you are face to face with a wild animal who might
kill you! Alas, our sympathetic nervous system hasn't fully caught up with modern society, and
you may find that your sympathetic nervous system is activated when you "perceive danger"
even if it's not physically dangerous like a wild animal. Scenarios like your boss asking for a
meeting, your partner saying "we need to talk," a pop quiz, or a school exam, can all activate the
sympathetic nervous system. In the case of learning and school, the state of sympathetic nervous
system arousal is not the best place to be when you're trying to learn new information.
And, while the world and the educational institutions are evolving and changing, many of you
may have grown up in a school environment where you were punished, shamed, or singled out
for giving wrong answers in school, doing poorly on exams, and not knowing the correct
answers when called on. This might happen with many of your formative school subjects, but in
my experience, it seems to come out the worse with "math." Because humans are social creatures
and because children are incredibly vulnerable and entirely dependent on adults for their physical
survival; there is a part of you that might have "learned" that math is "scary" because you may
have been in a state of sympathetic nervous system arousal whenever you did math as a child. . .
, Indeed, I have often seen frozen panic ("freeze") on my student's faces, a look like they want to
run away ("flight"), and even a hard look like they wanted to punch something ("fight") when it
comes to math, or start engaging in behaviors to try to please someone (often an authority figure)
("fawn") . . . Again, the state of "fight, flight, freeze, fawn" is great if you need to lift a car off a
trapped baby, fight a wild bear, or stay still and quiet when there is danger present; but it is not a
great place to be when you are trying to learn academic subjects.
Parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system, in contrast to the sympathetic nervous system, is also
known as the "rest and digest" system. This is the system that tends to slow down the heart rate,
constrict pupils, activate slow, and relaxed breathing. The parasympathetic nervous system
supports long-term immune function, tissue repair, and digestion and extraction of nutrients in
food. This relaxed state is also a better state to be in when you're learning academic subjects.
The activation of the parasympathetic nervous system is where I would like you to be most of the
time for this class. I would like for you to be relaxed and calm, just not so "relaxed" that you are
bored and melt into a blob. I want you alert enough to stay centered and focused and relaxed
enough so that your internal resources can go to learning instead of panicking!
2.3 Introduction
We started off this module by discussing the sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous system
because one thing I noticed about some of my students is that they seemed to be in a constant
state of sympathetic nervous system response whenever "math" came up.
The next thing I'd like to talk about is something else I've noticed about my "math nervous"
students. That is, the thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that might come up automatically.
Internal Monologue and Self Talk
Have you ever noticed if you have an internal monologue? Some books have referred to it as
"self talk" or "inner conversations." Essentially it's an internal voice that you might have a
conversation with. You might consider your thoughts, and it might sound something like: "Where
did I put my phone? I think it might be in the bedroom. No, I don't see it. Is it in my purse? No.
Hmm. I hope I didn't forget it at my dad's. I'll text him and ask him if I left it there. OOOF! I
can't text him because I don't have my phone! Should I email him from my laptop? Nah, I'll just
drive by and hope he is home."
An internal conversation happens much more quickly than an external conversation, so you may
never have noticed them! They also sometimes happen in a way that you aren't aware of, but
now that you know they exist, you might notice them happening. They may happen in English,
they may happen in your native language, or they might not be in any earthly language since it's
