Why Struggle and Joy Belong Together in Maths: Reflections from a Parent Workshop

Dover Court International School was delighted to welcome Dr Jennifer Chang Wathall, an internationally recognised author, educator and consultant, for a week of collaboration with our Primary Academic Team, school leaders, teachers and students. Through classroom coaching, professional learning sessions, and a parent workshop, Dr Wathall's visit supported our ongoing work in concept-based mathematics, helping children build confidence, develop deep understanding, and experience the creativity, joy, and challenge that underpin meaningful mathematics learning.

As part of her visit, Dr Wathall also led a parent workshop exploring maths anxiety, mathematical confidence and the important role families play in supporting children's learning at home. Following the session, she shared the reflections below with our parent community, offering practical insights into how families can support children's confidence and enjoyment in mathematics.

Why Struggle and Joy Belong Together in Maths: Reflections from a Parent Workshop

By Dr Jennifer Chang Wathall

It was such a privilege to connect with parents from Dover Court International School on Wednesday, September 23rd. During the workshop I started with a question: What was your experience of learning mathematics at school? Some parents shared positive memories: a teacher who made it all click, the satisfaction of solving a problem, or simply enjoying numbers. For others, the memories were not so positive. Several parents described learning maths as "a nightmare" and unfortunately experienced other negative emotions such as anxiety and frustration. Whether positive or negative, almost every story carried strong feelings.

Those feelings matter. Research by Johnston-Wilder, Brindley and Dent (2014) found that 48% of young adults in work apprenticeships experience maths anxiety. Zhang, Zhao and Kong (2019) identified a robust link between maths anxiety and lower performance. Anxiety leads to avoidance, avoidance leads to poor preparation, and poor performance confirms the anxiety. Jo Boaler notes that maths anxiety activates the same part of the brain that responds to snakes or spiders. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy reminds us that our thoughts and feelings drive our behaviour, so a belief like "I'm just not a maths person" shapes how we respond when maths learning is challenging. Children can pick up our feelings about maths through our words, our tone and even a sigh at the kitchen table. So, as parents, we need to be very mindful of the language we use with our children, so that we don't pass on our own negative experiences and attitudes.

Low Threshold, High Ceiling

The best way for parents to understand mathematics learning that focuses on deep understanding was for parents to experience it for themselves. In randomly formed groups and standing at vertical whiteboards with one marker per group, parents looked at a simple image of six dots and asked: How many dots? How do you see them?

Everyone could start because anyone can count six dots. But the ceiling was very high. The dots could be seen as three pairs, two groups of three, four plus two, or 2 × 3, while some parents zoomed out of the picture and noticed nine groups of six dots. That opened up conversations about multiplication, symmetry, commutativity and representation. After a gallery walk around the room, groups added new ideas to their posters. The range of thinking was remarkable, and the energy in the room was full of joy, exactly how we would like our children to experience maths learning.

What This Means at Home

Concept-based mathematics is about noticing patterns and generalising, fostering creativity, appreciating the beauty of mathematics, understanding why and connecting ideas. As Arthur Benjamin puts it, maths is not just solving for x but also figuring out why.

My invitation to parents is simple. When your child is stuck, resist giving the answer. Ask, "How do you see it and what makes you say that?" Celebrate mistakes as brain growth, and let your child hear you enjoy a puzzle. When struggle feels safe, joy follows.

About the Author

Dr Jennifer Chang Wathall is an educator, curriculum designer, author and keynote speaker. She works with schools around the world to help teachers and families develop deep conceptual understanding in mathematics. Jennifer wrote Concept-Based Mathematics: Teaching for Deep Understanding in Secondary Classrooms (Corwin), which has a foreword by H. Lynn Erickson. She also writes IB Mathematics textbooks and speaks widely on concept-based learning and the thoughtful use of AI in education. Her work is built on the belief that every learner can experience the joy, beauty and creativity of mathematics. You can find out more at www.jenniferchangwathall.com.

A Week of Collaboration and Learning

We would like to thank Dr Wathall for her expertise, generosity and partnership throughout her time at Dover Court. Her visit gave our students, staff, and families valuable opportunities to reflect on mathematics teaching and learning, sparking important conversations about confidence, curiosity, and deep understanding. Reflecting on her time at Dover Court, Dr Wathall shared:

"What an amazing week of collaboration and learning! It was such a privilege to be able to co-teach with amazing, dedicated and passionate teachers who were so open and willing to grow and learn. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity. I am sure you could tell I enjoyed every minute being in classrooms, and Dover Court has such a beautiful community of children and staff."

These conversations continue to shape our approach to mathematics, as we create learning experiences that encourage every child to think deeply, embrace challenge and develop a genuine love of learning. By working closely with families, we aim to help students build confidence in maths, develop resilience and discover the joy of mathematical thinking both in school and at home.