Building Math Confidence Through Visual Clarity

Research shows that visual learning can strengthen comprehension by reducing cognitive load and helping students form mental models that link symbols with underlying relationships.¹ Visual explanations are especially helpful when students need to see motion, change, or structure directly.

Short visuals can show:

• 🎥 How a function shifts or stretches
• 🎥 How rotation or movement works in trigonometry
  
• 🎥 How a limit behaves as values approach a point
  
• 🎥 How geometric relationships form, such as distance or midpoint
  
  
  

This gives students a strong foundation before they tackle notation or complete calculations.

The new JoVE Core: Math Fundamentals collection supports this approach by offering short, animated explanations that make introductory math concepts easier to understand. The collection spans algebra, coordinate geometry, trigonometry, analytic reasoning, sequences, series, and limits. This release begins a broader series designed to cover essential mathematics concepts that support STEM learning from the ground up. 

An inside look into the animation process behind the new JoVE video collection.

Many important areas of introductory mathematics become easier to understand when learners can watch them unfold. For students who feel anxious about math, as I often did, visual clarity can help reduce that pressure, which is known to interfere with working memory and performance.² 

Different topics benefit from visual explanation in different ways. Seeing the overall shape of a relationship or how quantities change together helps learners get a clearer sense of what a problem is asking before they work with symbols. In coordinate geometry, following how points and lines relate to one another on the plane can make spatial ideas more concrete than text alone.

Some topics depend on understanding rates, change over time, or how several variables influence one another. Concepts such as exponential patterns, cyclical behavior, or approaching a value can feel more intuitive when students watch these patterns develop rather than trying to interpret them from static images.

These kinds of explanations can give students a steadier starting point before they work with more advanced problems.

Short videos can support teaching in simple, flexible ways, and instructors often use them to strengthen moments that typically need extra clarity.

• 💡 Starting a new topic. A brief animation can introduce the idea and set the context before definitions or formal steps are covered. Many instructors assign these clips for pre-class viewing so students arrive with a basic sense of the concept. 
• 💡 Explaining a turning point in a chapter. When a concept shifts from one representation to another, such as algebra to graph, a visual example helps maintain understanding.
• 💡 Supporting independent study. Students often revisit short clips when reviewing topics such as polynomial division, laws of sines and cosines, or limits.
• 💡 Linking math to other disciplines. Visuals help students see relevance: Business students can explore exponential growth or interest models. Biology students recognize vector direction and growth patterns from lab work. Psychology students work with simple statistical functions used in research. Engineering students link functions to forces, motion, or system behavior.
• 💡 Checking and reinforcing comprehension. A few quick questions after a video can help students confirm they understood the main idea before they move on.
• 💡 Ensuring consistent explanations. When classes include a range of backgrounds, videos give every student the same clear starting point.

Strong mathematical reasoning supports success across many subjects. Skills gained in early math courses help students work with models in biology and ecology, interpret data in psychology, solve problems in physics and engineering, and analyse trends in business and finance.

Early math does not need to feel like a barrier. Giving students a chance to see how ideas take shape helps them recognise the purpose behind each concept and understand how different areas of math connect to one another. This clarity supports learning later on, whether students continue into chemistry, engineering, economics, or other fields.

Visual explanations can turn mathematics into a stable foundation students rely on throughout their studies, rather than a subject they fear. When ideas are presented in a way that feels straightforward and approachable, students are more likely to stay engaged and carry that confidence into the rest of their STEM learning.

You can explore the Core: Math Fundamentals collection now with limited-time complimentary access.

Build strong math foundations with visual learning. 
Request a curated playlist aligned with your syllabus.

1. Ruamba, M. Y., Sukestiyarno, Y. L., Rochmad, R., & Noor Asih, T. S. (2025). The impact of visual and multimodal representations in mathematics on cognitive load and problem-solving skills. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(4), 164-172. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.04.018  
   
2. Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14(2), 243–248. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03194059