PHILADELPHIA — Elle Oliver knows anger. Multiplying by 12 used to make the rising sixth grader fume.
Now she’s tackling integers with relative calm. Still, confusion seems to trigger the frustration, she noticed. Bewilderment caused by a tough math problem can, like an unscratchable itch, build into irritation.
“I’m just scared to say stuff right now because I’m starting to get it wrong,” Oliver complains when struggling with a math question during a small group study session in July…