Given the abstract nature of math, students often feel they are supposed to understand and apply everything they heard by the end of the class. This is often not the teacher's expectation, but without a common understanding, students can feel demoralized about what they do not understand. Quite simply, when a goal is well understood it is more likely to be achieved. This is true of the workplace as well as mathematics class. While communicating a learning goal is important in all classes it might be most important in math class given the abstract nature of the material and the recursive way math knowledge is gained. In addition, having clear goals can lessen some students' math anxiety because they have clarity of expectations.