The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child - Softcover

Mighton, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802777074 ISBN 13: 9780802777072

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004

Synopsis

For decades teachers and parents have accepted the judgment that some students just aren't good at math. John Mighton-the founder of a revolutionary math program designed to help failing math students-feels that not only is this wrong, but that it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A pioneering educator, Mighton realized several years ago that children were failing math because they had come to believe they were not good at it. Once students lost confidence in their math skills and fell behind, it was very difficult for them to catch up, particularly in the classroom. He knew this from experience, because he had once failed math himself.

Using the premise that anyone can learn math and anyone can teach it, Mighton's unique teaching method isolates and describes concepts so clearly that students of all skill levels can understand them. Rather than fearing failure, students learn from and build on their own successes and gain the confidence and self-esteem they need to be inspired to learn. Mighton's methods, set forth in The Myth of Ability and implemented in hundreds of Canadian schools, have had astonishing results: Not only have they helped children overcome their fear of math, but the resulting confidence has led to improved reading and motor skills as well.

The Myth of Ability will transform the way teachers and parents look at the teaching of mathematics and, by extension, the entire process of education.

About this title

About the Author

John Mighton holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Toronto and is the founder of JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies), an educational charity providing free tutoring to elementary-level students in the Toronto area. The JUMP program is currently being tested in three schools in West Virginia. John Mighton is also an award-winning playwright, currently adapting Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe for a stage production at New York's Lincoln Center, and appeared in the Academy Award-winning film Good Will Hunting. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews

Parents whose children are struggling with math will welcome this accessible, anecdotal account of a charitable tutoring program called JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies) founded by Canadian author Mighton (A Short History of Night) and currently serving elementary-level students in the Toronto area. Taking an upbeat approach, Mighton argues that we’re all born capable of learning anything. In part one, he explains how, as a young playwright in need of extra work, he got involved in math tutoring and was dismayed by traditional teaching methods. Part two of the JUMP approach gives specific problem-solving examples on such topics as fractions, multiplication and division, ratios and percents, and logic. The emphasis is on providing a support system and building the student’s confidence and self-esteem. Patience and time are the keys to success, not standardized tests. Though he doesn’t belong to the education establishment, Mighton has recently been able to get his program tested in three West Virginia schools. Readers inspired to set up a branch of JUMP in their schools can find more information at www.jumptutoring.org.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802777074
• ISBN 13: 9780802777072
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 216