For decades, teachers and parents have accepted as basic educational truth that some children just aren't good at math. At some point in their school careers, "math-challenged" children are allowed to opt out of upper level math courses and fall easily in step with other courses and disciplines.
An intriguing new book, The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child by John Mighton, says this judgment and its attendant function – funneling kids out of math – is wrong. Students who struggle in math are not necessarily bad at math, instead they often have math anxiety and it can be overcome.
The writer of this brave new book is also the founder of a unique Canadian program called JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies) that provides free math tutoring to elementary and middle school-level students in Toronto. Despite its name, the program is aimed at kids who are failing in math. JUMP's name provides them with a goal - to become math prodigies. Brighton, a self-described "math dropout" now holds a Ph.D. in mathematics. He convinced himself, as a child, that he had no talent in math. Any attempt to overcome his math "inability" (including various science courses that required math calculations) convinced him that he had no business in the world of calculus and higher math functions.
Then one day he applied for a volunteer position as a math tutor. Over several months and then years, Brighton saw amazing advancement in children who had been called "stupid" or "math- challenged." What he learned about teaching math as a volunteer convinced him that not only was he math-capable but that nearly every child is too.
The Myth of Ability is an intriguing, complex and fascinating book about the world of teaching math to children. If your child struggles with math, Brighton suggests reasons why he or she may struggle as well as exercises which can enhance your child's understanding of math as well as your own. The second half of the book introduces the JUMP method and suggests many exercises that can help bring children up to speed in mathematical ability.
Beyond the math concepts and problems, The Myth of Ability calls our educators and parents to help children understand math concepts, not abandon children to a life without a basic and fundamental life skill - the creativity and complexity of math.
