Deliver Us from Math Class Hierarchies
Deliver Us from Math Class Hierarchies
In a typical math classroom, ability spreads across a range, from Olympic mathlete, to non-starters. But what if instead of multiplying differences in background knowledge, quickness, confidence, and focus; what if math instruction minimized these differences?
John Mighton, author of The Myth of Ability, says his curriculum, Jump Math, can do this, and he backs his claim with the success of several schools using the curriculum in England and Canada. Mighton credits the curriculum's success to breaking down math processes into tiny steps, and giving students extensive practice and scaffolding to work through the steps. His approach mirrors that of 2011 California Teacher of the Year and ASCD author, Kadhir Rajagopal. (We'll get