What do you think?
Rate this book
The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child
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 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.
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 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.
216 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
23 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
John Mighton
422 books26 followersJohn Mighton, OC is a Canadian author and mathematician. He is the founder of JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies), a charitable organization that works to educate students in mathematics. He is the author of The Myth of Ability (2003) and The End of Ignorance (2007). Mighton is also a playwright, and has been the recipient of two Governor General Awards for his plays which include Possible Worlds, The Little Years, Body & Soul, Scientific Americans, A Short History of Night, and Half Life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 14, 2024
For homeschooling parents, I think this is an excellent reference book for tackling some of the elementary math concepts you will be teaching
December 6, 2012
Mighton proposes an unusual practice in the current how-to-teach-math climate: teach kids (who have fallen behind) how to get the right answer first, then let the confidence and intuitive math ability in them make conceptual leaps. I would be skeptical, but his method is the product of day-in-day-out teaching math to failing kids in his tutoring program, JUMP. This program has brought over a thousand under-achieving math students up to or ahead of grade level. And he is absolutely right in his main tenet: break math down into SMALL steps. His book provides familiar examples of ways a certain math problem is typically taught, in which several steps are combined into one step--and in which each sub-step goes unexplored, unacknowledged, even. In such cases, the student gets lost but has no map to point to where exactly she got off the train. In this aspect, I think Mighton is ON THE MONEY.
This book is not a general criticism, though. It has outlines of very specific teaching techniques and ways to organize worksheets, etc. This is particularly useful advice for teaching a room of 25 kids at different levels the same material, a challenge inherent to classroom teaching.
His other great PRACTICAL points include teaching concepts with numbers low enough to be manipulated comfortably. If your student is okay with times tables for 2, 3 and 5, but not 6 or 7, don't teach multiplying and dividing fractions with numerators and denominators other than 2, 3, and 5. His recommendation is to have worksheets A, B, and C. Sheet A only uses 2, 3, and 5. Sheet B has 4, 6, and 7. Sheet C has 7, 8, 9, etc. And if your student is still struggling with the higher numbers, but DOES have the arithmetic to do the fraction operation, get him going on Sheet A. Mighton believes that when a kid starts to be successful at math (for the first time in his life!), he'll get the confidence to master the higher numbers. This will lead to the work effort that catches him up with his peers on worksheet C. I don't think this is liberal wishful thinking because the man has done his time in the classroom, and as idealistic as this book sounds, it also reads like someone who earned his stripes in the trenches of the classroom. His techniques AND observations about student behavior do coincide with my own experience as a teacher of kids who have fallen behind.
Another major point of his, which I have felt deeply but rarely heard expressed -- is WHY TEACH EVERYONE MATH. He criticizes the notion that math opens up certain fields of study or other practical uses, and therefore, this is why it's important to study. He compares facility with numbers to appreciating a sunset or the view from a mountain, or the delight of painting. We wouldn't take paint brushes away from half the 6 years olds in Kindergarten because they just didn't have the ability to fully appreciate the joy of paint. We wouldn't discourage a kid with no apparent "sunset talent" from admiring a sunset. But by assuming that math is for some and not others, we cut many children off from a major source of beauty in the universe: math. For this point alone I think the book should be required reading for all educators and parents.
I'm on board.
This book is not a general criticism, though. It has outlines of very specific teaching techniques and ways to organize worksheets, etc. This is particularly useful advice for teaching a room of 25 kids at different levels the same material, a challenge inherent to classroom teaching.
His other great PRACTICAL points include teaching concepts with numbers low enough to be manipulated comfortably. If your student is okay with times tables for 2, 3 and 5, but not 6 or 7, don't teach multiplying and dividing fractions with numerators and denominators other than 2, 3, and 5. His recommendation is to have worksheets A, B, and C. Sheet A only uses 2, 3, and 5. Sheet B has 4, 6, and 7. Sheet C has 7, 8, 9, etc. And if your student is still struggling with the higher numbers, but DOES have the arithmetic to do the fraction operation, get him going on Sheet A. Mighton believes that when a kid starts to be successful at math (for the first time in his life!), he'll get the confidence to master the higher numbers. This will lead to the work effort that catches him up with his peers on worksheet C. I don't think this is liberal wishful thinking because the man has done his time in the classroom, and as idealistic as this book sounds, it also reads like someone who earned his stripes in the trenches of the classroom. His techniques AND observations about student behavior do coincide with my own experience as a teacher of kids who have fallen behind.
Another major point of his, which I have felt deeply but rarely heard expressed -- is WHY TEACH EVERYONE MATH. He criticizes the notion that math opens up certain fields of study or other practical uses, and therefore, this is why it's important to study. He compares facility with numbers to appreciating a sunset or the view from a mountain, or the delight of painting. We wouldn't take paint brushes away from half the 6 years olds in Kindergarten because they just didn't have the ability to fully appreciate the joy of paint. We wouldn't discourage a kid with no apparent "sunset talent" from admiring a sunset. But by assuming that math is for some and not others, we cut many children off from a major source of beauty in the universe: math. For this point alone I think the book should be required reading for all educators and parents.
I'm on board.
April 28, 2011
The author didn't do well at math as a child, came back as an adult and thrived. He has developed a system for teaching math that every child can succeed at, and has the heartwarming stories to prove it. Most of the book is a detailed reveal of the key parts of some of his lessons, so you get a feel for how he teaches. The first quarter is the history and explanation of how it works.
Books like this are the reason science was invented. In the absence of actual studies to measure success, and indeed of meaningful definitions of success, it's impossible to tell whether this system actually teaches children or whether it gives them rote skills that carry them through exams or even whether he's only telling us about the good stuff and not the bad. You just can't tell! I'm a sucker for the miracle cure, for stories of every kid being able to succeed, of the "learning problems" kid who accelerates past classmates and is now getting their PhD from a major university. But they're just stories, and stories will lie to you at the drop of a hat. Peer-reviewed repeated controlled analysed experiments are harder to lie.
Not that I think Mighton's technique is necessarily bogus or flawed, just that stories without data are tantalizing but not complete.
For my part, I found value in the his insistence on teaching in very small quanta: every step you're adding just one thing and reinforcing it before you move on. His steps are often mechanical, but seem in service of understanding not just blind rote machine-like ability reduce fractions or solve equations.
Books like this are the reason science was invented. In the absence of actual studies to measure success, and indeed of meaningful definitions of success, it's impossible to tell whether this system actually teaches children or whether it gives them rote skills that carry them through exams or even whether he's only telling us about the good stuff and not the bad. You just can't tell! I'm a sucker for the miracle cure, for stories of every kid being able to succeed, of the "learning problems" kid who accelerates past classmates and is now getting their PhD from a major university. But they're just stories, and stories will lie to you at the drop of a hat. Peer-reviewed repeated controlled analysed experiments are harder to lie.
Not that I think Mighton's technique is necessarily bogus or flawed, just that stories without data are tantalizing but not complete.
For my part, I found value in the his insistence on teaching in very small quanta: every step you're adding just one thing and reinforcing it before you move on. His steps are often mechanical, but seem in service of understanding not just blind rote machine-like ability reduce fractions or solve equations.
June 14, 2022
The book opens with the author talking about how his interest in mathematics waxing and waning because of what people said or he read about mathematics. He ends up taking a job as a math tutor and sees kids struggling with basic math concepts that while basics, trip up even some adults.
He eventually makes some discoveries of how best to teach kids math and starts a JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Mathematical Prodigies) program in 1998. With as well as the program works, I’m surprised all children aren’t taught math in this way in at least some countries.
What I appreciated about the book was that it’s not just the story of how the JUMP program came to be. John also EXPLAINS the program basics with enough detail that you can try using it with your own children (or the children you teach.) Actually that doesn’t explain it well enough. It’s not just conveniently in enough detail. He gives you actual math questions and worksheets and everything. He walks you through the order to teach it as well.
Half of the book is the JUMP method!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
He eventually makes some discoveries of how best to teach kids math and starts a JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Mathematical Prodigies) program in 1998. With as well as the program works, I’m surprised all children aren’t taught math in this way in at least some countries.
What I appreciated about the book was that it’s not just the story of how the JUMP program came to be. John also EXPLAINS the program basics with enough detail that you can try using it with your own children (or the children you teach.) Actually that doesn’t explain it well enough. It’s not just conveniently in enough detail. He gives you actual math questions and worksheets and everything. He walks you through the order to teach it as well.
Half of the book is the JUMP method!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 3, 2019
I'm interested in second language pedagogy but often get inspiration from reading about how people teach in other disciplines.
I read John Mighton's more recent The End of Ignorance about his approach to math education (called JUMP), then went back to this book for some concrete lesson plans to see how he breaks down things like fractions into small steps that anyone can do, possibly mechanically at first, but gradually building up into larger skills that can be practised.
I was especially interested by his proposition that more advanced skills can emerge almost spontaneously, as I feel like I have had that experience in almost all of the languages that I've studied past the initial language-learning plateau, where at some point your brain reorganises all the grammar and vocabulary into a way that works and you start being able to memorise new words more quickly be relating them to words you already know.
I read John Mighton's more recent The End of Ignorance about his approach to math education (called JUMP), then went back to this book for some concrete lesson plans to see how he breaks down things like fractions into small steps that anyone can do, possibly mechanically at first, but gradually building up into larger skills that can be practised.
I was especially interested by his proposition that more advanced skills can emerge almost spontaneously, as I feel like I have had that experience in almost all of the languages that I've studied past the initial language-learning plateau, where at some point your brain reorganises all the grammar and vocabulary into a way that works and you start being able to memorise new words more quickly be relating them to words you already know.
January 22, 2025
I mistakenly read this thinking it would be full of ideas for how to unlock interest and self-efficacy for reluctant mathematicians. It reads more like a really good advertisement for the JUMP programme. That being said, there are a couple of strategies that I will use in my classroom. Perhaps it's more suitable for North American schooling?
September 2, 2017
Fast read
Made sense
Read the reviews in Goodreads for more insight
Made sense
Read the reviews in Goodreads for more insight
April 15, 2019
Fantastic book. A must-read for any parent or teacher who wants to build confidence in their child/students and help them overcome their math phobia.
December 29, 2009
As a life-long math-phobe, I really want to believe the simple premise of this book: math is a learned-- not an innate-- skill. I think of the way I learned Japanese as an adult-- one grammar rule or linguistic tool at a time, one batch of vocab to master. At first everything is incomprehensible but as you assimilate the logic of the new language, what seemed impossible last month becomes second nature. And math (or anything) can be the same. Hallelujah, I want to belieeeeve!
Mighton says, to teach math to any kid, you just have to break down the steps enough, and boost their confidence that they CAN learn how to do it. I like that.
The first short section of the book sums up the above premise. The second half of the book is sample lessons-- with the steps broken down into micro steps. And.... I have to admit I didn't finish reading through the lessons. But! I will definitely put this on my Come-back-to-this-for-reference-if-I'm-homeschooling-my-children list.
Some cheery quotes:
p22- "In the sciences, factors such as passion, confidence, creativity, diligence, luck and artistic flair are as important as the speed and sharpness of one's mind. Einstein was not a great mathematician technically, but he had a deep sense of beauty and a willingness to question conventional wisdom."
p43- "I hadn't foreseen how quickly an entire class would respond to a simple promise that they would all do well."
p52- "there is no scarcity in the world of ideas; when someone understands an idea, its beauty is not consumed or used up. But everything in our present system of education seems designed to make real knowledge scarce, to keep the deepest ideas out of the hands of all but a few."
Mighton says, to teach math to any kid, you just have to break down the steps enough, and boost their confidence that they CAN learn how to do it. I like that.
The first short section of the book sums up the above premise. The second half of the book is sample lessons-- with the steps broken down into micro steps. And.... I have to admit I didn't finish reading through the lessons. But! I will definitely put this on my Come-back-to-this-for-reference-if-I'm-homeschooling-my-children list.
Some cheery quotes:
p22- "In the sciences, factors such as passion, confidence, creativity, diligence, luck and artistic flair are as important as the speed and sharpness of one's mind. Einstein was not a great mathematician technically, but he had a deep sense of beauty and a willingness to question conventional wisdom."
p43- "I hadn't foreseen how quickly an entire class would respond to a simple promise that they would all do well."
p52- "there is no scarcity in the world of ideas; when someone understands an idea, its beauty is not consumed or used up. But everything in our present system of education seems designed to make real knowledge scarce, to keep the deepest ideas out of the hands of all but a few."
April 22, 2010
The author showed little natural aptitude for math but decided to go back and get a graduate degree in math as an adult, soldiering on even though he occasionally got failing marks and had to go over material more than once. Today he runs the JUMP math tutoring program for remedial elementary school kids and has seen phenomenal results (all the kids earning A's on math tests and doing math that's several grades higher than their own). Mighton tells all the students that they are smart and that math takes a lot of practice and getting used to. He breaks math into small steps, with plenty of practice for each tiny step. "Nothing focuses the attention of children more sharply than the feeling that they are meeting a series of challenges and succeeding brilliantly."
The second half of the book is an excerpt from the JUMP tutors manual, with step-by-step instruction plans for students learning fractions, ratios and percent, multiplication and division, logic and systematic search, and finite state automata (simple computer models).
The second half of the book is an excerpt from the JUMP tutors manual, with step-by-step instruction plans for students learning fractions, ratios and percent, multiplication and division, logic and systematic search, and finite state automata (simple computer models).
May 17, 2011
I was led to this book after reading these columns about JUMP. The Myth of Ability describes the beginnings of JUMP, explaining the philosophy and giving anecdotal accounts of how well it works. Mighton emphasizes the role that confidence plays in helping children learn math (a key idea of JUMP is to break everything down into tiny steps that any student can master, in order to build their confidence).
Mighton's ideas are interesting, and his anecdotes are inspiring. As an educator, this book definitely made me think about the way I teach. However, I would have liked more evidence beyond just anecdotes. I'll be looking out for The End of Ignorance: Multiplying Our Human Potential, which seems to be a more recent book about JUMP.
Mighton's ideas are interesting, and his anecdotes are inspiring. As an educator, this book definitely made me think about the way I teach. However, I would have liked more evidence beyond just anecdotes. I'll be looking out for The End of Ignorance: Multiplying Our Human Potential, which seems to be a more recent book about JUMP.
August 2, 2016
This book has been sitting on my book shelf for over three years! I'm now hitting myself for not reading it until now! This may be the book that changes our homeschooling lives for! John Mighton has found a way to ensure that all students excel in math no matter what level they start at. There is a myth that our society believes and that is that not all kids are made to do math. Some have the ability and others will simply fail. His system sounds amazing and I will be purchasing it! I watched his TED talk and I'm amazed by the fact that someone in Canada has been so successful at exposing the fact that our current school system isn't working because of our methods and our current mindset. I can't wait to see my bored kids transformed into eager learners of math! He has many great quotes. This one is one of my favourites: "As long as we insist that mathematicians are born and not made, we will tolerate poorly designed programs in our schools and classrooms in which children who have fallen behind cannot get the help they need to succeed."
January 19, 2014
I learned about this author, who created a great math program in Canada, from a New York Times article. Half of this book is about the background of the author and the program and half is math for instructors. The big point of the book is that any student can be good at math; the student just needs the support and encouragement.
One of the author's major recommendations for teaching math is to break each problem down into lots of little steps. He also suggests using small numbers for the first set of problems introduced so that any student, regardless of his/her multiplication and division skills, can successfully complete the problems. Teachers can give extra challenging problems to students who are more advanced at multiplication and division. This way, no one is left behind and no one is held back.
One of the author's major recommendations for teaching math is to break each problem down into lots of little steps. He also suggests using small numbers for the first set of problems introduced so that any student, regardless of his/her multiplication and division skills, can successfully complete the problems. Teachers can give extra challenging problems to students who are more advanced at multiplication and division. This way, no one is left behind and no one is held back.
July 19, 2009
Two thirds of this book is composed of an invaluable overview of Mighton's exceptional JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies) program for teaching mathematics. However, it's the initial third that everyone should read. It's an inspiring, and brief, homily on an underlying assumption of education--only a minority of students can excel--and how we can change that assumption. Mighton's philosophy transcends math and is applicable to all subject areas. 'What would happen,' he asks, 'if we devoted as much effort to teaching students as we do to assessing them and proving them different?' This was a great companion to Malcom Gladwell's 'Outliers' and Richard Nisbett's 'Intelligence and How to Get It.' Highly recommended.
March 15, 2023
A fascinating look at the results and methods of the JUMP mathematical program, used to help students severely behind in math.
Some major takeaways:
- ability is a myth on the whole… anyone can learn math and learn/use it well
- teach using small steps… like itty bitty so you can’t mess it up
- simple manipulatives are best
- when children believe they’re failures at math, they believe there is no way of overcoming it, so…
- having someone who genuinely believes they can learn creates a great drive to learn
In the back of the book, Mighton features some math lessons used in JUMP. These are helpful for fleshing out his concepts.
Written for public school teachers and education activists, but also a fantastic read for a homeschooling mom.
Some major takeaways:
- ability is a myth on the whole… anyone can learn math and learn/use it well
- teach using small steps… like itty bitty so you can’t mess it up
- simple manipulatives are best
- when children believe they’re failures at math, they believe there is no way of overcoming it, so…
- having someone who genuinely believes they can learn creates a great drive to learn
In the back of the book, Mighton features some math lessons used in JUMP. These are helpful for fleshing out his concepts.
Written for public school teachers and education activists, but also a fantastic read for a homeschooling mom.
July 20, 2012
Loved it!
As a long-time math tutor, I agreed with a lot of his ideas: that kids will thrive if you can convince them that they're smart, that smaller steps help break it down for everybody, and that focusing exclusively on concept development at the cost of drill and repetition does not help students learn. A couple things were new, and I loved the example lesson plans--it helped to really see broken down exactly how he would teach fractions. Unlike the other education book I've read recently, nothing about it was terrifying.
As a long-time math tutor, I agreed with a lot of his ideas: that kids will thrive if you can convince them that they're smart, that smaller steps help break it down for everybody, and that focusing exclusively on concept development at the cost of drill and repetition does not help students learn. A couple things were new, and I loved the example lesson plans--it helped to really see broken down exactly how he would teach fractions. Unlike the other education book I've read recently, nothing about it was terrifying.
April 7, 2013
Definitely worth a read if you think your kids should be learning more math concepts then they are, or of they are struggling with what they are learning. Will it work? The author's anecdotes aside, I don't see why not. I've used similar approaches to teach my kids to read, I don't see why it wouldn't work for math related topics too. But before I JUMP in with both feet I think I'll read Teaching Young Children Mathematics. If things align between the two then I'll buy some of the JUMP workbooks and get cracking this summer.
May 5, 2011
I read this book for the method and there are some really great principles that can be applied in an interdisciplinary way. It was a good reminder that if a student isn't getting something I'm teaching, maybe I just need to slow down; it's not a conscious decision on their part to willfully misunderstand. Basically, it reminded me to have more patience and more optimism as a teacher...and that can't be bad.
June 4, 2013
This is a theory that rings true and needs to be brought into the consciousness of our society. This book confirms the findings of another book I have read, however, for the life of me I cant remember its title. If you think that you are bad a math, English, or if your child is struggling, read this book to understand how much hope there is and how much change needs to occur in our public education system.
March 12, 2014
Anyone can do maths - it's just not taught very well - is the basic premise. The trick is in how you break everything down to very simple steps - algorithms. John Mighton does this very well.
There are currently trials going on in various countries like Ireland to introduce Mighton's JUMP maths program into their curriculums.
There's the slightest bit of hand-waving in this book but the results that are happening around the world speak for themselves.
There are currently trials going on in various countries like Ireland to introduce Mighton's JUMP maths program into their curriculums.
There's the slightest bit of hand-waving in this book but the results that are happening around the world speak for themselves.
July 11, 2012
Very inspiring anecdotal evidence of what effective scaffolding can do with even the weakest students. Mighton's next book, which I'm currently reading, has more data and analysis of JUMP relative to cognitive research.
December 30, 2013
As a teacher I loved this book. He teaches math much the same way I do. It goes a bit against the current trend I math but I firmly believe in his way of teaching math. Kids need repeated exposure and math confidence! Loved reading the history of the jump program!
June 20, 2015
I agree with a lot of what was said in this book. As a math tutor I was happy to find so many similarities to my teaching style as the examples given from the JUMP program. There were a few concepts that I thought could be taught in an even simpler way but the process given works just as well.
February 23, 2009
Everyone has the potential learning mathematics. Not having a preconceived idea is important in teaching/educating young children.
November 17, 2009
Great book about teaching kids math.
December 31, 2010
Nice book by a nice guy but didn't hold my interest.
December 15, 2012
This book exposes the problems with the way we teach math and put forth a very convincing agument, that everyone can do well in math up to the end of high school if properly tought.
December 28, 2013
Very geared to elementary school math, but still useful for a secondary teacher. What a great system! I just wish I had more time!!!
April 16, 2014
I found this interesting and practical. Definitely made me think again about the way I view math and how it should be taught to children.
June 13, 2014
I recently attended a JUMP workshop and will be teaching the program in the fall. I'm quite excited about it. The success stories are fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews