JUMP Math

Category: Mathematics Grade level: Grades 1-8

1. What is the purpose of JUMP Math? The Teacher’s Guide includes: The purpose of Junior Undiscovered Math  JUMP Math introduction (including Prodigy (JUMP) Math is to enhance the principles, methodology, and confidence and math skills of all students, philosophy of the program) but especially, for students with math  Detailed lesson plans (includes goals, difficulties. The program tries to achieve this required prior knowledge, and goal by using a step-by-step approach vocabulary) whereby children learn through the method  Mini-assessments of “guided discovery” (JUMP Math, 2011).  Questions for formative assessment Each math concept is broken down into  Mental Math exercises small, manageable steps where the level of  Games and activities (i.e. Go Fish) difficulty is slowly increased to enable  Blackline Masters independent practice, while the teacher  Extension questions provides guidance, feedback, frequent assessments, and explicit instruction The Workbooks include: throughout the process (JUMP Math, 2011).  Isolated concepts 2. With whom can it be used?  Reference charts at the beginning of JUMP Math can be used with students of all new concepts ability levels in Grades 1-8. However, the  Practice questions focus of the program is for students struggling in math or experiencing math 4. What are the steps involved in JUMP anxiety. This math program is designed for Math? educators to use in the classroom, parents to Overall Program: use at home, and/or tutors to use with their The JUMP Math program begins with clients. There is grade-specific content for Getting Ready for JUMP Math: Introductory each grade level available. Unit Using Fractions. This unit is meant to build confidence and to provide students 3. What is the format of this technique? with problem solving strategies upon which Each lesson in JUMP Math involves the they can build their basic math facts, by Teacher’s Guide and two grade-specific providing the necessary practice to promote workbooks entitled Workbook 1 and mastery of the content (JUMP Math, 2011). Workbook 2. These workbooks correspond Once students have completed this to the grade levels in Ontario and Western section, they can then move onto their Canada. Each workbook touches on a unit grade-specific workbook. Each grade level once, so all units are reviewed twice has two workbooks. Each workbook also has throughout a school year (i.e. Patterning) a corresponding Teacher’s Guide for (Miller, 2011). educators to use. Educators can start at the first lesson in the Teacher’s Guide and then assign the corresponding workbook for extra reinforcement (JUMP Math, 2011). Individual Lesson: form). Similarly, students in the guided In JUMP Math, the teacher begins a lesson discovery group reported more extensive use by asking a variety of Socratic questions (i.e. of deep processing strategies than students what is X?) and progressively provides in the other conditions (Muthukrishna & students with more challenging questions Borkowski, 1995). The study relates to and activities. These activities are coupled JUMP Math as it is based on the philosophy with immediate assessment and feedback. At of guided discovery. the end of a lesson, students are asked to use Similarly, JUMP Math focuses on the workbooks for assessment and further the idea of on-going assessment and practice (JUMP Math, 2011). immediate feedback. There has been much research to support the notion that 5. In what types of settings is JUMP Math immediate feedback leads to optimal useful? learning. More specifically, in their research, JUMP Math is useful in the classroom Brosvic and Epstein (2007) demonstrated setting. The lessons begin with whole-group that immediate feedback enables learners to instruction, but then provide the opportunity be active in the learning process and for both small-group and independent work. produces higher levels of retention than no The lessons are also useful to parents who feedback or delayed feedback. In this study, want to extend learning at home and for students were able to self-correct throughout tutors working with children who are the initial stages of learning, which is similar struggling with a math concept. to what is occurring during a JUMP Math lesson. 6. To what extent has research shown JUMP Math also relies on the idea JUMP Math to be useful? that students require extensive practice to There is limited research on JUMP Math and master a new concept. Specifically, students its effectiveness. The Hospital for Sick are not just performing drills; they are also Children, The Ontario Institute for Studies practising concepts through games. In an in Education/ University of Toronto do have article by Burton (2010), she concluded that a manuscript under review based on a an important strategy in the primary randomized controlled trial, but it has yet to classroom to enhance math skills is the use be accepted for publication. However, there of math games. More specifically, she is research in the field that supports the discussed how games offer a meaningful processes on which JUMP Math is based. environment where students can work on For example, Muthukrishna and math skills. Games also enable students to Borkowski (1995) investigated the role of discover and relate new concepts they learning contexts on the achievement and previously learned in new contexts, which is transfer of math skills. Specifically, these consistent with the approach used by JUMP researchers assigned children to one of four Math. contexts: direct instruction, guided discovery, direct instruction with discovery, References or a control condition. The results showed 1. Brosvic, G. M, & Epstein, M. L. (2007). that students in the guided discovery Enhancing learning in the introductory condition were more advanced than their course. The Psychological Record, 57(3), peers in the other conditions when solving 391-408. transfer problems assessing meaningful 2. Burton, M. (2010). Five strategies for learning (i.e. novel problems shown in a new creating meaningful mathematics experiences in the primary years. YC Young 5. Muthukrishna, N., & Borkowski, J. G. Children, 65(6), 92-96. (1995). How learning contexts facilitate 3. JUMP Math (2011). Retrieved from strategy transfer. Applied Cognitive www.jumpmath1.org Psychology, 9(5), 425-446. 4. Miller, M. (2011). Home School Math. Retrieved from Reviewed by: Lora Cohen-Tushinski www.homeschoolmath.net/curriculum_revie ws/jump_math.php