Dr. John Mighton to speak on campus March 3, 2010
WINNIPEG, MB – “Even children who are failing math or who are labeled `slow learners’ can excel at math.” This is the battle cry of Dr. John Mighton, who speaks on March 3, 2010 at 12:30 pm at The University of Winnipeg in Convocation Hall. Everyone is welcome to attend this free public lecture, which will be of particular interest to educators of all levels.
Mighton’s qualifications as a math authority are unusual. A successful Canadian playwright, he has won multiple theatre and literary awards, including a Governor-General’s Award and the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for his plays. Nevertheless, Mighton went back to school in the 1990s, and obtained a PhD in Mathematics. Mighton is currently a Fellow of the prestigious Fields Institute in Toronto and regularly teaches to pre-service teachers at York University and the University of Toronto.
In 1998, driven by a love of mathematics and a belief in the mathematical potential of every child, he founded JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies) as a kitchen-table group. Since then, the charitable organization has blossomed, producing successful alumni as well as curricular materials for students and training materials for teachers and parents.
Mighton is also the author of two national bestsellers: “The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child” and “The End of Ignorance”. In 2004, Mighton was granted a prestigious Ashoka Fellowship as a social entrepreneur for his work in fostering numeracy among children.
Mighton will argue that society is harmed in many ways because we fail to teach children according to their true potential in mathematics.
“I will present evidence from psychological and educational research, as well as evidence gathered by the JUMP program, that ability in mathematics can be nurtured in even the weakest students,” says Mighton. “I will examine which of the approaches to math education presently used in our schools are working and which, in my opinion, need to be modified or re-evaluated.”
EVENT DETAILS:
WHAT: Dr. John Mighton’s address:
“The Importance of Teaching Math to Children”
WHERE: Convocation Hall, 2nd floor Wesley Hall,
The University of Winnipeg
515 Portage Avenue
WHEN: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
12:30 to 1:30 PM
30-minute question-and-answer session to follow
Light refreshments will be served. Pool audio will be provided and one-on-one media interviews can be arranged following the event.
Read more about Dr. Mighton – Globe & Mail, Friday, January 15, 2010
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Anna Stokke, Mathematics & Statistics, UWinnipeg
204.786.9059
a.stokke@uwinnipeg.ca
James Currie, Mathematics & Statistics, UWinnipeg
204.786.9288
j.currie@uwinnipeg.ca
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135
d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
