Third Graders Move to Make Multiplication Gains in Two Days

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Math & Movement program after its incorporation into J.D. George Elementary School’s math curriculum. 15 third-grade students participated in November 2015.

Students took an identical pre-test and post-test. The tests contained 32 multiplication problems, focusing on only one multiple per student (i.e., some students focused on only multiplication by 3s while others focused only on multiplication by 4s). For both tests, students had one minute to solve as many problems as possible.

First, students took their pre-tests. Then, for four sessions over two days, they worked with their teachers on skip counting and multiplication by their selected multiple using Math & Movement activities and the Skip Counting floor mats. Finally, they took their post-tests.

Students scored an average of 44% on their pre-tests. On their post-tests, students scored an average of 66%. This is a 22% point increase or a 50% improvement overall.

After only four sessions over two days, nearly all of the students made significant gains in their multiplication fluency. This improvement underscores Math & Movement’s transformative impact on learning efficiency.