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Entries from August 1, 2011 - August 31, 2011

Friday

Aug 26 2011

When Communities Work Together to Improve Reading

Friday, August 26, 2011 at 12:45PM Art Meisler

Here is an article that describes a partnership between Northern Illinois University, the state of Illinois, and a local high school to improve reading among high school students . As we’ve discussed in some recent blog postings, too many high school students are inadequately prepared for college because they don’t read well. It’s great to see communities find resourceful ways to help our kids.

Supported by a state grant, the program provided an intensive two-week seminar to teachers in all disciplines and subject areas (including shop) that trained them on innovative ways to promote reading and language arts.

Click here to read the full story

What’s the lesson for educators and parents?

Simple. Learning can take place both inside and outside of the classroom. Opportunities abound for parents and teachers to think outside the box and give students the chance to stretch their minds. Here are some techniques we’ve offered up in this blog.

Improve Grades in School through the Cube of Learning

Inspire Your Child To Read, Learn and Dream

Reading Comprehension: Same Words, Different Meanings

How do you promote reading in the home? Share your ideas with the Think Tutoring community.

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in Reading

Thursday

Aug 18 2011

Study Skills: Do Your Homework! Get Out of My Life!

Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 10:16PM Art Meisler

Communicating With Teenagers

Last weekend, I dusted off a book that a friend gave me, titled “ Get out of my Life. But First, can you Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall ?” by Anthony Wolff. The book, which focuses on adolescent behavior, and in its 2nd edition, has been a staple of the “How to Parent” genre.

I love the title; it captures so beautifully the challenges parents face when their teenagers start the separation process – a process of heightened emotions, communication dysfunction, and mixed signals that can cause more than a little friction. I also love the grammatically incorrect subtitle. Classic. It reminds me of my frequent attempts to correct my own children’s misstatements -- a work in progress that I hope will soon reach a happy conclusion.

As I flipped through the book, looking for answers to the challenges I face with with my own teenagers, I noticed a section on school and homework. It describes a number of approaches parents can take to motivate their teenage children at homework time.

Motivating Your Child To Study

Wolff describes two classic approaches that parents take – rewards and punishments, and endorses neither. “If you don’t get all C’s or better for this term, we’re going to ground you until you pull up your grades.” Or, you can use rewards-based motivation.

“All B’s for the year and we’ll buy you a car.”

“Rewards and threats do sometimes work,” Wolff argues, “but only for a while, and they rarely solve the problem.”

Instead, Wolff recommends direct supervision of your teenager, suggesting that for your child to have good habits, he needs to dedicate daily, scheduled time for homework and nothing but homework – even when there is no homework! (No TV or computer time. Find something else to do, like read a book!). Wolff maintains that only by following a regimen can the cycle of homework dread be broken. In short, Wolff argues that the more you do it, the less you resent it, and the more natural it becomes.

Study Skills: When More is Needed.

I think Wolff has it only partly right, because for many kids, good intentions -- the desire to do well -- are not enough; these students lack essential skills that make homework and studying both palatable and effective. Students need good note-taking skills, time management and organization, preparing for tests, solid reading comprehension, and smart test-taking strategies.

At Think Tutoring, we offer study skills programs in Morris County for middle and high school students. Combined with appropriate parent support in the home, these programs can turn your homework lollygagger into a directed, confident student. “Get out of my life,” they might shout. “Ok,” should be your response. “When you finish your homework.”

To learn more, download Think Tutoring's 7 Steps To Home to Homework Success.

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in Study Skills

Tuesday

Aug 09 2011

When to Hire a Reading Tutor

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 9:41PM Art Meisler

In a recent article in the Huffington Post, United Way President and CEO David Gallagher issues a call to action, arguing that it’s time to curtail the debate on what ails our educational system and start actively volunteering, mentoring and teaching our children how to read better.

“We know that the problems start early with two-thirds of American fourth graders who cannot read at their grade level and continues on to high school with 1.2 million students dropping out each year. Disadvantaged children come to school at least two years behind their peers in pre-reading skills. Everyone would agree that our country is in the midst of an education crisis, but now we must move beyond the discourse and do something about the problems. It's time to ask, what can I do for my community?” Read the full article here.

Although Mr. Gallagher specifically calls attention to kids in disadvantaged communities, reading problems know no socioeconomic boundaries. Further, although Mr. Gallagher’s call for volunteers is admirable, students lacking in critical skills need the benefit of experienced teachers and tutors specifically trained in reading strategies.

Master Reading Skills at an Early Age

Mr. Gallagher has it right when he says “Reading is linked to high school success. That's because children are learning to read for the first few years of school, but after fourth grade they're reading to learn. Without strong reading skills, they fall behind, disengage and often drop out. As a child grows, reading becomes increasingly important for understanding the world, achieving academic success and succeeding in the workforce. The foundation for reading reaches a critical juncture between kindergarten and third grade. That's when children begin to acquire the skills that enable them to find meaning in written text.”

We couldn’t have said it better. Moreover, for parents it’s time to consider hiring a reading tutor when:

You observe your child having difficulty reading out loud; it’s a clear signal that he lacks phonetical decoding skills
Language Arts and/or Social Studies homework (reading-intensive subjects) take an inordinate amount of time.
Your child “tunes out” to any type of reading activity
Report cards and other feedback from teachers support your own observations in the home.

Find the right tutor for your child. At Think Tutoring, kids who complete our reading tutoring programs, delivered by certified teachers and reading specialists, average 1.7 grade level improvement in just three months.

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in Reading Comprehension

Tuesday

Aug 02 2011

Should You Hire a Reading Tutor for SAT Prep?

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 11:51AM Art Meisler

Early in their junior year, most students start thinking seriously about college for the first time. For most, the first step is taking the PSAT, a test which is a good predictor on how students will score on the SAT. Unfortunately for many, PSAT scores are a wake up call - an unpleasant signal of the long road ahead to score well on the SAT. Parents and students should both heed these warnings.

Shockingly, many students navigate their school years receiving good or very good grades, only to have the SAT or ACT test reveal a dirty little secret: they don’t read as well as they should. Too often, many parents students dismiss low scores with the simple explanation of “She just doesn’t test well.” To be sure, many test takers suffer from test anxiety, and while this certainly can contribute to low scores, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Detailed SAT score reports can show, empirically, reading skill deficiencies.

In our experience, any student who scores below 500 on the reading section of the SAT is probably not reading at grade level. Regrettably, anxiety-ridden parent and students think only in the short term: “I’ve got to get these scores up so that I can get into xxxxx College.” And while raising score is important, parents and students should also understand that getting into college is just the next step; succeeding in college, where the difficulty and volume of required reading increases exponentially, will be the big challenge over the next four years.

What’s a Parent To Do?

If your child scores below 500 on the reading section of the SAT, you should be mindful of the thousands of dollars you are about to invest in your child’s education -- and start thinking about protecting that investment now . Hiring a reading tutor, or enrolling in a reading program may just be the smartest investment you can make, one that can not only get those SAT scores up, put also pave the way for success in college.

Think Tutoring Has a High School Reading Program that considers both short and long-term goals, combining strategies for improved comprehension, vocabulary as well as excercises for increasing a student's reading rate. For more information, call us at 973-593-0050.

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tagged SAT Prep , college entrance examinations , reading tutor in Reading , Test Prep

Monday

Aug 01 2011

Applying To Private School? When Good Grades Aren't Enough

Monday, August 1, 2011 at 5:41PM Aristotle Circle

By Aristotle Circle

After all the hard work that your student has put in to getting good grades and high test scores, it can be extremely frustrating to still have other hurdles in a private school admissions process, such as admissions essays and interviews. Aristotle Circle Admissions Expert Joan Brennan offers some Do’s and Don’ts for making a good impression on school admission staff.

Her tips include:

DON’T speak for your childJust as your children will be the ones in the classroom, they should also be the ones to answer questions about their interests and their schooling. Be sure to pay attention to which questions are directed just to your child and encourage them to answer for themselves. Admissions Directors understand developmentally appropriate social skills and do not expect children to act like adults, but rather their age. They enjoy a free exchange with kids.

For more of Ms. Brennan’s tips see the full post: http://www.aristotlecircle.com/blog/turn-admissions-director-your-advocate

About Aristotle Circle

Aristotle Circle helps parents and children get into the school of your choice – whether its private school, boarding school, college or graduate school. We carefully match parents and students to experts with current insight and inside knowledge of admissions. Aristotle Circle experts are the top admissions professionals, guidance counselors, school administrators, financial aid advisors and child development experts in their fields.

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tagged Admissions