Summer Learning – Let’s Get Started

Why bother learning in the summer?
 Are there any benefits to learning in the summer?

There are many excellent reasons to keep learning over those long summer months.

Avoid the summer slide!
Note: Water slides are acceptable
You might have already heard of this. Students, particularly those that aren’t academically strong, lose a lot of ground over the summer months. A small amount of practice makes dramatic differences come September.

It doesn’t take long
A couple of hours a week is all it takes in most cases.
Remember that an hour of tutoring is often more focused than six hours of school time.

I do understand that some students are very reluctant to take part in summer learning; however, I remind them and their parents that over the two to three months of summer tutoring, with only a couple of hours a week, they will have spent 16 to 20 hours in tutoring. There are approximately 1560 hours in that same time.

So, out of 1560 hours, you spend only 16 to 20 hours at the tutor!

It is not expensive
The fees for tutoring pay off big time in results. Not only will the student do better in the fall but he or she will be set up to excel for the whole year the results are exponential.
A student who believes in himself or herself will be happier and more willing to keep trying. Who doesn’t want happiness anyway!

If you think education is expensive – try ignorance.

Summer learning is more relaxing

The pressures of school are off for the summer. There won’t be any major projects, speeches, book reports, math tests, etc. for a couple of months.  I try to impress upon my students that the whole goal is to learn – not necessarily to pass a test.  Just keep doing better than the last time and keep moving forward.  Pay attention to the learning and the grades, when you are back at school, will take care of themselves!

Learning is elevating and tasty!
Learning new ideas and how to express them is not torture – or, at least, it shouldn’t be. (Hint: you are with the wrong tutor if it is.) We humans do better physically and emotionally when we keep learning. We are curious by nature, so we should feed that need to know. True, it sometimes takes effort and a wee bit of tedious practice, but the end result is so sweet.

Don’t hesitate

It is near! I realize that we are just now entering into May, but summer comes quickly setting up a plan now will make the transition easier. Being a consistent learner brings the best results.

Call or email to arrange online or in person tutoring lessons today.

Website: www.tutoringcentral.com

Video – Summer Learning – Let’s Get Started!

Reading for Speed and Comprehension

Reading for Speed and Comprehension  – The SQ3R Method

I already know how to read!

I hear this from students a LOT – often with a roll of their eyes.

Yes, you know how to read.  You know how to decode words; and, hopefully, you have some comprehension that goes along with that reading.

Reading texts or textbooks is quite different – or should be.

You generally don’t read a menu in the same way as you read a novel or a comic book.  There are different methods for different reading material.

Using a READING METHOD will not only help you remember the material but also, with practice, will speed up your studies!

I strongly recommend that you use the following method – or one very similar to help you.

The SQ3R Method (developed by Francis P. Robinson)

S          –          Survey

Q         –          Question

R         –          Read

R         –           Recite

R         –          Review

What’s the big deal?

Here is the deal!

Survey

When you need to read a chapter from your textbook or online, take a few moments to survey the entire chapter.  Look at pictures, headings, sub-headings, the chapter outline, chapter summary, and review questions.  At this point you are simply familiarizing yourself with the chapter (or some other text).

Question

Next, you will create questions for yourself from the headings and sub-headings.  For example in a geology textbook, you might come across the sub-title “Cinder cones.”  What are cinder cones?  Later you see “Composite cones.”  What are composite cones?  What is the difference between cinder cones and composite cones?

Read

Now you begin to read.  This is the step most students begin with, so they have had no warm-up.  Their brain “muscles” are coming in COLD!  While reading, look for the answers to the questions you asked.  You can also look for answers to any questions posed within the chapter.  Now you are actively reading and engaging with the material.  Most students begin reading and are generally reading passively.  In other words, they aren’t getting much out of this first reading!

Recite

You can now recite the answers to your questions aloud (or “aloud” in your head if you are not able to speak in your study location).  Also, this is a great time to write notes.  Write down the questions you asked yourself, and then provide the responses in your own words.  (Of course, you will use words and terms from the textbook as well. More about this in later blog.)

Review

Review the material right away.  After you finish the chapter, do a re-read of your notes.  Do they make sense?  Do you need to add something?  Is everything going to be clear a week from now? If not- you DO need to add something to clarify.  You might want to draw a diagram or provide some arrows to reveal connections or similarities, etc.

That would be so slow!

I agree that when you read the directions it seems like this method would take a long time.  But looks can be deceiving. Taking some time “up front” will save a lot of time and frustration later.

Having surveyed, asked questions,  and found the answers, you will already have learned far more than you would on a straight reading.

Taking notes, reciting, and reviewing will help solidify this knowledge.

Later, when you review your nightly notes and the week’s notes (revolving review) you will begin to see that you remember more and more even though you are reviewing quickly.  When it comes time to do a quiz or test, your review time will be shorter, yet you will have far better recall.

Use a reading method, and you will receive higher grades!

Even better, you will have learned the material more fully.  Next year, or next semester, will be even easier.  Your “network” of knowledge will be stronger with more connections and deeper connections.

Feeling like a genius yet?

Well, maybe not – but you never know. Use a reading method, and you are at least on your way to achieving your best results ever.

This week’s video:

Reading for Speed & Comprehension – the SQ3R Method

Don’t be shy.  Get in touch, ask a question, or leave a comment.

Of course, if you would like a personal coach, I would be thrilled to set up a program for you or your child.

Website: www.tutoringcentral.com

 

Frustrating Punctuation? Here is the solution.

Punctuation Made Easy!

Alert: Check out the awesome offer below.

(Can’t Wait?  Click here for the offer.)

Does punctuation sometimes drive you crazy?

Maybe, maybe not; however, a lot of people have difficulty knowing when to use a comma versus a semicolon.

What is a colon, anyway? (No, I’m not talking about the one in your body. Yuck.)

How do you use quotation marks correctly?  Wait! What!  There are double quotation marks and single quotation marks?  Nice way to make things even more difficult.

Writing well includes the proper use of punctuation.  I have read many stories and articles, including essays, speeches, and book reports, that have many great ideas and some excellent development; however, I have to re-read many of the sentences because they are not punctuated properly.

Any teacher, professor, or – for that matter – reader will tell you that he or she prefers to read a sentence only once before moving on.  Nobody wants to have to “decipher” what you meant to write.

If you want to start raising the grade TODAY, then learn to punctuate your sentences correctly, particularly when writing longer articles because they are the most challenging to read when they are not punctuated well.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, keep it simple!  Complicating matters does not help the reader, the teacher, the professor, the editor, or you.

Of course, as you become a better writer, you will use more complex writing, but you will do so with the tools to make it easy to read and to comprehend, regardless of its complexity.  Like any professional, you make it look easy when you really know how to do it.  One of those tools is knowing how to use punctuation.

So, don’t let punctuation drive you crazy any longer. 

Here’s the awesome offer!

$10.00

The Punctuation Made Easy course is in its final stages of development.

It will launch in October, and I have set up a pre-sell price of only $10.00!  (The listed price after launch will be $40.00.)

But wait there’s more!  (Okay – a bit cheesy, but there really is more.)

Register for the Punctuation Made Easy course and receive the following:

FREE:  

Upon registering:                       Student Survival Guide (32 page downloadable book)

After beginning the course:   Test & Exam Strategies course ($20 value for FREE)

Bonuses:

You will receive discount coupons for three more optional courses:

• Basic English Writing
• Paragraph Writing
• Essay Writing

                       All this for $10.00  Register Here!

Punctuation Made Easy

This course will help you improve your writing. With the right punctuation, your sentences and articles will shine! Step-by-step lessons and quizzes will solidify your knowledge.

Work at your own pace, own space, and own time.

Although the course is asynchronous, I do answer questions.

I also schedule free online question/answer sessions. (Optional)

 Over Twenty Lessons + quizzes

• Introduction
• End Punctuation – 3 lessons
• Comma – 9 lessons
• Semicolon
• Colon
• Apostrophe
• Quotation Marks – 3 lessons
• Other punctuation – dash, parenthesis, brackets, ellipsis, slash
• Concluding bits

Don’t forget to register – the deal only lasts until launch!

This week’s video:    The Punctuation Made Easy course.

Remember, I would love to be your coach.  Check out the website or get in touch for further options and learning experiences.

Website: www.tutoringcentral.com