Go find ‘study tips’ on the internet and you are surely to find the typical ‘study hard, pay attention, use a calendar etc…”.  As an experienced teacher, and an overachiever as a student, I can tell you that there are some ‘smarter’ ways to improve your grades.

Here are 5 secrets to getting good grades:

1.    What’s Your Teacher’s Style?

If you have a new teacher, ask him or her if you could see one of his or her older tests (obviously not the same one you will be writing).  It can be from a different subject and even a different year.  See what kind of tests your teacher likes to give.  Does your teacher prefer multiple choice or essay questions?  If your teacher likes to give essay questions, then what ‘keywords’ does he or she use (e.g. compare and contrast, explain, describe)?  Obtaining a test from your current teacher will give you more insight as to how to study for the test. 

2.    Time Is On Your Side.

Studies show that students retain more information when they study in small chunks as opposed to longer periods of time.  Set specific times for yourself and stick to it, even if you’re not finished.  If you aren’t finished, you should still take the break and come back to your work.

If you are consistent with the breaks, you’ll be consistent with the study time as well!

Get the hardest and most undesirable work out of the way first; otherwise you will spend too much time on it later on as it will steal your time away from you.

3.    #3 Is For Three Calendars.

That’s right.  Three calendars.  Get a weekly, monthly, and yearly calendar.  The weekly calendar is perfect for when you have a test next Thursday and a report next Friday.  By ‘seeing’ the next week, you will be better planned.  The monthly calendar is good for being prepared for exams, major projects, and mid-terms.

The yearly calendar, though, doesn’t have much function.  Then why am I suggesting that you get one?  Well, a yearly calendar provides you with a significant psychological advantage.  You see, by putting up a yearly calendar, and of course filling it out as you go along (i.e. you should first write on the weekly and monthly calendar, then copy them to the yearly calendar), you will be able to look back and see the amount of work you have done.  When you see all the assignments, and the amount of work you have put in, you will be more likely to be motivated to continue studying even when you don’t feel like it. 

Imagine, it’s January and it’s winter time.  You are tired and you don’t feel like doing homework or studying any longer.  So, you look at your yearly calendar and realize that you’ve put in tons of work over the past few months.  It would seem like a waste to quit now, wouldn’t it? 

4.    Know Thyself.

Everybody has down times and peak times.  What are yours?  Perhaps you have extra curricular sports after school and other sports or lessons in the early evening.  Then when do you plan on doing your work? 

It’s important to know the time of day that you have your energy and the time when you are tired.  Maybe from 5:00 to 6:00 would be a good time to study before you go to karate class which starts at 7:00.  Or perhaps you can squeeze in 45 minutes right after school.  What you must do is determine the best times to study, and stick to that schedule.  There’s no point on saving homework for 8:00 after you’ve had baseball practice and swimming lessons.  Find your time!

5.    What’s Your Type?

What kind of learner are you?  Are you audio, visual, or kinesthetic?  Is your dominant intelligence verbal, artistic, interpersonal, or logical?  There are many free online tests you can take to get an idea of your learning preference and type of intelligence.

So, let’s suppose that you are a visual learner (you learn best by watching).  Then, you should try to study by using visual aids such as mind maps, diagrams, and pictures.  Or perhaps you are an auditory learner who is dominant in musical intelligence, then you might consider remembering math formulae by writing them into song lyrics.

Regardless of your learning style and type of intelligence, you can find ways to study that’s best for you.

     Clearly, the pattern here is to study smart.  Make studying cater to your lifestyle and skills and take advantage of some of the resources that at your disposal.  Persistence, hard work, and some self knowledge will help you get better grades in school.

admin Homework better, grades, Homework, learning, school, secrets, study, style

Every time I read the same studying advice about ‘finding a quiet place to study’ , my blood boils. 

Why does everyone give the same advice?

I don’t agree at all !!!   I’ve had students who simply work better when there’s noise, and lost of it.  Sure, there are a handful of kids who need absolute silence to read or do math problems, but there are just as many who would rather be surrounded by other people, a tv, or a radio!

Why do we all have to study in quiet?  Why do we tell kids they have to study alone in their rooms?  I hated being in my room to study!  I felt like I was missing out on something, especially when I heard the tv or laughter from downstairs.  You bet I rushed to get my homework done fast. 

I believe that there are many kids who would rather study in the kitchen or in the living room than in solitary confinement upstairs.  They would rather be near people.  Maybe they could actually study better with some background noise (I personally work best when there’s a lot going on).

Here’s another point to add to this issue.  Have you ever thought that maybe it would be good for kids to learn how to tune out noise and distractions and practice focusing at their task at hand?

How many workplaces are completely silent?  Aren’t we trying to prepare our children for the workforce?  Shouldn’t we try to emulate a real-work environment?

What do you think?

admin Homework Homework, studying, tips

I think people generally don’t equate organization with math as they do…perhaps writing.   I had tutored a grade 6 student who was having great difficulty with multiplication and especially division.  His parents thought that their son had either a mental block or some kind of learning difference.  So, I stepped in and tried to help.  I started him off with simple multiplication and division problems.  Surprisingly, he was okay.  But when I gave him more complex questions to do, he seemed lost.  He was following the rules but he was all over the place! 

He was not organized in his math.

I noticed that he had a good grasp of the rules for multiplying and dividing.  His biggest problem was that he wasn’t organized.  Not being organized, in this sense, is his lack of putting down numbers where they should have been.  Now, you may wonder why this is such a big deal. 

Let me tell you.  From my years of experience, I have seen it over and over again.  Quite often kids get lazy with math or they don’t care much about it (sorry to be so blunt but it’s the truth) and they don’t place the numbers where they should be.  Think about it.  If a student is carrying a number while multiplying, or bringing down a number while dividing, and he/she put the number in the wrong column, the entire answer will be wrong!  It’s common to see that most kids understand the mechanics of multiplying and dividing (see my division lesson on my homepage) but they don’t put the digits in the right place.

So what did I do for the young man?  I had him color code his math problems and use grid paper.  By color coding I mean that when he brought down or carried a number, it had to be the same color as the number that he multiplied or divided (e.g. if multiplying 5 x 28 and the 8 was purple, he would carry the 4, so the 4 had to be purple as well) and the grid let him see exactly where to put the numbers.

If your child is having the same difficulties, try what I did and it might work for you.

admin Math division, Homework, multiplication

Here’s a self-promotion article I wrote for ezinearticles.  I think it’s a good introduction to the online tutoring world.

Are you looking for an online tutor?

Online tutoring is newest form of education that is sweeping the internet. So how do you choose which online tutoring company to join?  What are the differences?

More importantly, what are your needs?

Certification:  First, let’s look at the credentials of the online tutoring website educators.  Make sure that the person teaching your child is a certified teacher.  This is extremely important because certified teachers have the training, experience, and teaching resources that your child needs in order to succeed.  Be careful, some online tutoring companies hire university students and teacher college candidates.  You want someone who is qualified and experienced.  Remember, you get what you pay for.

Medium:  No, I’m not referring to size here.  The medium refers to the way that the teacher delivers the lesson.  Many online tutoring companies have two-way white board communication whereby your child and the tutor communicate through text (i.e. they type to each other).  Other online tutoring websites answer your child’s questions via. E-mail.  Try to find an online tutoring website that has video lessons.  Video lessons are more effective because they allow your child to see the teacher actually teach the lesson.  Children (especially boys) are visual learners.  They thrive on ‘watching’ in order to learn.  Video lessons add the human element which children are used to.  It also enables the student to have a more simulated interaction with a teacher.

Convenience:  Can you access your online tutor at 9:00 pm or 8:00 in the morning?  Is the online tutoring company available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when you need them? 

Homework or Lessons?  What are your needs?  If your child only needs to study for an exam, then perhaps an online tutoring site with homework help might be the best choice.  Maybe your child is generally behind in a subject area, is busy, homeschooled, has ADD or a learning disability, or requires ongoing help. Then an online tutoring site with lessons would be your best bet because they contain the lessons that your child is not receiving nor absorbing in school.

Availability:  Some online tutoring companies charge by the minutes that you use.  Others charge by the number of questions you ask. In these cases you may have to monitor the time you have used and judge how much time you have left before paying again.  Or, you might have to keep track of the number of questions you have asked.  Perhaps an online tutoring company with unlimited access would be more convenient? 

Cost:  Perhaps the most important issue when considering an online tutoring company is the cost.  Most online companies charge from $30-$100 per hour.  There are other companies that charge around $100 per month.  Again, it depends on what you get for that $100 per month.  Do you get a specific amount of minutes or questions?  If it is an online video tutoring site, you may be paying for a specific amount of time as well.  What you should consider is ‘how much teaching do you get for your dollar?”. For example, how many lessons or homework help time your child receives for the money you have paid is a consideration.  Simply calculate the amount of teaching your child will receive for the amount of money you have paid.

Do your research and be a smart shopper.  Make sure you investigate the various forms of tutoring and see if the website has some sample lessons so that you can see their product before spending your money.

admin Education Homework, online tutoring

What does the word ‘homework’ mean to you? I’m sure it means something quite different to your child.

But seriously, what does it mean to you? I’ve heard some parents say, “here we go again,”, “why do I have to spend my time helping my child with homework when he should be learning this stuff in school,”, and “it’s good for him, it helps develop discipline,”.
Regardless of what you think, it’s part of the education system that is often unavoidable (that is, if you want to avoid it). At Tutorgiant, we believe that sometimes homework is quite beneficial, and for many kids, it’s rather necessary. Yes, sometimes homework can be just ‘work’ to keep kids busy, but we believe that in the United States, most (if not all) teachers realize this and are giving homework that reinforces what’s been taught in the classroom.

Now, how do you go about tackling homework when it’s a problem? Well, let’s face it. If your kid is motivated, then homework won’t be a problem. On the other hand, if your child would rather play sports or video games (which I think in moderation has its benefits) rather than do homework, you’ve got a problem.

Of course we’ve all heard about making contracts with your kids. I know several parents who swear by it while others said it doesn’t work. Fair enough, what works for some may not work for others. So what does work for the unmotivated kid?

I’m going to shock you by saying this (and I know that I’ll get quite a bit of backlash for this one)…here it goes…

BRIBE THEM

That’s it. I can hear the e-mails coming in. Okay, before some of you tell me that I know nothing about psychology (wait a minute…I have my B.A. in motivational psychology and my Master’s Degree in Learning Theory) let’s look at this more clearly.

I remember having a discussion with my cousin about how children shouldn’t be bribed…”they should want to achieve goals for their intrinsic value”…”what kind of society are we going to have if everyone only did things for rewards” she pointed out.

While I respect what she said, and agree to some extent…it doesn’t work that way. Without going into human evolution and Pavlovian Conditioning, I’ll make sense of it in simpler terms.

Why do you go to work?

Think about it. Okay, some people may say that they love what they do, and I believe them. But think about this…perhaps your child doesn’t love what he/she does! (that is…go to school). You have had a choice, he/she hasn’t.

If you won the lottery, would you still do what you do for a living? Honestly, I’m sure there are many people who wouldn’t. Why? You know the answer.

Finally, why do most people go to work? Does everyone love what they do? I doubt it! They go to get the reward, the positive reinforcer, the paycheck. (Or some would say that they go to work because they avoid the “punishment” of not getting a paycheck).

Well, why can’t your child, who may not like his/her work, get motivated to get a ‘paycheck’. I’m referring to a toy, a trip, a new game (I’m obviously referring to a tangible reward that is appropriate for your child). I’ve seen this and I’ve seen it a lot! Meaningful rewards that are in reach of your child’s abilities will not spoil your child nor will they create a lack of responsibility.

On the contrary, your child will see that hard work pays off!!!!

If a kid isn’t intrinsically motivated, then why not motivate him/her extrinsically? I was generally intrinsically motivated in school. I remember going through a tough time in early high school. My parents offered me ‘items of my choice’ if I got higher grades. I remember working my tail off! It worked. It also gave me the confidence to do well later on in high school.

Think about it. I hope it works for you.

admin Uncategorized Homework, motivation, studying