Do you provide a routine for your kids?

Pilots famously have them. Surgeons do, too. So do engineers, technicians, nurses, and most other professionals and service providers. I’m talking about simple checklists, quick, simple lists of behaviors and duties that remind us of the basics and guide us toward success. If all those professionals find checklists helpful, why shouldn’t students and their families?

Yes, checklists are general and simple (some say simplistic), but isn’t that exactly their advantage? They’re meant to be a helpful reminder to those of us who are rushed, busy, spread too thinly, and battling absent-mindedness because of our hectic lives. If that describes you and your family at times, click on the heading above for a journey to the Dr. Rick Checklist for Academic Success!

Tips for promoting math for kids of all ages

Math is in the news again. The White House is promoting math education with superstars like Sesame Street’s Elmo, and in Maryland, the state where I live, the University System is developing new math requirements for students headed to state colleges and universities. Those new requirements include four years of math studies in high school instead of the current three. Other states are no doubt doing the same.

Many students complete three years’ math study by the end of their junior year and don’t bother with math in their senior year. That’s a one-year hiatus until college. You can forget a lot in one year.

Four years of math study will better prepare students for university or work in our increasingly science-technology-engineering-math oriented economy. Do we do enough to get kids interested in math at an early age? Probably not.

Read Dr. Rick's blog page for some thoughts and tips!

A HOT time to practice writing skills

Regular Practice Creates Better Writers

Summer is a Hot Time to Practice Writing Skills

With summer just around the corner, children are enjoying the warm weather, fun activities with friends and vacation time. But, summer can also be an enjoyable learning experience. The summer break provides many memorable moments, and writing about them is a good way to record those memories and practice writing skills at the same time.

Parents tend to focus on their children's reading and math skills, overlooking that writing is an education fundamental. It's fast becoming the forgotten ‘R’. This is unfortunate, as writing is an important part of every facet of education, not just in English class. Writing proficiency can have a major impact on other subject areas too.

Summer vacation provides an excellent opportunity for children to explore their creative writing skills. Dr. Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D. and senior vice president for education outreach for Sylvan Learning, has developed tips to help parents encourage their children to write over the summer.

Continue reading this article http://www.drrickblog.com/page/Regular-Practice-Creates-Better-Writers.aspx

The Math Saga Continues for TTSD

Tigard-Tualatin parents still up in arms about math

TIGARD — Solving the problem with the Tigard-Tualatin Schools’ math curriculum is proving tougher than any equation involving numbers, x’s or y’s.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t like a math problem,” said school board chairman Mark Chism. “There is no right answer here.”

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

I find this video about our future generation to be very powerful. How will our education system adapt to our youth?

Confessions of Classroom Texters

Just how clueless are you? It's worse than you think.

Cell phones, once billed as a “necessity for student emergencies,” have now evolved into a major player in the game of "cat and mouse” between many students and their classroom teachers. I asked my university students to share school and classroom texting strategies crafted to fool some clueless educators.

I will never look at a hooded sweatshirt the same way again.

Continue reading this article at http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/index.php/editorial/121-classroom-best-practices/605-confessions-of-classroom-texters

TEST STRESS

Increased College Entrance Competition =Increased Test Stress

The pressure is on. Today, more high school students are applying to more colleges, earlier than ever before. The number of early admission applications has increased dramatically, with some universities seeing double digit jumps. To begin the college process, most students applying to competitive colleges now take the SAT*/ACT more than once.

Students today know clearly what students in the past may not have known - systematically preparing for the SAT/ACT gives them confidence. They know how to budget their time, they know what the test looks and feels like, they know important strategies like when to guess at an answer. They go into the test practiced and confident.

Students can take the SAT/ACT as many times as they like, but educators suggest taking the tests no more than two or three times. Dr. Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D. and senior vice president for education outreach fro Sylvan Learning, offers the following tips to help ease the pressure of testing and achieve the best results:

• Take the tests in the spring of junior year or fall of senior year of high school.
• Know the instructions for each section before you begin the test, you won’t have to waste time reading them during the exam.
• If you don’t know a test answer and can’t eliminate any incorrect answer choices, skip the question and only go back if time permits. For the ACT, remember to go back and take a guess on any unanswered questions, since there’s no penalty for incorrect answers.
• Trust yourself. Rely on your instincts.
• Never leave an easy question blank. Easy questions have easy answers.
• Read, read, read. Read the questions and answers critically.
• Eliminate answers. If you can eliminate at least two incorrect answers, you generally increase the probability of guessing correctly.
• Save your time. Don’t spend too much time on any single question. Make sure you have enough time to answer as many questions as possible, in order to rack up as many points as possible.
• Focus on what the question is really asking. If you don’t fully understand the question, finding the correct answer is going to be tough.
• Rushing only hurts you. Work at a good pace and keep track of the time remaining for each section. Enter the exam with confidence.
• End each section by reviewing. If time permits, revisit the questions you didn’t answer.
• Don’t try to cram for the SAT/ACT overnight. Proper preparation takes weeks, even months, of review.
• Register for a SAT/ACT prep class at least eight weeks before the testing date to provide extra studying assistance and additional confidence.

BEAT THE REPORT CARD BLUES

Free Guide Gives Parents Tips and Suggestions To Avoid Report Cards

That Don’t Make the Grade

“You and Your Child’s Report Card” Guide From Sylvan Learning

Available at www.SylvanLearning.com

Report card day is often one of the school year’s most stressful times for parents and students. Yet parents can take simple steps to eliminate report card surprises and set the stage for their child’s year-round academic success.

“You and Your Child’s Report Card,” a free parents’ guide available from Sylvan Learning at http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/report-card-guide.cfm, gives parents numerous tips and suggestions to turn report card day into a day of achievement and celebration.

It’s common for children to feel anxious about bringing home their report cards. However, by frequently talking about school and discussing how your child is doing in each subject, parents can help their child prepare for report cards and reduce any apprehension he has about sharing his grades with you.

Report cards enable parents to assess their child’s academic progress and assess his or her strengths and weaknesses. They also provide parents with an opportunity for further insight into their child’s progress in school.

When report cards come home, parents should discuss their child’s progress and any changes from previous terms. A report card is a communication tool and a reminder for parents to stay involved in their child’s education.

Sylvan Learning’s free online report card guide offers parents seven key pieces of advice for communicating with their children to help them achieve academic success. Advice offered in “You and Your Child’s Report Card” includes:

• Maintain open lines of communication
• Set goals with your child
• Organize your child’s academics
• Regularly track progress
• Identify trouble spots
• Get to know your child’s teacher
• Celebrate successes

The free online report card communications guide, and a variety of booklets and journals for students to help build reading, math and writing skills, can be found on Sylvan Learning’s web site at http://www.sylvanlearning.com/.

Sylvan helps transform unique kids into uniquely inspired learners with the skills to do better in school and the confidence to do better in everything else.

Let Sylvan Be Your Educational Resource

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