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The learning specialists at QWERTY Education Services* answer . . .
Tell us what useful bit of information or advice you have for:
TEST TAKING
. . . students that are preparing for math/science exams?
Practice, practice, practice. Math and science exams often require students to think quickly, so it is important that solving a problem become nearly a “reflex” reaction. If you’ve ever trained for something that takes practice, such as a sport, or dance, or playing an instrument, you’ve learned that the only way to get better is to practice. While it is helpful to read about, and review what you are learning, you will only make real progress by practicing that jazz step or playing that saxophone; you have to train. In sports, the term “muscle memory” describes an athlete’s ability to perform certain motions without thought, so that when the athlete finds herself in a quickly changing or novel situation, her body “knows” what to do. The same kind of preparation for tests and quizzes in math and science can be accomplished by practicing new (and old) problems a day or two before. –Michael Perez, Learning Consultant
. . . students that feel like their teacher has asked them things on a test or quiz that they have “never seen before?”
Often times, your teacher is trying to assess whether you have really mastered a subject. This may mean asking you to answer a question that requires you to take what you know and extend it to a situation that is different than what you’ve seen in your homework. Students that find these situations difficult often remark that, “we never saw this in our homework” and, they are right, but that doesn’t mean your teacher won’t ask you to do it anyway. The trick to dealing with this situation is to honestly ask yourself whether you have truly mastered a concept, or have you just familiarized yourself with it? These things are not the same. When I ask a student to show me that they know something, I make him prove to me that he can actually do work associated with the concept. Students often confuse having “done problems like that” with being able to do those problems, right here, right now. It’s great that a student can do a particular problem in a section of a book, but that doesn’t mean the concept is mastered. How do you know when a concept is mastered? One measure is when you recognize that there are patterns in problems. When you see a problem and can say, “that reminds me of the other problem we did,” even though the new problem is different, you are on your way to mastery. –Michael Perez, Learning Consultant
. . . students who are feeling overwhelmed and confused by Spanish tenses?
Create one big chart or one flashcard for each of the tenses you've ever learned since Day 1, in chronological order (usually it's present tense, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, etc). Simply seeing them neatly written out all in one place like that can right away clear up a lot of confusion or feelings of being overwhelmed. Ask a sibling or parent, or even better, a study group of classmates, to quiz you and help you memorize the endings. Choose a few verbs from each group (-ar, -er, -ir) and practice. For example, take "bailar" and have someone call out a bunch of endings you should write down on paper - she dances, they danced (last night), we will dance, I danced (for ten years), etc. and then check your answers against the chart or flashcards you made. Parents or siblings can help with this even if they don't speak Spanish themselves; they just need to know basic tenses in English! -Ann Moon, Learning Consultant
. . . math students that feel they are always behind in class.
In most math courses, the various chapters and sections build upon each other. I recommend getting extra help as soon as (or before) you feel are you not learning effectively with your current situation. If the final exam is approaching and you didn't master a few chapters earlier in the semester, it becomes very difficult to cram in all that knowledge in a few days. –David Sun, Learning Consultant
. . . math students that feel homework is pointless and repetitive.
The purpose of completing math homework is to help you learn the material in that section, not just to finish it and move on. This often involves many practice problems that seem to be very similar. Just as an athlete practices the same movement or a musician practices the same phrase over and over again, students need to practice what they learned in class through the homework. -David Sun, Learning Consultant
. . . advanced math students who want to work more efficiently.
As you practice the concepts with homework, try to see the patterns. Often the earlier problems are very basic and are there to help you apply the basic concept in simple cases. Notice how the problems get slightly more complicated or formulated in different ways, yet still go back to the concept being taught in the section. Finally, there may be problems that involve complicated formulations of the basic concept, along with concepts from previous sections. Being able to see how a simple concept is reformulated in its various forms will help you decode problems when you see them later. Being able to "see" the different components of a problem helps you link the various individual concepts together to solve the more challenging problems. –David Sun, Learning Consultant
. . . students who are taking geometry for the first time?
Geometry can be difficult since it requires spatial reasoning, which is different than the abstract and mechanical approaches of Algebra. Having a tall stack of scratch paper and drawing many large pictures can be a great way to visualize objects. Since not everyone is an artist, using physical models can help you concretely visualize the object in 2D or 3D too. Your hand or a folder can become a plane, your pencil a line and your eraser a point. Though your textbook is flat, you don't have to be constrained to that specific view on a flat page when working on the problems. –David Sun, Learning Consultant
. . . students who have trouble understanding the concepts in science.
The beauty of science classes is that you learn so much about how the world works. To do well academically, you must understand the concepts so you can apply them to solve the exam problems. Science concepts can be found everywhere in our modern world. Finding the links between reality and the classroom can be the key to understanding (and appreciating) the material. –David Sun, Learning Consultant
. . . students who hate proofreading but know they have to do it?
Remember that using Spelling and Grammar Check is only the first step to proofreading; it's not the only step. Believe it or not, the computer is NOT smarter than you, and it won't catch mistakes such as homonyms (they're, their, there) or plain old typos that happen to be real words but not the word you meant, so you won't see the red squiggly line under them ("cup" instead of "cop" or "there" instead of "three"). Afterwards, print out the essay, play "teacher" and reread the hard copy with a pen or pencil in hand. Without fail, 100% of my students, even the ones who insisted it was perfect the way it was on the computer screen, find typos they didn't see before or areas they want to edit or add to. There's just something about seeing the writing on real paper! After you go back and make the final changes, you'll be glad you took the extra step. It may be cheesy but it's true - you should always make sure you're genuinely proud of the work you hand in; anything with your name on it is a reflection of you and your effort!- -Ann Moon, Learning Consultant
". . . English students who have trouble getting started on a paper?"
"Verbal mediation" means processing your thoughts through words. Talk to a parent, a teacher, a classmate, or a tutor about your topic. Tell them what you know and what you need to do. Not only might you get a good idea from them, you might also jump-start your own thinking and clarify your own ideas. -Mark Carey, Learning Specialist
. . . students that are facing a difficult writing assignment?
Anne Lamott wrote a book about the writing process entitled Bird by Bird. She actually entitled one chapter “The Sh**ty First Draft.” This text is important for any young writer who can become bogged down with the writing process as Lamott describes in sound, accessible language the steps involved. Writing a “shi**y rough draft” is essential as this is the student’s opportunity to pour his or her heart out, to tell all, to play with language, with phrases, and sometimes to even be silly. Perfectionism is irrelevant. Being loose and carefree helps lessen the inevitable panic; its all part and parcel of the process. Plan on three drafts and remember; writing is editing, editing, editing. –Natalie Varney, Learning Specialist
. . . parents who are concerned how far their tutoring gains go:
Parents invest time as well as money to provide their child with educational opportunities and support. Sometimes it may seem that all those tutoring sessions for English, math, science, and organizational skills should yield results more rapidly. It is important to keep in mind that each child has his/her own way of learning and integrating new information and skills that may be very different from how we parents learn. Understanding this can be challenging, frustrating, and ultimately rewarding. As an educator, learning disabilities specialist, and parent, I see that, yes, students do integrate what they learn, especially when reinforced in a supportive environment that can offer various ways to present subject matter. –Betty Willdorff, Learning Specialist
. . .parents who are stepping into an IEP meeting?
First, ask the school personnel participating in the meeting for copies of their respective reports a few days prior to the meeting so that you have time to understand the data being presented. You will get more out of the meeting because you will be able to ask informed questions and you’ve had time to think about the school perspective.
Second. as you sit through the meeting, keep asking yourself if the child being described is the child you know.
Third, it is always beneficial to take the IEP home with you and sign it, if you’re in agreement, a day or so following the meeting. This allows you time to consider whether the findings and the recommendations for services and accommodations concur with your hopes. If the answer to any of the above thoughts, is “no,” stop by to consult with another knowledgeable professional. –Natalie Varney, Learning Specialist
*QWERTY Education Services is a private practice of Learning Specialists, Pyschologists, and Tutors founded by Mark Carey in Menlo Park, CA in 1986. Currently he serves as their Educational Director.
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