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Does your child avoid homework because of writing difficulty? Perhaps the reason is due to difficulty with organizing ideas and thoughts. Does s/he still work hard with remembering how to form manuscript letters and/ how to spell simple words correctly? Is s/he overly concerned or overwhelmed with homework assignments that should only take ten minutes?
Read more on Listen to your Child's Homework Complaints and Excuses – Part 2…
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For many students, the language spoken in the classroom is not their first language. Lessons are taught in English, while students' home language is Spanish, French, Mandarin, Russian — any one of the hundreds of languages that make the United States such a vibrant place in which to live. For ESL (English as a Second Language) students, the "ordinary" challenges of curriculum can be compounded by an unfamiliarity with the language in which that curriculum is written and spoken.
If you are tutoring an ESL student, it is important to keep in mind the unique challenges that she faces. This is particularly true when you are helping with a writing assignment. In order to help an ESL student write a clear paper — and to boost her confidence in her own English-writing abilities — consider implementing the following advice. Read more on Ways to Help Young ESL Writers…
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Understanding why children avoid homework is a topic of concern among parents as a new school year begins.
Listen, pay attention, gather clues, and if it helps, record your child’s exact words relating to homework. A pattern of complaints can help you and your child to identify problems. Recognizing reasons children avoid homework can lead to successful strategies and solutions.
Read more on Listen to Your Child’s Homework Excuses and Complaints…
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While it may seem like summer just began, the new school year is approaching quickly. This is a hectic time for any student, as she meets new teachers, adjusts to new classes, and finds out just how much homework this new grade level requires. But for students with learning disabilities, such as autism or an emotional disability, the return to school can be even more daunting. Take time to prepare your child for the new school year, and to find strategies that work best for her. These strategies can be seamlessly integrated into your tutoring sessions, so that she sees education (i.e., at-school learning and in-home tutoring) as part of the same important concept. Read more on Back-to-School Strategies for All Learners…
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Following are some simple tips that can help to increase your chances of success on multiple choice tests.
PREPARING for the Test
- Begin studying early: study, review, reread, review and study again.
- Cramming for a multiple choice test is not a good way to remember detailed information.
- Study notes from class.
- Read, reread and review information from your text.
- Read captions, review charts and pictures.
- Pay attention to details.
- Notice events, key facts and dates.
- Review new vocabulary, definitions and concepts.
- Study a little every day.
- Set up a study group of other students in your course.
- Try making up your own multiple choice quiz questions.
- Take turns asking and answering questions.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I understand all that was covered in class?
Can I explain new vocabulary and concepts in your own words?
Can I answer the review questions at the end of the chapter?
How much time will you have to take the text? Read more on Multiple Choice Test Tips…
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Some of the traditional methods of building math skills are simply not interesting to children. Why not have fun while building skills and fluency?
Dominoes, Dice and Decks of Cards are inexpensive, easy to obtain and add fun to the job of practicing math facts. These games provide motivation, variety and repetition while building number sense, problem solving, attention and social skills. The game rules can be adapted to match your child’s learning goals and can provide a real-world context for meaningful learning.
Dig around in your closets and junk drawers, go to a neighborhood garage sale, craft your own games with cardstock and household materials, or make a quick trip to Walmart or Walgreens and be prepared to share laughter and fun while building skills.
Dominoes
The visual sets of numbers on dominoes help children to begin building a sense of multiplication while practicing addition. I like to use the dominoes with up to 12 dots with children when they are ready! Read more on Building Math Fact Fluency with Dominoes, Dice and Decks of Cards…
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The unique features and benefits of online tutoring programs are topics of recent blog posts. Rich learning media and a price to meet your budget are additional benefits of online tutoring programs. Continue reading to discover details about even more of the benefits and features to online tutoring programs.
Cost Effective: It may take some time to find a perfect match for your family budget, but as a general rule, online tutoring is less expensive than face to face tutoring. In addition, the extra expenses relating to travel are reduced or eliminated.
Multitasking: Many advanced learners desire to multi-task – engage in more than one task at a time. This is possible and more easily accomplished in an online learning environment.
Increased Retention: Increased choices, initiative and engagement combined with additional benefits of online tutoring result in increased learning and retention.
Individualized and Self Directed Learning: It is a challenge to individualize learning in the traditional classroom. Individualized learning seeks to meet the needs of all learners. With online learning programs, students have greater flexibility with making decisions about content, resources, learning tools and skill levels and can choose a learning modality/media that fits their learning style best. Read more on Online Tutoring: Rich Learning Media and Price to Meet your Budget…
