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Ask any language professor or multilingual person the best way to learn a new language, and they're almost certain to recommend the "immersion" technique. This means immersing yourself in a community where the language you are trying to acquire is the main language spoken. Want to learn Spanish? Try six months in Chile. Need to perfect your French? Stay with a family in Lyon. While total-immersion is probably the most effective way to learn a new language (or simply become more fluent), it is not always feasible, particularly for younger students.
Still, there are ways to approximate the immersion experience and, in doing so, help your child acquire a new language more quickly — and more meaningfully. The following ideas can be implemented with students at all grade levels. Read more on Language Learning: The (Semi-) Immersion Technique…
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Spelling problems permeate our lives. And while finding misspellings in newspaper headlines or on giant billboards can range from annoying to amusing, spelling challenges can be incredibly frustrating to students. These difficulties can extend to virtually all areas; after all, there are few subjects that do not require writing (spelling even creeps into math disciplines — think geometry proofs). Many adults struggle with spelling, so it's little wonder that children do, as well. Kids with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, may find it particularly difficult to put letters in the correct order. And, spelling can be extra-challenging for students whose first language is not English.
There are several great ways in which tutors (and parents-as-tutors) can help students gain skills and confidence when it comes to spelling. First, it is important to understand that spelling-learning is most effective in context. Even spelling bee champions ask, "May I have the root of that word?" and "Could you use that word in a sentence?" For decades, spelling was taught as an isolated activity; if you grew up any time before the 1990s, you probably remember daunting "spelling books," full of words with no context. In that scenario, spelling is reduced to rote memorization. As educational scholars from Bloom to Gardner have proven, rote memorization is one of the least effective ways in which to learn. Read more on Spelling Strategies That Work…
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When it comes to conducting a successful tutoring session, the physical environment can be just as important as the academic subject matter. Certain environments are conducive to learning, while others are detrimental. While environment is particularly important for students who have learning disabilities (such as ADHD), it has an impact on all learners. Before the new school year begins — and brings plenty of busy days with it — ask yourself the following questions about your child's tutoring environment.
Is this space solely dedicated to learning? We all take cues from our environment. A comfortable couch placed in view of a television signals "relaxation." A soft bed piled high with pillows signals "rest." You want a tutoring environment that signals "focus" and "success," so avoid too-casual spots and opt instead for a neat, distraction-free environment. This could be an office desk, but it can also be a kitchen table — as long as there is plenty of room to work and no background noise (in other words, don't plan a tutoring session in the kitchen while other family members are chatting and grabbing snacks!), any space can work. Read more on How to Protect the (Tutoring) Environment…
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If you've been tutoring all summer, it may be tempting to reduce (or even discontinue) those sessions once the new school year begins. But in reality, the start of a new academic year is the perfect time to re-examine, refine — and, yes, even redouble your tutoring efforts.
Why? One simple reason: You're now in a position to open lines of communication with your child's teacher(s), and that rapport can give you an excellent idea of what your child knows, what he needs to know, and what is being required of him in the classroom. By meeting regularly with your child's teachers, you can make certain that he is receiving the academic support he needs at home.
When you meet with your child's teacher (one-on-one sessions are best, although you may also be able to have a good conversation during an open-house night), ask the following questions: Read more on A Teacher's Key Role in Tutoring Success…
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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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When you envision a tutoring session, what comes to mind? If you've conducted (or sat through!) any tutoring sessions yourself, you're probably imagining a fairly straightforward scenario, one in which an adult authority figure imparts knowledge to a student. And while this classic set-up certainly has merit (particularly during preparation for a standardized test, such as the ACT or SAT), there are other tutoring schema that deserve consideration.
One of the most effective tutoring methods is the "student-as-teacher" strategy. For many types of learners, the passive reception of information (e.g., listening to a lecture or watching a video) is not adequate. Many people find it hard to retain information — and to synthesize it in any useful way — when they've merely had it "handed" to them, with little to no active effort required on their part. This certainly holds true for students in tutoring sessions.
So, what to do? If you're tutoring two students — if, for example, you are the parent of both an eighth-grader and a third-grader — allow one student to teach the other. In our example scenario, the eighth-grader can be an excellent tutor and valuable resource for the third-grader, given the students' relative age proximity and the eighth-grader's inherent ability to explain concepts in a simplified way that her younger sibling will understand. Read more on Role Reversal: Students as Tutors…
