Summer Learning Loss

 

Stop Summer Learning Loss 

but

Don't Stop Learning!

Studies vary concerning learning loss over the long summer holiday; however, they all do show substantial losses for those students who are struggling in the first place.
Even straight "A" students tend to show some loss if not engaged over the months away from learning.

How to avoid summer learning loss: 

       Read  !
This cannot be overstated
Reading is so important.  The choice of reading material is less a factor than the act and the follow-up.
Don't read "blindly" - engage yourself with the material by talking about what you've read with others, look to learn more about the topic, write about what you've read, comment or blog about it.  Use any method you like to make sure that you aren't forgetting as fast as you are reading.
Also, remember the library - often free reading material of all kinds there!

       Write !
Write a journal.
Write about what you have been reading (see above).
Start a blog about your favourite topic.
Write letters (astonish your friends and the world!).
Write some poems.

Parents

Engage your children with daily / weekly chores.
Plan grocery trips with a list.  (They can make the list.  They might even be able to help plan the recipes for  the week and then work on the list with you.)
Math can be practised when cooking with a recipe (especially if you are halving or doubling the recipe, etc.)
Ask for opinions and comments on T.V. shows or Internet/video games, etc.
NOTE:       Be sure to ask open questions not closed questions.
An open question invites more conversation, whereas a closed question generally illicits only a  "yes" or "no" response.
Example:   
      Open question -   "What did you like about the main character ?"
      Closed question - "Did you like the main character?" 

Don't be too quick to judge opinions (despite the lack of logic or maturity). It is just important to keep paying attention and engaging with material.  A great deal of learning comes from talking it out and hearing one's own ideas aloud.  Self-correction tends to happen in stages.

Tutoring

Of course - a couple hours of tutoring per week can also help retain past lessons and help to prepare for the next year! 

Come see what a professional tutor and personalized program can do for you or your child!
www.tutoringcentral.com

New Programs !

I am pleased to announce that I am offering new programs. 

I am especially looking forward to incorporating some of the Reading Assistant™ programs. 

While I don't think computers should take over the learning process, they are an excellent tool to assist in gaining ground - particularly in repetitive technical practice. 

Also  Summer Tutoring will soon be starting - check website for further information:

www.tutoringcentral.com

 The Reading Assistant™ program

combines advanced speech recognition technology with research-based instruction

helps students strengthen their reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

feedback to participants is supportive and individualized 

The Fast ForWord® program

Accelerates learning for students across a wide spectrum of ages and abilities

Applies proven research on how the brain learns

Builds cognitive skills in the areas of memory, attention, processing, and sequencing

Learners can realize rapid achievement gains 

For more information, don't hesitate to call or e-mail:  

519 824 0982 

tutoringcentral@inbox.com

Fish Ladder

Gay and I had an amazing week at the Royal Habour Resort in Thornbury.

Here is a short video of the Dam at Thornbury and the fish ladder.  The Beaver River empties into the Nottawasaga Bay (part of Georgian Bay).

From:  http://www.visitgrey.ca/travel-experiences/fall-in-grey-county/fish-ladders/

Thornbury Fish Ladder - Located on Hwy 26 just east of the lights in Thornbury.  
The fish ladder runs under the bridge over the Beaver River.  It was designed to provide fish passage from Georgian Bay to spawning beds on the Beaver River, south of the Thornbury dam.
It can best be seen from an attractive stairway and platforms which are accessible from the public parking lot next to Town Hall.  There are interpretive story boards sponsored by the Thornbury Clarksburg Rotary Club along the walk known as Riverwalk which follows the shore of the Beaver River.  The best times to visit the fishway are spring and fall.  Rainbow Trout swim up the river in spring and salmon in fall.

History

History - of course, sometimes needs a rewrite!

It should be altered to reflect new facts or facts that were deliberately ignored (or covered up) in earlier versions.
Alternate voices are important to give history its depth.  True, this creates a bit more mess.  It isn't quite as simple as good guys/girls versus bad guys/girls, but the 'truth' generally isn't so clear-cut anyway.

Have a look at some of the various discussions around Louis Riel.
(Canadian History: Red River Rebellion and North-West Rebellion)

A good starting place is Canada's History magazine (Feb-March 2013): Thunder on the Prairie and
Shifting Riel - ity.

Was he a rebel, a defender of human rights, a hero, a crazy man ?  Perhaps he was all of this and more.  
For sure, he wasn't just a hero.  He wasn't just a rebel.

1984

I just finished re-reading George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Despite the date of the title, there are still many relevant themes.

                         Telescreen - Facebook / Twitter anyone ?

Some modifications -but who knew so many people would be willing to forgo their privacy.

Also, ideas around the haves and have-nots.  There is lots of fodder for conspiracy theorists as well.

                        reality control - spin
   
       correcting history - politically correct translations of classic texts.

Still lots to think about! 

Snow !!

Good Luck on Exams!

Wishing all of my students (and all students) the best of luck on their Exams!  

Of course, if you have been following along with the lessons, you know that luck is the smallest part of doing well.
Your preparation and excellent study skills will take you to the top!

Don't panic, relax, use what you have learned, and you will do fine.

For a reminder of tips, check out the website link below:

http://tutoringcentral.com/teaching_tips__quotations.htm

Well, Back to School !

For many students this is an exciting time.
Time to get new supplies, clothes, etc. and head back to meet up with friends scattered since the summer holiday.
Some students are even eager to get back to learning!

For others, however, it isn't such a great thought.  They aren't looking forward to time in classrooms, teachers' expectations, and ........."work."

For them and for parents (equally inclined), I suggest trying to turn thought patterns into something more positive.  Don't think of it as "work" but more of an opportunity - a chance to expand your knowledge and your understanding not just of history, geography, math, English, etc., but of the whole network of knowledge and how it connects you to the world.
The more you know - the more you can know, and the more opportunities will open up for you time after time.
Turn your thoughts to the idea that school is for you - a tool you use to help yourself.
Once you are in more control, the challenges are acceptable, and you may look forward to proving yourself up to the task.

Being engaged is more than half the battle!

So give it a try.   Turn negative thoughts into positive ones, "work" into challenges, "tests" into games to be conquered.

You can do it !

Summer schedule

Well, we have just about everybody sorted for the summer schedule ! The first week went very well, with lots of bright-eyed students eager to learn. Of course, it takes a little adjustment to be here in the morning for those that switched to morning hours, but they seemed to handle it quite well.

I always think that if the expectation is they will handle it well - they do!

-Perhaps surprising even to themselves.

A lot of behaviour is somewhat dictated by others' expectations.

(Student: "If I eat this piece of candy, I will be bouncing off the walls." My response, "We won't do candy next time. It isn't essential." Suddenly, there is no bouncing off the walls!)

I hope everyone is enjoying the heat - HOT HOT HOT !!

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass

Just finished reading "Motorcycles & Sweetgrass" by Drew Hayden Taylor.

It is really a fun book that has a modern take on some native myths, especially the trickster character - Nanabush.

The conversation between Jesus and Nanabush is hilarious.

The novel was a finalist for the Governor General's award.  
It is relatively safe reading for older children, too. 

Math Facts Game !

Here is a fun game to help build addition/subtraction, multiplication, and/or division facts.  The free version works fine and covers all the basic facts.
What is exceptional is that the game builds on the player's current skills and reviews weaker areas to help him/her become stronger!

Despite the ubiquitous calculator, one is always better off having some basic math facts in the best computer of all - the BRAIN!

http://www.bigbrainz.com/indexs.php

Brainstorming

Credit photo to: zirconicusso

Don't forget to use brainstorming to help you get started on any writing assignment.

Whether you are writing a book report, speech, essay, or fiction story, brainstorming can help you get started, get organized, and get that final draft quicker!

You should take a few minutes to brainstorm for ideas.
Sit down with a piece of paper and jot down any ideas that come to you when you think about the topic.

For example, if you need to write an essay based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, you might brainstorm for ideas you could use to help generate a thesis.  Don't waste time - start scribbling down your thoughts.  Later you will discard those ideas you don't like and narrow down your focus.
              Example:
                      Atticus - just man
                         - willing to sacrifice
                        - too good to be true ?
                        - model parent
             Novel written from child's point of view
                          - flaws in perception ?
                         southern racism and conflict
                    religion vs morals vs law
            Boo - scary character or innocent ?

Your list could be much longer.  Once you have decided on a thesis (or your teacher has given you one) you can brainstorm again to find supports.

You might ask:  "Why do all this chicken-scratching on scrap paper, writing and storming my brain?"

Primarily because "It gets one started."

Looking at a blank page for hours (or days in some cases) waiting for the perfect inspiration to come is the true waste of time!

Also, these thoughts can be used to help you organize your article.  I have read many essays in which the author had a good thesis and some solid supports, but they are written as they come to mind rather than in an organized, planned fashion.  At best, the article seems confused and tricky to read.  At worst, the author's meaning is completely lost in a mish-mash of ideas without unity and coherence.

So don't be afraid of the blank page - use brainstorming to get you started.

Sunrise

Just a couple of recent sunrise pictures from our house.

Happy New Year !!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year !!  

(whenever and however you celebrate it)
Click below for a video from History.com to learn a little more about New Year celebrations.

http://www.history.com/topics/new-years/videos#history-of-the-holidays-new-years-eve

Friday Homework Club

We're trying something new with the Friday Homework Club.
     
Website:  www.tutoringcentral.com

This allows you the opportunity to try out some tutoring sessions without a longer term commitment.

Sessions can be 1/2 hour or 1 hour in length, and you can arrange one session or multiple sessions as you require them. 

Something else that's new are a couple of little videos !  (Don't worry, I don't sing at all - maybe in the future I'll croak out a song or two, who knows!!)
At the moment they are just welcome videos for the website. 

To arrange an appointment call:     519 824 0982
                                                     or
                                                  e-mail:  tutoringcentral@inbox.com

Our Holiday

Gay and I have returned from our trip to the Carriage Hills Resort (near Barrie, Ontario).   The location was beautiful; and, although some of the leaves had already fallen - there were some incredible views and colours, especially from the tops of the many many hills.

Our suite had everything you could want - including size.  (I think it was bigger than our house!) 

The Carriage House had a mini-gym, games room, and an indoor / outdoor swimming pool.  With plastic sheeting between the inside and outside, you could swim through and be swimming in the cool and rain of the outdoors.  On the colder days, there was a nice fog over the water outside!
There was a hot tub indoors and another one outside - just a little chilly on the toes walking from the outdoor pool to the hot tub, but very very nice. 

The weather forecast was easy:  Rain.
To be honest, there were occasional breaks in the rain - just threatening rain.   There were some gale force winds as well, just to make things interesting.
As always, though, Gay and I made the best of it and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Birds in the backyard

Just thought I would post a few pictures of recent birds in our backyard.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to capture the hummingbird on camera, yet.  
If you click on the picture - you get a better view. 

Woodpecker on driftwood

Cluster of Sparrows

Mourning Dove

Robin - king of the castle 

Woodpecker on tree

Kiwi !!  (Not native to Canada)

Fourteen years !!

It's hard to believe that it has been fourteen years!

I began L.T.L. Tutoring back in the fall of 1996. At that time, we were living in the south end of Guelph on Wilsonview Avenue - not far from College Avenue Public School and College Heights and Centennial Secondary Schools.

Of course, just as now, students came from all over Guelph and a few from outside of Guelph, too.

I feel very lucky to have been able to tutor students from 4 years old to older adults and every age in between.

Most of the students have been grade school or secondary school students aiming to improve their skills and grades; however, there have been others.

One summer, a brother and sister from Saudi Arabia came to improve their English skills.

Other adults have come to Canada from China, Libya, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone - to name a few, and have arrived at L.T.L. to improve English skills as well.

Several adults have come to change jobs or improve their writing skills (and sometimes math skills) for their current job.

The students from Canada are most prevalent of course - and they have all been entertaining, enjoyable, and educational for me.

That's not to say that a few of them haven't been challenging, difficult, and stressful! Of course, education brings all those bits and pieces with it.

Still, to be able to watch students as they begin to weave their way into understanding - while trying to become more understanding myself - has been rewarding to date.

I look forward to the next fourteen years!

Epictetus

I wanted to say a little more about the quotation on the website for July:

Only the educated are free

Epictetus (Greek Philosopher)

Epictetus was born around the year 55 (slightly before I was!) and was originally a slave.
He was eventually freed. (He may have considered himself free long before he was physically freed.)

He lived and studied in Rome (first as a slave) then became a teacher with his own school in Nicopolis in Greece.
He was a stoic and seems to have followed the older stoics.

In addition to the quotation above, his philosophy is very interesting in its ability to help guide people to a happier life.
We see many of the stoic ideas in more modern form - including Albert Ellis and his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.

Epictetus believed that we are able to choose - even though he believed many things belonged to fate - the way we respond to them is up to us.

"No one is master of another's prohairesis [moral character], and in this alone lies good and evil. No one, therefore, can secure the good for me, or involve me in evil, but I alone have authority over myself in these matters." (Discourses 4.12.7–8, trans. Dobbin)

Our thoughts and our responses are within our control - and we can choose to be calm and take an active role to improve the events that happen to us, or not.

Now I am not suggesting that I agree with everything the Stoics, or Epictetus, said; however, I do think there is a lot to be learned from them.
Nor am I suggesting that I, myself, can always choose the right thoughts or responses to disturbing events.
What I do suggest is that we are all learning ( or should be!) and can find our better paths in time - and perhaps with a little guidance.
Those who choose not to learn or change will forever stay wallowing in their own self-pity and despair.

Education - learning - can be freeing on so many levels.

Keep learning, keep growing and exploring the world!

Math skills

Many skills are learned best by "doing."

In academic studies, math may be the prime example.
The best way to learn mathematics is by doing.

Each night you should set aside some time to go over past
material and practise a few questions from each section.

Reviewing the rules and procedures is important; however, you
don't know the math unless you can start at the beginning of a
question and successfully work through the steps to a correct final answer.

One final thought: Don't be afraid of math !