Finding the right tutor for your child can be a frustrating process. You may wonder what to look for in the right tutor or what questions to ask a tutor to find out if they are a good fit. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to tutoring. A lot of it depends on your child’s needs, setting, convenience and cost. You can choose a private tutor, tutoring center, or an online service. You will have to determine what is the best fit for your child. It’s often a good idea to look for a tutor that has a college degree and has completed a tutoring program. Make sure that the tutor that you choose has experience in the subject that your child is having issues with. This will ensure that the tutor has been trained in different approaches to help your child with the way that they learn. Find out if the tutor has helped children that are around the same age and has the same learning style that your child has. Also look at what kind of attitude and personality the tutor has. Are they patient, upbeat, and encouraging? How do they interact with children? Make sure you ask for references and check those references. Ask the parents questions and see how the tutor helped their children. Did the kid’s grades improve and were they able to do their homework better? Make sure you meet with multiple tutors and compare the pros and cons of each tutor. Make goals with the teacher, tutor, child, and you. Parents and tutors are aware of what the goals should be, but you know your child better than anyone. Make sure that your tutor is willing to work with your child’s teacher. This will be beneficial in the long run because your tutor can give your teacher updates and your child’s teacher can update the tutor on how your child is doing in the classroom and what your child is needing help with. Make sure that the tutor gives progress reports and find out how often they give them. Ask for a sample of the progress report and see if it gives the kind of info that you would like to see on your reports. What kind of policies does the tutor have? Will you get charged for a session if your child is sick and you did not give them a 24 hour notice that the session will be canceled? Also it will be a good idea to find out their policies on make up sessions and substitute tutors if your child’s tutor can’t make it. Will you have any say in who is teaching your child if there is a replacement? Be involved in the process. At the end of each session, find out what your child is supposed to do before the next meeting. Remember that you play an important part in your child’s education. There is a lot involved in finding the right tutor for your child. Just remember that it will be worth it in the end.
There are many different reasons to love flash cards. Maybe you haven’t found your reason to love flashcards yet and think they are very boring. Here are some of the reasons that we love flashcards and thing that you should too. Let’s start off with why flashcards are important. There are tons of articles online talking about flashcards and what they can do for you as a student. In case you missed all these great articles, check out our list of reasons to use flashcards… Study flashcards burn information into the brain as they engage active recall. They aid in spaced repetition. If you’re unfamiliar with the idea of spacing in learning, it basically involves spacing learning events apart rather than massing them together. They activate metacognitive faculties. An example of this is when you believe something to be true and suddenly find out that it isn’t true. Because the answer shocked you, it has become ingrained in your memory and has deepened the learning association. This type of self-reflection is known as metacognition. They are a method of self-testing. They enhance retention. They improve comprehension skills. They allow for visual learning. With improved learning comes better exam results. Now that you know the importance, it is time to make flashcards! There is a great article online titled “8 Ways to Create Better Flashcards”. Here is some ideas from this great article: Use Pictures. For best results use pictures with words. More is Better. Create a variety of cards of the same thing to help you remember it in different ways. Keep it Simple. Sometimes you may be tempted to group things together in categories. This makes it harder to remember stuff. Try to keep the cards to 1 thing instead of grouping them together. When you’re right, you’re right. Sometimes you have words that are synonyms. As long as you get one of them, call it a win. Eventually you will remember both words. Opposites Attract. Don’t let them. Using phrases like the opposite of hot is _____ are a bad idea. This will not help you remember the words. It will only confuse you. Keep it Short. Keep your questions simple and direct. Our brains are lazy will try and find the easiest way to remember the thing on the card and forget the rest. Learn, then memorize. Understand what you’re teaching yourself before you memorize it. Be careful with corrections. If you use cards like ones that have you fix the error, your mind may remember the error in the future instead of the correct thing. There are many ways to make using flash cards fun. A fun article “Becoming a Flash Card Master” lists cool ways to make flashcards more fun. One of the things this article talks about it using a scorecard to keep track of scores while playing games with the flashcards to make it more interesting. Make a game out of flashcards and have a competition to see who can get the highest score! Here are 5 games they wrote about: The Magic Show The Quick Flip The Hint/ Gesture Game The Slow Reveal The Pictionary
Being a teenager has its pitfalls, which can include overwhelming pressure and stress with school and grades. Classes become more difficult and teachers often demand a tremendous amount of general homework, projects, and reports to be completed. As a parent, it is imperative that you be there for your high school student to make sure your child performs well to help with college and beyond, even if extra help may be needed. High school is a common time for tutoring to be needed. Here are 7 strong signs that your high school student needs a tutor… Different methods: Times have changed and so have the teaching methods they use in schools. You may know how to get the answer yourself, but do you know how your child is being taught to get the answer? Your child may be learning how to do things differently than you did them. This will make it harder for you to help them when you don’t know the current methods being taught. It Has Been Too Long Or You Do Not Remember Enough To Help: If your child is studying long division or fractions and those aren’t something that you deal with on a daily basis, then it may just have been too long since you’ve done some of these things for you to be the best tutor for your child. Could you look at a book and remind yourself. Maybe math wasn’t your thing or you don’t remember how to do signs and cosigns. You can look over the worksheet your child brings home, but you weren’t in class with them. Even if you were getting the concept across to your child, if you don’t really understand how they are trying to do it, then it may not work. Tutors will have several different ways to approach a subject in order to help your child. Need A Someone To Help Who Has More Patience: Let’s face it, our children know how to push our buttons and make us mad. Often we do not have as much patience with our children as we would like. I know there are times when I have more patience with other people’s children than I do with my own. This is where a professional tutor come is. This is what they do. Your child will learn better if they have someone that is more patient with them. Plus, maybe it is just me, but there are times when it seems like your child will listen to everyone else except you, especially teenagers. Time Commitment: How much of a time commitment can you make to help your child? Sometimes it can be hard to find the time needed to help your child. Fitting a solid hour with no distractions, 3 times a week may not be something that you can do. If you get your child a tutor, they can often meet at the school either before or after classes. Your Child Is Trying Not To Disappoint You: Our children don’t want to disappoint us, so they may say that they understand something when really they don’t. They may also feel stupid asking a question for the third time if they still don’t understand the answer. Tutors are used to this kind of thing so they can try to rephrase an answer in order to explain it differently. This way it may click with your child so the finally understand it. More Convenient: Work can be exhausting, so there are pros to having your child meet with a tutor. Having your child meet with a tutor before or after school would be a lot more convenient than having to try to find a time after you get home from work. Since your child is already in the learning mode at those times and more awake it should be easier for them to learn it during those times. Let’s say you get home from work at 6, eat at 7, and finally get around to helping them at 8, chances are your child is already out of school mode and not pick it up as easy. Specialization: Your child could have a learning issue like dyslexia. Finding a tutor that specializes in teaching children like yours will help your child way more than you can. Sometimes it is hard to admit that you can’t do it all as a parent, especially once your child reaches high school. Deciding if your high school student needs a tutor may be a difficult one, but the end result may be worth it.
Studies have shown time and time again that children with parents who are involved in their education have more success than children without parental support. Children are found to have better behavior, have higher grades, and better all around attitude towards education that results in a more successful life. Getting involved with your child’s education begins at home through simply asking your child about their school day. It is natural for children to not give much information when asked about their school day. How they respond and what they share truly comes to the relationship you have with your child. Keeping an open line of communication is important for the parent-child relationship, especially when it comes to school. Some children do not like to open up and talk about their day or school. If you find your child not saying much than ask questions that do not require only one word answers. Get familiar with their school routine to help bring up more specific questions. Taking time every evening to go through your child’s schoolwork with them is an important part of being involved with their education. Taking the time to look through their bag and asking them to explain some of the items to you can help you get the conversation going with your child about their school day. Unless the teacher sent tons of paperwork home, this process does not have to be long and detailed. Just enough time to see what your child has for the day and show them that you care about their school education and life. Many parents find they can keep up with their child’s education, even if they are not home after school, through making a rule of informing the parent about schoolwork when they arrive home and needing to complete it before anything else. If you have a younger child that you are trying to work with, check their planner every day for notes from the teacher. Many times, teachers will write notes to you, as the parent, or have the child write a note regarding work that needs to be done. No matter your child’s age, ensuring that they keep you informed on what is going on is important. If your teacher is willing to give you their phone number or email address, it is helpful to communicate with them about your child via phone or email. Every teacher and school is different on the best line of communication, so make sure to follow what is best for the teacher to help be better connected. Most schools have 2 official parent/ teacher conferences a year. Try and make these a priority. Conferences are a great opportunity for teachers to give a full update on your child’s progress for the year. Before the conferences come, try to write down questions you may have regarding your child’s work, so you can ask the teacher. Listen to what the teacher has to say. Most teachers are skilled at observing the children and what goes on. It is important to visit your child’s classroom and see where they spend their day. Busy parents tend to overlook visit your child’s classroom. It is amazing what parents can be learn about their child from spending a short period watching what goes on in the classroom. If your time schedule allows it, try and volunteer in your child’s classroom. This is not always possible though. If this is something that you are able to do, get with your child’s teacher. Tell them that you would like to help, but don’t know what to do. There is a good chance the teacher can find something for you to do. Some schools have guidelines on the type and amount of assistance a parent can give. Make sure you talk with the principle to find out what those are. Sometimes teachers just need help behind the scenes. Stuff like planning holiday parties, advising on a computer installation, helping with fundraising, or even writing a grant. It is harder to keep in touch with your child’s teacher once they start middle school. There are more teachers to communicate with. At this age your child is less likely to want to talk to you about what is going on. Participation at this age is still important and recommended. Typically each child is assigned either a guidance counselor or a primary teacher. Use this person as your contact and develop a line of communication with them throughout the year. Even in middle and high school, the teachers may still appreciate your help with planning field trips or organizing fund-raising projects for the school. Information received from your child’s teachers can be helpful at the middle and high school grades. In fact, for college-bound children, these talks are as important as ever. The teacher may have insights about your child that may affect selection of college and career. Although participation is important, you must learn to become less directly involved with your children’s schoolwork. By middle school, your child should be taking most of the responsibility for their own homework. If you are a parent that has not been involved with your child’s education, it is never too late to begin. If you are just beginning when your child is older, keep at it. Never give up, as it is about finding the way that works for your child. Children who are not used to their parents being involved with school may be more hesitant to your sudden involvement. Communicate with your child about your desire to be involved with their education to help your child feel more comfortable talking about school. A pattern of poor involvement with your child’s education can lead to your child feeling any conversation about school means they are in trouble. Ensure your child that you are there to learn and be apart of their school life and education, not find things they are doing wrong. There are many ways to participate in your child’s education. You do not
You may find yourself wondering why tutoring is important for kids or when it is needed. There are many reasons that tutoring is important for kids, more than could ever be explained in a single blog post, but we did our best collecting information on why children need tutoring and what tutoring can do for them. Every child learns in their own way. What works for one child does not always work for another. At times, it does not matter how well your child’s teacher explains the material, your child may need more time to practice the skill or understand the content. Tutoring provides an opportunity for one-on-one instruction to help a child learn in their own way. One good need for tutoring occurs when children move in the middle of the school year and the new school is at a different place than the old school. Children are to be taught certain standards every year for their grade, but how or when they are taught is up to that school district. Your child may struggle because they may have missed things they should know already for their new school. A tutor can help fill the gaps that happened as a result of the move and change of curriculum timing. There are many other reasons why a child may struggle and need a tutor. It does not mean that the parent, student, or the teacher did anything wrong. Some of it has to do with the cognitive ability to receive the information and receive it well. As you may have noticed, schools have become more sophisticated with the way subjects are taught. Through these innovations, subject matters become more integrated and developed. Because of this they are more challenging for students. Sometimes, kids may find it hard to cope with their lessons. Tutoring allows your child to cope with the material they learn in school. It provides your child with the leverage that they need in handling the subject matter. Tutoring is a personal approach that allows you to convey the information to the person you’re tutoring effectively, helping them improve in school performance. Tutoring is also important because it helps children prepare for future standard tests. This is accomplished because the tutor and your child work on mastering what they are having problems with. This will effectively allow your child to tackle tests with full preparation and confidence. Many high-profile executives and inventors struggled in school at different points in their life. Some had tutors and others did not. Albert Einstein was a great example of a genius who admittedly did terrible in school. Imagine what would have come if he had tutor to help him through the difficult times? Tutoring is an important asset to the development of your child’s performance and confidence. It helps your child learn and grow to their full potential when it comes to subjects at school. This effectively provides a sense of fulfillment and progress in their studies, as challenges are becoming more evident at school. As a result, tutoring is important if you want to help your child cope with the increasing difficulty of the school system. A tutoring service will help your child out in building that confidence and coping with school. Tutoring can be very important to kids. I am not saying that every child needs a tutor. You have to use your judgment to decide what is best for you and your child.
Being able to speak the local language or at least knowing some of the basic phrases can make your trip to a different country more enjoyable. Or maybe you just have an interest in a language and would like to learn it. Here are the top 5 ways to learn a new language completely free on any device. Duolingo Duolingo is one of the most popular language apps there is and is also one of the highest rated apps. An independent study conducted by the City University of New York and the University of South Carolina, about 34 hours of Duolingo is equivalent to a full university semester of language education. The great thing about it is that Duolingo is easy to use. You work on lessons to learn basic words, phrases, and grammar. You then practice what you have learned by translating real world content from blogs and websites. There are a few less languages on the apple and android apps than there are on the website. Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Polish, Esperanto, Turkish, Norwegian, Ukrainian Available: Apple, Android, and Windows 2. Busuu Basuu uses crowd-sourcing as part of its language learning system. When you first start out with busuu you will use a lot of flashcards for learning new words and phrases. As you advance, you will have the opportunity to practice writing and answering questions, which will be marked by other users who speak the language that you are learning. They offer 12 languages and you are encouraged to listen and speak the language by interacting with native speakers. Languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese. Available: Apple and, Android 3. Memrise Memrise is great for visual learners. They have over 200 languages to choose from. They use a scientific learning system that is supposed to boost your brain to learn 44 words an hour. They also use multiple game modes to drill different parts of your memory. The content is user-generated, so the quality may vary. Languages: 200+ Available: Apple and, Android 4. Lingualy Lingualy uses flashcards and games to help you learn. You practice what you learn by reading articles of things that interest you. When you come across a word that you don’t know, you can click on the word and it will give you the meaning and the translation. Languages: English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish. Available: Apple and, Android 5. HelloTalk HelloTalk helps you learn are over 100 languages to choose from. You can select your entry level and you will start learning and practicing immediately. You connect with others on the internet that also want to learn. You can type in your native language and they can type in theirs. You just tap and hold to translate or pronounce any sentence. Languages: 100+ Available: Apple and, Android Learning a new language doesn’t have to be hard or boring. Thanks to these great apps, you can learn almost any language you choose. Best of all, most of these apps are free, allowing you to learn as much as you want without investing a dime.
What is tutoring? That is a very good question, When using the dictionary, tutoring is defined as “a person charged with the instruction and guidance of another.” A question many ask is why would you need a private tutor? The purpose of tutoring is to help students through teaching them to become independent learners who will eventually no longer need a tutor and have the tools to grow their education independently. A tutor provides expertise, experience, and encouragement but they do not provide “answers.” Instead a tutor assists in problem solving and helping you learn how to get the answers on your own.The challenge is to focus on assignments within the context that they are assigned. There are tremendous benefits to tutoring, let’s look at some of them. Benefits of Tutoring: Encourages a higher level of thinking Permits advanced students to study lower level material without embarrassment Increases ability to manage your own learning and study strategies Increases subject specific knowledge Increases related general knowledge Provides more empathy with the student Offers individualized, systematic, structured learning experience Provides greater congruence between teacher and learner Improves academic performance Improves attitude toward subject area Motivates self-directed learning Provides intensive practice Improves your self esteem Content knowledge is an essential ingredient for a tutor. However, to be truly effective, a tutor must combine content knowledge with empathy, honesty and humor. Empathy requires a tutor to “read” the emotional states, attitudes and perceptions of their students. It is also the ability to see others from their personal frame of reference, and to communicate this understanding to the person involved. In order for tutors to establish a supportive relationship with their students, tutors must be open and honest. We often find that students are reluctant to talk with a stranger about their academic problems. If a tutor is perceived as genuine with a strong desire to listen, students are often more willing to open up and discuss their problems. Surprisingly, Humor can play an important part in a tutoring session. Humor helps reduces tension and shared laughter is a powerful way to reinforce learning. If a tutor uses humor, it can set students at ease and increase rapport. Humor can also be used to compliment, to guide or to provide negative feedback in a positive manner. In addition, a successful tutor demonstrates a caring attitude. Caring consists of being organized for the tutoring session and being punctual. It also consists of establishing a learning relationship with the student, developing unique teaching strategies, and becoming familiar with the learning process. Ultimately, tutoring is sharing yourself with another student in a way that makes a positive difference in both your lives. All-in-all, tutoring is a wonderful resource for students of all ages and needs.
You have decided on your career and the college you want to attend. Now you have the task of finding a loan so you can afford to attend college and help your dreams come true. Paying for college is a scary thought, especially when the average public college tuition costs $24,061 and average private is $47,831. There are similarities and differences when it comes to student loans and ordinary loans. Student loans are similar to other loans in the way that you borrow money from a lender and promise to repay the loan with interest. The difference from student loans and ordinary loans comes in the repayment terms of student loans. With an ordinary loan, you are expected to begin paying the loan off in installments as soon as you receive the money. In the case of a student loan, you are traditionally expected to begin repaying the loan after your education is over because of the lack of employment needed to pay the loan is not there until you complete your schooling. As you will read below, some types of student loans are vastly superior to others. There are 2 main categories for student loans, federal and private loans. Let’s take a look at the different types of loans that come with federal and private loans: Stafford Loans are the most common type of federal loan that students apply for and use for funding their college education. Stafford loans are capped at a certain amount per year, based on whether you are dependent on or independent of your parents and what year you are in school. There are two types of Stafford Loans: Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. Subsidized loans are awarded based on your financial need. The interest on these loans will not accrue while you are in school at least part-time. The interest will also not accrue if you apply for “deferment” following your education to help you have time to get an established job and full-time employment. Unsubsidized loans are not based on your financial needs, and the interest will begin to accrue from the moment the government gives you the loan. If you are an undergraduate, a subsidized Stafford Loan will have a lower interest rate than an unsubsidized one. Perkins Loans are for students with extreme financial need. The interest rates for Perkins Loans are a standard 5%, and the loan is limited to $5,500 per year in aid. PLUS Loans are issued to parents of students. Your parents can borrow a PLUS loan to supplement the costs that were not covered by other forms of financial aid that you have received. A consolidation loan combines one or several loans into a single loan package. According to the nonprofit American Student Assistance (ASA), interest rates on consolidation loans are calculated by doing a weighted average of the rates of each individual loan being combined and rounding up to the nearest one-eighth percent. The interest rate is capped at 8.25%. Institutional loans are offered by the school you’re attending. Unlike a scholarship, this money must be repaid to the school once you graduate. Private loans are sometimes called “alternative” or “deal” loans because they are different from government-funded Stafford, Perkins and PLUS loans. Unlike government loans (whose interest rates don’t vary and which have standard repayment schedules), the interest rates of private student loans can change over the life of the loan, and repayment schedules are not standardized. For this reason, private loans tend to be a greater financial burden for you when you take them on. These loans are recommend for you to use only when all other sources of financial aide have been exhausted. After learning about the different types of loans available, the first step is to fill out a “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” (FAFSA) form. A few things you will need for this form are: Your Social Security Number Your W-2 and Tax Return Paperwork From The Previous Year Your Parent’s W-2 and Tax Return Paperwork From The Previous Year (if still legally a dependent of your parents) Submitting the FAFSA form online is the most recommended route as it is the fastest way to apply. The next important step is to find out the total cost of the school that you are want to attend. For this you will need to factor in: Tuition Additional Fees and Charges (These vary from school to school, so ask your admissions and records office what that may be.) Housing Books and Supplies Transportation Miscellaneous After you find the total cost, find out how much your family is able to help with your education funding. Sometimes your parents will have set up a savings account to help with these cost. Once finding out what loans you are eligible for, investigate the different types and what they have to offer. What is the interest rate? Total amount owed later? Accept the loans that are right for you and ensure to budget your money to last through the year and cover everything you will need. The process of applying for loans is repeated every year, as your income can factor in State and Federal grants, depending on what your state has to offer. Your income also factors how much interest-free and interest loans you are eligible for. Don’t just assume that your loans will be the same as they were the previous year. As income and other factors change, so do your loans. If you are stuck in a difficult spot when it comes to paying for school and do not have enough loans to cover, search out grants and scholarships offered for students in your position. There are many companies offering new grants and scholarships every year.
Creative Ways To Improve Your Elementry Math Skills When it comes to math, almost everyone has problems at some point! When you are trying to help yourself, or someone else, some pointers are always nice. Here a creative ways to help you improve your Elementry math skills. Remember when it comes to kids, help them first conquer the basic math skills. Have them practice on paper as well as flash cards. Writing it down helps the brain as well as verbally saying the answers. If they are having a hard time with the cards, put the one down and go back to it later. This will help with the frustration that may come with it! Games are always a great way to help your kids learn math! Games such as Uno, Crazy Eights, Memory and Concentration are games that require memory and the use of numbers, sets, and mathematical concepts. To get the most benefit from this, make sure you point out the memory strategies that lead to the success of the game. You can also try and find online games for Math. These work great to build that “fun” behind the learning. Most of the time, kid’s don’t even realize that they are learning! Another fun way to help with math is playing with a pretend cash register. Have them “buy” things and have you buy things. Have them figure out how much things are and how much is owed at the end! This is a great way to continue using math as well as learning money. You can even have them help you with the “price tags”. Using real money is a great way to learn too! Take out a few dollars and some loose change and give your child a number. Have them figure out how many ways they can come up with that number using the money. There should always be more than 1 way! They can use the loose change as well as the dollars! You can also have them subtract and multiply using the money too! You can also “go for a walk” and look for different shapes in the trees and leaves. You can look at signs. Try to name as shapes as you can and figure out if they are symmetric! Great way to spend time together while learning! You can also learn math when you are cooking or baking. Have your child help you with the measuring cup’s. Have them help you by using a smaller size and figuring out what fraction is needed to make the whole! You could also bake a pie or a cake and as each slice or piece is eaten, have them figure out what fraction is left! Always remember to try to make learning fun! Try using these suggestions or try to make some new ones up on your own! Once your child starts catching on and having fun, you should see a rise in their grades!!
There is quite a buzz in the air concerning the new SAT. The current SAT will be available until March 2016; after this date only the new SAT will be available. How is the “new” SAT effecting education, high school, college entrance, and tutoring? The new SAT and Education: The new SAT will implement the Common Core Standards. Student’s abilities in math, reading, and writing will be tested and measured. Students must master these standards in order to score well on the new SAT. Educators teaching these standards face increased pressure, especially since the new SAT will debut early next year. Teachers must help students gain a deeper understanding and guide them in applying their understanding and knowledge in day-to-day and real-life situations. The new SAT and High School: Current high school students must be prepared in advance for changes in the new SAT. Some students may have the option of taking both the current and new SAT exams. Freshman and sophomores have the option to take both. Current juniors and seniors will not need to take the new SAT and will take the current SAT, since the new exam will not be implemented until 2016. The new SAT and College Entrance: In order to gain the best entrance scores, students must do well on the new SAT, which is more challenging than the current SAT. The questions are harder and will take longer to answer. The essay will be optional, although it will be a more challenging. Some math sections will no longer allow caculators and students will see more algebra problems. Understanding Common Core Standards and the ability to implement these standards are the key to success with the new SAT. The new SAT and Tutoring: Private educators, such as tutors, have already experienced an increase in inquiries from students and parents concerning the new SAT. It is important to get ahead of the game now since students will no longer be able to “cram” for the exam. The time in now to start preparing for the new SAT! Contact Elite Home Tutoring for questions and additional information concerning the “new” SAT, www.elitehometutoring.com
