Goal Setting and How It Can Help Your Teen!

Setting goals is a great way to gain a greater sense of control over your life and start moving in a positive direction. Research shows that setting goals enhances students’ overall experience in high school as well as improving their academic performance.

There are two types of goals. Long term and short term. Long-term goals are related to dreams for the future, such as college or career goals. Short-term goals can be weekly or monthly goals that can lead up to the long term goals. For example, by the end of this month, a student may want to improve their grades to a C or above. This will help them with college entrance, but one of the many goals that will help them achieve their long-term goals.

Teaching teens to set SMART goals or goals that are specific, measureable, achievable, relevant, a time-based will allow them to reach their goals more easily.

SPECIFIC- Goals that set a definite bar help you to be able to know if they were achieved

MEASUREABLE-allows you to easily figure out if you are getting closer to your target:

Example- I want to get over an 80% on my next three math tests.

ACHIEVEABLE :  Setting goals that are within your reach so that you can dedicate time and energy to the goal.

RELEVANT:  Goals should be important to you so that you stay committed.

TIME BASED- there should e a deadline for completion so you create a sense of urgency. 

For more educational blogs, please visit our website at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com, written by teachers.

All You Ever Wanted to Know—Jargon Relating to Reading and Disabilities Decoded For Parents

Have you ever been in an IEP meeting or parent conference where the teacher or administration mentions certain vocabulary terms, conditions, and jargon that you are not quite sure the meaning and too embarrassed to ask? If this has happened to you, I hope the below glossary can serves as a simple, quick reference guide to clarify some of your questions.

ADHD- also known as Attention Difficulties with Hyperactivity. Children will often have a short attention span and tend to work on a number of different tasks at once. They will be easily distracted if there are a number of competing distractions. It is possible for children to have some attention difficulties without hyperactivity also known as ADD.

Auditory discrimination- Difficulties in identifying specific sounds and distinguishing these sounds with other similar sounds. This is common in students with dyslexia, hearing loss or partial/intermittent hearing loss.

Bottom-up- method of reading using decoding skills.  The reader has a good grasp on letter sounds and can blend words. It is essential that students with dyslexia are taught through he bottom up approach in order to ensure they are familiar with basic sounds and sound combinations (for comparison see top-down method).

Cognitive- this refers to the learning and thinking process. It is the process that describes how learners take in, retain and understand information.

Decoding- refers to the reading processing and specifically to the breaking down of words into individual sounds.

Differentiation- the process of adapting materials and teaching to suit a range of learner’s abilities and levels of attainments. Usually differentiation refers to the task, the teaching, the resources and assessment. Differentiation is the key to successful education of students with learning differences.

Dyscalculia-describes children and adults with difficulties in computation of numbers, remembering numbers or reading the instructions associated with number problems.

Dysgraphia- the difficulties in handwriting. Children with dysgraphia will benefit from lined paper as they have visual/spatial problems and may have an awkward pencil grip.

Dyslexia- difficulties in accessing print but also in memory, processing speed, sequencing, directions, syntax, spelling and written work. Children with dyslexia often have phonological difficulties that result in poor word attack skills.

Dyspraxia- refers to children and adults with coordination difficulties. Can also be known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).

Emotional literacy- the extent to which children are aware of their emotions and feelings and particularly those of others.

Eye tracking- being able to read a line and keep eyes on track throughout the line. Children with poor eye tracking omit lines or words on a page.

Information processing- describes how children and adults learn new information. It is often describes as a cycle-input, cognition, and output. Children with learning disabilities can have difficulties at all stages of information processing.

Kinesthetic memory- refers to memory used for movement such as remembering exercise routines. Learning handwriting is an example of how young children use their kinesthetic memory.

Learned helplessness-refers to the cycle of failure that some children may experience particularly if they have repeated failures at the same time. The extent of this failure is reinforces by subsequent failures and it becomes a learnt response to a task.

Learning disabilities- a general term to describes a range of specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. It is often referred to as LD and is note equated with intelligence. Children with LD are usually in the average to above average intelligence range.

Learning Styles- this can describe the learners preferences for learning such as visual, auditory, kinesthic, or tactile learning.

Long-term memory- this is used to recall information learnt and needs to be recalled for a purpose. Many children with dyslexia have difficulty with longer term memory, as they have not organized the information they have learnt and recalling it can be challenging.

Metacognition- process of thinking about thinking. This is being aware of how one learns and how a problem is solved.

Multiple intelligence- first developed by Howard Gardner in the early 1980s in his book Frames of Mind. Gardner provides insights into eight intelligences and shows how the educational and social needs of all children can be catered to through these intelligences.

Multisensory- use of a range learning modalities including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile learning.

Neurological- refers to the brain associated factors—that is the difference components of the brain or brain processing how the components interact with each other.

Paired reading-involves the child and tutor reading aloud at the same time.

Peer tutoring- when tow or more children work together to try to learn from teaches other.

Phonological awareness- refers to processing of becoming familiar with letter sounds and letter combinations that make the sounds in reading print. There are 44 sounds in the English language and some sounds are very similar sounding. This is confusing and challenging from children with difficulties in reading.

Reciprocal reading- aim is to encourage the child to check his own comprehension. Small units of text are presented and the tutor reads aloud first and summarizes what has been read. The propose is that the tutor models the read aloud and think-aloud process in order to encourage the child to self-question and to actively obtain meaning from text.

Scanning- refers to the process involved when one is attempting to locate a particular word or piece of information on a page.

Specific Learning difficulties (SLD)- refers to the range of difficulties experiences in general that can be of a specific nature such as reading, coordination, spelling and handwriting. There are quite a number of specific learning difficulties and they can be seen as being distinct from general learning difficulties.

Top-down method- refers to the reading process in which the reader begins with context and background of the text and uses contextual coleus to help with reading. Reading for meaning is more important than accuracy in this method.

Working memory-this is the first stage of short-term memory. It involves holding information in short term and storing and carrying out a processing activity.

For more informational blogs on education related topics, please visit our website at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com, founded by teachers!

A Must Read If You Care About America’s Future…….

 A Must Read If You Care About America’s Future…….

When I first picked up Amanda Ripley’s newest book at the library, yes, I actually use the public library often, I didn’t know that I was in for such an enlightening read! Although some of the information is not a surprise to me as an educator and an avid reader, I believe this book offers some highly valuable points that could positively influence teachers, parents, students, administrators, and politicians.

  In “The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way,” Ripley, an author and Time magazine journalist, focuses on what it’s like to be a child in the world’s new education superpowers: Korea, Finland, and Poland. She follows three Americans who live in these countries for a year. The amazing part is that none of these countries had the “smartest” kids a few decades ago, but they have increased the rigor in the classroom and parents have focused on the things that matter. In short, students are learning to think, design arguments, and problem- solve in order to thrive in a global economy.

Below are some of the ideas that I found most interesting!

Korea

• In America if students blame their failure on a math test on the test itself or their lack of innate ability whereas in Korea students see the failure as a result of not working hard enough.  Performance is believed to be a product of hard work.

• In Korea, only the top 2% of students get into one of Korea’s 3 prestigious universities.

• School’s only purpose is to master academic material and expectations are very high.

Research relating to Math

• The US is ranked 26th in the world in math. Affluence is not a factor. Korea ranked 2nd. Finland ranked 3rd and Poland ranked 19th.

• Mastery in math predicted kids’ future more than race or income.

• Other countries focused more on problem solving and math was taught in a more fluid way rather than each math class being separate from the next.

• In Poland, calculators were not allowed so kids would have to learn mental tricks to manipulate numbers. 

• In other countries, math is viewed more as a language to be taught just as a foreign language. The earlier the better.

• In the US, math was viewed as more an innate ability, you are either good at it naturally or you are not. 

Finland and Teacher Hiring

• All education schools were highly selective.

• Getting into teacher training was as prestigious as getting into med school in the US.

• All teachers earn Master’s degrees and are trained in public schools with three mentor teachers watching their classes carefully.

• In many American high schools, teachers do not even have to major in the subject.

• The class size in Finland, Korea, and Poland was greater than the US, but the teacher salaries were higher.

Different Parenting Styles that Lead to Raising Smarter Children

• “Korean parents saw themselves as coaches, while American parents tended to act more like cheerleaders” (107).

• They held high expectations for their children at home and in schools and saw education as their jobs.

• They would read to them nightly and quiz them on math at a young age.

• Parents who read to their young children daily performed better all around. 

• Volunteering in the child’s school did not increase student performance at all.

How Education Superpower Countries Viewed Education

• In Korea and Finland, parents, kids and teachers see education as a serious quest more important than sports or self-esteem.

• The US focused more on sports in school than any other country, but most kids in the US didn’t participate in high school sports so the beneficial skills of leadership and persistence only benefited a few while draining focus and resources from academics from all  (118)

• Teachers had more autonomy and chose rigorous material.

• Kids had the freedom to fail and didn’t take a lot of standardized tests, but took one major one at the end of high school that held real implications for their future. 

• Teens were expected to manage their time!

• US parents gave children less freedom.

• “Important distinctions were not about spending, local control or curriculum, but more about the purpose of school, which was for students to master complex academic material. Nothing else mattered much. (117)

• Differences in diligence mattered a lot and were the single best predictor of performance.

• High expectations were most important.

How to Spot a World Class Education

• Student engagement is the number one factor that increases student learning. Not class size, the amount of money spent per student nor test scores.

• Students know the purpose of what they are doing and can communicate this when asked. They are paying attention and interested in what they are doing and working hard.

• Parent involvement in PTA’s, raising money, and going to sports games did not correlate with raising smarter kids. The real work is done at home with reading every night when the child is young and talking about their day and the news in the world as they mature. 

• Allowing them to make mistakes and get back to work is also important.

• Little data suggests that more technology raises smarter kids. In most high performing classrooms, technology was not present in classrooms around the world. The “smartest” countries had higher teacher pay and equity by channeling more resources into the classrooms with the neediest students.

• Professional development should be customized to strengths and weaknesses of the individual teacher NOT feature hundreds of teachers sitting through a lecture. No countries do this but in Finland teachers watch each other more during training and while teaching

In all countries, teens played video games, tested in class and watch TV. The main difference was how seriously they took education. In Finland, Korea, and Poland all children had to learn higher order thinking in order to thrive in the world. “There was a big important contest at the end and the score counted. Their teachers were more highly educated, trained, and carefully chosen” (191).

In light of the Common Core Standards, I believe the US is taking steps toward improving our education system, but we have a lot more to learn from other countries in regards to providing the highest quality education as well as instilling the intrinsic motivation needed for our students to succeed. 

If you enjoyed reading this article, please visit our blog section at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com.

Common Core Testing: Not All Bad!

Many parents, teachers and students hold valid fears about the new Common Core tests that will replace the CSTs but one benefit of these new tests is that they include many supports for those with visual, auditory and linguistic needs. Some of the tools are embedded in the online tests and others include printed materials or handheld calculators that may be provided by test administrators. Below is a list of universal tools provided to all students as well as documented accommodations that can be accessed with an IEP or 504 Plan. For more information you can visit

http://www.cta.org/commoncore.

Universal Tools:                                     Documented Accommodations            

                                                                 For Students with IEPs or 504 plans:

Embedded in online tests Breaks, calculator, digital notepad, English dictionary, expandable passages, global notes, highlighter, keyboard navigation, mark for review, math tools, spell check, strikethrough, writing tools and zooms

Nonembedded Breaks, English dictionary, scratch paper, and thesaurus

Embedded: American Sign Language, Braille, closed captioning, and text-to-speech.

Nonembedded: abacus, alternate response options, calculator, multiplication table, print on demand, read aloud, scribe, and speech-to-text

**For more educational articles, please visit our website at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com

To Give or Not Give Back the Math Test?

A common practice these days is not to return students’ math tests nor allow students to take the tests home. This prevents students from studying areas in which they are weak and does not allow the tutor or parent to help the student to correct and understand their errors.

Perhaps this comes from teacher laziness because by not letting students take their tests and sometimes quizzes home they can recycle the tests year after year. However, I think students have a lot to loose by not being allowed to review their tests and make test corrections.

In teaching Algebra for special education students, I go over the homework and give my students the correct answers so they can check their work and ask questions on how to solve problems that they missed. This is another practice that many math teachers do not do. There is no point in assigning math homework for the sake of assigning it if students are not able to learn from this practice.

In regards to tests, I give small quizzes almost daily on every section we cover and grade them. I allow students to make quiz corrections, but in order to earn points that can help their original quiz score they must explain the cause of their mistake. This is an essential component that students can analyze their work and understand their errors to prevent them from continuing to make the same errors. This can also help students learn to slow down, show their work and see if their errors come from carelessness or lack of understanding how to solve the problem.

These practices are nothing new; but as a teacher and tutor, I see the frustration of parents who want to help their children, but can’t because never see their child/teen’s test. Hopefully, more teachers can see extreme benefits of learning from our mistakes and begin changing these harmful practices. I know teachers are under a lot of stress and pressure, but in the best interest of our students, allowing them to see their weaknesses and learn to analyze their errors can not only help them in math, but in life.

Please visit our website at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com for more educational blogs

Ipads in the Classroom are Here to Stay- Pros and Cons

In addition to MBUSD, LAUSD will be providing 660,000 students with ipads this upcoming year. After hearing some complaints from parents of my students this year, I thought it was best to examine the pros and cons of ipads.

Below is a list of some pros and cons that I have found in my research and conversations with parents. I think whether we like it or not, we must accept that technology will continue to play a bigger role in the classroom and on a positive note will ultimately prepare them for life after high school.

Pros

1.     Motivates students- increases student engagement and excites students.

2.     Educational apps- the ipad allows students to use a variety of educational apps.

3.     E-textbooks- the ipad can reduce the need for textbooks and/or transporting textbooks back and forth. Also, textbook versions are more current and save trees!

4.     Communication tool- ipads allow teachers to create polls or ask questions that all students can answer even those who are shy about raising their hand in class. Communication is instant. Also message boards can be set up that convey class information and allow students to post questions and comments about reading or other topics in class.

5.     Research- The ipads provide an easy, assessable way to conduct research by providing access to podcasts, videos, magazines, newspapers and other mediums.

6.     Helpful for students with disabilities- there are many apps to help students with cognitive disabilities as well as apps to help students with communication skills.

Cons

1.     Expensive- ipads are expensive. One possibility to reduce the cost would be to use ipad minis instead.

2.     Do not support flash- a lot of content in schools and websites for kids use flash but ipads do not support adobe flash or javascript.

3.     Distraction- although the ipads are a great educational resource, students may abuse the for social or recreational purposes while in school.

4.     Lack of multitasking- ipads do not allow multiple windows to be open at once so this can be a negative but also allow students to focus on one thing at a time.

5.     Lack of uniformity in use among teachers- Some teachers post the homework and assignments online and some are more old-fashioned , so students have to find a way to keep track and record all their assignments in one place.  For less organized students this can be challenging.

6.     More time consuming to take notes- some students find it more time consuming to have to type their notes than write them. 

 Please visit our website for my informational blogs and resources at

http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com

Book Review- Ungifted by Scott Barry Kaufman-- Great Book for All Parents with Students with Learning Differences!

I just recently finished reading Ungifted, by cognitive psychologist, Scott Barry Kaufman, and would highly recommend it for parents of any student with learning differences. As a Special Education Teacher, I really appreciated how Kaufman recognizes the many different types of intelligence and talents that children with learning differences can have.

Told from first person point of view, Kaufman tells how he felt as a child and teen labeled with learning disabilities in addition to interspersing his experience with research. He describes the misguided way we interpret traditional measures of intelligence.  In addition, he explores the latest research in genetics and neuroscience, as well as evolutionary, developmental, social, positive, and cognitive psychology, to challenge the conventional wisdom about the childhood predictors of adult success.

He reveals that there are many paths to greatness, and argues for a more holistic approach to achievement that takes into account each young person’s personal goals, individual psychology, and developmental trajectory. In so doing, he increases our appreciation for the intelligence and diverse strengths of prodigies, savants, and late bloomers, as well as those with dyslexia, autism, schizophrenia, and ADHD.

Ungifted will inspire you to rethink and recognize that even those without readily observable gifts can achieve and contribute to society in unbelievable ways.

Common Core Standards Shift and What it Means for Your Child/Teen

Although for the last 10 years teachers have stressed the CA State Standards and worked hard to prepare students for the CSTs (California Star Test), beginning informally since last year and formally in 2014-2015 there will be a shift in education. If you guessed the introduction to the Common Core Standards for English and Math, you guessed correctly.  Although new standards have not been released for science and social studies, teachers of these subjects will incorporate more CCSS literary and writing standards into their curriculum. As a result students will increasing reflect on their reading. In addition, science and social studies’ teachers will include more primary sources, such as historical and scientific documents, into the curriculum to replace or supplement textbook and project based learning.

How do the CCS (Common Core Standards) differ from the CA State Standards? First, they align what students across the country learn at each grade level, but more importantly they shift the role of the teacher to the facilitator thereby making the student responsible for his/her own learning. Standardized testing will also change by incorporating critical thinking questions, in which students need to problem solve, show their work, and explain how they arrived at their answer. These assessment tools are called BCRs, which stand for Brief Constructed Responses.  Students will no longer be expected to regurgitate their knowledge in the form of multiple-choice questions.

CCS standards emphasize the shift to nonfiction, incorporation of technology and students’ supporting their arguments with research based evidence.  You should expect your child or teen to participate in more collaborative lessons that emphasize speaking and listening skills rather than independent work.

In my opinion, there are many positive aspects of the new standards. Teachers will be allowed to be more creative and students will get to interact more in the classroom. They will be able to determine their own learning, and be forced to think, research and explain why they believe certain things to be true. This shift will hopefully create more active learners.

As a Special Education teacher, I believe the CCS could help students because there will not be only one correct answer as there has been with multiple-choice assessments. However, for students who have a hard time working in groups and expressing their thoughts in writing and speaking, the CCS could present more challenges. I think teachers will have to teach guided lessons on outlining, underlining, and note taking that help students to analyze literature and expository writing. In addition, teachers will have to teach social skills through role-playing and prepare students for group work by possibly giving each students a specific job in the group and clearly outlining the each student’s responsibility.  In settings with many special education students, the teacher will have to constantly circulate the classroom during collaborative groups to ensure that members are equally participating. She may have to facilitate the small groups if she observes some members not participating.  I do not believe this will be a fast and easy process, but hopefully it will make classroom learning a lot more fun, creative and interactive.

Please visit our website at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com for more informative articles.

So Many Advantages of Summer Tutoring!!!!

Whether your child struggled during the year, needs to maintain the skills they learned, or wants to get a head start for next year, summer tutoring may be for you!

Since private tutoring is one on one, lessons focus on your child or teen’s needs. A summer tutor pays more attention to the child’s learning process and can attend to the child’s weaknesses. Aside from that, summer tutoring address the child’s learning style and matches it to the pacing of the lessons. In addition, tutors closely monitor progress and can apply interventions much more easily than a teacher who has 30 students in the classroom.

In the classroom set-up, the teacher attends to an average of twenty to thirty students. Naturally, students learn at different levels and speed, and using different styles. Some students need lengthy discussions and more time to digest the lesson, while others read the materials and study on their own.

If the majority of the students understand the lesson, then the teacher moves forward, leaving behind one or two students in the process. Private tutors help these children catch up with the rest of the class.

A summer tutor also makes it easier to diagnose learning problems. Although tutors are not expected to diagnose and correct these problems, they may give advice or refer the child to the proper professional.

For parents who work, summer tutors can ensure that students do not loose the skills they learned over the school year, especially in math, reading and writing. Tutors can work on specific math concepts as well as reinforce reading comprehension strategies. In addition, they can work on essay writing, paragraph structure, organization, and grammar.

Summer tutoring can also be used to preview skills that will be taught in the upcoming year. Tutors can provide modeling, guided practice, and independent practice as well as detailed notes. Now that you know all the benefits of summer tutoring, don’t wait so you can get your preferred days and times!

Visit us at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com

Developing Critical Reading Skills at a Young Age and Why It is so Important at the Secondary Level

            There are different types of reading, including skimming and critical reading. In the first type of reading students just to find specific details or facts without necessarily understanding the bigger picture. In skimming , students may get the main idea but not understand the entire concept. In critical reading, however, students read for deeper meaning. This involves many strategies that students must learn and develop over time. While reading students must ask questions, make connections to their prior knowledge, generate new ideas, and interact with the text. They may need to use context clues to figure out word meanings as well as understand point of view, context, figurative language and symbolism. 

Students should be encouraged to highlight words they do not know, box sentences that seem central to the theme, and take notes in the margins. While watching a movie or reading a book with a young child, a parent can ask them what connections they see to other books or movies. This can help them make connections at a young age. Parents should also discuss bias and point of view to help students evaluate information. They can discuss types of bias such as religious, political, economic and cultural. Talking about the author’s purpose with young children can also get students thinking at a young age about author’s intent. It is not too early to discuss symbols in books or movies as well. To help your child use context clues have your child underline the word they do not know and circle keywords in the sentences that give “clues” to the word meaning. 

Finally, when your child reaches middle as well as high school, I believe it is crucial to buy the books that they are require to read because when it comes time for the essay if they have spent the time using critical reading strategies, the essay will be so much easier. From many years of tutoring, once a child finishes a book that they have not underlined and taken notes while reading they have to go back to find important quotes and passages which can be very time consuming and overwhelming for any child.

Please visit us at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com for more informative articles and information on reading tutoring.

What are AP Classes and Why Should your Child Take them?

            AP classes otherwise known as Advanced Placement classes are offered at most high schools and provide a college curriculum at the high school level. At the end of the course, usually in May, students will take the AP exam for whichever subject they took the course in and based on their score they will receive credits equivalent to one college level course. AP exam scores range from a 1 to a 5 and most colleges consider 3 and above a passing score, although some universities require a 4 or 5 to earn the college credit. Statistics show that 1/3 or high school students receive a passing grade on their AP exams.

           In addition to challenging high school students, AP classes can save high school graduates money and time in college. Currently, there are 34 different AP classes/exams offered by the college-board, but you will need to check with your school to see how many they have available. AP classes are making American students more competitive, but you want to make sure that your child can handle the academic rigor as they do require a large amount of reading and writing. It is important to consider extracurricular activities and other time constraints, especially if you are considering taking multiple AP classes.

Beach Cities Tutoring offers many tutors who specialize in tutoring for AP Exams. Please visit our website at http://www.beachcitiesutoring.com for more informative articles and information regarding our tutoring services.

What Qualities Should You Look for in a Tutor?

 

                 I know you are thinking how hard can it be to find a tutor? There are advertisements all over and tutoring companies left and right, but finding a tutor is the easy part! Finding a good tutor is a bit more difficult! Hopefully these guidelines will help you! Beach Cities Tutors embody these qualities!

1)   Patient- A good tutor must have patience in regards to explaining concepts and also allowing time for students to grasp concepts and learn from errors. A good tutor will never rush a student and will let the student know that they are happy to help while allowing the student to work independently for a portion of the time after receiving guided instruction and modeling.

2)   Structured- A good tutor will go through step-by-step instructions. He/she will write down the steps with simple wording and examples. A good tutor paces the tutoring session so that the student will not be bored, but also not feel stressed. A good tutor will set the expectations for the session. They will spend a little time to talk to the student and make them feel comfortable, but make sure to stick to the subject matter and redirect the student if they start discussing off-topic subjects.

3)   Inspiring- A good tutor will build the students’ confidence by showing them they are competent and can succeed with effort and practice. A good tutor will also serve as a positive role model for the student.

4)   Animated- Good tutors should not use a monotone voice. They should vary their voice and facial expressions to keep the student engaged. Humor but not sarcasm can also help the session to be more enjoyable for the student and increase his/her comfort level. A good tutor wants the student to feel comfortable asking questions.

5)   Individualizes instruction- A good tutor will tailor their instruction to the student’s learning style (visual, auditory, AND/OR kinesthetic). The tutor can give a test to determine this, use a questionnaire, observation, or parent/teacher interview.

6)   Checks for Understanding- A good tutor will make sure that the student can demonstrate their understanding of the subject by either orally quizzing them or having them solve problems (math). This should take place after going over the subject matter, doing examples, giving written step-by-step directions, practicing together. A good tutor will not allow a student to just say they understand without proving it.

Please visit http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com for more informative articles about tutoring and other educational issues.

How Can You Inspire a Love for Reading in Your Child?

           I am a lifelong reader, and I owe it to my mom. First, she always set a good example by reading herself. Next, she would read one book of our choice to my brother and I every night before bed. She also took us to the library often and enrolled us in summer reading programs.

        As parents, you can greatly influence your child's love of reading. In fact, as a teacher and tutor, I have noticed that many of my students who love reading have parents that read and have books around the house. I know this because I am in their homes for tutoring. Here are some ways that you can share the joy of reading with your child, especially in the age of technology.

1) Provide Children with Choices
When children and teens have the independence to select a book of their own choice, they will be more motivated to read. Take your child to the library or book store as a family outing.

2) Be a Reading Role Model
Students who see their parents reading and discussing books will understand that it is a fun activity that is worth talking about.

3) Create a Book Club
Have your children pick a book and create a book club party where they can invite their friends to talk about the book. You can have the children dress up as the characters or create game show or interview format for your book club.

4) Buy or Rent Books from the library for the Ipad
Even though I prefer paper or hardcover books, having your child read on the ipad is also a valuable way to get them to enjoy reading using technology.

5) Summer Reading Programs with Rewards
Summer reading programs are a great way to make reading exciting. Students are often able to compete to see who reads the most and also earn prizes and rewards after they read a certain amount of books.

As a parent, it is never too early to inspire the love of reading in your child!

Please visit our blog at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com for more informational articles and tutoring information.

Common Core Standards... Ready or Not Here They Come!

Ready or not, here they come. Forty-five states have already adopted the Common Core State Standards, which means for the first time there will be consistency among states in student expectations in the two core subject areas of English Language Arts and Math. The positive side is that students across the country should be taught the same material and expected to be able to accomplish the same tasks. The CCSS will also provide a more rigorous, focused, and coherent set of standards than the current standards. They are meant to reflect the knowledge and skills young people will need for success in their future college education and careers.

As a result of the new standards, state testing will dramatically change to include assignments and open-ended questions that deal with authentic and real world situations. Students will have to apply their knowledge and problem solve across subjects, rather than answering standararized multiple-choice questions. The goal is to increase student creativity, and assessments are being created to measure the growth of all student populations including those with significant cognitive disabilities. Although the tests won't be ready for another 16 months, CCSS are already being implemented.

Here are some links to help you learn more about the Common Core State Standards:

Common Core State Standards Initiative Home

http://www.corestandards.org

Common Core State Standards-Resources (CA Dept of Educatoin)

http://www.cde.ca.gov › Resources

Edsource/Common Core Standards

http://www.edsource.org/iss_sta_commoncore.html

Please visit our website for more blogs containing educational news at http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com

Is Your Gifted Child Underachieving in School? Boredom or Self Esteem Issues Could be the Cause.....

Tutoring can help gifted students as much as those who are struggling. Gifted students may underachieve due to boredom or lack of interest in the subjects being taught in the classroom. The right tutor can be the answer to your gifted child's problems.

It is a misconception that tutoring is only for students who are failing academic subjects. Tutoring can also improve motivation, study skills, and behavior.  Parents often think that tutoring is for students who are falling behind in subjects such as math and reading, but it can actually help gifted students who lack motivation. Underachievement often involves students having a negative perception of their own abilities.

Tutoring can help build a child's academic self-esteem if you find the right tutor who can make a connection with your child and provide the positive reinforcement and encouragement to build a student's self-esteem.

If you believe that your child’s lack of motivation does not involve self esteem issues tutoring can also help challenge students by allowing them to go ahead of their peers or do lesson extensions of what their peers are learning. 

Please visit http://www.beachcitiestutoring.com for more information on tutoring services for your gifted child or teen.