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.

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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. 

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.