Achieving Effective Learning Habits: 5 Ways to Help Your Child Think About Thinking
By Meaghan Montrose | January 2, 2009
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Providing your child with a full and thriving education is one the most important facets you will face in raising a healthy and successful individual. And it is equally important to instill this culture of education into their everyday thinking.
Rather than teaching them specific study methods, actually enhancing a child’s awareness of what it takes to be successful involves their ability to “think about thinking” otherwise known as metacognition. If they come to the realization that learning can occur both in and outside of the classroom and throughout their entire lives, the sky is the limit for what they’ll be able to accomplish. I have provided five basic steps in helping children accentuate their learning experience.
1.) Instill the Significance of Learning
Sure most children want to do well on their test, make a good grade and please their parents and teachers. But it is important to let your child know that learning is more than just a grade. Learning is something that they will be doing throughout their entire lives. Whether it’s learning how to succeed in their future job or learning how to swim the backstroke, learning is a life long process and not just for school. Constant learning is something that is going to benefit them no matter what they’re doing and will help them to truly become the person that they want to be.
2.) Self-Regulation in Goal Setting and Study Planning
Goal setting is vital in preparing your child for educational success. Helping your child to break down their assignments into manageable steps also prevents developing the bad habit of procrastination. It is important for children to ask themselves, “What do I need to do (what is my goal)? How long do I have to get there? And how is the best way to get there?” Show them how to set specific daily goals within a larger timeframe. For example, practicing spelling out their vocabulary words a little bit daily rather than cramming the night before the test will teach them how to plan within specific timeframes. Encourage your child to do this themselves, so that they learn a thing or two about developing independent study skills and managing their time wisely.
3.) Help Your Child Understand Which Study Strategies Work Best
Try a few different study strategies such as using math drills versus quietly working on an assignment, verbally repeating words for mastery versus reading a book, or working quietly alone versus working within a study group. This helps your child figure out which learning techniques work best for them. Instilling in your child the importance of self-monitoring whether or not certain study techniques increase success is an important component of self-regulating their learning process. This way they can discard those techniques that don’t work for them and focus on the ones that do.
4.) Realize the Importance of Parental Support and Home Environment
It has been shown time and time again that parental interest and involvement in their child’s education both at home and at school contribute to academic success. Do your best to create a home environment that fosters study and encourages inquiry and achievement. Provide adequate time and support at home and this will ensure that your child is prepared to live a life of educational success.
5.) Concentrate on Attitude
Keep a positive attitude toward study and learning regardless of how challenging the task and your child will as well. Be an encouragement to your child and help them to believe that they can succeed. This includes setting high, but not unreasonable expectations. Often, if you expect little, you will get little in return. Challenge them and they will flourish. Make study time a priority and something that needs to be done daily. Create consequences if study is not completed and reward for sticking to their study plans. Make sure to highlight the fact that while their successes please you, their attempts and hard work please you just as much.
By following these simple steps, you are able begin to teach your children to reflect on what it takes to not only succeed in the classroom but to become lifelong learners. Help your child truly begin to think about thinking while creating for themselves a culture of learning. See what successes are theirs for the taking.
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Topics: study strategies, Parenting, motivating children, Effective Study Habits | No Comments »
Changing a Child’s World View: How Tutors Can Truly Make a Difference
By Colleen Palat | November 4, 2008
Do you remember going to school? The friends, the fun and recess, of course! Oh yeah, and then there were those annoying classes that filled up time between socializing with friends. OK, so this might not be how everyone remembers their school career, but for me, classes and homework were something that I barely put up with in between making new friends and choosing my outfit for the next day.
This was my mindset until I hit high school. Schoolwork had always seemed trivial to me (and quite easy!) until I walked through the doors of my high school algebra class. If I had to be in school, I preferred writing, grammar and history. Math was never my strongpoint, but I had powered through somehow.
Now I found myself in High School Algebra 1. From my very first day, I knew I was in trouble. Variables, polynomials and equations danced chaotically in my head. Everyday, as seventh period algebra approached, I could feel my hands start to sweat and my mind start to formulate any excuse I could come up with to get out of going to class.
It was a cold day in November when my teacher, Mr. Campbell, chose me to go to the board and solve a number of problems in front of the entire class. My mind froze as I walked to the front. I proceeded to incorrectly solve every problem, even skipping one or two. I went back to my seat humiliated. A few days later, I received a test back with a bright red 63% on top. I had never experienced this level of shame and disappointment in myself. It was then that I realized I needed help.
My mother called up a family friend who was an engineer and an algebra ace. To my relief, he agreed to tutor me. We established a consistent meeting schedule, he informed me of his expectations for our sessions, we eliminated disruptions by meeting at the library, and he gave me a coupon for free ice cream every time I scored well on a test or an assignment.
Before long I had changed my grade in algebra from a D to a B, and eventually to an A. My tutor not only helped me understand the subject, but he also changed my study habits, my attitude toward math, and my beleaguered self esteem. No longer would my hands sweat as seventh period approached. I was actually able to see myself as a success in a subject that I had struggled with my entire life. My tutor truly changed my life.
Now, as a parent and an online tutor, I realize how valuable good and effective schoolwork assistance is for children. Performing poorly in school is something that will follow a child from grade to grade and eventually catch up to them. Doing well in school is a factor that affects a child’s self-perspective and confidence level.
With online tutoring, children are given every tool necessary to succeed and truly become the person they know they can be. In a world that is no longer limited by geography, online learning allows for perfect student-tutor pairings and virtual classrooms with the most up to date and student-specific utensils needed to achieve the ultimate learning scenario.
Take it from me, a parent, a teacher and a former student in need of a little bit of extra guidance. Tutoring is a viable and effective means toward a successful end.
Popularity: 16% [?]
Topics: General Self Esteem, teachers, Supporting Your Child's Education, motivating children, Teacher-Student Dynamics, Self-Image in School | No Comments »
How to Become the #1 Tutoring Resource for Parents
By Scott Palat | October 6, 2008
Most parents have paid for a tutoring service or a private tutor at some point. In many cases, parents hit the panic button when their child brings home a D or F.
During these times, parents will look through the phone book and contact either a tutoring company or private tutor. If the parent chooses a company, they usually pay a hefty fee for the initial assessment and then the tutoring takes place in and around many other students. The tutoring is not 1 on 1 in most cases.
Many private tutors offer their services at any location. Parents usually have a better experience with private tutors, because the tutoring is 1 on 1 and the tutor usually communicates with the parent and provides feedback on the student’s progress.
When I sit back and compare these two options, it’s obvious to me that parents and students are much better off if they choose a private tutor over a tutoring company.
If there was a way to collect real statistics on the longevity of the paid tutoring services provided by private tutor’s vs tutoring companies, I would bet the house that private tutors hold onto their clients for a much longer period of time.
The reason for this is simple. Private tutors take the time to care. Tutoring companies don’t have time to care. They are primarily concerned with their bottom line and as a result, they are shooting themselves in the foot.
If you do a search for Sylvan Learning centers, you’ll see some stories of bankrupt learning centers going out of business. This is a shame in my opinion and it could have been prevented. All they had to do was take the time to care by consulting with the parents and giving the students a 1 on 1 tutoring experience.
The lessons learned from this are simple. Take the time to care and parents will be happy to pay for any tutoring service for months if not years to come.
Popularity: 25% [?]
Topics: tutoring services | 1 Comment »
6 Tips for Success in School
By Shari Nielsen | August 25, 2008
Do you hate to see your child struggling in school? Does your child spend hours “studying” for a test but still scores poorly? It may be that your child is not studying the right way.
As a parent and a teacher I am constantly searching for ways to improve study skills and enhance learning. Every student has their own learning style and therefore takes in information in some ways better than others. I have compiled a list, however, of general study strategies that can benefit all students and increase their success in school. This list comes from my own experiences and those of other parents and teachers.
1. Take Notes (even if you already have)
The act of reading through information, determining what is important, and then writing it down is a way to actively use the material. This is the key to studying- using the information instead of just passively reading it over and over.
2. Make Flash Cards
Although this may not seem appropriate for older students, it actually works for all levels. Pick out the key vocabulary terms, symbols, or dates from your notes. Write them on one side of an index card and write the definition, answer, event, etc… on the opposite side. Flip through the cards and “test” yourself. You should do this for both sides of the cards.
3. Redo Problems or Questions
Studying should involve more than just looking over notes. You should also use any in-class problems/questions, homework assignments, and/or quizzes. Cover up the answers to these past problems/questions and try them again. (or have someone re-write them for you on a new piece of paper) The actual act of doing the assignment again will let you know if you understand it. Just reading along or following the answer passively does not let you know if you can do it on your own.
4. Make Meaningful Connections
It is easier to remember and understand information if you can make connections between all the different pieces. A teacher presents certain topics, terms, events, etc… in the same unit of study because they are all related to each other. Understanding these connections will allow you to see the “big picture” and remember all of the individual pieces.
5. Find a Buddy
Many students find it helpful to study with someone else. You haven’t truly mastered something until you can teach it to someone else. Studying with a buddy allows you to learn the information by explaining it. In addition, you can benefit by having a fellow student explain something in a different way that you may not have considered. This also makes studying a social experience instead of a lonely, isolated task.
6. Study in Small Doses
The worst thing to do is wait until the night before a test to cram everything in. This will be overwhelming and make the studying seem impossible. It is best to study a little bit everyday. Each day after learning something new you should rewrite notes, make flash cards, redo problems, and start a concept map. This keeps the information fresh on your mind and allows you to break up your time. Instead of spending a few hours the night before, you can spend about 20 minutes each night.
Popularity: 46% [?]
Topics: Supporting Your Child's Education, Homework, Effective Study Habits | 2 Comments »
9 Simple Steps to Start Your Own Online Tutoring Business
By Scott Palat | August 21, 2008
Step 1: Create a simple website or even a myspace page that includes your picture, subjects you tutor, phone number and reason to call you (free phone consultation).
Step 2: Decide on your online tutoring software. There are many different options to choose from and a simple search on google or yahoo will help you find some great options. Be sure to test your online classroom and microphone to make sure it works properly before you conduct an actual tutoring session.
Step 3: Advertise your business locally and online. Simple flyers, business cards (freebusinesscardoffer.com gives you 250 free business cards) and word of mouth will work great in your local area. Some free online ways to advertise include craigslist.com, kijiji.com, posting feedback on forums (leave your website url at the bottom) and submitting press releases to preweb.com.
Step 4: Answering your phone when parents call you. During any parent’s first contact with you, be sure to focus on your introductory offer for a 1 hour tutoring session with a guarantee. You can also create some simple word documents like a study skills guide or some type of motivation report for the parent. This will add value and increase the percentage of parents who pay for your online tutoring service.
Step 5: Process your client’s credit card using paypal.com. They offer a virtual terminal that makes it easy for you to accept payments from clients.
Step 6: Conduct your new clients first online tutoring session and be sure to engage your student in a way that makes it exciting. In general, online tutoring is exciting for any student, but your first impression goes along way when it comes to acquiring long term clients.
Step 7: Parent follow up after the introductory 1 hour tutoring session. After you conduct your first tutoring session, call the parent and offer monthly packages that automatically bill their credit card every 30 days. Give the parents a better deal if they commit to more tutoring hours per month.
Step 8: Take the time to care by consulting with the parent every week or two tops. This is the secret to acquiring long term clients and if you do this, you’ll never have to worry about losing clients. Parents will soon realize they can’t get this top level online tutoring service from anyone else.
Step 9: Say thanks! Go to customizeyourcards.com and then watch my training video at TutorFi.com/videos/customizeyourcards.htm. I am giving you a free send out cards account. Watch this video and use the exact same technique to mail your clients thank you post cards. They’ll love you for this and when you ask for referrals, you’ll get them.
Popularity: 45% [?]
Topics: helpful tips for tutors | 4 Comments »
Online Homework Help Services vs. Online Tutoring Services
By Scott Palat | August 6, 2008
My first introduction to online tutoring started with a cheap homework help service where we charged $99 a month for unlimited homework help on ehomeworkhelp.com. Soon after the launch of this website, I quickly learned that parents want more than just homework help for their kids.
How did I figure this out?
Most parents canceled their service with us and on some of the exit interviews; I asked them why they were canceling. Some parents wanted the same tutor for their child. Others wanted to speak with the actual tutor so they could discuss their child’s learning needs in more detail and some just didn’t value homework help, because it seemed like we were degrading our own service by being on call for 12 hours a day and only charging $99 a month.
Soon after this discovery, we launched 2 new online tutoring websites which offered 1 on 1 tutoring from tutors who cared. We also raised our prices significantly. I quickly learned that parents will pay just about anything for a tutor who takes the time to care by calling and consulting with them on a biweekly or even monthly basis.
We charged our clients between $25 - $40 per hour and never once did we even have question or concern about pricing. Looking back on this, we could have charged more money for our online tutoring service if we wanted to.
The secret formula below gave parents a better hourly rate if they committed to more hours per month.
Note: Before we offered our monthly packages, we forced parents to pay for our 1 hour introductory offer. We charged $35 for this and we gave out close to $300 worth of bonuses. It was an irresistible offer that came with a money back guarantee.
After parents allowed their children to try our service, most asked about our monthly programs right after the introductory tutoring session. Here are the pricing plans we offered:
Bronze = up to 3 hours per month for $119($40 per hour)
Silver = up to 6 hours per month for $199 ($33 per hour)
Gold = up to 10 hours per month for $249 ($25 per hour)
Most parents instantly went for the best value which was our gold package. In cases where parents didn’t use all 10 hour per month, we did not allow rollovers. Instead we recommended they downgrade to the Silver.
This pricing structure worked great, but if you are targeting specific states like
Also, make sure you bill all of your clients every 30 days. You can use paypal.com’s virtual terminal to run credit cards and deposit the money directly into your bank account. Your parent clients will thank you for this simple billing method and they’ll be happy to pay you as long as you take the time to care by consulting with them about their child’s learning needs.
Popularity: 36% [?]
Topics: helpful tips for tutors | No Comments »
Your Child Achieves Best When Able To Choose His Learning Style and Learning Environment
By Shari Nielsen | July 9, 2008
Styles, they are everywhere! We wear our hair in a certain style. We all have a style of clothing that we consider our favorite. We even prefer certain styles of music. We certainly like driving a specific style of car. Where we go to have our hair done, buy clothes, or look at cars is also important to us. Have you ever considered that your child may have a preferred style of learning and preferred learning environment? They actually do.
Children can learn in a variety of ways, but they certainly have a style of learning that they prefer because it makes the most sense to them.
Let’s start with the first day of school. We all can remember those feelings and impressions. Were you the student who loved to take home your new textbooks on the first day of school and wade through them, skimming over the pages with great interest and anticipation? Would you receive the teacher’s information packet and enthusiastically flip through it eager to find out what was to be expected of you that year? Would you do your homework the minute you got home, complete your assignments on time, and strive to receive the award for Student of the Month? Did you learn best by yourself and were you able to not be easily distracted? Or were you the student who just rolled your eyes when the teacher passed out that year’s textbooks on the first day of school. Did the information packet feel like a weight in your backpack, pushing down your hopeful dreams that this year just might be different. Were you not enthused by the books you were expected to read and the assignments to you needed to complete? Did you believe your enthusiasm and motivation for learning were stifled? Did you wished for the opportunity to explore, be creative, and share a little more than you were allowed to?
Each child has different styles that we as parents or tutors need to be aware of.
For example, my oldest child is very social and enjoys learning, mostly through discussion, group projects, and going places. Getting an information packet on the first day of school was alright for her, but she sure skimmed it quick looking for the group activities, like field trips and writing group reports. She was even more excited when she learned that she would be using the computer for many of her projects. In addition, my son seems to learn best when he is not forced to master just one concept at a time. He likes to learn when a variety of concepts are integrated into one theme. He also likes to ask lots of questions. His style of learning requests inquiry, problem solving, and creativity. My son wants to know why and be able to come up with more than one way to solve problems. Getting an information packet for him was more burdensome than motivating. He often would ask the teacher if there were opportunities to be creative with projects as long as the concepts being taught were the main focus. He found inspiration and freedom when doing research. His favorite research tool was the computer, of course. Would you believe he would earn A’s when using the learning style he preferred?
You also need to consider the learning environment that your child will be exposed to. Does he like to learn alone or does he prefer to learn in a classroom with others or just simply work one-on-one with someone? Would using the computer be the ideal tool for him or would it serve as a distraction? Some students love websites such as www.BrainPops.com which help to make learning fun. Other students find working with tutors online, such as www.Tutorfi.com serves as an excellent resource and helps with motivation and with building confidence.
Learning styles and learning environments come in many shapes and sizes. Some children learn best through performing on stage, some through being creative and alone to think, and some like to be given more social interaction both in and out of the classroom. All children have many ways to learn and many learning environments to choose from, but they have a learning style and learning environment that works best for them. Start observing your kids and watch for what they are drawn to. You just might be surprised!
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Topics: study strategies, helpful tips for tutors, motivating children, Effective Study Habits | No Comments »
HARD TIMES AT DOUGLASS HIGH: A NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REPORT CARD
By Scott Palat | June 30, 2008
I watched this HBO documentary about a high school in Baltimore. I was blown away by the reality of this show. The one thing that stood out to me as an educator was when a teacher decided it was time to quit in the middle of the school year.
He explained that he wasn’t getting a spark from any of the students and because of this, he felt as if his efforts were not being rewarded in any way. You could tell by his demeanor that he really wanted to stay, but he couldn’t justify teaching when none of his students cared about learning.
Of course there were many reasons for the student’s lack of interest, but I wanted to write this blog post about the “spark” that we as educators need to truly enjoy our jobs. I totally relate to that teacher, because that spark is sometimes the sole reason why teachers stay with their teaching jobs.
Even though I never went out and had a real teaching job, I student and substitute taught for months. When I hung out in the teachers lounge and observed other classes, I could tell which teachers loved their jobs and which ones didn’t. In my opinion, a lot of their happiness revolved around that spark. If they were successful in teaching students and helping them feel good about themselves, those particular teachers were happy.
Others perhaps gave up on the students and even themselves by not trying new things. Today’s students are different than the group of students from say 10 years ago. The internet has changed everything and now more than ever it’s important for teachers to try new things to motivate their students.
This is why I love online learning. It’s a medium student’s love. More teachers should try this approach during class. The computer room can be used for different and unique types of lessons.
For any teacher struggling to get that spark, this might be the breakthrough you are looking for. Of course you have to get creative, but with all the technology these days, there is no reason you can’t teach a lesson on the computer. See if this new way of teaching helps your students gain interest again. I bet it does!
Popularity: 48% [?]
Topics: computer room learning | 2 Comments »
How to Acquire Students For Your eTutoring Business
By Scott Palat | June 30, 2008
There are many online and offline tutor websites who generate parent leads for tutors. Most of these websites generate student leads instead of parent leads. The reason for this is simple. Students are always searching for ways to short cut their homework assignments. Imagine if we had Google growing up.
Students are the ones usually filling out these online request forms. You’ll find this out the hard way if you call a lead and speak with the parent. Most won’t remember requesting information on a tutoring program and this can become somewhat awkward if you are not prepared.
The majority of these lead generating websites offer leads without any training on how to call them or even how to be a good tutor. TutorFi is different because we offer parent leads that are generated specifically for online tutoring and we do not encourage anyone to be dependent on our parent leads. We teach many different ways to build your business locally and around the world.
TutorFi also provides the tools you need to be a successful online tutor. All members receive their own online tutoring classroom with voice and tech support. They also get their own management and scheduling system which enables them to look professional.
TutorFi is your trusted online tutoring community and is the perfect place for anyone wanting to get started with their own online tutoring business. You can learn from company leaders and other tutors who are running their own businesses too. We are all here to help your online tutoring business become a successful.
Popularity: 48% [?]
Topics: finding students | No Comments »
Online Tutoring Companies vs. TutorFi
By Scott Palat | June 27, 2008
Online tutoring companies usually hire tutors who are underpaid and are not given a chance to communicate with the parents. Most of these companies offer homework help or curriculum based tutoring. The student rarely gets to work with the same tutor and in some cases 1 tutor might have up to 5 students so it’s not even one-on-one tutoring. In my opinion, this is unfair to the student and the parent.
Many of tutors who work for online tutoring companies are not paid what they are worth. The industry average including tutors from
The big thing these companies lack is “caring”. Most just want to make money, so they pay the tutors a cheap rate and charge as much as possible to the parents. On a rare occasion, the parent will receive a free phone call to talk about their child’s progress. These rare phone calls are made by people who work for the online tutoring companies and not student’s actual tutor. Many online tutoring companies never even call the parents.
After running a few different online tutoring companies myself, I realized the biggest void in the industry was the caring aspect. Even when I hired tutors, it was hard to get them to really care like me and my staff did.
This ended up being the inspiration for TutorFi. We had such a high demand from tutors to work for us, but it was really unfair to everyone. So we decided to take a step back and teach tutors what we know and allow them to earn between $25 - $75 per hour.
So instead of TutorFi offering the actual online tutoring services, we match parents and our TutorFi clients with each other. By generating the parent leads, our members can call the parents who request more information and they can offer a demonstration inside our online classroom. Many of these connections work out perfectly for the parent, tutor and student. This is the goal of TutorFi. We want to create a real win/win situation for everyone.
Popularity: 51% [?]
Topics: the best type of online tutoring | No Comments »