New Semester, New Resolve

December 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The new semester will be starting shortly, and it’s a great time to get serious about improving your child’s school work.  Whether last semester was a struggle or you just suspect your child could be doing better, Academic Learning Labs has tutoring available specifically designed to help your child improve their study skills.

We often find that study skills are overlooked as an effective way to improve the grades of almost any child.   We focus on a number of key areas that will equip your child to maximize their in-school experience and augment this with more effective study skills at home.  It’s a remarkable skill to help your child develop since it will deliver results across all subjects in school.  A child with strong study skills is much better equipped to face the challenges of any new subject they may face.  Here are some of the key areas we’ll help your child improve:

Organization:  We’ll help your child keep track of each assignment from each class.  We’ll work with them to create an organized binder to better store and sort the work from each class.  We’ll also work with them to create a work plan to make sure each subject gets the full attention required to excel in the class.

Time Management:  This is one of the most important disciplines a child can learn.  Our kids live in a world surrounded by distractions from texting, music, television, and outside activities.  We’ll help your child understand the value of concentrated effort without interruption.  Many students quickly learn to value that a short time concentrated on homework is far better than a long time spent on homework with frequent interruptions.  The quality of the work is better as well.

Note Taking:  It’s interesting that most students need to take notes to follow class work, but very little time is typically devoted to teaching a child exactly how to best take notes.  We remedy that by helping equip your child to most effectively take notes in each of their classes.  This is another tool that helps improve grades across all subjects.

Effective Studying:  We’ll equip your child to best use the tools at hand for more effective research and subject-specific studying.  We’ll help your child develop the discernment needed to wade through large amounts of information to determine what is most relevant, so they can take better advantage of their study time.

Test Taking Strategies:  Test days are dreaded by virtually all students.  We help your child calm their nerves and deliver their best performance on all types of tests and essays.

Our study tools tutoring is available for children from elementary school through high school.  This course of tutoring can be one of the most effective to offer a broad range of improvements for your child across all of their subjects.  Call us today at 949-546-0800 to get more information about our Study Skill tutoring.

 

 

Filed Under: Academic Success, Early Learning, Homework, Tutoring Tagged With: , ,

The Importance of Developing Good Study Skills

December 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It happens to most families at one time or another.  Your child is getting good grades — not great, not terrible — and you get a teacher’s note included with his report card telling you that he is not really living up to his potential.  There may not be any specific criticism offered, and the vagueness of the comment can be almost maddening.  This comment in not uncommon with bright children who pick up things quickly.  They’re bright and usually bring home grades with a mix between “A’s” and “B’s.”  There’s really not much to complain about, but there may a problem lurking that is best resolved during their early school years.  Exactly how can you help your child better fulfill his potential?

Or perhaps your child is bringing home grades that you’re convinced just don’t match his or her abilities. They’re not skipping school, and most of their work is completed on time, but their grades just don’t seem to be what they should.  What options do you have?

This is something we see quite frequently, and the problem may well be poor study habits.

One of the disadvantages faced by bright students comes from their ability to quickly comprehend most subjects.  The problem arises when they progress to a point in their education where the sophistication of the subject cannot be comprehended immediately and needs much more disciplined study.  This time most often comes during high school when students face the rigors of trigonometry, calculus or statistics.  For virtually every student, these subjects require significant amounts of study and memorization.  And these disciplines may have never been necessary for the bright student.  For perhaps the first time, they will be faced with obstacles that simply cannot be easily grasped.

A student who is producing marginal grades may need little more than some guidance on how to maximize study time to achieve the best results. Of course, all students will struggle from time to time with new topics.  This is one reason its so vital for them to develop good study skills.

At Academic Learning Labs we have a program of tutoring designed to help your child develop the study habits that will help improve their schoolwork and better equip them for the rigors of college work.  We break down study skills into several areas that we help your child improve:

  • Organization – covers assignment tracking, binder organization and study planning.
  • Time Management – includes scheduling study time and avoiding distractions.
  • Note Taking – covers effective listening strategies, practical note taking and following directions.
  • Studying – includes how to use notes to review material, extracting the most important information from textbooks, research strategies and subject-specific study tips.
  • Test Taking Strategies – includes ways to minimize test anxiety and effective tips for a variety of test formats including multiple choice, open answer and essay.

We also break down study skills for your child’s grade level offering targeted tutoring for elementary, middle, and high school.  Please call us at 949-546-0800 for more details on our study skills tutoring.

 

Filed Under: College, Homework, Studying Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Battling Over Homework? We Can Help Restore the Peace

October 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

For many children, homework is a nightly grind that they try to avoid at all costs.  This can involve begging for more TV time, disappearing into their rooms, or any number of other activities.  The homework must get done, but your child is working at every turn to keep busy with anything else.  This game of cat and mouse continues in many households on a nightly basis until the parents are forced into a confrontation.  The homework must be done!

There can be a number of reasons for your child’s resistance to homework, but there is ultimately no way to avoid getting it done.  The key to solving the problem is to help your child overcome the obstacles that may be burdening them.  This is clearly not always an easy task, but we have tools and individualized tutoring that can provide concrete changes in your child’s behavior steering them toward completing their homework with greater speed, greater efficiency, and much less contention.  At Academic Learning Labs we approach homework from several different angles in order to smooth over the rough edges that usually contribute to a child’s resistance .

No More Homework Battles. We Can Help

Some parents are surprised that some of our emphasis on homework help will have nothing to do with the actual subject (or subjects) that are a struggle for your child.  But there’s a good reason for this.  Many children suffer from a lack of organization that creates a sense of frustration.  A child who feels overwhelmed by homework, may not actually have a significant problem with the topics, but struggles to organize the work in a manner that makes the task more manageable.  We help students organize the work and conquer it with bite-sized pieces.  We are experts at helping your child learn that a mountain of text books and seemingly insurmountable work can be quickly organized into a series of very small tasks that will have them saying, “I can do that!”

Along with helping improve organizational skills, we also specialize in helping your child grasp the concepts being presented in the classroom. We concentrate on creating a relationship that serves to extend the skills your child is learning at school.  Our tutoring is designed to expand your child’s daily instruction.  And with our individualized approach, we have the freedom to fill in any gaps in their learning and spend as much time as needed to insure that your child masters the topic.

Once your child learns the efficiency of organizing their work, and gains a better grasp of the homework topics, you’ll see that your nightly battles will disappear, and you’ll enjoy a quite a bit more peace and quiet each night.  Please call us today at  949-546-0800 for details on our homework tutoring.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Classroom Size, Homework, stress, Studying Tagged With: ,

The Challenge of Talented Children

September 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We’ve all heard the stories before.  Some remarkable person is being interviewed on television and when asked to describe their early school years, they say they were bored to death.  School could not keep up with them, and they lost interest.  Many of these folks drop out of school or just struggle through the boredom while trying to fight off discouragement.  It’s sad to see such potential delayed because their talent and understanding far exceeded that of their peers.

We see this quite a bit at Academic Learning Labs, and it’s one of the things that excites us most about our tutoring.  While much of our tutoring is intended to help children struggling to keep up, we also have programs available in every area of study that are designed to challenge and encourage talented children.  And there are a lot of good reasons to make sure we keep our children challenged in their learning.

Less Boredom = Better Behavior

Boredom is The EnemyThere’s a good reason for the persistence of that old adage, “Idle hands are the the devil’s workshop.”  A child who is teeming with energy, but burdened by boredom will almost always find something to alleviate the boredom.  As parents, we are in a unique position to guide these activities into creative and challenging directions.  If we fail to do this, we create an environment for our children to stray into relationships and activities that may be harmful for them.  We really need to do whatever we can to help our children thrive in areas that will challenge them and help shape their character for a better life.   Extremely talented children can present unique challenges in this area, as we may not have all the tools and skills needed to keep them occupied and growing.

It’s sad that some of the kids who do the poorest in school are those who actually have the skills and intellect to do the best. But without proper guidance and support, they may waste their amazing gifts.  It’s vital as parents that we step into this situation to provide necessary challenges to keep these children utilizing their gifts.  Here are some ideas to consider:

Get them involved in athletics

Many highly intelligent children appreciate the challenges of athletic competition.  Keeping your child physically active is a natural supplement to their mental activity.  Physical challenges nearly always have a mental aspect to them, and will serve your child well to keep their energies channelled in productive directions.

The magic of music

It’s never too late to expose your child to the magic of music, but the earlier you start, the better.  Starting at just 4 or 5 years old there are programs Kindermusik that get children to start exploring the world of music.  Later, kids can develop an appreciation for musical skills with programs like Guitar Hero.  And older kids can create their own music and record multiple instruments on programs like Garage Band included on Apple’s Mac computers.  Stretching your child’s imagination through music will augment their intellectual growth.

Volunteering

Children who excel in their school work often find themselves with extra time on their hands.  In your ongoing effort to keep them channelled into healthy and worthwhile pursuits, we encourage you introduce community involvement into their schedule.

This is most effective when a parent models the behavior.  There’s an entirely different dynamic at work when you send your child off to volunteer compared to when you pack up the entire family to participate.  Opportunities abound.  Start with your pastor or rabbi to find opportunities available.  The Orange County Rescue Mission is also a good choice.  Make a commitment as a family to get involved, and then watch as your children grow in their understanding and compassion, as well as their academic acuity.

Expand their academic skills

It’s not uncommon for parents of exceptionally bright children to find that the sophistication of their homework is more difficult than anyone else in the family is able to comprehend.  But don’t worry, this is one area that Academic Learning Labs can help.  Our tutors are able to handle advanced placement tutoring in every subject.  We can quickly step into a very vital role in your family to help keep your child challenged, growing, and pointed in the right direction.  Call us at (949) 546-0800 for more details on our tutoring.

 

Filed Under: Community Involvement, Homework, Parent Involvement, Preparing for College, Studying, Tutoring, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Simple Choices, Lifelong Results

August 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Helping our children make good choices is one of the most important jobs we have. Encouraging our children to build upon their natural curiosity is often a gateway to learning.  Just a few changes in your daily routine can made a long term difference in how your children learn from the world around them.  Here are a few tips to encourage your children along the way:

Learn While Riding

Time in the car can be a fun learning experience

1.  Travel Low Tech

Time spent in the car can bring a wealth of learning opportunities for your children, but much of the opportunity can be lost when music players or electronic game devices are brought along.  We’re not saying you should stop the use of all electronics, but it’s wise to set aside some travel time for more productive activities.  After you get over any initial resistance, you may find your children looking forward to these adventures.

2. Where Did It Come From? 

While younger children may stay amused with simple alphabet games in the car, keeping older kids engaged can be more of a challenge.  Helping older children develop reasoning skills and deeper thought processes can be as simple as prompting them to take a closer look at common items around them while you’re driving.  There’s a world of difference between asking your child to locate a red car and asking them to explain how that red car moves down the road.  Do they understand how a car’s engine works?  How do a car’s wheels move with limited friction on bearings?  How was the metal formed for the body panels and frame?  Where did the metal come from for these parts?  The answers may remain unknown while you’re in the car, but that’s part of the game.  How do they imagine these things work?  Prompting them to solve these puzzles is helpful for growing more critical-thinking skills.

3.  Learn Good Research Skills

Many families start planning for their fall and winter vacations shortly after school starts.  This can be a great opportunity to teach your children the power of good research.  If you’re planning a trip to a theme park, ask your children to research for the trip.  Can tickets be purchased in advance?  Is there a way to get discounted tickets?  What is the best lodging for the most reasonable price nearby?  It’s a great way to teach your child the wealth of information available, how to access it, and have them build excitement about your upcoming trip.  Good research skills will be a valuable skill throughout their entire education.

4.  Get Help When Needed

Here at Academic Learning Labs we offer a support system to increase the effectiveness of the work you do at home with your child.  Frustration quickly grows with children who are struggling with their schoolwork.  We are most effective when we partnership with parents to create an environment that encourages and rewards your child as they progress in the area of study.  The overall impact on your child’s self-esteem is significant as they begin to grasp concepts in the welcoming environment we offer.  Struggles with homework will become less frequent.  Would you like more details about our courses and the results you can expect?  Give us a call at (949) 546-0800, and we’ll be glad to answer your questions.

Filed Under: Homework, learning, Lifelong Learning, Parent Involvement Tagged With: , , , , , ,

In Real Estate and Studying, It’s All About Location, Location, Location

August 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There’s an old adage in real estate that the top three things to look for when buying property are location, location, location.  It’s a humorous way to highlight a very important factor when you’re looking to buy a new home.  There’s a part of this advice that also applies well to helping your child do their best homework.  In this week’s blog we’re going to take a look at how to improve your child’s homework by improving their work environment.

No Two Kids Are The Same

No two kids are the same

Most of us learn early on in our parenting journey that each of our children seems to arrive with at least some of their preferences and proclivities pre-wired.  It’s astonishing and at times frustrating, but there’s really no denying it.  We have a tremendous amount of influence on our children’s attitudes and opinions, but each of our children develop their own unique personality.  The sooner we recognize these patterns in our children, the better we become at helping shape the world around them in a way that is best suited to their growth.

For example, one child may be able to sit at a desk facing a window and deliver a superbly-written term paper within an hour.  Their sibling may sit at that same desk and one hour later deliver nothing except a list of who walked by and how many different cats are in the neighborhood.  Clearly, these two need to have different environments for their work.  Here are a few suggestions we have to improve the outcome for your children.

Being Easily Distracted Is Not Necessarily Bad

 The child in our example above who was distracted by the view out the window is not necessarily foretelling any trouble, but you need to work with them to find the environment that best suits their personality.  They may be better suited moving to the dining room table while dinner is being prepared.  That way you’re available for questions and gentle guidance to keep them on track.  Let them know they’re not in trouble, rather you just want to make sure they can work somewhere better suited to getting the work done.

There’s Often Improvement In Changing Locations

Take that book outdoors

You may get better results by studying outside

It can also be fun to introduce entirely new places to do their work.  You can grab a good book and sit with them in the backyard while they do their homework.  Introducing the element of hanging out with mom or dad as part of doing homework can also be a welcome factor to help your child get more motivated and stay focused.

The Internet is a common tool for research today, but it can be helpful to turn off the computer.  Grab your car keys, and tell your child, “we’re going on an adventure to the library.”  It becomes a memorable outing when you have them pick one or two books for their schoolwork and one just for fun.  This “change of venue” can be a real plus and is one of the advantages we see with the children we tutor.  Our setting is away from the distractions at home, and we help children become better organized with better study habits.  Our tutors are skilled at building a fun working relationship with their students, so kids who may have once dreaded studying a specific topic are eager to spend time with their tutors at Academic Learning Labs.

Want to learn more about how we can help?  Call us at  (949) 546-0800.  Or feel free to visit us at  31951 Dove Canyon Drive in Trabuco Canyon.  We’ll be happy to show you around and answer any questions.

Filed Under: Friendships, Homework, learning, Lifelong Learning, Studying, Tutoring Tagged With: , , , , ,

Drowning in Homework? When Too Much Homework is Unhealthy

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Homework is an important part of education and we strongly encourage developing healthy homework habits at an early age, but when it starts to consume your child, spending countless nights and weekends working on assignments, parents should start to ask when it is too much? At Academic Learning Labs, parents often come to us concerned that their child is having a hard time keeping up with all the homework and wondering how to know when too much homework is unhealthy for their child.

The National Education Association recommends that kids have a total of ten minutes per grade level of homework per night. Anything above that is considered excessive. So if your child is in fifth grade, they should have a maximum of 50 minutes of homework each night. While some days they may have no homework and other days they may have two hours worth, the idea is that the average should equate to 10 per grade.

Below are some signs that your child may be experiencing homework overload and what parents can do to help:

Signs that your child is getting too much homework:

• When homework starts taking over their lives and they don’t have time to just be kids anymore, homework can be unhealthy

• Homework assignments are becoming busywork, making learning more of a chore than a constructive experience

• Family life is negatively impacted, making it where kids have to skip dinner, and therefore limiting the interactions they have with their parents

• Your child has started to hate school and they are consistently stressing out over getting their homework done

• Your child is experiencing fatigue in the classroom, because they have been staying up late completing homework assignments

What can parents do to help?

• Get involved with your student’s homework schedule and fully understand how much time they are really spending in their books. Do they have designated homework time or is “homework time” done in front of the T.V.?

• Help your child with time management and scheduling homework in advance. The more your child has a structure to complete homework, the less overwhelmed they will feel managing a heavy homework assignment.

• Reach-out to local tutoring centers, study groups and homework help to gain additional homework support.

• If you see signs that your child is on homework overload, talk with your child’s teacher. Both you and the teacher have the best interest of your child in mind, however the teacher may not have a full understanding of the negative impact of the assigned workload.

• If speaking to your child’s teacher does not make a difference, the next step is to talk to the principal about your concerns. Explain the affects homework has been having, and any concerns you have, and ask for them to get involved with the teachers in establishing healthy boundaries for homework. Most often, if your child is experiencing a problem, there are other students going through the same issue.

• If the principal is not in agreement, you may need to get other parents involved and address the issue with the school board. Talking with other parents may also help you gain ideas on how to help your child better manage their homework.

We hope that this information has helped better inform you so that you can evaluate if your child is getting too much homework and how you can help make a difference. We would love to hear about what kind of homework load your child has or how you were able to make a change in the amount of homework your child was given.

Filed Under: Homework, learning, Lifelong Learning, Parent Involvement, stress, Studying Tagged With: , , , ,