Get Your Child Involved in Sports and They May Bring Home Better Grades

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

There was a time when much of the popular media tended to depict high school and college athletes as less intelligent than their peers.  Some old movies depicted them as empty-headed  muscle-bound oafs.  But how many of those old characterizations are actually true?  As it turns out, not too many.

Last year the Los Angeles Unified School District commissioned a study to determine any correlation between high school athletics, student attendance and grades.  The study examines a pool of 35,000 Los Angeles student athletes and compares them to their non-athlete peers.  The differences are remarkable. Students athletes attended an average of 21 more days of school each year and maintained grades from .55 to .74 higher than than students not involved in athletics.  These grades are based upon the district’s 4.0 scale, so the differences are significant.

While the LAUSD study cannot isolate specific causes for the correlation, there are a number of factors that certainly contribute.  School sports involve a level of discipline and commitment that serve to create a ripple effect throughout the student’s other pursuits.  A child who is willing to put in the extra effort in sports will likely do the same in their school work as well.  And sports offer a tangible sense of accomplishment as well.  Hard work and practice frequently translate into winning and rewards.  A child who learns to link hard work with accomplishment and rewards will find themselves much better positioned to excel at virtually every area of their lives.

Honor Roll CertificateIt’s important to note that the same discipline that propels a successful athlete will also be found in most successful students.  So it may be equally true that a student with strong academic skills will perform better in sports.  In this respect the study could be viewed in reverse:  Great students have the skills and discipline necessary to succeed in sports as well.  But regardless of the relationship, both academic and athletic pursuits bring different benefits to the student.  Both pursuits will serve to mature your child and develop discipline.

With the approaching end of the school year, it’s important to keep your child academically sharp over the summer. We offer a number of ACT/SAT tutoring courses that are a great summer alternative.  Our tutoring will help keep your child’s mind sharp over the summer, and prepare them for the ACT/SAT tests as well.  Summer as a time to build confidence and increase chances for success.  Students often lose a majority of what they learned during the school year while they enjoy carefree fun in the summer months.  Tutoring helps them to retain information while learning new skills their classmates simply will not have!

Be sure to look for our booth at this year’s Ranchofest on the weekend of June 8th and 9th.  We’ll be there with some great prizes and candy.  We may even offer some tutoring, so be sure to look for our booth.  There will be live music, lots of local performers, and a great variety of yummy food booths.

At Academic Learning Labs we work with families throughout Orange County to help their children develop  the habits that serve to propel them to success both in their school work and athletic activities.  We specialize in helping students reach their academic goals through math tutoring, science tutoring, and SAT/ACT Prep programs.  Located in Rancho Santa Margarita, we’re dedicated to helping your child fulfill their potential and partnering with you to propel them to success.  We have proven tutoring programs that will equip your child to excel from their earliest learning through high school and college as well. Please give us a call at 949-546-0800 for more information.

Filed Under: Orange County Tutoring, Rancho Santa Margarita SAT ACT Tutoring, Sports, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Remember When Barbie Said, “Math class is tough?”

January 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Some of us are old enough to remember back in the 1990′s when Mattel put out a talking version of their popular Barbie doll that included the phrase, “Math class is tough!”

The reaction among many academic groups was swift.  They felt it was an attack on the intellect of young girls.  The American Association of University Women attacked the math comment in a report on how schools shortchange girls.  Their report almost sided with Mattel and poor Barbie.  Math class IS tough, and it’s the fault of the schools.

While the controversy surrounding the little doll swirled among academics and parents, there were a lot of kids that nodded their heads in agreement with Barbie.  Math class is tough.  They’re struggling to keep up with the concepts covered, and often finding themselves falling behind both in their work and their grades.  It can be a very discouraging time.

At Academic Learning Labs we are able to perform a series of tests that will enable us to get an accurate picture of exactly where your child is at with their math learning.  This in-depth assessment is key to allowing us to carefully create a course of personalized instruction that will have the maximum impact in the quickest period of time.

Once we complete our testing, we’ll be able to give you a detailed plan of action and involve you in the process with your child.  We’re able to devote our time and attention to your child in a way that their school teachers simply cannot within the classroom setting.  And our tutors are experts in all areas of math from the simplest math for grade schoolers, to the most complex trigonometry and calculus for high school students.  Call us at 949-546-0800, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions to start helping your child improve their school performance.

Filed Under: learning disabilities, Uncategorized

Student Test Scores Are Important, But This Is More Important

October 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Serious students always study hard for tests.  It’s natural and vital for them to excel in their classes.  We all have memories of pulling all-nighters as we progress through our education.  Academic Learning Labs understands that this will always be a part of the life of our students, but we also understand the key to enhancing your child’s study time to make it much more productive and time consuming.

So, what is this magic elixir?  Well, it’s not that magical at all.  It’s actually just an emphasis on helping your children strengthen the skills that will improve their long-term recollection of their studies, and increase the quality of their study time.  This skill is an emphasis on comprehension and actual working knowledge of their subjects.  This one small change can make all the difference in the world for your child.

Children who fall behind in a subject often find themselves in a situation that creates a sense of hopelessness.  If one or two key concepts are not grasped, the rest of the class will move forward building on these concepts while children still struggling with it will just get increasingly further behind.  Quite often a child will resort to cheating on tests not from laziness, but from the desperation of not truly understanding the underlying principles of the subject.

Smiling While Studying Does Happen!

The Magic of Mastery

A child that fully grasps the underlying concepts of any given subject is better prepared and more confident to build on these concepts going forward.  This is one of the reasons tutoring by Academic Learning Labs can be such a tremendous benefit.  Our tutoring students consistently find that their comprehension and overall mastery of the targeted subject begins to improve immediately. Here’s why:

We do an in-depth assessment of each of our students to learn exactly where they’re at, so we can craft an individualized program for their specific needs.  Our tutoring is not under pressure to move along if our students are not yet up to speed.  With tutoring scaled for the needs of your child, we have the benefit of individual attention that will only move forward as your child grasps the subject.  We have no additional pressures to move forward for a large class.  Our attention is devoted exclusively to your child, and we will help them master the subject.

With the mastery of a subject comes a renewed sense of confidence and ability to move forward.  And with mastery also comes retention.  A child who relies mostly upon intense last-minute studying will simply not retain the information as well as a child who truly understands a topic and works with it from a position of true internalized-knowledge.

Call us today at 6949-546-0800 for more information on our tutoring programs to help your child build mastery in whatever subjec

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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: , , , ,

Capitalizing On Curiosity

August 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When our kids are younger, it seems that much of our time is spent following them around and keeping them out of harm’s way.  Their natural curiosity compels them to open doors, turn knobs, flick switches, and chase almost anything that moves.  We often get exhausted just trying to keep up with them during this phase of parenting.  But it’s also a time we can start to learn about our children and the things that interest them.

As our children begin to read, it’s wise to expose them to a wide variety of topics.  It’s exciting as a parent to walk into a library with your young child and realize that somewhere in these stacks of books is likely at least one book that tells about a profession or hobby that may end up becoming a lifelong passion for your child.  It will help shape the friends they make, the learning they do, and perhaps even be the path from which they’ll meet their future spouse.  We so seldom take time as parents to “big picture” things like this, but it’s important that we allow ourselves to dream big for our children and encourage them to do the same.  Encouraging them to follow their curiosity is really nothing more than encouraging them to learn.

Riding Curiosity To The Stars

Follow Your Curiosity

Where Will Your Curiosity Lead You?

We all watched in amazement recently as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory landed the Mars rover, “Curiosity.”  It was an amazing feat and one that inspired many of us.  It’s also a great time to show our children the exciting side of some school subjects that may be a struggle to them.  Here’s a great video posted by NASA that asks,  How Hard Is It To Land on Mars?  Taking something from recent news like this is a great opportunity to show our children how they can pursue their curiosity and eventually accomplish huge things.

The people who were able to land the Curiosity rover on Mars came from all different backgrounds and virtually every area of learning.  There were people who followed their math curiosity to learn how to calculate the exact speed and time it would take to land the craft on Mars.  People who were curious about chemistry studied to learn the exact type of fuel that would be best to propel Curiosity.  Engineers learned exactly what kinds of designs and materials they should use to build Curiosity.  People who love to write asked questions and wrote stories about Curiosity to keep us all updated. Each person involved started out by being curious how something worked and wanting to learn more about it.

At Academic Learning Labs we love to take your child’s natural curiosity and encourage it to grow in areas that may be a struggle for them.  We also delight in helping talented children excel in areas they’ve already demonstrated a skill.  Call us at (949) 546-0800, and we’ll be happy to show you how we can help your child’s curiosity get them to Mars — and beyond.

Filed Under: learning, reading, Studying, Technology, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Event Spotlight – Local Summer Activities

July 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With the kids home all day for the summer break, parents often ask us at Academic Learning Labs for local events they can have their children participate in. The Orange County Public Library in Rancho Santa Margarita and the City of RSM offers a wide range of activities for children of all ages. Below is a list of some of the great summer activities they offer.




Craft Days

Mondays 2-4 pm open to children of all ages

Wacky Wednesday Craft Day 3 pm, 2nd-6th grade

Reading Programs

Summer Reading Program for Teens, Daily

Spanish Storytime, Tuesdays 1-1:30 pm for ages 3-5

Summer Storytime, Tuesdays 10:30 am for children of all ages

Lunch Bunch, Thursdays 12-1pm for 3rd-6th grade

Miscellaneous Programs

Writing and Publishing Your Book, Wednesday Jul 11, 11am-1pm, July 12, 2-4 pm, July 13, 1-3 pm

Jamie Ludovise Comic Camp, Wednesday July 25, 11 am-1 pm for children ages 12-18

Boys and Girls Club Summer Program, July 2nd – August 31st

Summer Concerts, Sundays July 15th – August 12th from 6-8 pm in Central Park

With so many activities one is sure to spark your child’s interest. We would love to hear about your child’s participation in one of these activities or other local activities they have enjoyed. For more information on these activities please visit the sites below with additional details.

Filed Under: Friendships, reading, Summer, Uncategorized

5 Tips to Encourage Summer Reading

July 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Summer is reminiscent of beach days, sprinklers, and lazy days, but it’s also a great opportunity to read a book. At Academic Learning Labs, parents often ask us how they can encourage their children to stay active mentally during the summer months. No one is a fan of required summer reading, but there are many fun ways to encourage summer reading.

Below are five tips on how parents can encourage summer reading.

1. Make sure your kids have plenty of books. Give your kids an opportunity to get new books by taking them to the library or the bookstore and letting them pick out new books that interest them. You can go to the library weekly to find new books or organize a book swap in your neighborhood. Find new ways to keep a fresh supply of books around your kids.

2. Always take books whenever you go somewhere, for you and your kids. Make sure your kids see you reading books and give them opportunities to read wherever you go. Whether you are at the beach, waiting in the doctors office, or waiting for a dance class to begin, use this downtime to these get in even a couple of minutes of reading in. You can also read the same books your kids are reading and then you can discuss the book.

3. Encourage social reading. If your child comes home from a friend’s house wanting to read a book because they are reading it, this is a great opportunity to encourage them to read socially. This really reinforces the idea that reading is cool and allows your child the chance to talk about the book with others. You can encourage social reading by buying two copies of a book for your child and their friend, so that they can both read it. You can also start a book club or take your children to see a movie that is based on a book they have read. Find opportunities to make reading cool and a social experience.

4. Try not to get hung up on whether or not your child “could” be reading more advanced books. As much as you want reading to be educational for your child, it is important to understand that reading provides a solace for your child. You can always suggest a book that is more advanced, but don’t push too hard. If your child finds reading enjoyable they will want to continue reading, which will allow them to push themselves. The most important thing is just to give them time to spend reading.

5. Try to keep some time available for reading. This is often the hardest tip to follow. Summers get busy and schedules start to fill up quickly. Finding some quiet time to relax and read is a great way to unwind and find respite from the busy days. We suggest you schedule some reading time each day for your child and make this a part of their summer adventure.

We hope that these tips have been helpful. We would love to hear other things you have done to encourage summer reading with your children.

Filed Under: learning, Lifelong Learning, Parent Involvement, reading, Summer, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How Technology Has Changed Education

March 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Whether you favor the iPad or the latest Droid, it is no secret that technology has become a way of life and can be a very powerful part of our child’s way of learning and method of communication for education.

Though parts of education are still old-fashioned with cursive penmanship and hand-editing, it’s hard not to see that technology has truly transformed modern education. Below is a list of different elements of how technology has changed education.

Collaboration

Collaboration has become a real-time event, and increases productivity. Some of the other benefits of collaboration is that you can not hide or not accomplish anything. You are on display so you can’t hide behind a document. You have to be able to intelligently speak about the topic. Schools are using products like Google docs to revamp the idea of teams and team projects.

Instant Research

If you ask anyone raised before the 90’s how they got information they needed for a paper or project their explanation will be a significant list of tasks including research, reading and case study interviews. In today’s world of education, when a student has a project they can find all the information they need with a few taps of the keys on their computer. Though students may be able to quickly search for the information, they should understand that they will still need teachers to get a true understanding of the information.

Cheating

Cheating is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to technology in education. Nothing comes free. While technology can have many beneficial aspects, it can also have some very negative ones. Cheating has become easier than ever. Students can take a picture of your homework and send a text to a friend who copies it. In hopes of combating this, many classes are taking the emphasis off of graded homework, and pushing harder on important tests where it can be harder to cheat.

Focus

It’s easy to see that technology can be a distraction for students in the classroom. We can combat the use of technology in classrooms as a distraction by having strong and smart teachers who can use the technology without letting it pose a problem.

Technology is constantly changing our world, and we have to understand how it can be used for our children’s education. We hope you found our post informative on how technology has changed education. We would love to hear how you have seen the impact of technology has had on your children’s education.

Filed Under: Education Changes, learning, Lifelong Learning, Parent Involvement, Technology, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Test Taking Tips for Parents

January 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

At Academic Learning Labs we focus on the total package, and as such we often have parents who ask us how they can help their child prepare for a test. Below is a list of tips on how a parent can approach test taking with their children:

• Make sure your child has done all of their homework and any reading assignments. This will ensure that your child has prepared for the test.

• Give your child plenty of encouragement and try not to pressure them, which can stress them out further. It’s important that your child stay relaxed for their upcoming test.

• If you are feeling anxious about your child’s test, keep relaxed around your child so that you do not make them anxious.

• Help your child learn to plan their test preparation and homework schedule in advance, so that they don’t need to cram the night before the test.

• Provide your child with a well lit study area that has limited distractions.

• Mark your calendar with test dates so both you and your child has ample time to prepare for the exam.

• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep the night before the test so that they are refreshed and calm.

• Ensure your child has a healthy breakfast and avoid foods that may make them groggy or hyper.

• If you feel that your child is struggling with taking tests, talk to them about it and meet with their teachers to find options on how you can help your child. Consider getting your child a tutor that will support their immediate needs and a long-range goal of improved test preparation.

• Insure your child wakes up early enough to prepare for their school day. Being rushed in the morning can cause added stress.

• When your child does well or works hard on preparing for a test, be sure to give them lots of praise or a reward, and encourage them to do better if they didn’t do as well as they thought they could have done.

• After the test, take time to review the test and go over any mistakes they made so that you can discuss what they had difficulty understanding and how they can improve for their next test.

If you have any tips you think could help parents with preparing their children for a test please feel free to share them with us so that we can pass them along.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Top 10 Tips on How to Select a College

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Choosing the right college can be overwhelming for both children and parents. During a recent College Prep class at Academic Learning Labs, several students shared their fears and anxieties about finding a college that is best for them. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of the top 10 tips on how to select the college that is right for you and your child!

1. Obtain a list College Programs

When going through the college selection process, you need to take note of all the programs offered by each school. While your student may be interested in a particular program today, they most likely will change their desired area of study at least one time throughout their college career. Therefore, selecting a college that has multiple programs of interest is one important piece of criteria.

2. Develop Program Qualifiers

Once your child has an understanding of their top 3 desired programs, you should make a list of requirements to complete each program within each prospective college. Compiling a list of the colleges that offer the programs you are interested in and comparing key requirements such as the time it will take to complete your degree, any differences in the programs, and what you need to have completed in order to be accepted into the program, should help determine which college is a better ‘fit’ for your child.

3. Consider Pros and Cons of the Location

While this should not be the sole reason your student attends school, location should be taken into consideration during the college selection process. You need to determine if you can financially and emotionally move away to attend college, manage the costs associated with moving, and if you will like the community to which you would need to move to. Also, consider if you plan to get involved in the local community, what volunteer programs are available to support your academic career.

4. Understand the Financial Costs

We recognize that it is no secret that getting an education can be expensive and it often requires a long-term investment. Estimating the cost of tuition, evaluating a reasonable cost of living and knowing how much income you can earn (job availability) while attending school, are all important financial aspects to consider. Do not let the financial unknowns be the cause of future stress; do your research now by looking into financial aid and job availability for each prospective college. Also, keep in mind the boost in your income that a college degree will provide in the long run while you are determining what you can afford to pay for college.

5. Check into Volunteer and Social Activities

Maintaining a healthy GPA is imperative during both high school and college as many employers will take your GPA into consideration during the employment process. Next of importance, is what activities, associations and affiliations are you involved with that help a prospective employer understand a little more about your character. If participating in extracurricular activities are important to you, be sure to look into what is offered by the college.

6. Consider the Size

When considering the right college determine whether a more personalized education is important to you. Generally, a small college will be able to give more personalized attention though you may have to give up the bigger variety of courses that may be offered at a larger university. Regardless of what your preference is, you should know the number of students in attendance (how this has trended over past few years) and what are the goals for growth of the school.

7. Find Out the Class Size

Even if you are selecting a larger college, you still might get more personal attention if you find out the average size of classes offered. Some colleges have low cap sizes on their classes which will allow for more individualized attention, while if you are taking an online course a larger class may be more beneficial to allow for more discussion. Ask one simple question: What is the average student per teacher ratio?

8. Research the Reputation

A college’s reputation says a lot about what it can offer you and can indicate whether future employers will consider your degree valuable. We suggest you conduct due diligence on the front-end by reading online reviews, talking with faculty and interviewing alumni from the colleges you are considering attending. The time spent researching your potential college now, will pay dividends in the long-run.

9. Get to Know Students

Colleges will typically offer an open house to potential new students. We suggest you attend the open house and come prepared to ask current students questions. Perhaps you want to know the quality of the cafeteria food or how safe the campus is in the evening or the quality of the library resources… no questions should go unasked.

10. Audit a Class

Many colleges will allow you to audit a class, which simply means you can attend the class but you will not receive credit for it. Find out if they will allow you to audit a class or if they have a “Student for a Day” program so that you can see first-hand how the classes are run, and if you like the teaching style and if the classes fit your learning needs.

We hope you are getting excited about selecting your college and that these tips will make the process easier. Let us know if you have any other tips that will help other students select the best possible college.

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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