The Importance of Learning Vocabulary
Did you know that having a good vocabulary improves your communication skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking? Vocabulary helps you think and learn about the world around you. Expanding your knowledge of words broadens your ability to process new information. Learning the subject vocabulary is of great importance for any school or business course, but also just growing your vocabulary will enrich your communication abilities. Building your knowledge of subject area vocabulary increases testing confidence and reduces your stress no matter what course you are taking. It allows you to focus on the critical thinking aspects of the course or test instead of focusing on your stress. Understanding the test question will help you respond with confidence and that is why it is crucial to learn unit vocabulary for each subject area in school. No one wants to be buffaloed when the teacher asks a question. Understanding WHAT the question is asking will eliminate mistakes as long as you know the content. Memorizing words and definitions can be a very helpful first step in learning vocabulary, but studying vocabulary words in context is the BEST way to learn vocabulary. Sometimes you may start studying vocabulary as the introduction to a…
Setting up School Year Expectations
How does setting a homework schedule build life skills that impact the workplace? Just as a classroom teacher sets expectations, parents can also use the start of a new school year to set expectations for homework and chores. As children grow, so should their responsibilities as these life skills may impact their future workplace performance. During the younger years, they can be expected to put their backpack in the designated location and put any “parent homework” in a certain spot everyday. Homeschoolers can be expected to return their daily supplies to a designated location. As they get to the middle years, these school year expectations can grow. To avoid the morning rush or get a few more minutes of sleep, bookbags can be packed the night before, lunches can be made, and clothes laid out. All of this can be done by the children, with some initial supervision by the parents or caretakers. By the launching years, these school year expectations should be firm and there should be little need for reminders or follow ups. The start of a new school year is a great opportunity to revisit the expectations. “Each night after you clean up the dinner dishes, I’d…
Sensory Strategies for Learning
How can you squeeze a little learning into playtime? As a teacher and tutor I have had to think creatively and quickly to come up with out of the box sensory strategies for learning to help students learn in a way that makes sense to them. This happens usually when their frustration becomes evident. The student begins to act out or shut down. For some reason they are unwilling or unable to focus on the learning. That brings out my creative side! I WANT every kid to find joy in learning! And if they are not, I want to know why and what I can do to make it better. Getting creative with sensory learning is a good starting spot. It’s not the only way to teach and learn, but there can be fun activities connected to our senses and our study time. Learning styles are basically just how your child learns best – by hearing, by watching, or by doing. These are not the only way your child learns, so do not discount all the other ways we can learn, but understand that sometimes it helps your child to focus on the content when we present it in a…
Tips for Homework Time
Are you looking for a few useful tips for homework time or is it time to hire a tutor? Homework Tips Set a regular schedule and routine for homework time. (Read Homework Help for more homework tips, too.) Be available but do not hover. Set a work timer if needed. Some students work best on homework right after school, some after dinner, and some at breakfast. Ask your student’s opinion of this and maybe try something new. Be consistent and kind. Encourage the student to help come up with solutions rather than just doing it yourself (most students CAN ask their teachers a question in person or via messaging and take responsibility to follow through). Listen more than you talk. Use an agenda system to record work and break projects into chunks. Use a paper or project management system even if school is online. Write reminders to talk to teachers or turn in work. Have your student write down tasks like “read slide show” or “do attendance” if your student struggles to remember daily tasks other than rushing to complete the “due” work. Mark off completed work with a highlighter or check box. Using an agenda will help both student…
