10 Tips on How to use an Agenda
What is the read, write, read, write method for homework agendas or planners? Not every student knows how to use an agenda or planner. Or how to use an agenda well. Time management and organization are life skills that are important to teach students. Before a student can understand how to plan out projects, they must first know how to do the basics. Many of my tutoring clients tell me they do not need an agenda because they can just look at the list of assignments on a website, but this does not teach them time management skills, nor does it help them chunk large projects into manageable pieces. Neither are most students capable of keeping all that info “in my head” as their main strategy for remembering all their homework assignments, but I do hear that option quite a bit! I find that sometimes we expect students to automatically know how to use their agenda, and we mean more than just copying down the word “homework” in today’s calendar box. To help students, I created a printable with 10 tips on how to use an agenda for beginners and the easy-to-remember “read, write, read, write” method. For a simple…
The Art of Asking Questions: How to Develop Critical Thinking in Kids
What do you value more – a good grade or a well written paper? The art of asking questions is one of the most valuable tools we can give children to help them grow into confident, thoughtful, and capable individuals. As parents and tutors, we all want to develop critical thinking in kids, but it doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with curiosity, and curiosity begins with questions. If you have a child in the younger years, you might be hearing a lot of questions already! When kids are encouraged to ask good questions, they begin to understand the world more deeply. This habit leads to better academic performance, stronger relationships, and more independent thinking. The best part? You don’t need a classroom or curriculum to begin. Everyday conversations at the dinner table, in the car, or during tutoring sessions provide rich opportunities to nurture critical thinking. Why Asking Questions Builds Thinking Skills At its core, critical thinking is the ability to process information thoughtfully rather than passively. Children naturally ask questions when they’re curious, but over time, that instinct can fade, often due to pressure to find the “right” answer. The art of asking questions helps kids shift from…
10 Practical Executive Function Activities for Students: A Guide for Parents and Tutors
What are some of the main categories of executive functioning? Good kids may often say “I forgot” and genuinely not know how to stop forgetting to do homework assignments or turn in their work on time unless parents and tutors use executive function activities for students to help train their brains to focus and manage tasks. When it comes to supporting school-aged children, understanding the key categories of executive functioning is crucial. Executive functioning refers to the mental skills that help children plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks. These cognitive skills are essential for success in school, relationships, and life in general. Here are 10 main categories of executive functioning that parents and tutors should know about along with examples and executive function activities for students. Tutors can easily incorporate a tip or strategy into a tutoring session to help build executive function skills and parents can continue to reinforce the strategy at home. 1. Self-Control Definition: The ability to control impulses and resist distractions, staying focused Examples in school: Not interrupting others in class, waiting your turn, and resisting the urge to play during study time. Practical Tips and Strategies for Improvement: Use visual reminders, such…
Building Blocks for Success: How Executive Function Skills Support Learning and Life
What are some of the main components of executive function skills? Success in learning, living, and leading starts with strong executive function skills, and without this building block, many students struggle academically, personally, and socially. Executive function skills help us stay organized, manage our time, control our emotions, and make good decisions. These skills are important for getting work done, handling challenges, and doing well in school and with friends. Many students (and adults) struggle with developing these skills without intentional guidance. Edutopia sums it up nicely with this quote: “Executive function is the brain’s air traffic controller, intercepting a tangle of thoughts and impulses and steering them toward safe, productive outcomes.” What Are Executive Function Skills? Five key components of executive function include planning, organizing, time management, emotional regulation, and flexibility. Planning: Setting goals and figuring out steps to achieve them. Organization: Keeping materials and thoughts in order. Time Management: Using time wisely to complete tasks. Emotional Regulation: Staying calm and focused under pressure. Flexibility: Adapting to new situations or solving unexpected problems. These key components help us be successful in learning, living, and leading throughout our lives. Why Are Executive Function Skills Important? Executive function skills impact schoolwork,…
10 tips for using Google Tasks and Google Calendar as a student agenda
How can you effectively use Google Calendar as a student agenda? Time management is a life skill that is important to teach students, and I love a good organizational system! Over the years, I have traded my paper calendars and agendas for digital ones. It is helpful to see what events I have have and where I have time in my schedule for tasks. Many of my tutoring clients tell me they do not need an agenda because they can just look at the list of assignments in Google Classroom, but this does not teach them time management skills nor does it help them chunk large projects into manageable pieces. (Nor are most of them capable of keeping all that info “in my head” as their main strategy for remembering all their homework assignments but I do hear that option quite a bit!) This school year when I teach study skills to my middle and high school tutoring clients, I will include how to use an agenda whether it’s a paper one or a digital one. For a simple digital system for students who have Gmail accounts, I recommend Google Calendar and Google Tasks. Use the calendar events to block time…
Book Review: Ida B
When was the last time you had a day when things went from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Years ago, my oldest daughter read Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World in a book club in elementary school and got to attend a book signing with the author Katherine Hannigan at a local bookstore. Being a teacher, I read the book and instantly fell in love with the story, all the various characters and the strong emotions the story described when Ida B’s life suddenly goes from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong. I knew it would make a good read aloud book for my fourth grade class launching many discussions, teachable moments, and language arts examples. The description of how much the dog Rufus drools is a great one for figurative language examples. Ida B is just a great book all around. The book is gentle in some areas: very general description of Mama’s illness and strong in others: Ida B’s thoughts on many topics are bold and self-deprecating. Ida B believes that there is never enough time in the world for all the…
10 Test Taking Tips
How can you help a student confidently take a test? Fear tends to grip students when teachers, parents or tutors talk about testing or preparing for tests. My 10 free Test Taking Tips will help students so that they can focus confidently on the test, not on their worries. Students and parents can smile more and sigh less! Well prepared students will work to the best of their abilities. Read everything! Read everything on the page including the directions, the passage, the questions, and every answer choice. If time allows, rereading the passage, too. Read the question twice. Sometimes you misread or your brain tricks you into thinking something different than what it’s really asking. Rereading will help you understand what the question is really asking. Underline important words or numbers in the questions. These clues might help determine the answer or eliminate wrong answers. Think about what the answer is. Before reading the multiple choice answers or before writing your answer, think about what the right answer is. Eliminate wrong answers. Cross out wrong answers before selecting the correct one. Even if you can only eliminate one or two answers, you will have a better choice of picking the…
Strategies to Master Multiplication
How old were you when you learned your multiplication facts? Knowing basic math facts and skills is the foundation of strong math progress, yet multiplication seems daunting to many children and parents. I often tell students that if they do not know their math facts they can still get the right answer, but their classmates who know their math facts will get the answer faster. In elementary school the time gap is not as apparent as it is in middle school and beyond. Start with conceptualizing the facts, add some counting and reasoning strategies, and then work on fact mastery. Mastering multiplication facts does not have to be a painful experience. Most schools try to have students be fluent in the one by one digit multiplication facts by memory by the end of grade 3 as they conceptualize multiplication and division. Fluency is as important in math as in reading no matter the access to calculators and audio books. However, straight memorization of math facts without a concept of multiplication is like memorizing the alphabet without understanding that the letters represent sounds that blend together to make words. How can parents and tutors help children learn to master the multiplication…
7 Easy Steps to Cornell Notes
What makes a note taking system effective? The Cornell System is a highly effective note taking strategy. It saves time and helps students better comprehend the lecture or material. Originally developed by Cornell education professor Walter Pauk as a note taking method for schools, many people easily adapt this method to take notes while researching material, during client interactions, or even during business meetings. Below are 7 easy steps to Cornell Notes. Research also shows that handwritten Cornell Notes are the best for recall. Students who learn early on to take Cornell Notes are better prepared to take useful notes during class than those who merely copy the powerpoint. Using a consistent note taking system helps students use their notes for reference and study as the format is clear and effective. While there are many note taking techniques, the Cornell System outshines them all. Here is how you can try it out for yourself. Here are 7 easy steps to Cornell Notes Divide your paper into 2 columns with a row across the bottom. Some people like to write a giant capital I on the page, slightly offset to the left to divide the paper. Write the course/meeting name at…
5 Note Taking Tips
Why is note taking a lost art? Teaching kids to take good notes and use them seems to be a lost lesson plan these days. So many of my tutoring clients think note taking is copying a slide or worse yet, taking a photo of a slide. While there is not anything wrong with doing either of these things, it is not really note taking. Here are 5 Note Taking Tips to help you teach a child or yourself to take good notes from a lecture or a textbook. Use a consistent system, such as Cornell Notes Write down main terms and key questions from text or lecture Leave space to add to notes later Watch for things that are repeated or emphasized Use notes to review and study, adding additional notes as needed Good note taking requires practice. Learning and using a system will help you take better notes. If the teacher requires a particular system be sure to use that, but if not, try Cornell Notes. In the next blog post, I will introduce you to Cornell Notes if you need a system to try. I have successfully taught students as young as 4th grade to take notes…