How To Best Study For A Test

How To Best Study For A Test The human brain acquires, retains and retrieves information in a very complex manner. Knowing exactly how is the key to studying more efficiently and more effectively. Every nuance of learning and memory has been studied including diet, time of day, length, atmosphere and the results are both valuable and fascinating. Many teachers tell their students to re-read textbooks and class notes as many times as possible; however, testing yourself repeatedly on the information your studying is significantly more effective, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. Testing or quizzing yourself before a big test exercises your brain in retrieving and applying the knowledge from memory. Its just like practicing anything else. The more you practice, the better you get. Taking a pretest allows your brain to practice retrieving information from memory, which is exactly what students do on tests, and eventually, you will become more proficient at this. This type of studying can be especially beneficial for the SAT/ACT. There are many SAT practice testsandACT practice testsavailable for students to use.The article cited one student, Keenan Harrell, who studied for the SAT by repeatedly taking practice tests to the point of aggravation. Harrell raised his SAT score to 1800, a 50% increase from his PSAT score of 1200 all by taking practice tests. Harrell said that taking the practice tests also helped with pacing his time on the SAT. Many students study information in parts, memorizing little bits and pieces; however, it is more effective to explain the entire process out loud. If youre studying for the digestive system, its better to practice explaining out loud how all the parts work rather than studying a list of its parts, according to Jeffry Karpicke, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University. This allows the brain to focus on the entire process, naturally and quickly, making connections between information which is similar to what students will do on essay or short answer tests. Sleep and diet can also play an important role in test performance. Research shows that students should review the toughest test material right before going to bed the night before a test. This gives your brain a chance to soak in the information, making it easier to recall on the next days test. Many students wake up early to study; however, this approach can actually inhibit your memory. It interferes with your natural sleep pattern and your rapid-eye-movement sleep that boosts memory and recall. Its pretty common for students of all ages to pull all-nighters where they literally dont sleep at all before a test. However, this habit has a very strong correlation with lower test grades. Many students simply cant think without sleep. Students should maintain their usual habits and sleep patterns. This aids memory and recall the best. High-carb, high-fiber, slow-digesting foods like oatmeal can also improve memory. Your diet for the previous week can affect how well you can remember on test day. Other techniques such as studying without music or the TV on, familiarizing yourself with the test room and reducing stress by thinking about the test in a separate manner can help students improve memory and ultimately test scores.

Lateral Area

Lateral Area Lateral Area In geometry, a 3-dimensional figure is the object which has 3 dimensional measurements of length, width and height. Using these 3 measurements, various calculations of volume, surface areas are analyzed. Shapes such as polyhedrons, cylinders, cones and spheres are 3-dimensional figures. Polyhedrons are the shapes which have flat surfaces known as faces, and these faces are made of polygons. Examples of polyhedrons are pyramids and prisms. Cylinders, cones, spheres are 3-dimensional but are not polyhedrons as they do not have flat surfaces. They have curved surfaces. Cylinders have 2 congruent base circles connected by a curved surface. A cone is a figure which has a base circle connected to the vertex on top by a curved surface. A sphere is also one such space figure which has all its points equidistant from the center point. What is Lateral Area? Lateral Area is the sum area of all the surfaces of the figure except the base and the top area. That means, lateral area is the sum of area of all the faces or lateral surfaces only. Based on the shape of the figure, the lateral area can be calculated accordingly. Lateral area is measured in square units. For instance, if the dimensions are in meters, then the unit of lateral area would be square meters. Lateral Area of Geometric Shapes: Lateral area of various geometric shapes can be calculated using the dimensions of that particular shape. For calculating the lateral area, we do not add the areas of the top surface and the bottom surface of the figure. While calculating the Total Surface Area of a figure, we add up the areas of all the surfaces (including the top and the bottom), but for Lateral Area only the areas of the lateral faces need to be added up. Now let us calculate the Lateral Area of various geometric shapes with different sizes: 1) Lateral Area of a Prism: A prism is a very popular 3-dimensional figure which consists of flat faces and identical bases. The bases are congruent and parallel to each other. All along the length, the prisms have the same cross-section. The prism is a polyhedron, so it does not have any curved sides. Its faces are flat and it has edges (or sides) as straight lines. We can classify different types of prisms based on the cross-section or the base of the prism. If the base or the cross-section of a prism is a square, then it is known as a Square Prism. If the cross-section along the length is a triangle, then it is known as a Triangular Prism. Lateral area of any prism can be calculated by using the formula as shown below: Lateral Area of a Prism = (Perimeter of the Base) * (Height of the prism) == L = P * h a) Lateral Area of a Rectangular Prism: A rectangular prism has 6 rectangular faces including the top and the bottom surface. Since the base of the cross-section of the prism is a rectangle, hence it is known as the Rectangular Prism. To calculate the Lateral area of a rectangular prism, we consider only the area of the 4 lateral faces and do not calculate the area of the 2 bases of the prism. The perimeter of the base of a rectangular prism is nothing but the perimeter of the base rectangle. The perimeter of a rectangle is the sum of all its side lengths. This implies Perimeter of a rectangle, P = 2l +2w (where l = length and w = width of the rectangle). Hence the Lateral Area of a Rectangular prism can now also be written as: Lateral Area of a Rectangular Prism = Perimeter of the Base * Height of the Prism L = P * h L = (2l + 2w) * h Or L = 2lh + 2wh (where l = length, w = width, h = height) Example: Calculate the lateral area of a rectangular prism if given that the length is 6m, width is 5m, and height is 8m. Given that length l = 6m, width w = 5m and height, h = 8m. Lateral area of the rectangular prism, L = Perimeter of the base * Height L = 2lh + 2wh == L = (2* 6* 8) + (2* 5 * 8) == L = 96 + 80 = 176m Hence, the Lateral Area, L = 176 square meters. b) Lateral area of a Triangular Prism:A triangular prism is a prism whose base of the prism (or the cross-section along the length) is a triangle. If the sides of the base triangle are a, b and c, then the Perimeter of a triangle is the sum of all its sides = (a + b + c). Lateral Area of a Triangular Prism = (Perimeter of the base triangle) * (Height of the Prism) L = (a + b + c) * h Example: What is the lateral area of a triangular prism whose height is 12cm and which has a base triangle of side length 6cm, 4cm and 5cm? Given height of the prism, h = 12cm The side lengths of the base triangle are a = 6cm, b =4cm and c = 5cm. Lateral Area of a Triangular Prism = (Perimeter of the base triangle) * (Height of the Prism) L = (a + b + c) * h Hence, L = (6cm + 4cm + 5cm) * 12cm == L = 180 square centimeters. c) Lateral area of a Regular Hexagonal Prism:A hexagonal prism is a prism whose base of the prism (or the cross-section along the length) is a hexagon. A hexagon is a polygon with 6 sides. A hexagonal prism consists of 2 identical hexagonal bases and 4 rectangular faces. A regular hexagon is a polygon which has 6 equal sides. If the side length of the base regular hexagon is s, then the perimeter of the base hexagon is the sum of all its sides = s + s + s + s + s + s = 6s. Lateral area of a Hexagonal Prism, L = (Perimeter of the base regular hexagon) * (Height of the Prism) L = (6* s) * h Example: If the height of the prism is 10cm and the base is regular hexagon of side length 4cm, then what is the perimeter of this hexagonal prism? Given height of the prism, h = 10cm The side length of the base regular hexagon, s = 4cm Lateral area of a Hexagonal Prism, L = (Perimeter of the base hexagon) * (Height of the Prism) L = (6* s) * h Hence, L = (6* 4cm) * 10cm == L = 240 square centimeters. 2) Lateral area of a Pyramid: A pyramid is a 3-dimensional figure whose base is a polygon and has triangular faces meeting at the top vertex (also known as the apex). Lateral area of a pyramid is the sum of the areas of the lateral faces of the pyramid structure, without including the area of the base. Just like a prism, there are different types of pyramids based on the shape of its base. If the base of the pyramid is a triangle, then it is known as a Triangular Pyramid. If the base of the pyramid is a rectangle, then it is known as the Rectangular Pyramid. If the base polygon is a regular polygon, then we get a regular pyramid. If the base polygon is an irregular polygon, then the pyramid formed is an irregular pyramid. Lateral Area of a Regular Pyramid = 1/2 * (Perimeter of the base) * (Slant height of the pyramid) (Note: Slant height is the perpendicular altitude drawn from the apex (vertex) to the base of the lateral triangle as shown in the above figure). Lateral Area of an Irregular Pyramid = Sum of the areas of each lateral triangular faces a) Lateral Area of a Square Pyramid: A square pyramid is a pyramid which has a square base. If the side length of the square base is a, then the perimeter of the square base = 4 * a Let the slant height which is the perpendicular distance drawn from the apex to the base of the lateral triangle be = s Lateral Area of a Square Pyramid = 1/2 * (Perimeter of the Square base) * (Slant height of the pyramid) = 1/2 * 4a * s = 2 * a * s Therefore, Lateral Area of the Square Pyramid = 2 * a * s Example: Find the lateral area of a square pyramid whose square base has a side length of 5m and its slant height is 9m. Given side length of the square base of the pyramid, a = 5m Slant height of the pyramid, s = 9m Lateral area of the Square Pyramid = 2* a* s = 2* 5m * 9m = 90m2 b) Lateral Area of a Triangular Pyramid: A pyramid consisting of a triangular base is known as the Triangular Pyramid. In general cases, the base triangle is an equilateral triangle and therefore it is an equilateral triangular pyramid, also known as the regular triangular pyramid. But in case the base triangle does not have equal sides, then the pyramid is known as the irregular pyramid. If the side lengths of the base triangle are a, b, and c, then the perimeter of the triangle = (a+ b+ c) Let the slant height of the pyramid = s Then, Lateral Area of the Triangular pyramid = 1/2 * (a+ b+ c) * s Example: Calculate the lateral area of an equilateral triangular pyramid of base side of 6m and slant height of 10m. Given the side of the base equilateral triangle, a = 6m (Equilateral triangles have equal sides) Hence, a = b = c = 6m Slant height of the pyramid, s = 10m Lateral area of the triangular pyramid = 1/2 * (a+ b+ c) * s == L = 1/2 * (6+ 6+ 6) * 10 = 90m2 c) Lateral area of a Pentagonal Pyramid: A pyramid consisting of a pentagonal base is known as the pentagonal pyramid. A pentagon is a polygon consisting of 5 sides. If the base pentagon has side lengths of a, b, c, d and e, then perimeter of the pentagon = sum of all its sides = (a + b + c + d + e) Let the slant height of the pyramid = s Lateral Area of a Pentagonal Pyramid = 1/2 * (Perimeter of the base pentagon) * (Slant height) So, Lateral area of a Pentagonal Pyramid = 1/2 * (a+ b+ c+ d+ e) * s Example: Given the side lengths of a regular pentagonal pyramid as 5cm and the slant height of the pyramid as 12cm. What is the lateral area of this regular pentagonal pyramid? A regular pentagon has 5 equal sides. Given the side lengths of the base pentagon as a = b = c = d = e = 5cm Slant height of the pentagonal pyramid, s = 12cm Lateral area of a Pentagonal Pyramid = 1/2 * (5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5) * 12 = 150cm2 2) Lateral Area of a Cylinder: Cylinders are commonly observed in our daily life. A cylinder is a 3-dimensional solid closed figure and it consists of 2 congruent circular bases that are connected by a curved surface. A cylinder has 2 congruent circular bases and they are parallel to each other. The perpendicular length between the 2 circular bases is known as the height of the cylinder or the altitude. For a given cylinder, let the radius of the circular base = r Let the height (or altitude) which is the perpendicular distance between the 2 circular bases = h Then the lateral area of the cylinder is given by the equation below: Lateral Area of a Cylinder = (Circumference of the circular base) * (Height of the cylinder) Therefore, Lateral Area of a Cylinder = 2 * ???? * r * h Example: Calculate the lateral area of a cylinder whose radius of the circular base is 6m and the height of the cylinder is 8m. Given the radius of the circular base, r = 6m Height of the cylinder, h = 8m Lateral area of the cylinder = 2 * ???? * r * h == L = 2 * 3.14 * 6m * 8m = 301.44 m2 3) Lateral Area of a Cone: A cone is a 3-dimensional figure which has a circular base connected with the single vertex on top (also known as the apex) by a curved surface. The height of the cone is the perpendicular distance from the vertex to the center of the circular base. The slant height is the distance along the surface of the cone from the vertex to the circle, as shown in the figure on the right. For a given cone, let the radius of the circular base = r Let the height of the cone = h and the slant height of the cone = s From the figure we can see that slant height, s = (h2 + r2) (Using the Pythagorean Theorem) Then the lateral area of the cone can be calculated as follows: Lateral area of the cone = ???? * r * s Therefore, Lateral Area of the Cone = ???? * r * (h2 + r2) Example: Calculate the slant height and the lateral area of the cone if the radius of the cone is 6cm and the height of the cone is 8cm. Given radius of the cone, r = 6cm Height of the cone, h = 8cm Slant height, s = (h2 + r2) = (62 + 82) = 10cm Lateral Area of the Cone = ???? * r * (h2 + r2) = 3.14 * 6 * (62 + 82) = 188.4 cm2 4) Lateral Area of a Sphere and Hemisphere: A sphere is a 3-dimensional geometric figure perfectly symmetrical in shape. It is a closed figure formed by points which are equidistant from the center. A sphere has no edges (sides) or vertices (corners). If the radius of a sphere is r, then we can calculate the lateral area as shown below: Lateral Area of a Sphere = 4* ????* r2 When a sphere is cut into equal halves, then we get a Hemisphere. Therefore, the lateral area of a hemisphere is half of the lateral area of the sphere. Lateral Area of a Hemisphere = 2* ????* r2 Example: If the radius of a sphere is 5cm, then what is the lateral area of the sphere and the hemisphere? Given the radius of the sphere, r = 5cm Lateral Area of the Sphere = 4* ????* r2 == L = 4* 3.14* (5cm)2 = 314 cm2 Lateral Area of the Hemisphere = 2* ????* r2 == L = 2* 3.14* (5cm)2 = 157 cm2

Common Things to Expect in the 11+ Exam

Common Things to Expect in the 11+ Exam At Tutorfair we are helping our London tutors become the best people to deliver 11+ exam tuition. However, we don't want to forget the slightly smaller people who have to actually do the exams! Our very own resident expert, Sophia, explains what pupils can expect on the day of the 11+ exam.  She  sat her 11+ exam 18 months ago and has just completed a very happy year in her new school. The 11+ is the first really important exam for most school kids as it decides your next school, which will influence the next seven years of academic life. The first part is choosing which schools to apply for. Teachers can suggest which school a student will settle best in, parents might nag about how far away the school is and newspapers will throw their academic results at you; however, visiting the school is vital and gives an idea about the atmosphere. This is usually the main factor for deciding. When I did the 11+, everyone’s main worry was how to prepare. Despite teachers equipping us with an army of revision papers, many parents were still not satisfied and promptly proceeded to raid bookstores for Bond papers and scour the Internet for the previous year’s 11+. One solution that many turned to was tutoring for the 11+ exam. Tutors are brilliant, one-to-one teachers who usually specialise in exams; they know where to get 11+ exam papers, how to revise properly and what schools look for in the exams. I had a tutor for three lessons in which we simply recapped key points and practised papers; almost immediately I felt one step ahead of the exam. For exam day, we received a bucketload of advice: go to bed early, eat healthy food and prepare everything the night before (water bottle, pencil case, etc). But the most important one: just relax. Adrenaline isn’t needed in an exam; the 11+ won’t trip you up with quantum physics or jump off the table and eat you, so don’t panic. When you’re actually in the exam room, it feels just like a normal exam that your school teachers throw at you. During the interview just relax, don’t fidget or talk too fast, and be honest. When the magic day of acceptance letter comes, it is easy to get excited or overconfident. It is important to wait for the other results and think carefully before choosing. Don’t get upset if the results aren’t what you hoped for either. It could be for the best - maybe that school just wasn’t right for you. Everyone I know has got into a school and is really happy there and now that the 11+ is over, it seems really small. If you are looking for a tutor to support your child through the 11+ visit the Tutorfair website and find fantastic  11 plus tutors.

Additional Information on the Common Application

Additional Information on the Common Application The process of researching, applying to and deciding on a college can be overwhelming for teens. But if theres one aspect of the process thats much easier than it was years ago, it is filling out the applicationor more specifically, the Common Application. The Common Application lets students complete a single application that shares the details of their background, education and activities with multiple colleges on their list. Its a great way for college-bound students to save themselves valuable time and stay organized with the various college-related deadlines. Here are some of the most important things you need to know about the Common Application: More than 800 public and private colleges and universities accept the Common Application. To find out whether a college uses it, search the Common Apps database or view the latest (as of August 2018) listing. Applicants may submit applications to up to 20 colleges. A students dashboard inside the Common Application database lets them keep track of up to 20 colleges. Deadlines are made easier. The Common Application dashboard shows application deadlines of each college a teen is tracking. A date becomes red and displays a clock symbol next to it when a deadline is within two weeks. Teens can also download the mobile app: Common App on Track on their mobile device. To make the application process efficient, teens should have certain information on hand. Parents, have your teens assemble their high school transcript, extracurricular activities list, test scores and test dates (SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests), and parent/legal guardian information (including educational background, occupational information and employer information). There may be other items to submit. Keep in mind that colleges usually want supplemental information in addition to the Common Application. They might request answers to specific questions, letters of recommendation and writing supplements. Each college has specific writing requirements. As mentioned, first-year (freshman) applicants are usually required or encouraged to submit samples of their writing. Those might include the Common App Personal Essay (for which writing prompts will be provided), answers to college-specific questions (e.g. details on a work experience or meaningful extracurricular activity) or an additional writing supplement. Check out the Common Applications Writing Requirements resource for details on what each college seeks. Early Decision applications are binding. When students apply Early Decision to a school and are accepted, they must agree to withdraw all other applications they have submitted. For this reason, students can only apply to one school this way using the Common App. The Common Application is a major timesaver for students who plan to apply to several colleges. Its easy to get started: just start an application, add colleges to your list, review their requirements and start gathering the materials you need. Have your teen visit www.commonapp.org to learn more and begin searching colleges.

Online Content, Conventional TV, and the Golden Age of Television

Online Content, Conventional TV, and the Golden Age of Television image via http://likealady.bg/ Television advertising  became prevalent  in the 1950s, when companies like Kraft and General Electric  sponsored entire television shows. NBC revolutionized the concept in the 1960s with “TV Spots,” which we all know today as commercials. Advertising went from taking up 9 minutes of an hour-long program in the 1970s all the way up to 19 minutes in the ‘90s. Once advertisers were able to gain information regarding the demographics of different shows’ viewers thanks to Nielsen Ratings (the data collection system on the ages and amounts of people watching a given network show), they utilized product placement. Different series became vehicles for certain products, intertwining the characters’ choices and the plotlines with commercial goods. In my opinion, this poses a risk to the creative control of the show.   The advertisers are funding these shows, and since the series are operating on the given company’s dollar, which parts of the show are generated without profit-oriented bias, and which are forced upon the writers from the promotional demands and financial motivations of the corporation? image via http://protoepicnews.blogspot.com/ A show that does a great job of making fun of this is 30 Rock. The series focuses on a fictional NBC television show run by Liz Lemon (Tina Fey).   In the first few seasons, General Electric owns NBC, and Jack Donaghey (Alec Baldwin) plays the overbearing president of NBC who wants to assume control over Lemon’s creative choices. Each episode is speckled with jokes about vertical integration and product placement, with clear wisecracks at GE, who owned NBC in real life at the time. In one scene, Lemon is in Donaghey’s office. She gives a spiel about how great Verizon Wireless is, then looks directly at the camera and says, “can we have our money now?” A show like 30 Rock that actively draws attention to the commerciality aspect of network TV is the exception to the rule. Since network TV depends so much on corporate funding, the shows try to cater to the masses, which makes sense: the more viewers, the more ad spots are worth (since more people are seeing them and are likely to buy the product), so, the more money the show makes. This is where it gets problematic for me again, from a creative standpoint. For example, a comedy that tries to make everyone laugh will probably be less substantial of a series than one with a unique tone, catered to a certain taste. This could be why shows like Arrested Development didn’t do well initially. Fox cancelled the show after just three seasons, even though it won an Emmy. Arrested has dry, quick humor and expects the viewer to be smart enough to catch onto jokes, rather than dumb itself down for the sake of getting more viewers. This juxtaposes against series like Two and A Half Men,  which has  been called “mindless” comedy, yet has been on the air for 12 seasons and peaked at over 24 million viewers. In fact, the success of Arrested Development after its original run, and its subsequent Netflix season four revival, is a good example of the payoff of an online television medium compared to the traditional network model.  After working under the Netflix umbrella for the fourth season, the cast members criticized the show’s former network, Fox, regarding the conflict between airing a quality, creative show, even if it wasn’t a moneymaker for the network. David Cross, the actor who plays Tobias Funke, denounced the network: The networks were still behind in figuring out how people were watching TVâ€"they were still in that antiquated way that started in the 50s with a Nielsen Box. You cant look at the Nielsen ratings just because theres a family in Rhode Island that wasnt watching it at the timeâ€"thats not how people are watching TV anymore . . . The worst thing that happened to Fox was Arrested  winning the Emmy, cos they had to keep it on. Fox didnt have any real guts, but its a business [and] theyre not in the business of putting out great TV; theyre in the business of making as much money as they possibly can for Rupert Murdoch. Cross goes on to discuss how Netflix allowed Mitch Hurwitz, the show’s creator, to take creative control of the show and supported his decisions, whereas Fox would normally fight with Hurwitz and give him notes to change certain things. Where Fox was like “a girl you were dating who didn’t quite get you,” Netflix was “overly gracious and supportive.” When you think about harboring a creative environment necessary for a great television show, which one seems like it would produce higher quality content? image via doseoffunny.com Online mediums like Netflix and Hulu can’t use Nielsen Ratings for their shows; there are no time slots for these series, so theres no way to calculate how many viewers are tuned in since people watch on their own time. Ted Sarandos, the Chief Content Officer at Netflix, discussed the company’s own method of “ratings” when it comes to original content creation.  He specifically referenced House of Cards: “We read lots of data to figure out how popular Kevin Spacey was over his entire output of movies. How many people actually highly rate four or five of them? If you liked The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button  and Fight Club, you’re probably a Fincher fanâ€"you probably don’t know it, but you are.” Sarandos continues that once the company has a sense of how many fans are out there, it can “more accurately predict the absolute market size for a show.” When you can predict a market size, you don’t have to cater to the masses. So where Nielsen measures an arbitrary rat race for the highest volume of viewers, Netflix utilizes a calculated forecast based on viewer preference and artistic style and genre. Again, which method seems like it would keep a show afloat based on real merit? The growing artistic diversification of online television is becoming more and more apparent. Choosing a TV show to watch is becoming more like browsing a library with endless material of all types and genres, rather than a passive activity mottled with infrequent, arbitrary channel surfing. The Internet is an interactive tool, one where the users actively seek out content they want to watch. Predetermined time slots don’t hold the clout they once did. Mass-market appeal is no longer the winning strategy. Don’t get me wrong: broadcast television is the best medium when it comes to time-sensitive, cultural content, like the news. It can be a unifying medium in times that call for national involvement, like when the first plane hit the World Trade Center on 9/11, or when the news broke that Osama Bin Laden was captured and killed.   However, scripted series seem to be a different story altogether. Television is in its Golden Age, and it is thanks to these online mediums who are providing the creative freedom and creating premium content funded by subscription dollars, rather than bowing down to advertisers. Television is reaching its peak quality. You might be wondering why this is all of any importance. It’s just TV, after all. However, television is an integral part of our culture, whether we realize it or not. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, TV unified our nation through shows like I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, and Friends.  People identified with it, and it became a representation of our culture. The thing about appealing to the masses (read: most network television) is that many aspects of our culture get overlooked, and minorities are often underrepresented or not represented at all. Online mediums like Netflix have been able to break this barrier in recent years. Series like Orange is the New Black, with an almost all-female cast in a women’s prison, probably wouldn’t last on traditional television. The show stars white, black, Latina and Asian women, depicting many minorities all at once. The diversification of TV on these online mediums will only increase a more diverse representation of America. Tim Wu of The New Republic magazine said it perfectly: “A culture where niche supplants mass hews closer to the original vision of the Americas, of a new continent truly open to whatever diverse and eccentric groups showed up. The United States was once, almost by definition, a place without a dominant national identity. As it revolutionizes television, Netflix is merely helping to return us to that past.”

Get Report Card Ready with these Four Easy Tips

Get Report Card Ready with these Four Easy Tips Get Report Card Ready with these Four Easy Tips Now that the school year is in full swing, we all know what’s right around the corner. Report cards! For most parents, this will be the first indication of their child’s development at school. Report cards are an important benchmark and measurement of academic performance and will provide you with information regarding your child’s academic development. As such, learning to interpret the information within the report card is key to assessing your child’s progress. Use the report card as a tool to help your child celebrate success and tackle any challenges. Here are a few tips! First, review the report card on your own. When you receive the report card, your first instinct may be to look for areas where your child needs improvement. However, it’s important to process all of the information before discussing the results with your child. When going through the report, start by identifying strengths and areas that have improved. Make a note of these before moving on to weaknesses and subjects that may be slipping. Plan a balanced conversation. Planning in advance your approach to the conversation is essential. Bookending the negative comments with positive ones will result in beginning and ending with good news! Starting with good news will engage children and make them confident enough for the bad news, and ending with good news will leave them feeling empowered instead of defeated.   Meet privately with your child. Sitting down to speak without distractions shows your child that the conversation is important. If you have multiple children, speak to each one individually and avoid interruptions. Be sure to allow enough time to have a relaxed discussion about performance. Children will naturally feel nervous about discussing their report card. Before opening the report, ask your child how he thinks he did. This will indicate how aware he is of his own progress. Ask him what he learned in each subject. Praise, discuss areas of improvement, and strategize. Let your child know how proud you are of the successes in the subjects done well and any improvements that have been made. Praising children for this is just as important as constructive criticism. The areas of improvement must be seen as opportunities for growth, and they assist in your child’s progression to the next level. With ideas in your back pocket, chat with your child about ideas for improvement and strategize different plans together to address the weaknesses. And remember to always end on a positive note about how proud you are. Armed with these tips, you’ll be better able to digest the information offered through the report card and have a productive conversation with your child. It’s all about celebrating success and helping to tackle any challenges! You might also be interested in: Making the Grade Ace the School Year with Kumons Study Tips Roundup Is your Child Ready for Kindergarten? 4 Simple Tips for Setting Goals with Your Child in the New Year Get Report Card Ready with these Four Easy Tips Get Report Card Ready with these Four Easy Tips Now that the school year is in full swing, we all know what’s right around the corner. Report cards! For most parents, this will be the first indication of their child’s development at school. Report cards are an important benchmark and measurement of academic performance and will provide you with information regarding your child’s academic development. As such, learning to interpret the information within the report card is key to assessing your child’s progress. Use the report card as a tool to help your child celebrate success and tackle any challenges. Here are a few tips! First, review the report card on your own. When you receive the report card, your first instinct may be to look for areas where your child needs improvement. However, it’s important to process all of the information before discussing the results with your child. When going through the report, start by identifying strengths and areas that have improved. Make a note of these before moving on to weaknesses and subjects that may be slipping. Plan a balanced conversation. Planning in advance your approach to the conversation is essential. Bookending the negative comments with positive ones will result in beginning and ending with good news! Starting with good news will engage children and make them confident enough for the bad news, and ending with good news will leave them feeling empowered instead of defeated.   Meet privately with your child. Sitting down to speak without distractions shows your child that the conversation is important. If you have multiple children, speak to each one individually and avoid interruptions. Be sure to allow enough time to have a relaxed discussion about performance. Children will naturally feel nervous about discussing their report card. Before opening the report, ask your child how he thinks he did. This will indicate how aware he is of his own progress. Ask him what he learned in each subject. Praise, discuss areas of improvement, and strategize. Let your child know how proud you are of the successes in the subjects done well and any improvements that have been made. Praising children for this is just as important as constructive criticism. The areas of improvement must be seen as opportunities for growth, and they assist in your child’s progression to the next level. With ideas in your back pocket, chat with your child about ideas for improvement and strategize different plans together to address the weaknesses. And remember to always end on a positive note about how proud you are. Armed with these tips, you’ll be better able to digest the information offered through the report card and have a productive conversation with your child. It’s all about celebrating success and helping to tackle any challenges! You might also be interested in: Making the Grade Ace the School Year with Kumons Study Tips Roundup Is your Child Ready for Kindergarten? 4 Simple Tips for Setting Goals with Your Child in the New Year

10 Steps How to Awake Childs Interest in Study

10 Steps How to Awake Child’s Interest in Study Learning is a long process which starts from mastering basic skills, continues at school, college, university and in fact lasts during all human’s life. That is why it is vitally important for parents from the very beginning to make study as exciting and interesting as possible and to waken and support child’s interest in gaining new knowledge and education. It is not that difficult, here are some tips that can help to urge the cognition of a young student. 1. Start all-round development from childhood. If kid has got accustomed to comprehend new information every day since the first years of life he will easily adapt to school study program and will avoid many stressful factors. 2. Assist your child in study and stimulate any cognitive activity but do not go too far. Parents may participate in solving educational problems, however they must never do the tasks for children and must not deliver kids from study load at all. 3. Display sincere interest in your little student’s study. Convince a junior that you are also interested in subject he is struggling with and the firm grasp of knowledge is major than the test results. Realizing the significance of the study discipline is more effective motivation than chasing for high grades. 4. Invent a system of encouragements. Every youngster is an individual and you must find good motivation for study which is most attractive for your child. No matter what say the proponents of birches and threatening but a positive stimulation, such as some active game, delicious snack or favorite TV show after successfully done homework, are undoubtedly more beneficial. Negative emotions caused by punishments for study failures can result in steady hostile attitude to everything connected with education. 5. Be honest with a child. Have a heart-to-heart talk. Ask a child if there anything for the sake of what he/she is ready to get down to study. Discuss with him what can happen if everybody stop learning and what are the advantages of being well-educated person. Explain that when children grow up they can choose the occupation which they like most of all but they need to learn many subjects in order to select the best profession. 6. Train the discipline. Learning is not possible without spending long hours in libraries, reading books, watching documentary moves and cramming. It is necessary to teach youngster to be disciplined and the best way to do this is to offer him hobby or any activity enjoyable but requiring some responsibility. This can be a pet, hamster or a kitten, that needs feeding and care every day or some plants in the garden or in pots that require proper watering and fertilizing. 7. Explore new ways to wake up interest to study. Children’s interests and wishes change with age and all attractions lose their former fascination with time. Do not forget to update your encouraging arsenal. 8. Involve new technologies into study process. There are many computer games, applications and high-tech toys that help to develop various skills from elementary reading, writing and calculus till strategic thinking. These tutoring tools can turn boring study into fun. You may even present this kind of learning as a reward for well-done home work. 9. Be patient. It often happens that young people come to understanding of importance of education and acquire thirst for knowledge by themselves. This can happen in elementary school, in middle school or in college and the conscious juniors quickly make up for lost study program. 10. Apply for help of professional tutor when needed. If all your efforts do not give any results and your child is constantly behind the school program it is time to look for help of qualified private tutor. Having wide tutoring experience private tutor is able to find individual approach and to select learning style that suits each student’s needs. Online tutoring referral services such as TutorZ.com are designed to help parents to find private tutors for children and this is the best solution of numerous study problems. And the last but not the least important point. Loving parents must not forget that study and work are not the only values in human life, especially if this human is only seven or twelve years old. 10 Steps How to Awake Child’s Interest in Study Learning is a long process which starts from mastering basic skills, continues at school, college, university and in fact lasts during all human’s life. That is why it is vitally important for parents from the very beginning to make study as exciting and interesting as possible and to waken and support child’s interest in gaining new knowledge and education. It is not that difficult, here are some tips that can help to urge the cognition of a young student. 1. Start all-round development from childhood. If kid has got accustomed to comprehend new information every day since the first years of life he will easily adapt to school study program and will avoid many stressful factors. 2. Assist your child in study and stimulate any cognitive activity but do not go too far. Parents may participate in solving educational problems, however they must never do the tasks for children and must not deliver kids from study load at all. 3. Display sincere interest in your little student’s study. Convince a junior that you are also interested in subject he is struggling with and the firm grasp of knowledge is major than the test results. Realizing the significance of the study discipline is more effective motivation than chasing for high grades. 4. Invent a system of encouragements. Every youngster is an individual and you must find good motivation for study which is most attractive for your child. No matter what say the proponents of birches and threatening but a positive stimulation, such as some active game, delicious snack or favorite TV show after successfully done homework, are undoubtedly more beneficial. Negative emotions caused by punishments for study failures can result in steady hostile attitude to everything connected with education. 5. Be honest with a child. Have a heart-to-heart talk. Ask a child if there anything for the sake of what he/she is ready to get down to study. Discuss with him what can happen if everybody stop learning and what are the advantages of being well-educated person. Explain that when children grow up they can choose the occupation which they like most of all but they need to learn many subjects in order to select the best profession. 6. Train the discipline. Learning is not possible without spending long hours in libraries, reading books, watching documentary moves and cramming. It is necessary to teach youngster to be disciplined and the best way to do this is to offer him hobby or any activity enjoyable but requiring some responsibility. This can be a pet, hamster or a kitten, that needs feeding and care every day or some plants in the garden or in pots that require proper watering and fertilizing. 7. Explore new ways to wake up interest to study. Children’s interests and wishes change with age and all attractions lose their former fascination with time. Do not forget to update your encouraging arsenal. 8. Involve new technologies into study process. There are many computer games, applications and high-tech toys that help to develop various skills from elementary reading, writing and calculus till strategic thinking. These tutoring tools can turn boring study into fun. You may even present this kind of learning as a reward for well-done home work. 9. Be patient. It often happens that young people come to understanding of importance of education and acquire thirst for knowledge by themselves. This can happen in elementary school, in middle school or in college and the conscious juniors quickly make up for lost study program. 10. Apply for help of professional tutor when needed. If all your efforts do not give any results and your child is constantly behind the school program it is time to look for help of qualified private tutor. Having wide tutoring experience private tutor is able to find individual approach and to select learning style that suits each student’s needs. Online tutoring referral services such as TutorZ.com are designed to help parents to find private tutors for children and this is the best solution of numerous study problems. And the last but not the least important point. Loving parents must not forget that study and work are not the only values in human life, especially if this human is only seven or twelve years old.