Students are expected to learn how to study, schedule their time, and complete sizable assignments without procrastinating, yet study strategies often aren’t taught explicitly in school. With the increased self-sufficiency necessitated by virtual education, educators and parents can help students learn and manage their goals more effectively by directly teaching study skills. Daniel Willingham, a psychologist at the University of Virginia, studies the application of cognitive psychology in education. Here are his best tips for…
Color-coding strategies are fun, but they also wield a deeper value–colors can have a positive impact on memory and attention. Using color-coding is a great way to provide scaffolding for students who need it and engage those who don’t. As a bonus, it can be applied to every aspect of ELA! READING 1. Want students to analyze a text? Ask them to read with color. This color-coding strategy helps them to delineate between a main…
Writing papers is par for the course for every student, which means that research is, too. Research helps restore and protect memory and enhances mathematic and problem-solving skills, as well as preparing the mind for a better understanding of concepts and theories. With the vast amount of questionably sourced information on the Internet, it’s hard to know where to turn for quality online research. That’s where these academic search engines come in. Check out our…
Back-to-school organization and shopping is exciting for your kids, but choosing cute school supplies isn’t the only thing you have to think about. As a parent, you have to plan lunches for your picky eater, figure out how to organize the endless amounts of paperwork that comes your way during the school year and pinpoint clever ideas to streamline your morning routine. If you’re feeling stressed about all of these little details, the best way…
Have you ever noticed how a child instantly perks up when an animal is around? Why not use that to your advantage with the following ways of using animals as part of the learning process. Many children have a hard time focusing on educational activities that are in their best interest. Often, these children are simply bored and unengaged, but incorporating some animals into their education could be exactly what’s needed to inject a boost…
In order to perform well on the ISEE and SSAT tests, learning to study vocabulary effectively is crucial. The Verbal section of each test challenges the vocabulary skills of even the strongest students. It can be difficult to study vocabulary effectively with your busy schedule, but without making it a priority, you will not be able to perform well on the synonyms and analogies portions of the SSAT exam or the synonyms and sentence completions…
Teachers and parents alike hear a lot of excuses when students don’t do their homework. “That was homework? That’s due today? But… it was the weekend.” What they often don’t hear is the research on how to help. It seems we are in the dark about engaging students in the homework process, and specifically about what contributes to homework resistance. How can we better support students in not only completing, but also learning from assigned…
When we listen to a lecture, we rely on our working memory to capture information. We must then process it and flag it for storage in long-term memory. Aptitude can sometimes be attributed to short-term memory capacity, which is why writing things down during note taking is a useful exercise that relieves the brain and creates an external record. It makes it easier for students to review at a later date and reinforce their memory…
Procrastination is the bane of every student’s existence–we know what we have to do, but sometimes we can’t seem to make ourselves do it. It’s easy to put off assignments until the night before, but then three cups of coffee later we’re exhausted, frustrated, and turning in an assignment that hardly showcases our best work. Here are 10 tips to beat procrastination and get yourself out of that cycle. 1. Get organized. You can’t do…
Studying is a part of every student’s school experience, but it doesn’t have to be done alone. In fact, studies show that students benefit greatly from participating in study groups with their peers. There’s all sorts of research documenting how students can learn from each other, but that learning doesn’t happen automatically, and some worry that it’s not likely to occur in a study group where there’s no supervision and distractions abound. Recent findings should…
