05
Jun

Read/Write Learners

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

You Know Your Learning Style…. Now What?

Visual Learner (See)…

Auditory Learner (Hear)…

Kinaesthetic Learner (Do)…

Now we will tell you about Read/Write Learners! You’ve read about visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic learners. There is one other group of learners who are called read/write learners. This is actually Marjorie’s (one of our tutors and blog writers) learning style. Read/Write Learners learn best by taking many notes, rewriting information, and of course reading. Marjorie has developed this style to the point where she can just write down the information – and without looking at it again – remember it. Most studies do not include this learning style when trying to classify learners. For example in this study, visual learners are 65% of the student population, 30% are auditory learners, and 5% are kinaesthetic learners (www.studyingstyle.com). My personal opinion is that it is because reading/writing can be included in the other learning styles and may not present as an individual style. Also, in testing, it is mostly adults who score high as Read/Write Learners, possibly because of training through education and the workforce where most other styles are not taken into account.

So now you can reference different learning styles, what do you do with this information?Let’s look at some examples practical exampes using numeracy and literacy…with a TWIST!

Math – Equivalent Fractions

Equivalent fractions is determining if two fractions are equal – for example 2/4 and 1/2 (yes), or 3/4 and 1/3 (no). Some of these will include creating fractions with the lowest common denominator (LCD); for example 1/3, 2/4 = needs to be 4/12 and 6/12.

Visual:  Using different visual models (pizza, pie charts, circle graphs, etc.) place various fractions together to compare them. Create a colourful bookmark of fractions, listing the equivalent ones (see www.superteacherworksheets.com) as an example. Create flashcards for sets of equivalent fractions and study them.

Auditory: Use any of the above models and repeat them out loud. Recite the process of creating the LCD when comparing fractions. “Let’s compare 1/3 and 2/4. The lowest number that both 3 and 4 are products of is 12. 1/3 has to be multiplied by 4 and becomes 4/12 and the 2/4 has to be multiplied by 3 and becomes 6/12. They aren’t equal 2/4 is bigger.”

Kinaesthetic: Create the different fractions by using aquarium stones, pennies, Lego, game markers and compare them. For those with more time and a little higher budget, you can also create blank pie charts and laminate them. This way you can fill in each pie chart and compare them side by side.

Read/Write: Follow along in you textbook, complete the workbook, find extra worksheets to practice, create an equivalent fraction bookmark, write out all the equivalent fractions you need for the lessons you are working on.

English – Reading

Visual: Look at the shape of the words, use pictures to show meaning. Flashcards with a picture and a word would work well here. Online videos of phonetics (www.pbskids.org) or online reading books (Tumblebooks – free through the Vancouver Island Regional Library – ebooks section) that highlight each word as they are read could work great here. Use different colours for different sounds. If you have trouble with the hard/soft sounds of the C and G – use a different colour for each sound until you are more comfortable. Create your own picture stories with words you choose or are chosen for you. Watch the movie.

Auditory: Think about the sounds of the letters. Again, using flashcards and online books might really help here as well. Use your finger to underline each word while you are reading out loud. Have someone read to you and do the same thing. Create a story from a picture – read it out loud. Sound out words as you try to spell them. Watch the movie.

Kinaesthetic: This if often the hardest for kinaesthetic learners. For verbs try to do the action (jump while you spell j-u-m-p), with permission of course. You can do the same for many of the adjectives (red, soft, hard, etc.) Make letter shapes with your body, paper, or other household objects. Get magnetic blocks and physically spell out the words. Individual foam letters will let you feel individual letter shapes. You can even try acting out different scenes of the story.

Read/Write: This is your thing. Just keep reading!

Most people learn well by incorporating all the different learning styles. Try taking ideas from each of the areas when learning.

 Tutoring…With A Twist tutors not only support learners in every subject area; we also support them with a predetermined life-skill. By helping learners develop the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, we also help them develop the tools to succeed in life.

04
Jun

Kinesthetic Learner

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

Confessions of a Kinaesthetic Learner

“That feels right to me”…

“I follow your drift”…

“My gut is telling me”…

“That doesn’t sit right”….

My language is all about feelings and movement. I remember what I do more than what I hear, see, or read. I am usually good at sports and have trouble sitting still. I often have poor spelling and/or poor handwriting. I can sometimes make snap decisions or give snap answers because I often act first and think later. I sometimes get called hyperactive or sensitive.         

How to help me learn:

Give me an opportunity to sit and think about concepts before I join group discussions. This encourages me to think first before I “jump right in.”

I remember by using tools, making models, and manipulating things. For example, use coloured aquarium stones (available at the dollar store) to teach math; especially fractions and equations.

Provide me a demonstration; let me imitate you and practice often.

Role-playing, simulations, and action stories will help me learn; especially in areas such as history, social studies, and other social sciences.

Remind me that writing and drawing are both physical activities. Encourage me to make them big and colourful.

I love to be physical, so if you can make learning fun with activities. Word or math hopscotch, throwing bean bags at the answers, or tossing a ball back and forth while reciting facts.

Sometimes I tap my toes, snap my fingers or fidget. It’s just because it helps me learn. Give me an object to play with (like a squeeze ball) or one of those bouncy balls to sit on. This lets me be active in acceptable ways.

Help me develop my other learning styles. Start with using props and models and encourage me to work towards the conceptual. Please be patient and slow; this may take a lot of repetition and practice.

 “Tutoring with a Twist” tutors not only support learners in every subject area; we also support them with a predetermined life-skill. By helping learners develop the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, we also help them develop the tools to succeed in life.

03
Jun

Embrace “Miss Takes”

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

“Miss Takes” …

images-1

 

No I don’t need spell check…I’ve purposely spelled “miss take” like this! 

I invite you to think of making miss takes like how movie producers view a “miss take” when they are making a movie. The whole movie isn’t thrown out because someone makes a “miss take”, they just re-do it. Imagine if like was like that. If you could re-set your mind after a miss take is made, learn from it and move on as quickly as they do in the movies!

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When a baby is learning to walk, we applaud their “miss takes”. We encourage them to try again. We clap when they fall. We praise their ability to use aids that assist them. We give them tools to help them. We pick them up when they fail. It’s like we are shooting a movie and the final take is when the child is walking. If we didn’t learn to walk until adult hood, how many adults would still be crawling? Visualize this in your head the next time your child makes a miss take:

 

baby learing to walk

Why not help our kids think this with school?! Encourage them to make miss takes, embrace all their marks on their report cards and teach them that they are perfect at being them!

Even when the’ve got an “F” in math…yes I said even with an “F” in math! Let’s look at math as something that needs to be continuously learned; therefore, it’s not over until the end of the school year, the end of elementary school, and/or the end of high school. 

bad-grades-ok

Let’s applaud “miss takes” because it means the person is showing up. Let’s encourage them to get up and continue to do their best. Let’s clap when they get something wrong because then we can understand what they aren’t getting. Let’s give them learning tools to help them be successful. Let’s pick them up when they fail just like you did when they were learning to walk!

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It breaks our heart at Tutoring…With A Twist when we have a learner sitting in front of us that is there because of a “bad” mark and is subsequently being defining by that “bad” mark and seen as a failure. We ask for a vision of what the learner, their parents and their school would like to see at the end of their time working with us. This vision then becomes the end movie we are making. Along the way, we are going to have several takes to get there. During those takes, we give the learner encouragement, praise, applause, tools and the ability to pick themselves up when they fail again!

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I have three challenges for you TODAY:
-Go out and make a miss take!
-Embrace a miss take your child has made!
-Teach your child this concept! 

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And lastly, if you want to give the Gift of Embracing Miss Takes this Christmas then buy your child, grandchild, niece/nephew, godchild, etc. a Gift Certifcate from us. We will help this child be “Miss Take Friendly”, not just report card smart ;)! We’d love to extend this gift to you and your’s! 

Thank you for trusting us with your family this coming holiday season!

 

 

02
Jun

Failing the Exam

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

final-exams1

 

Tips for Studying

Use these questions to start a conversation NOW with your son/daughter about their upcoming exams!

By asking your child the following questions, you can give them the solutions found below each question!

 

1. Study Schedule: 

“Let’s look at your exam schedule. And now, where is your study schedule?”

 

 

final_exam

-Yes! Your child needs a study schedule!

-When your child has a study schedule this will boost their confidence and reduce pre-exam stress as one knows they are prepared!

-Ensure that there is time built in for fun and relaxation so that your child avoids burning out.

-As well, short breaks during longer study sessions should be built in as short breaks keeps one feeling refreshed.

-One should avoid checking your texts or Facebook, as a few minutes could easily turn into an hour!

 

2. Learning Style:

“What kind of learner are you?”

 

learningstyles001h

 

-Knowing this will help a child understand how to organize their work and their studying and HOW they should best study! This most likely won’t be the singular way that is “taught” in the classroom.

-If your child does not know how they learn, don’t fear, have them take this very quick quiz. It will automatically tell them their learning style, as well as give them some tips on what that means in terms of their learning. Also, connect with us and we can send you a PDF on what their learning style means in terms of their studying!
http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/

 

3. Study Methods

 

“What study methods have you used in the past that you found helpful or not helpful?”

 

 

how-to-study-400x211

 

-For example, each child, based on their learning style, will want to use a different method to summarizing their classroom notes. A visual learner would want to use illustrations, different coloured pens, a mind map, coloured index cards, highlighters, etc. A auditory learner would want you to sit down and have a conversation with them about the material or perhaps present it over dinner!

-Studying for the right learning style is key. A learner who is visual is not going to be that successful if they just read their textbook and notes over.

 

4. Food & Water

“What food and drinks do we have or need to help you get through your exam period?”

 

final-exams

-Keeping in mind that one shouldn’t drink too much coffee, tea or fizzy drinks and should eat healthily and regularly. Your brain will thank you!

-Also, drugs, alcohol and energy drinks should be avoided.

-Ensuring that there are healthy snacks and water on hand is key!

 

5. Exercise 

“How can we build exercise into your schedule?”

 

Benefits of Exercises(1)

– Exercise boosts energy, clears the mind and reduce feelings of stress. Exercise also helps one to feel calm and balanced, improves concentration levels, and helps one to sleep better.

-A highly active child should still go to their regularly scheduled extra- curricular activities! Yoga, pilates, meditation, tai chi or other relaxation techniques are very beneficial. As is, simply going for a walk!

 

Imagine giving your child the tools to successfully create healthy habits for themselves when going through a stressful time :)! If you’ve followed the above five tips, you’ve done just that!

 

important-keys

 

 

ps=And unfortunately, we cannot say what the image below does ;)!  Even if we feel that way about the subject!

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02
Jun

Auditory Learner

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

what kind of learner are you

Confessions of an Auditory Learner

“I hear you”…

“That sounds about right”…

“That rings a bell”…

“That’s music to my ears”…

 

My language is all about sounds. I remember what I hear more easily than what I read. I prefer to listen and present orally rather than read and write. I may have trouble following complex written instructions. I love music and I am usually talkative in class. I am often found singing, humming, or whistling to myself.

How to help me learn:

  • Auditory learners tend to do well in the traditional classroom where information is presented lecture style and student discussions are the norm.
  • Regulate voice tone, inflection, and body language to maintain interest and attention.
  • Read directions out loud.
  • Present the information orally, especially if it is complex. Help me break down the charts and diagrams into sentences and words.
  • Sometimes I learn by talking it out. I am not trying to be disruptive; I’m trying to cement the concepts. Allowing time for group discussion allows me this in a way that works for both of us.
  • Encourage me to read out loud from the book.
  • Let me watch a movie.
  • Help me tape myself reading vocabulary words.
  • Test me orally to ensure understanding. Let me give an oral presentation to the class.
  • Encourage me to use word association to remember facts.
  • Encourage me to make a rhyme or use rhythm when creating mnemonics and other memory aids.
  • Let me put the information into a jingle or a song.
  • Help me develop my other learning styles. Charts and diagrams are difficult for me, and they are used to quickly present a lot of information. Encourage me to make notes, group information by concept, create visual links and charts, diagrams, or other visual model.

Tutoring…With A Twist tutors not only support learners in every subject area; we also support them with a predetermined life-skill. By helping learners develop the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, we also help them develop the tools to succeed in life.

01
Jun

How to Read a Report Card…

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

B report cards

 How to Read a Report Card & Not Judge or Compare our Kids…
No Matter What the Grade!

An A is great for certain kids, but some kids B is amazing. How to we help our kids to not judge themselves compared to others?

Let me demystify grades for you! Our children’s worth in school is evaluated against preset standards of excellence in both behaviour and performance. So, a grade is simply just a marker of where a student is in the item being evaluated in that given time frame. This could be illustrated in seeing a child’s mark go from an A in math one year to a C another year. Simply, their level of understanding of how math is being evaluated at that point in time has lessened. This might be because something in their personal life has changed, their current teacher does not teach to their learning style, they simply have to take on more responsibility and haven’t been taught how to do that, they have a fear of asking questions, they have learned the art of procrastination, or they simply have developed a dislike for the subject.

animals and test

Not understanding a certain math concept doesn’t make anybody stupid; it simply means they don’t understand that math concept. That’s a difference worth remembering.

The difficult part could be that children earn status in school, and potentially in the rest of their world, depending on their school performance. This could lead to feelings of failure and frustration, especially if they are officially told they are less skilled than their peers. This can be seen as one’s ability self-concept and expectation for personal success decline. We want to avoid this decline in self-confidence and motivation as it may lead students to avoid certain courses or to withdraw from school altogether.

spin report card

You will be able to assess if your child is starting to go down this path, if they start to shy away from activities in which they are unlikely to succeed at first. This hesitancy to try new things depends, partly, on the meaning children attach to failure. Children come to conclude that failure is an indication of their incompetence, not a condition that can be modified by learning or practicing.

parent tears

How do we avoid this? Ensure that you have open communication with your children about what a grade simply is. Once this understanding is there, then you can have the conversation about the importance of that grade. Make sure that you are hearing what the child says in this conversation and why you are putting worth on a particular grade or subject. Also, get very clear on the fact that this is one part of what makes up your child. They are not the letter C that they are getting in math; they are so much more.

spint it with mom

Also, ensure they are in activities outside of school as these environments typically encourage children to master new skills and try activities even if success is unlikely at first. They learn that they can become more proficient over time in an atmosphere where failure is okay. Such programs have more autonomy than the schools to design settings that support skill acquisition without emphasizing differences in children’s abilities and talents.

Also be mindful if they believe they lack innate ability (especially intellectual, athletic, or artistic ability), children understandably become discouraged and withdraw from the activity or task. By contrast, if children view abilities as subject to incremental improvement, it is plausible that they can become more competent with practice and development. When it is coupled with appropriate help from supportive adults, a belief that ability can be cultivated reduces children’s frustration with failure and allows them to maintain high expectations for future success.

baby learing to walk

And, in the end if you are still saying that you really want your child to excel more in a given subject area? Give them a reason to value it by making it relevant to their world. This may be something that you ask the school to help you with or even google, youtube or facebook for some help! If that all fails, connect with us and we will walk you through mindset changes for both you and your children!

math in everyday life

And lastly, if you want to give the Gift of Confidence, Resiliency & Empowerment this March Break then buy your child, grandchild, niece/nephew, godchild, etc. a Gift Certifcate from us. We will help this child be “Success-Ready”, not just report card smart ;)! 

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We’d love to extend this gift to you and your’s!

Thank you for trusting us with your family !

 

 

 

30
May

Making Summer Count

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

Summer Learning Loss

Individuals, regardless of background, age, or aptitude, exhibit deterioration of skills after prolonged periods of inactivity of the skill. Research from the mid-1950s to the present consistently confirms this idea. Depending on the task, level of initial proficiency, and duration of inactivity, human beings forget skills and knowledge over time.  In terms of summer breaks from school, we call this the “Summer Learning Loss”.

Most students exhibit losses in math and literacy skills as a result of summer vacation each school year. Given the multi-step procedural process of many math skills, proficiency in math tends to decrease at a faster rate for students than literacy. There are devastating impacts of summer learning loss on student achievement to the individual child, as well to the schools as a whole since teachers need significant time at the beginning of each school year to mitigate these effects—time that could otherwise be spent on new instruction.

Summer learning loss typically has students performing, on average, approximately one month behind where they left off the previous school year.

 

Making Summer Count

There have been various studies conducted that give solutions to combat Summer Learning Loss. RAND Education’s research report, Making Summer Count: How Summer Programs Can Boost Children’s Learning (the RAND report hereafter), was commissioned by The Wallace Foundation to explore the following questions:

  • What is the extent of summer learning loss for students?
  • Can summer learning programs both improve student achievement and reduce summer learning loss?
  • What are the elements of effective summer learning programs?
  • What are the challenges and facilitators to implementing effective summer learning programs?

According to this report, the research is clear that summer learning programs can reduce or eliminate the effects of summer learning loss. Regular attendance in effective summer learning programs have the ability to improve literacy and math skills for students, foster social skills in students, improve relationships between adults and students, and combat the effects of summer learning loss. Following are some of the major findings from studies that evaluated outcomes associated with summer learning programs:

  • The average academic benefit to students outpaced the effects of summer learning loss. That is, participation in the examined summer learning programs helped students maintain or improve their skills and achievement levels relative to the average loss associated with summer.
  • The longer a student participated in the program, the higher a student scored on fall reading tests.

Read the full Report here:

http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/summer-and-extended-learning-time/summer-learning/Documents/Making-Summer-Count-How-Summer-Programs-Can-Boost-Childrens-Learning.pdf

Our goal at Tutoring…With A Twist is to help combat Summer Learning Loss. We do this through various Summer Programs that we offer.

Please contact us to learn more about what Summer Program that might be right for your child.

 

 

28
May

Learning & Physical Activity

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

rsz_burn2learn_infographic-resized

Learning and Physical Activity

Every day we hear how we, and our children, need to be more physically active. The  Canadian Physical Activity Guide (CPAC) suggests that children need to accumulate at least 60 minutes of activity each day. They should also participate in vigorous activity and strengthening activities at least three days per week each. (http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP-InfoSheets-child-ENG.pdf0).

 

This can help children with improved health, better scholastic achievement, better fitness, feel happier, maintain a healthy weight, improve self-confidence, and learn new skills.

 

The trick is how to actually incorporate learning and physical activity. Here are a few suggestions:

 

1.      Memorization (ie, memorizing times tables or spelling words):

 

a.      jump rope
b.      bounce a ball between you
c.      draw a table grid in sidewalk chalk and jump around

 

2.      Social Studies and English

 

a.      create a skit playing the roles of the major players
b.      make puppets and act it out
c.      create a full-sized ‘board game’ to learn and test facts
d.      body spelling – one child per letter
e.      language lights – consonants, vowels, verbs, nouns – with a cut out of a stop light – red is stop, yellow is jog on the spot, and green is do an activity that is assigned to each type of activity (touching toes, jumping jacks, hopping)

 

3.      Science
a.       take walks and experience the science of nature

Other Ideas Include:
·         preparing dinner (fractions, measures, etc.)
·         housekeeping (measuring, proportion, area, perimeter)
·         laundry (colours, classification, statistics, probability, fractions, percentage)
·         gardening
·         use walks to learn different things such as colours, vocabulary words in any language
·         scavenger hunts with problems written on the hints that need to be correct to win

 

·         prepare different multiple choice questions and have children shoot bean bags/balls at the correct answer

 

·         walking tour of Canada (www.goforgreen.ca)
·         different ‘walk around’ games that incorporate different types of movement to learn different types of facts  https://education.alberta.ca/media/318482/dpa8.pdf – Appendix 8/9
·         memory – put facts/matching words, equations and answers, etc. on 8.5 * 11 sheets of paper and have them jump, hop, etc. around to match them up.
·         use a similar idea for trivia by putting the cards in a pile at the other end of the room/drive
·         T/F Simon Says – if the fact is true – do some type of activity

 

The ideas are limited only by yours and your children’s imaginations. Don’t get overwhelmed with the amount of time you need to spend. Several 10-15 minute sessions are just as good as a long one. Do whatever you both enjoy. Participate with them and you will benefit as well. You will get exercise, have fun, and spend a great time bonding with each other.

 

Tutoring… With A Twist tutors not only support learners in every subject area; we also support them with a predetermined life-skill. By helping learners develop the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, we also help them develop the tools to succeed in life.

 

25
May

Why not teach to the Test…

Written by Amber Scotchburn. Posted in Uncategorized

When I graduated from my Bachelor of Social Work and knew that profession wasn’t for me a natural leap was into teaching as the four years of communication skills and relating to people would make me a perfect candidate for a teacher…right?!

I’ve always taught my students first, rather than the curriculum from the very moment I entered my first classroom. And project based learning again is what I did from the get-go as well. And this was almost 20 years ago. I cannot imagine teaching any other way.

This article is a great summary of why teaching to the standardized tests and having subject specific classes is NOT the way to go! While that is our system, Tutoring With A Twist​ is here to fill in the other gaps!

“We really need a rethinking of education and a redesigning of our system, so it prepares our children for the future with the skills that are needed for today and tomorrow. For education to promote character, resilience and communication skills, rather than just pushing children through ‘exam factories’ or teaching to the standard tests.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-schools-subjects-are-out-and-topics-are-in-as-country-reforms-its-education-system-10123911.html

Recent Comments

  • Amber Scotchburn

    July 27, 2016 |

    I would love to keep sharing information with you!
    Please let me know what else you would like to hear about,
    Amber

  • Amber Scotchburn

    July 27, 2016 |

    Thank you :)!
    Where did you share this?
    Amber

  • Amber Scotchburn

    July 27, 2016 |

    Thanks :)!
    I’d love you to put the link to the results that you found about the Mid East, perhaps I can put it in a future podcast.
    Amber

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    July 27, 2016 |

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    July 26, 2016 |

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