Pros and Cons of Virtual Studying

Helping Students Apply to College Using Online Tools

How to be More Efficient

5 Tips for Wandering Workers

Back-to-School Shopping List: School Supply List

6 Ways to Lighten a Backpack

Reading Study Skills: How to Memorize As You Read

Back to School Tips

6 Ways to Multi-Task

How to Cure School Burn-Out

How to Stop Procrastinating

Reading Study Skills: How to Speed Read

10 Best Educational Online Games for Students

Articles for Teachers:

Online Tools for Teachers

Warning: Students Cyberbating Teachers on Youtube

10 Ways to Use Wikis in the Classroom

What is a (good) Goal?

Everyone’s definition is different, talk to your kids about what they think goals are and goals they have had in the past, that have worked or not.  Explain that ‘good’ goals are:

-Quantifiable (You can measure their success or not)

-Reasonable (They can be reached and are attainable)

-Specific (They deal with a certain area…big goals can be broken down into smaller ones)

-Exciting (Remember these are your kid’s goals, not yours, make sure they are motivated to achieve them or you are setting them up for failure)

Make Goals

I think making goals and teaching kids how to make goals is one of the most important things parents can do before school.  First, talk to them about their goals in the following areas:

-What are your goals for your grades this year?

-What are your goals for your teachers this year?

-What are your goals for organization this year? (backpack, locker, desk)

-What are your goals for extra-curricular activities?

-What are your goals for amount of sleep?

-Make some of your own!

Goal Checkpoints

Now that you have goals for the year, make a note in your calendar that once a month you will go over each goal’s progress.  I also like to make year-long goals with my clients as well as monthly smaller goals.

Goal Celebrations

If you achieve a goal do not just check it off the list—celebrate your child’s accomplishment and tell your student while you are making the goals that you will be celebrating each and every A, each and ever gold star or each and every club joined!

Goals help keep your kids organized, focused and motivated for the school year and this is a great exercise for you and your kids to do together.

Also check out some great educational sites:

Click here to view the embedded video.

1) Find your planner system

It is important to figure out which type of calendar works best for you, phone calendar, email calendar, paper calendar, filofax etc.

2) Find your reminder system

Are post-its best? Texts? A buddy system? Email alerts? Figure out which way is best for you!

3) Split up tasks correctly

Do unpleasant tasks first.  Then break up your complicated tasks with simple ones.  Trying to do your most hated tasks all together is a sure fire way to procrastinate, but if you put them with tasks or even things you like to do you are more likely to finish them.

4) Rewards

Set up frequent rewards for yourself or your student to motivate you to get through tasks.

5) Set Fake Due Dates

Tell your teacher you will get a draft to him 5 days earlier than it is due, this makes sure you have a built in system you have to respond to.

6) Use Virtual Tools

1. Pocket Packer

Have you ever noticed that some kids shove every single paper into the inner pockets of their notebooks and never once hole punch or file anything away?  Unlike, what you might think, pocket packers are actually not the least organized or most lazy.  In fact they usually desperately want to be organized but have no idea how to.

2. Hoarder

“Why do you need four calculators?” Hoarders tend to have the most emotional time emptying out their backpack and insist on keeping pens that don’t work (because they are pretty), 2 calculators (just in case) and 4 reams of lined paper.  Hoarders are actually organized…in a sense.  They hae their own systems and even though their backpack doesn’t seem organized, I can ask them where something is and they always know.  Hoarders should never be (but often are) underestimated for their passion and intelligence.

3. Museum Matron

You know how people say that they walk into a house and it is so sterile it feels like a museum.  Occasionally I run across a museum matron (I do not have a lot of these clients, because there is nothing to organize!).  MM’s tend to have perfect handwriting, everything is labeled and there is not so much as a hole punched dot at the bottom of the bag

4. Non-Backpacker

Lots of girls are now just taking totes or messenger bags to school.  I do not particularly like this because I never feel like there is enough room and it hurts your back.  Yet, these people tend to appreciate being organized and will be organized if it looks good.  Their organization stretches to areas that other people see (no moldy food, not lots of loose papers and will be organized enough to combine three notebooks into one to carry less).

5. Backpack + Babies

Opposite of a non-backpacker.  Some students start middle school with one backpack and as the years progress, it seems, their backpacks have babies—an extra purse, a messenger bag, an athletic bag.  These students tend to have lots of extra activities and stay organized just enough to get by.  They are usually constantly overwhelmed, overtired and overworked.

How to Lighten Your Backpack:

1. Use a Planner with Special Spaces

First, your child needs to use some kind of planner or calendar where they write down all assignments, after-school events and homework.   This is important in every area of their life and will make it much easier to cut down on taking un-needed books home.  The ‘special space of the planner’ is really important.  Here is a picture of my sample planner page (I just had two blank pages I typed up every two weeks to really cut down on weight)

After each classes homework assignment I had a space for “To Do.”  When I was in class I wrote down exactly what I needed to take home so I did not have to think about it at my locker.

2)    Use Spirals
Instead of carrying around massive amounts of paper in each binder, I eliminated binders all together (see where I put papers below) because they weigh more than spirals and I had a shared spiral for every two classes.  So instead of 5 binders with paper and dividers and every test I had ever taken, I had 3 spirals (2 partitions in each).

or

3)    Use a Laptop
Today, I tell my tech savvy clients to take out all of the paper in each binder and take all of their notes in a laptop (if the laptop is light and the school allows it).  They also have their planner in their computer.

4) Use a filing system
Ok so the spirals have places for notes, but how about all of the other papers.  Its time to use those syllabi and assignment sheets!  There is no need for students to carry all of their old tests, handouts and homework’s to and from class.  Instead of taking binders to and from school. Binders should stay at home and each day, kids will file away old papers into the notebooks. (they will then be organized come midterm time)

5) Use a homework binder
What about the homework and handouts you do need in class?  You will get a 1 inch binder with dividers for each class.  All unfinished and finished homework, assignment sheets or handouts needed for class that week, will go into these dividers in the homework binder (some students prefer to have 5 minifolders for each class in this binder).  I used to put my planner and a notebook hole puncher in this binder as well.
*I used the front flap of this binder for papers I needed to bring home and give to my parents so I would not forget.

6)    Get two sets of textbooks
This is a more expensive option.  But it makes it easier to have a set of books in your locker and one set of books at home.  It cuts down on a lot of weight.

Old Backpack:
5  2 to 3-inch binders filled with papers, notes, assignment sheets and blank paper.
Textbooks
Planner.

On this system, this is what your kid’s backpack will look like:
2 Spirals or 1 Laptop
1  1-inch Homework Binder with planner pages and current notes and some blank paper.

Better right? Even if you do one of these steps, the backpack will get a little bit lighter.  I really encourage using a form of this system for a few weeks and then having your kid tweak it to what is right for them! Be sure to check out the rest of our tips in our ebook!

Figure out how quickly you read now. Read a few passages about the same length and take your average time. This will be a good starting point.

2. No Distractions

Take away everything that might possibly distract you, this will make it easier to focus completely on what you are reading.

3. Light

Make sure you have plenty of good light

4. A Stand

It is easier to speed read with a book stand or prop to hold your book up.

5. Pick the Right Subjects

History is easier to speed read than some English novels. Assess your subject before hand and figure out your level of speed so you do not disappoint yourself or your student.

6. Pre-Read

Read the back of the book, the table of contents and all of the headings and subheadings before starting with actual content. This helps your speed tremendously and is quick.

7. Know Your Goal

Before speed reading, know what you are reading for. To get the main idea? For a paper? To discuss points in class? And then only read for your goal.

8. Do Not Re-Read

This takes practice, try continuing on even if you normally would go back and re-read something, often times you got it without realizing it.

9. Follow Your FInger

With your finger move quickly along each line focusing on the first and last sentence and any bold words.

10. Word Block

Focus on blocks of important words to get the main idea.

11. Practice

We have these steps in much more detail in our Study Skills Webinar.