Studying Skills

SCHOOL OUT? LEARNING STILL ON! ONLINE TUTORING, CONTENT ENRICHMENT & SAT/AP PREP

A+ Club academic support opens future opportunitie for students

Since 2012, School4Schools.com LLC & The A+ Club has been working with students online to engage them in academic ownership and success. All our tutors are full time students and high school teachers who now have extra time on their hands… We tutor: Math: all levels to Calc Chemistry & Physics, including AP Social Studies: all topics, including APUSH and AP World Latin, Spanish, French SAT prep: verbal and math All sessions by videoconference (works great!) We can help! Let us know your academic concerns for your child’s academics, and we will be glad to offer  you a free, no-obligations academic consultation to discuss some ways your child can improve scores and grades, build academic confidence, and become the student you know he or she can be. Click here to schedule a free, no-obligations Academic ConsultationOr call (888) 59-APLUS (592-7587) or (703) 271-5334

Why are my child’s math grades low? Guided versus Indpedendent Practice and how to improve in math class

Guided Practice versus Independent Practice We so often hear from students that they “get it” when the teacher shows it to them, but they can’t do it on their own. When a student struggles in math class, it is usually a product of a disconnect between “being shown how” by the teacher and “doing it yourself” by the student. “Guided Practice” is where a teacher demonstrates a lesson and the students follow along. “Independent Practice” is where the student engages the material alone. So when a student “gets it” when shown but can’t “do it” alone, there is a disconnect between the Guided and Independent Practice. The Connector: Feedback What connects — or in its absence, disconnects — Guided and Independent Practice is feedback. When a teacher provides feedback by showing the answers to an entire class, students may not be getting any real feedback because the teacher is not addressing that student’s own process directly, […]

The Third Quarter Grind: How to find success in the toughest part of the school year

The third quarter is when best laid plans either triumph or fall apart. In fact, research shows that students who procrastinated during the first semester may have done well during the fall but they will likely perform worse in the spring, since all the build up of last minute panics, incomplete work and overall stress that had accumulated turns into a heavier and more stressful load in the spring.  On the other hand, students who worked consistently throughout the fall term will reap the benefits of that investment in less pressure, fewer challenges, and higher overall performance. It’s funny, though, because the same thing applies to teachers and schools. Year after year as a high school teacher, I saw how all the beginning of the year administrative, department and individual teacher planning was out the window by the Third Quarter, and it was panic and push time in order to meet the year end goals […]

“Have you done your homework?” or what else a parent can do to build student academic independence?

Tired of asking your child about homework?All parents want to support their child’s academics. But they also want to be able to walk away and watch their child manage school on their own.It’s a tricky thing to find that right balance between helicoptering and watching helplessly from the outside. The one risks becoming nagging and backfiring while the other risks missing help that a child really needs.So how to find that balance?Student OwnershipThis term is so often tossed around in education so as to lose meaning. So let’s spell out what we mean by “academic ownership”:awarenessself-advocacyproblem solvingwill powerexecutive functionAwareness means knowing what’s due tomorrow or next, it means knowing the current grades, and, most importantly, it means knowing what is expected of the student by teachers, textbooks and assignments.Self-advocacy means standing up for oneself. It starts with knowing what you need to know or do, and then acting on it by asking for clarification or […]

Why get a tutor at the beginning of school? How academic coaching is more effective – and affordable

A+ Club academic support opens future opportunitie for students

Helping your child with math tutoring or chemistry tutoring at the beginning of the school year isn’t a bad idea. Anything a student can do to get ahead of class and really make sense of the teacher when school starts is great.However, there are several important reasons why parents should be wary of starting tutoring early in the school year:1. Direct tutoring, even online tutoring, can be very expensive.2. Direct tutoring can backfire on a parent because once school starts some students come to rely on their tutors and don’t learn to act independently.3. Academic success is a process, not an outcome.4. Successful students overcome barriers and empower themselves to problem solve, negotiate with teachers and succeed on their own.Certainly it’s better to do something than nothing, and you don’t want to be one of those panicked parents who call us for help in February. We’d rather help your child right from the beginning.Here’s how it […]

5 Signs That Your Child Would Benefit From An Academic Coach

1. He struggles with procrastination.Many people (not just children!) struggle with procrastination at some point in their lives, but chronic procrastination is a sign of an underlying issue. Avoiding homework signals your child’s belief that the work will be difficult and thus unpleasant, so he chooses short-term satisfaction and diversions over long-term rewards.An academic coach can help your child recognize their patterns of procrastination and then combat them by going to the root of the problem: mastering the tough materials that create barriers.2. He is disorganized.Organization is a vital for academic success. Poor organization can mean homework gets lost and he doesn’t study for tests because he didn’t remember he had one.An academic coach helps him learn how to keep track of their papers and assignments, so nothing gets overlooked.3. He doesn’t test well.Poor performance on tests can happen for many reasons. Sometimes it’s just because he didn’t study, or didn’t get a good night’s sleep. […]

Disappointed with your child’s school performance & grades?

Final grades not what you expected?When we meet parents who are concerned about their child’s grades, we hear all kinds of reasons and excuses, such as “doesn’t test well,” “not good in math,” “disorganized,” “has ADD,” “is a procrastinator,” and, even, “lazy.” Parents are stuck in frustration, wondering what’s going on – and how to possibly fix it.The concern over student academic performance could be low or failing grades, a disappointing C or D, or that the student fell from straight As because of one tough class. Whatever the outcome, we can help parents get past the frustrations and focus on solutions that address what, really, is going on. It’s not the grade that matters, it’s what went into it that counts.Without the distraction and pressures of schoolwork, the beginning of summer is the perfect time to reflect, problem solve, and think about how to improve in the next school year starting in the fall.We can facilitate […]

Academic improvement is not easy!

If a middle or high school student has a low grade in one or more classes, what can a parent do?You can’t just say, “do your work!” — kids often respond to that with anger and excuses.Plus, your parenting time is precious and you’ve got enough to do with work, extracurricular activities and other children.One option is tutoring: if a student is struggling in a class, you can hire a tutor, say for math or chemistry, who can show your child how to get the work done. But think about it: isn’t your child supposed to be learning from the teacher?Direct math tutoring, for example, can help a student start to make sense of what’s going on in class. We love it when that happens! But we worry that the same habits may lead to the same outcomes — and then the parent is paying for more expensive tutors.The A+ Club academic program gets beyond […]

The Parent Tool Box: the A+ Club has all the tools for your child’s academic success

Struggles with procrastination and homework are all too common. Tutoring can help your child play catch up with schoolwork, but tutoring alone doesn’t solve the real problem.At the A+ Club, we help students fight procrastination and build time management and study skills. Students are assigned an academic coach and mentor who helps them monitor and manage their schoolwork. We believe in a holistic skills based approach to student success, rather than a rote, content-based tutoring approach.We help students become successful, and we help parents too: with the A+ Club, parents have peace of mind knowing that their student’s academic work is being monitored and regularly assisted by professional educators.So say goodbye to traditional tutoring and discover the A+ Club advantage.Click here to learn more or here to request a no-obligations Free Academic Consultation.

Piecing Together Academic Success: Study skills are essential for student improvement

Many parents of teens who are underperforming in school look to find a tutor for homework help or figuring out math and other subjects. While a tutor can help organize a class or learn certain information and skills, at the A+ Club we don’t rely on tutoring alone.In addition to online tutoring, we use academic coaches and mentors who help students who want better grades and overall academic improvement by addressing their fundamental academic skills and concerns. Our academic coaches and mentors are experienced teachers who help students identify what it really takes for academic success. These include:1. how to identify teacher expectations2. how take full advantage of resources such as textbooks, study guides, and essay or homework assignment rubrics, and3. how to develop effective organizational and time management skills.Lasting student improvement comes from our all-round approach, not just from hourly tutoring fees spent on one subject.Learn more at www.school4schools.com or call now at (888) 59-APLUS […]