Welcome back to the school year! It was a exciting and busy summer, but now we are all back in the school swing of things once again. We, at Generation Think, are swamped 7 days a week right now with test prep and tutoring sessions, and academics remain at the forefront of much of what we do. With that said though, I would also like to address a topic that I think we all need to be aware of as this school year starts; a topic that is equally as important as academic achievement and intellectual development. That topic is civility. I have already heard from many of our students talk of “mean girls”, intimidating boys, and cyber bullies. It pains me to hear students talk about this pervasive meanness not only because I feel their hurt when they are the recipients of it, but also because it illuminates the fact that in this day and age, general human kindness must be taught to our children. It is no longer an automatic supposition that our students know how to be thoughtful and sensitive to one another. Civility is a lesson that requires constant and repetitive teaching.
Just like we encourage our students to stretch their brain muscle, we also have to encourage them to stretch their heart muscle. As parents and educators, it is our job to model compassion and teach our students civility. With so much focus in the 21st century on competitive advantage, over scheduling, and integrated technology, we are teaching students to value highly winning, rushing, and real-time. It is no wonder that our students today are desensitized and dehumanized to a point. It is much easier to write a nasty Facebook posting about someone and to hide behind a computer than it is to engage in direct communication. It is much easier to spread gossip about another student than it is to reach out and show a little empathy to that student. These all have become easy things to do because children are not being held accountable for their actions and the quality of civility is not being placed as a esteemed expectation in a child’s value system. Children are not innately malevolent to one another—it is a learned practice attributed to the value system they witness in the home, in the classroom, and in society. There are things you can do at home though, to encourage a sense of kindness and respect in your children. Child psychologists say that the family dinner table and “hang out” time on the weekends are prime times to employ teachable moments. Try these few strategies at home to help teach your children the importance of kindness.
- What goes around comes around. Remember this adage? Teach your children that the energy and actions they put out in the universe to others always find a way back. In other words, what they put out (both negative or positive) to others, will likely be returned.
- Teach your child how to apologize. Children who cannot apologize freely are children who do not take responsibility for their actions. Apologizing equals accountability, but no ungracious apology will do. Teach your children genuine accountability in an apology and not just lip service.
- Each day encourage your child to do something kind for someone else and then have him/her share about it at the dinner table. While sitting around the dinner table, make your first question of the night, “What did you do today for others, and how were you compassionate to someone other than yourself?” Once you pose this question, then “pass the potatoes and broccoli please” can follow. Make the topic of goodwill to others just as important of a discussion as math test scores, English paper grades, and soccer game outcomes.
- Have a ZERO tolerance policy when it comes to your child being a bully or mean girl/boy. Generally, children who are the bullies or mean kids have been able to get away with that behavior in the home. These students are rude to their parents, act entitled and spoiled, and lack a general sense of compassion. Guess what Mom and Dad, this is partly your fault. You have seen this behavior in your child, but you let it slide for whatever reason. Your “letting it slide” reaction gave your child permission to act this way. The minute you see your child exhibiting this sort of behavior, you must use this as a teachable moment. If that doesn’t work, it is also the time to lower the boom and make your child understand the unacceptable nature of the behavior. Sometimes that means taking away play dates, computer privileges, etc. Sometimes the mixture of discussing the wrongs of the action and adding consequences to it are what she/he needs to fully “get” the intended civility lesson.
- Involve your child in some sort of public service. Children of all ages can learn to give back. We need to teach our children to be supportive of others regardless of one’s socio-economic status, individual beliefs, behavioral idiosyncrasies, physical traits, or learning challenges. Doing for others helps build the traits of tolerance and acceptance of those who differ from us.
I know the “To Do List” for parenting today is long, but this is the utmost important thing to add to that list. It is a shame that we are a culture who is raising children who value winning over integrity, who lack resourcefulness in the real world (vs. the techno world), and who fall short of the ability to show goodwill to others, but the good news is that we can change this. I believe every parent needs to ask him and herself, “What do I place value in on a daily basis that my child sees? Is it science homework and soccer goals, or is it compassion and caring?” It seems that in today’s world we need to make The Golden Rule once again the rule of thumb and not the exception to the rule.
Filed under: Social Value | 5 Comments
The Summertime Snooze
School is out and summer is here! I know the last thing you want to think about is anything academic right now, but I just can’t leave you for the summer without telling you how important it is for your student to engage in some sort of intellectual stimulation this summer. It really is a disservice to have your child go 3 months without any educational stimulation; it is a disservice that allows the summertime snooze to take over and cloud your student’s brain.
Research has shown that students can lose up to 2.6 months of learning during the summer. The National Summer Learning Association has also found the following:
- Summer learning loss for students is greater in math than reading.
- Summer learning loss is greatest in math “computation” and spelling.
- For disadvantaged students, the summer months significantly widen the achievement gap between the wealthy and the poor.
I don’t want your student to become part of these statistics, so I am sharing with you some of my favorite summer secrets to staving off the “snooze”. My suggestions run the spectrum from a minimal cost investment to a more costly one, and from a minimal time expenditure to a more substantial time investment.
Minimal Cost & Minimal Time:
1) Flash cards with math facts. Great way for 2nd-6th graders to stay brushed up on the fundamentals.
2) Go to your local teaching supply store or book store and purchase some math and reading workbooks. Workbooks can range from $6-$20 per book and can be found for all age groups. One of my favorite workbook series is the Spectrum Series—they have every subject covered!
3) For 9th-12th graders, buy PSAT or SAT workbooks and do practice sections and vocab words. Learn roots, pre-fixes and suffixes; these will help in English class and on standardized exams.
4) Have your student write a journal about his/her summer adventures and travels. Better yet, have him/her write a blog! There are many blog sites out there and one that I like is www.kidslearntoblog.com.
5) Build a lemonade stand with your young one and sell lemonade. This is a great way to teach your child about money, computing change, profit, and cost.
6) “Thinking” board games. Rummikub is a fav of mine! Scrabble and Sudoku for kids are also great summer brain activities.
Higher Cost & Greater Time Investment:
1) Buy an E-reader. Not necessarily an iP__ (you know what brand I mean here), because with that comes an Internet connection and that equals distractions galore. There are other E-readers out there that only have books on them—no Internet. Pre-teens and teens love reading electronically, so get with the times and join the E-reading fun!
2) Take a class. Whether it is a summer school class, a cooking class, a computer class, or test prep class, summer classes engage your student’s brain. We, at Generation Think, have had a huge hit with our summer math boot camp classes and test prep classes. During the summer, students can focus energy solely on these learning endeavors without regular homework and school stresses creeping in. Students who take these summer classes always end up ahead of those who don’t come the start of school.
3) Form a summer book club. Although this is not a high cost summer option, it is a high time investment one. Gather your child’s friends together, a group no larger than 6, and select 2 books to read over a month long period. Then have a book club party/meeting to discuss the book and engage in a few “thinking” activities. Have kids write a book review, answer pre-printed questions about the book, or have them do character development activities. Many books, either online or at the back of the book, include great topics for book club discussions. Parent involvement is key here because you need someone to facilitate the discussions. With a few dedicated parents, a group of friends, and a great book or two, you can make reading a fun and social activity this summer!
Just remember that summertime can still be full of beach days, lemonade stands, and family trips. Just as long as those beach visits include marine biology discussions, that lemonade stand includes a review of percentages and profits, and that family trip includes a blog about an historical analysis of the local landscape and culture. I say this slightly tongue in cheek, but mostly with seriousness. In this competitive world, you simply cannot afford to have your child take the entire summer off anymore.
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Earlier this week I was working on math with one of my high school boy students. We were reviewing some difficult Algebra II concepts that he had been struggling with. He was an ace at the formulaic aspect of the problems and with solving the multi-step word problems associated with the concepts, but part of what he was also being tested on was writing verbal explanations for his answers. When I asked him to explain to me why he had solved the problems the way he had, and what steps he had taken to solve them, he literally stared at me blankly. He finally said, “I don’t really know how to explain it; I just know how to do it!” I found it interesting that this young man could do the computation part of the math so quickly and correctly, but couldn’t, for the life of him, find the words to explain his methodology. To my female math brain, the explanation to these math problems was easy-peazy-lemon-squeezy, but to his brain, not so much.
The reason why my student was struggling to explain to me the “whys” of the math he had computed was because I was asking his brain to switch back and forth between the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. I was asking his hippocampus to solve the problem, then for his cerebral cortex to decode the math solving and translate that information into words. His brain was being taxed! This tutoring session reminded me of the differences in the math brains between boys and girls; this session was another confirmation of the different teaching methods required for teaching math to boys.
Teaching Boys:
- Do NOT use context to teach math to boys. Just teach them the rules, formulas, & techniques. Boys do not do well with context because it forces their cerebral cortex to get involved in the math learning process. Unless your son faces an unusual math exam like my student this week, leave the cerebral cortex out of this! An exception may be in using sports scores and stats to interest a boy when learning math. Those real life contextual examples tend to be beneficial.
- Use symbols, abstractions, and pictures, instead of words, as often as possible with boys. These tools are very helpful to them in conceptualizing math. These techniques promote more visual learning than auditory.
- When boys are young, Grades K-3, they do better when they can move around when learning math. Active math games, competitions, and even standing up can help young boys process math more productively. This is called kinetic learning. I once had a Mom tell me that her son learned all his math facts while spinning like a top in a desk chair. While this made Mom seasick to watch, it was key in her son mastering his math facts!
- Don’t over coddle boys in the math learning process. While girls are people pleasers and need a large amount of positive feedback, boys tend to become math arrogant when coddled too much. The more brilliant a boy thinks his math prowess, the more rushing he tends to do while working on problems, the less double checking he does on quizzes and tests, and the lazier he gets with the work he produces.
- Boys tend to do more mental math than they should. Because boys view solving a math problem as a game or competition, they like to show off their skills by trying to figure things out in their head–quickly. Unfortunately, almost 50% of math errors come from mental math done in a rushed fashion. Encourage your son to write things down and “show his work” because the eyes will often catch errors that the mind alone will not catch. Some experts believe that 25% of math errors come from messy writing, but if you compare that with the 50% generated by careless mental math, I’d say the written work has better odds of producing correct answers.
- Who is better working with boys: male or female tutors? Both! In my experience, I have seen boys succeed with both male and female tutors equally. The tutor’s gender doesn’t seem to play as discernible of a role in student success or conceptual understanding with boys as it does with girls.
Now that I have taxed your brain with the tips and tricks to better teaching math to the genders, you are probably looking forward to the summer when you can leave math (and school in general) behind you and your student for three whole months! Not so fast, Mom and Dad. My last bit of advice to you is do NOT let your student go all summer without any math work and review. Make sure to have your student do some sort of intellectual math stimulation or else all of the last school year’s teachings /learning/concepts/etc. will be for not. If your child’s brain is left unattended for three entire summer months, there could be drastic setbacks seen next school year. Stay tuned for some great ideas on how to help your student stay intellectually savvy over the summer and how to ward off the summertime brain snooze!
Filed under: Math | 3 Comments
Last time we talked nurture, and now it’s time to talk nature. In my last blog, I referenced that one of the reasons students ‘hate math’ has to do with a lack of conceptual understanding; not just any lack of understanding, but one that is attributed to where math is processed in the brain. Males and females process math in very different parts of the brain, and this biological component can have an enormous impact on comprehension. Perhaps this is better stated, “All brains are NOT created equal…at least when it comes to math.”
In girls, math is processed in the cerebral cortex of the brain. This part of the brain is responsible for: language, verbal functioning, perceptual awareness, memory, etc. Boys process math in the hippocampus of the brain; the hippocampus is responsible for short & long term memory and spatial navigation. This information should be fascinating to you! Why? Well, because it can give you hints on how best to teach math to your son or daughter. Knowing where math is learned (processed) in the brain can give you a better idea of how to teach math. Here are some of the successful teaching techniques that I use when I am instructing girls in math.
Teaching Girls:
- Because math is processed in the same part of the brain that is responsible for language and verbal functioning, girls learn math best in CONTEXT. Context means using real-life examples and background information to illustrate math. If you are teaching your daughter about percent discount problems, put it in the context of shopping at her favorite store where she finds a super cute sale item for 15% off. With her limited amount of available cash, can she afford to purchase this new item?
- Use STORY PROBLEMS (word problems) to teach math to young girls. Many workbooks aimed at students in Grades 1-4 use story problems to teach math. Story problems often incorporate multiple step computations and tend to refine and develop critical thinking skills.
- Girls often place a high value on pleasing others, and they tend to believe that effort, behavior, and knowledge will predict an outcome or grade. Girls feel more comfortable in the gray area of learning because that leaves room for subjectivity, effort, and progress. This mentality doesn’t bode as well with math because math is a very black and white subject. As a result, girls tend to lose confidence in “objective” subjects (namely math & science).
- The solution—make an effort to build up your daughter’s math confidence. When she gets problems correct, scores well on a test, or figures out a difficult math problem, use strong words of affirmation to build up her confidence tank. When she makes mistakes in math, give her feedback and explain WHY she made the mistakes. Verbal feedback is a girl’s friend. The more explanation she receives as to why a problem is incorrect, the less she will internalize the mistake, and the less intimated she will feel towards math.
- When searching for a tutor for you daughter, try and find a great FEMALE math tutor. Smart math women tend to teach math utilizing the cerebral cortex, and can relate to the processing procedures of a girl.
I hate to separate learning math, or learning anything, into X and Y chromosomes, but the reality is that a biological difference exists. This difference doesn’t mean that either sex is any less or more capable of learning a subject or succeeding in a particular area. It simply means different learning styles call for different teaching methods. This begs the question, are students better off at a single sexed school? Can a single sexed school provide a more appropriately focused learning environment for a particular gender? Hmmm…food for thought. But, this question is for another blog—in the mean time, stay tuned for an upcoming blog that shares the best tips on teaching math to boys and how best to handle their careless errors and over inflated math egos!
Filed under: Math | 2 Comments
I HATE Math!
After 15 years as an educational consultant, one of the most often heard phrases that makes me cringe is, “I hate math!”. This is generally followed by, “I’m just not a math person”. Students from ages 6-18 say it, and it comes from both girls and boys. Why do our students today “HATE” math so much? It doesn’t have to be this way. I hate that they hate math!
Students hate math for three reasons: 1) They are intimidated by math. 2) No one has taken the time to help build their self-confidence in this subject. 3) Math is processed very differently by male and female brains which can account for a lack of conceptual understanding.
While all of these factors carry equal weight, #1 is the frontrunner for most students, and #2 rings true for parents . Here are some tips for overcoming excuses #1 and #2.
- Parents, even if you are intimidated by math and do not feel it is a strength, try to avoid phrases like, “I too am not a math person”, “It’s in the genes to not be good at math”, or, “Don’t worry, you will never use Algebra/Geometry/fractions/etc. in real life—just get through it”. The more value you place on mastering math, the less of an out your child has to be intimidated by it. Stop providing him/her with excuses!
- The fundamental math years occur between Grades 3-6, so do not let any conceptual gaps slide during these years. If summer school or math tutoring can fill in those gaps and solidify the math foundation, DO IT during these years. How do you know there are math gaps? Low grades, low standardized test scores in math, and teacher input are all valuable barometers.
- Find your student a math champion and advocate. Do not expect your student’s teacher to provide the needed extra math time. They are generally too overwhelmed and busy with 30+ students. Find a tutor, mentor, family member, etc. who can be your student’s “go-to” math helper.
- Make math real and include it in your daily family life. Cooking, shopping, negotiating allowances, making investments, calculating percent increases in gas prices, etc. all present learning opportunities for real life math. Involve your student in these activities.
- Have a “no calculator” zone. Put down the iPhone when calculating a tip at dinner—calculate it yourself and with your child. Students learn by watching you, so every time you look for a way out of doing the math, you are teaching them to do the same. Math lazy parents breed math lazy students.
In the end, loving or hating math is a nurture AND nature issue (the nature part is TBD in another blog). We need to fix the nurture side ASAP. Did you know that the three most burgeoning career fields for this generation of kids are: technology, science, and entrepreneurship? All of which include math. Nope, hating math in today’s world is just not an option.
Filed under: Math | 4 Comments
About Us
I am the President and CEO of Generation Think. I started Gen Think in 1996 as solution to the need for a supplemental education company that specializes in individualized programs and personal attention. At Generation Think, we strive to help parents and students better navigate the world of education, and to help them thrive in this competitive, academic landscape. We specialize in one-on-one services that meet the individual needs of each student and family; we understand that tutoring, test preparation, and educational consulting should not be a “one size fits all” service. Although our services are results-oriented, equally important to us are the journey and the development that lead to the improved grades, better test scores, and academic achievements.
We believe that when parents know better, they do better. Our services have always focused on helping parents know more about their students and the state of education today. Over the past 15 years, we have helped thousands of parents and students in the Los Angeles area, and this new Blog is our way of reaching out to an even greater number of parents.
Education for this generation takes on a whole new meaning today, so follow us and let us help you navigate this world of education today!
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It’s About Time…
Welcome to generationTHINK’s new blog! I, Kelly Trotter King, am the founder and President of generationTHINK and will be the primary author of this blog. Please check back often for personal thoughts, ideas, and news on education, parenting, and all things related to these topics. Right now, we at generationTHINK are focused on developing our blog platform and will be launching our blog in mid-March 2011. While you and your student are looking forward to spring break, we are looking froward to our spring blog. See you in a few short weeks!
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