For the beginning of the school year a few years ago, Partners With Parents wrote an article for NY Metro Parent about when and how to be involved in your child’s homework and academic life.  In the article, and in our workshops based on the same concepts, we provide a structure for parents to help their children take ownership of their learning.  While the framework has infinite variants based on each student’s and family’s unique circumstances, it loosely breaks down into the following steps:

• Setting goals
• Taking action
• Assessing progress
• Producing results

In essence, we’re talking about the skills that fall under the umbrella of “executive functioning” — the cognitive processes that we use every day to make decisions, accomplish tasks, and plan the future.  Ultimately, we all want our kids to become independent, self-motivated adults who accomplish “whatever they put their mind to.”

Read the full article: http://nymetroparents.com/newarticle.cfm?colid=7919

Whether what’s called for is a little support or what’s needed is full-blown, “executive functioning” skills training, our academic coaches, learning specialists, and tutors can help chart the path forward, setting up your family for a successful academic year!  Call us at (212) 928-5014 or e-mail us.

Each student has a different set of conditions under which he performs his best.  Each of us needs to be a scientist, making and testing hypotheses about our ideal study conditions.  Spend a number of weeks experimenting and finding out the answers to the questions below.  Remember what works the best for you is not necessarily what feels the best or most comfortable. The ultimate goal is finding what makes you most effective.

• What room in your apartment is best for homework and studying?

Do you have a dedicated area where you can go when you need to do work?  Are there some types of assignments that you can do in a more public place, like the living room, while some require more seclusion?  If you live in a “zoo,” consider the library.

• What position is best?

Sitting at a desk?  In a comfortable chair?  Lying on the floor?  Do you have access to everything you need?  Do you benefit from getting up and moving around periodically?  Does it vary based on the type of assignment?

• What kinds of noise are distracting?

Music?  Parents talking?  Siblings playing?  All of the above?  Are there places in the apartment/house where you can get away and have comparative silence?  Again, if a Yankee-Red Sox game seems like a quiet retreat, consider finding a place outside your home.

• What time of day are you most effective?

Are you a “day” person or a “night” person?  Are there certain times of day when, no matter how hard you try, you can’t absorb information?  You don’t want to wait until you’re 30 to find out that you get more accomplished from 6:00-8:00am than during the entire rest of the day.

• How often do you need to takes breaks?

Can you realistically concentrate for 5 hours without interruption?  Would five 1 hour blocks serve you better?  Three 100 minute blocks?  How long a break does it take to refuel your battery?  What can you do to reward yourself during your break (if you’ve earned it)?

• How do amount of sleep and level of hunger affect you?

How many hours of sleep do you need to be at your best?  Would a half hour nap at some point make a difference in your ability to apply yourself?  Are you able to work effectively after having a full meal?  What about when you’ve had two candy bars and a can of soda?  Do you need a (healthy) snack for energy before starting your homework?

• Do you work well under pressure?

If you know that you don’t, you’d better not save things until the last minute.  As soon as you know the assignment or test date, schedule the tasks you are going to accomplish each day (or week) to ensure that you have plenty of time to complete your work.

• Do you learn well in a group?

Would a study partner enhance or detract from your productivity?  Perhaps certain subjects yes, some no.  Certainly, who you choose as a study partner is vital; try to find a classmate who is equally committed to academic success.

Let the answers to these questions guide where, when, and how you approach your work.  Of course, you will never be able to work under your ideal conditions 100% of the time.  Moreover, the answers to these questions will likely vary depending on the type and complexity of the assignment (memorization, research, reading, writing, problem solving, etc.) as well as your level of interest.  Discovering your brain’s likes and dislikes at least gives you the opportunity to structure your schedule and set up your physical study environment to enhance your chance of success.

2) Do Your Reps – The brain is a muscle like any other.  Make sure it remains active.  As with exercise, you can’t make up for 4 months of inactivity in one all-night cramming session.  Make “contact” with difficult material and large projects daily or weekly.

3) Build Strength Slowly – Start with the basics.  As you learn the foundation and gain more confidence, add new concepts.  If you get lost, backtrack.  Don’t get daunted by large assignments.  Break them down into manageable parts and spread them out.

4) Get To Know The Equipment – Just as we need to understand how our muscles work to establish a good exercise routine with the proper form, students need to understand how their brains work.  All learners can greatly benefit from asking the following questions: How do I process new information?  What are my strengths and weaknesses?  What unique conditions must be satisfied to bring out my optimal performance?

5) Use A Spotter – When your children are taking on new and difficult challenges make sure they get the support they need.  This could be working with their teacher during a free period, studying with friends, or seeking outside help.  Excellent tutors can help their students learn the skills necessary to operate successfully without them.  Learn more about what to look for in a tutor.

In times of stress, we tend to stay up later to “get things done,” we sleep fitfully when we do get to bed, and then we wake up prematurely with that cool burning sense of worry over getting things handled.  It may feel restful to spend time in the simulated unconsciousness of chatting online or staring at the television until late hours, but maximizing your actual sleep hours is critical.  It seems a small thing, but inadequate sleep only adds to one’s level of anxiety and diminishes performance across the board.  Especially with a book-bag full of new syllabi weighing heavily on their shoulders, students need extra rest to handle the stress and stay well both physically and academically.

So, get to bed!

It is important to realize that test preparation cannot merely begin at the registration deadline, which is usually less than a month prior to the test date.  To ensure a confident, level-headed approach on test day, the material must be examined and taken seriously well in advance.  Standardized tests are not measures of any innate intelligence or ability; in a sense, performance on these exams is just an indicator of how well you perform on these exams. This is why our schools and universities rarely make test scores their first criteria in decision-making.  Meaningful preparation that results in actual mastery of the material usually raises a student’s score substantially.

As you look ahead to your child’s exam schedule in the upcoming year, don’t miss your registration deadlines, but be sure you don’t forget to accommodate the learning process that comes far prior to registration, either.  Make a study plan a year in advance that includes understanding how the test works.  Take a practice test each month in real test conditions to develop ease with test-taking itself.  Break down the test into discrete concepts and commit to learning one each week – triangles this week, probability next.  Learn a new word or two each day.  There are hundreds of resources for each standardized test at your disposal – books, word lists, worksheets, computer programs, etc.  This kind of preparation will leave many students well-prepared for test day.

If you know your child faces a struggle with a standardized test, professional test prep is always an option.  We all know this is a huge industry, with thousands of classes and private tutors in New York City alone.  One piece of advice: Research your options and know how much you are willing to spend in total.  It can get very expensive.  Another piece of advice: If you know you are going to have a few sessions with a tutor, do the majority of them months in advance.  That way, you’ll know where you stand and have the time to address areas of weakness.  Then you can have the last couple of sessions right before the test date for lingering questions and final preparations.  For self-disciplined learners, a good tutor will be able to identify gaps in knowledge and create a plan of action that the student can follow independently.  For those students who need more attention, there are rigorous programs that provide step-by-step instruction over the course of months.

The bottom line: Make a plan!  Get familiar with the test as well as the dates that serve you.  If you don’t feel confident with some of the content, target those areas for extra attention.  Seek outside resources. (You might as well start by checking out free or low-cost options before jumping right in with tutors who charge hundreds of dollars an hour.)  Practice, practice, practice!  Then, the night before the big day, relax a little.  If you’ve done a thorough preparation, the confidence will be there, and the results will come.

2) Show you care about the class even if you don’t. Sit near the front, avoid distracting classmates, sit up straight, and make eye contact.  Listen for verbal clues, and watch for non-verbal clues.  For those less engaging classes, make sure you get enough sleep; nodding off is a big no-no.

3) Ask Questions and Contribute to the Discussion. These show your teacher that you are grappling with a particular subject and are synthesizing new information.  Make sure you are paying attention to what is being said by classmates so you don’t repeat it.  Reference their contributions in your own words when appropriate.  However, don’t talk just to hear yourself speak or become the obsequious kid that even the teacher avoids calling on after a few days.

4) Make sure everything you submit, by e-mail or on paper, is in pristine condition.  Proofread your work and be certain that it makes sense.  There should never be spelling or grammar mistakes.  And it goes without saying, no juice stains, no creases or folds, and no teeth marks (canine or otherwise).

5) Be on time. There’s no easier way to impress than by being in your seat, ready to learn, when the bell rings.  There are few things more glaring than interrupting your teacher midsentence to do the “walk of shame” from the classroom door to your seat.