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Kids May Learn Multiplication Earlier or Later
We usually teach multiplication in second grade, but many kindergartners are able to solve multiplication problems by using repeated addition. There were five boxes and each box had three chocolate...
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Some Brains Just Don’t Want to Memorize Times Tables
Here’s a great question from Wanda: When I was in grade school, I could not do well on timed math tests, even the basic add/subtract/multiply/divide tests. If I could do it on my own time, I did well....
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Do Timed Tests Really Measure Math Ability?
Why do they have these timed tests, like 25 problems in 3 minutes? This is an excellent question. I currently work and have worked with quite a few students who receive extra time on standardized...
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Learning to Be Responsible and Autonomous
It is back-to-school time which means I have a bunch of new tutoring students. I’m spending lots of time explaining to parents what I do, how I work, what I believe about learning and child...
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What is Love For?
So Jake’s observation stuck in my mind for almost two decades, tumbling around in my psyche along with so many and various other unanswered questions and vague longings and frustrations and angers and...
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Khan Videos for ADHD? and for Everyone
[I'm going to try devoting my Monday blog posts to the topic of Learners with Special Needs, which, I find, describes us all in some way or another.] I’m so impressed with the Khan Academy videos, and...
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The Worst Room of the House for Studying
[I'm devoting my Monday blog posts to the topic of Learners with Special Needs, which, I find, describes us all in some way or another.] Here’s a thought for students with executive function issues,...
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Better Math Instruction, Fewer Learning Issues?
I’m hoping that as math instruction improves and becomes more “brain-friendly,” we’ll see fewer kids struggling in math. When I was in my doctoral program, I was amazed at some of the research coming...
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Four Study Tips You Might Not Expect!
I gave this talk today for the PTA at my local high school: 1. Consider Location: Where Does Your Child Do His or Her Homework? The bedroom is often the worst place in the house! It’s lonely (no...
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In Defense of Your “Lazy” Child
I’ve been a tutor for 40 years, and I’ve never encountered a lazy student. Scratch the surface of laziness and underneath you’ll find fear, confusion, frustration, lack of knowledge, lack of skills,...
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The Connection Between Attention, Memory and Learning
My son, Matt, uses this simple trick to keep track of his cell phone: Whenever he puts it down, he taps it three times; the tapping focuses his attention just long enough for the location of his phone...
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Seven Tips to Help Older Kids Who “Choose Not to Read”
Many students complain that reading is boring, books are stupid, and the material in their textbooks is pointless. In my experience, these are the kids who, in fact, find reading difficult. When was...
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Do You Think I Know This Stuff?
A Snow Day One day, I was reviewing with a high school student for a final exam in history. It was rough going; the material was detailed and complex and this young man’s grasp of both the facts and...
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ADHD Types I and II?
One of my students included this very interesting 9-minute TED talk in a psychology class project. The speaker proposes that, as with diabetes, there are now arguably two forms of ADHD. We could call...
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For Efficient Studying, Clear the Decks!
Clear your desk of distractions such as toys and cellphones, and don’t videochat, watch TV or listen to music. I hear more and more students complaining about the hours they’re spending on homework,...
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Simple Solutions to Many Reading Problems
The first question I always ask struggling readers is: Where do you read? Almost always, the answer is: I read in my bedroom. Aha!!…now for Question #2: When do you read? I read at night, when I’m...
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Ratios Are Hard For Student Brains To Learn
Right now, algebra students are studying unit rates, proportions and dimensional analysis. Geometry students are working on similar figures and triangle proportionality theorems. All of these topics...
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Disappointing Final Exam Grades?
Many good students, despite having studied, didn’t do as well as they had hoped on their final exams. Here are some common reasons: Often, the sheer length of the exam is a problem. According to...
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Successful Student Habit #1: Get Enough Sleep!
What is sleep for, anyway? It may seem like a waste to spend 1/3 of every day snoozing; why not binge-watch a good show or do some extra online shopping instead? Yet, research keeps pouring out about...
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In Defense of Your “Lazy” Child
I’ve been a tutor for 40 years, and I’ve never encountered a lazy student. Scratch the surface of laziness and underneath you’ll find fear, confusion, frustration, lack of knowledge, lack of skills,...
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