Academic Connections Tutoring

     In a few days, our nation will write a new chapter into its history as we witness our first African-American president sworn into office.  It’s an exciting time, even as we face economic uncertainty and radical change.

     This is the perfect opportunity to engage our kids in a dialogue about this pivotal time.  Our teenagers will be soon be entering college and/or the job force.  What will they find there?  We are being called to a time of change–what will that mean for us and for them. 

     By discussing the local, national and international issues at hand, we can help kids as they shape and form opinions.  They need our input, feedback and critique.  They need to see us wrestle with challenges and respond with resilience and resourcefulness.  They need to see us step up along with others across the country to bring about the necessary changes that are required to get us back on track.

     Our kids may be scared as they hear the news that the “sky is falling” but we can help them stay positive and solution oriented.   We need to show them that the way forward is through and that we intend to go forward and to make the best of things.  Our kids are watching us–our actions, reactions and responses.  As we turn over the page to this new chapter, let’s offer hope and encouragement, guidance and counsel, as well as mentoring and modeling–all the things that make us parents and a vital and vibrant part of our society.

I began journaling when I was a junior in college.  It’s been over 26 years now and I’m still going strong!  My journals are a chronicle of my life from the early 80’s to the present and I have no intentions of stopping
till I can’t write anymore—maybe then I’ll keep an audio journal.

Here are a few tips that may help you (or your child) to start keeping a journal:

1. Don’t journal everyday (unless you absolutely want to). If I knew I HAD to journal everyday—I wouldn’t have lasted a week.  Knowing my journal is there to receive my thoughts and musings when I want it to means it’s never hanging over my head like an undone task.
2. Be honest.  It helps bring clarity. As scary as it may seem, putting your you are at this moment you can get perspective on your situation. When I look back and see where I’ve been and how I’ve grown, I’m encouraged by the changes that have taken place in my life.
3. Find out who you are.  Being self-aware is a great thing. You learn why and how you think and do things, what you may have inherited from the past and what you may be passing onto the future. As you record your ambitions and aspirations, your disappointments and setbacks, you learn how you handle adversity and what you learn from it.  I wanted to move the Middle East and I did. I wanted to start my own business and I did.  That journey is recorded in my journals and I can see the patterns in my life as I approach challenges and embrace dreams.
4. Leave a legacy.  I have been writing since my early twenties, so my kids will have the journey of my life from a young adult.  They will be able to follow my story from college, early career, my move overseas, life in the Middle East and back again. They will see how I prayed through my fears, worked through my decisions and discovered the person that I am and the reason I am here.

Do you want to write down a family story, a journey through a tough time, your goals, hopes and dreams?
Then a journal is a place to do it and it will tell your story long after you are gone.

Journaling is a great way for children to learn how to express their thoughts and feelings.  Many of our kids
do that today through MySpace or in a blogpost, but some may still prefer to write in a journal. 

Helping them to record their long and short term goals gives them a sense of direction and purpose.   A new year lays ahead full of hope and possibility; potential and opportunity.  Why not write your 2009
journey down on paper in your journal.

Need help getting started–email me (donna@academicconnections tutoring.com) and I’ll send you tips, ideas and suggestions to get you going!  All the best for an awesome year ahead–Happy 2009!!!

Here is part two of Terry Mazzer’s mind mapping strategies for taking notes and staying organized.  I trust you will get as much out of it as I have.  Since I always use mind maps for organizing thoughts and ideas, I find Terry’s insights to be very helpful especially as he talks about the use of color–which I just love!  We’d enjoy getting your feedback and want to learn how you are using mind maps in school and business. 

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How would you like it if your children became more creative, studied faster and more effectively, remembered better, saved time and saw the ‘whole picture’? Well, you can have this happen, can’t you? After you have read this article, you will know how a Mind Map can achieve this.  A Mind Map will accelerate your kid’s learning and gets them to use their whole brain. It works in accord with your brain by using color, images, symbols, curved lines, words, space, associations and connections to have your thought processes flow.

How to Make & Take Effective Notes With the Ultimate, Organizational Thinking Tool – A Mind Map – P2
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer]Terry Mazzer

When your children use Mind Maps, they become more creative, study faster and more effectively, remember better, save time and see the ‘whole picture’.   Surely you would agree that these reasons are absolutely huge benefits for them.

A Mind Map will accelerate your kid’s learning and gets them to use their whole brain. It works in accord with your brain by using color, images, symbols, curved lines, words, space, associations and connections to have your thought processes flow.

Originated in 1970 by Tony Buzan, Mind Maps are now used by millions of people around the world – from the very young to the very old, in business, for personal reasons…hey, for any reason at all.

OK, so what do you need to get started with a Mind Map?

Blank unlined paper

Colored pens and pencils

Your imagination

Rules to follow, and lastly…

A subject you want to make and take effective notes on.

Here Are Some Mind-Mapping Rules To Follow:

1) Create a unique and memorable central figure (with no box round it ); use at least 3 colors; if you feel that you are not an artist,

then photocopy or cut and paste

2) Use a piece of blank A3 paper – turn it landscape ways so you have more room for branching out.

3) Start the order of your important facts close to the central figure; less important details towards the edges. Begin at the 2 o’clock  position.

4) Use key words – which tend to be nouns; printed (upper and lower case); one per line.

5) Lines – length of each line = the length of key word or image; connect each line to end of previous line; radiate from centre;  decrease in size; centre = thick like branches of a tree; have 7 ± 2 main branches; make the branches wavy/ curved and taper off; use only one color for each branch

6) Make use of color, arrows, codes, senses, symbols, 3D images, humor, jokes, cartoons, different pens ( fat, thin, glitter, scented, highlighters)

7) Review -Date your mind map and add these review codes: 10, D,W,M,3M at the bottom right hand corner (10 = 10 minutes, D= day, W= week, M= month, 3M = 3 months) Cross out after you have done each review.

OK, It’s Time for Some Action. Here’s What I invite you to do NOW:

Search for Tony Buzan and discover how magical Mind mapping is.

Begin by brainstorming a topic and then grouping the sections into categories.( This was shown in a previous article.)

Using Buzan’s mind map examples, get started creating your own mind map and follow the rules mentioned above.

Model a mind mapping activity to your children and have them actively involved.

Have FUN learning and remembering.

Here’s What I Want You To Do Now- Claim your instant FREE access to a MP3 recording of one of my teleseminars by going to http://www.SecretsToRaisingSmartRichKids.com  – you’ll get practical tips and valuable information about this critical topic and you can ask me your most burning question about ‘Raising a Smart Rich Kid’.

AND….You will also get access to my FREE ‘Raising Smart Rich Kids Mentor’ Tele-seminars

P.S. By the way, do you know someone else who would benefit from this article? Please send them the link to it……and you can, can you not?

From Terry Mazzer – The Raising Smart Rich Kids’ Mentor – “Work SMARTER, not harder”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-and-Take-Effective-Notes-With-the-Ultimate,-Organizational-Thinking-Tool—A-Mind-Map—P2&id=1621326

I thought this would be a great article to share with you since Terry Mazzer is using Mind Maps for brainstorming!  This is one of my all-time favorite graphic organizers and is great for global, right-brained thinkers–like me!  Enjoy!  Donna

Brainstorm & Group Before Using the Ultimate, Organizational Thinking Tool – A Mind Map! (Part 1)
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer]Terry Mazzer

How many of you have been asked to brainstorm a certain topic? If you’re like me, then you’ve probably said to yourself, or out loud, “Not another exercise like this! What a waste of my time!”

How many of you knew that brainstorming is actually the beginning of such an activity? That there is a more important reason for doing so?

Brainstorming is one way to express and freely link in ideas that you associate with a particular topic. What happens is that we write down whatever comes to our mind and most importantly, we do not judge these ideas.

By the way, I encourage you and your children to  draw a picture  (or photocopy or cut and paste an appropriate image) that they associate with that idea in the centre of their paper. I strongly suggest that they use a  blank sheet of paper . This does not restrict the flowing nature of the presented ideas.

I also encourage them  not to put a frame  around it as this helps them associate more freely.

Curvy lines  are then drawn from the image and they  radiate  outwards.

Next, have your children  write words  or even  draw pictures  on these lines. Obviously, you and your kids will have an idea that then  triggers  some related ideas. Great!

These ideas are then written on smaller lines off the main lines which are radiating from the image.

Does this make sense? Yes or Yes?

So, we’ve completed the  brainstorming  section of this simple note-taking activity. Now it’s time to  group  your ideas together into categories.This will get you and your children more focused.

For example, if you were planning a family vacation, and you had brainstormed these ideas – Australia (Gold Coast), China, Disneyland, then the grouped related ideas would be “Places. Highlight or color code the connected ideas.

When you look through your list of ideas, you will notice how they are naturally connected.

Once this has been completed, the various categories then become the  main branches  of a  Mind Map . This strategy will be shown to you in Part 2 of this article.

I invite you to get started using these techniques – brainstorming and grouping. Then look out for Part 2 of this article which will show you how to use the ultimate, simple, organizational thinking tool – a Mind Map- for making and taking effective notes.

Here’s What I Want You To Do Now- Claim your instant FREE access to a MP3 recording of one of my teleseminars by going to http://www.SecretsToRaisingSmartRichKids.com – you’ll get practical tips and valuable information about this critical topic and you can ask me your most burning question about ‘Raising a Smart Rich Kid’.

AND….You will also get access to my FREE ‘Raising Smart Rich Kids Mentor’ Tele-seminars

P.S. By the way, do you know someone else who would benefit from this article? Please send them the link to it……and you can, can you not?

From Terry Mazzer – The Raising Smart Rich Kids’ Mentor – “Work SMARTER, not harder”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer [http://ezinearticles.com/?Brainstorm-and-Group-Before-Using-the-Ultimate,-Organizational-Thinking-Tool---A-Mind-Map!-(Part-1)&id=1618900 ]http://EzineArticles.com/?Brainstorm-and-Group-Before-Using-the-Ultimate,-Organizational-Thinking-Tool—A-Mind-Map!-(Part-1)&id=1618900

At times the amount of school work our kids receive seems overwhelming to them.  They may have more than one subject that they find challenging and they may feel like they’re climbing Everest.  Enter graphic organizers–these wonderful charts and visuals offer assistance and help kids make sense of the mountain of work in front of them.  Here are few helpful tips you can use during homework tonight!

1. Choose the organizer best for the job.  Are they trying to brainstorm ideas for a story, remember as many facts as possible for a report or test, generate a plan for a project?  Then you’ll want my favorite–the concept web.  To remember a list of dates and events, draw a timeline.  Do you have to compare and contrast?  Use a Venn diagram or a T-graph.
2. Help them see the big picture first.  By putting information out in front of your child they have the benefit of an at-a-glance, aerial view which helps jog their memories and clear their heads.  They may remember things as they go and they can fill in the blanks as things come to mind.
3. Fill in the details.  Seeing what they have already put on paper will help them remember what is still missing.  They can refer back to notes and flashcards to complete the graphic organizer and then use the graphic organizer to write essays, make an outline or complete a chronological list.

If your children are a visual or kinesthetic learners, they will appreciate using graphic organizers even more.  If they are globlal thinkers, who learn by association, then you will see that their brains already think this way and you will not only help with tonight’s homework but with a strategy for learning that they will use well beyond their school years.

     Now that we’re back in the swing of things and the familiarity of the back to school routine, it becomes easier to see the direction our kids are headed with their school work.

     By now,  we have a feel for which teachers they love and those they’re not so fond of, which subjects are a breeze and which are grueling, and whether they’re keeping it together in time management and organization.

     Yep, it only takes a few short weeks–we just got started but we’re far enough in, that if we let things go that need help, before long our child will be buried and finding their equilibrium will become more challenging with each passing day.

      So let’s keep our eyes and ears open and by the time that first progress report comes home, get ready to step into action if need be.  The tidbits we get from our kids (especially teenagers) need to be taken through the proper grid.  It’s important for us to distinguish between the drama and the dilemma. 

     Soon our kids’ progress reports will arrive in the mail.  And though we may keep pretty close tabs on what they’re up to–the progress report is the indicator on the dashboard of a child’s current academic situation.  We can choose to let it blink and ignore it or we can get help.

So what to do if the progress report isn’t what one would hope?  Here are a couple of suggestions:

1.  Sit with your child and get a feel for what they’re really struggling with–is it a learning issue, personality conflict with the teacher or too much socializing friends?  Have they handed in all of their homework, completed all projects and assignments?  These can tend to nosedive a grade quicker than you can blink.  We need to help them see the importance of staying on top of things so they don’t get buried under an avalanche of back assignments.

2.  Visit their teachers and subjects in question.  This is a great time to become an ally with teachers so they know that you are working on the same team on behalf of your child.  Be willing to listen to the good, the bad and the ugly about your child.  That’s really the only way you’ll be able to help, if you’re willing to see what needs work and where the gaps are.

3.  Now it’s time to close those gaps.  Identify them and get the necessary help to build knowledge, skill and confidence into your child in those areas.  This could be a time when to have your child stay after school for extra help that teachers offer but it may also be the best time to call a private tutor.  If you wait and see how things go, the information may overload your child and he/she may be further behind as a result.  If we are forward thinking and take a proactive approach we can position our kids for confidence. The help they receive will aid them in comprehension and will help ease the stress they may have been feeling. 

     Getting off to a great start can make the difference for the whole school year.  When that first progress report comes home, let’s jump into action and be sure to do all that we need to do to ensure academic success for our kids.  The small effort we make now can yield great results in the weeks and months ahead.

 It’s been almost two months since I returned from Israel.  It has taken almost all of that time to get back in the swing of things.  Though I stay in constant touch with friends and “family” there through email, skype and facebook–it’ not quite the same as being there. 

So why am I telling you all of this? To remind us both that our idea of back to reality is radically different from our kids’ idea of back to reality.  If you’re kids are like mine the minute I begin to wax on with, “When I was a kid…” I usually get groans and negative reactions.  I have yet to hear my kids say, “Tell us more mom, we love stories about your life a hundred years ago!”  And so I try to remind myself that back to school for my kids looks nothing like back to school did for me.

For starters, they have many more pressures on them then we did back in the day.  The expectations socially and academically trump ours and we, as parents, need to be sensitive to their transition as they return to friends, homework and the school environment.  We need to even be more in tune if they are starting a new school, especially if they have arrived from another place–whether across town or across the world.

Two things I want to do to the best of my ability–

1.  Be there.  Even when I can’t be physically there, I want to be available by phone so that they feel they can touch base with me at any time.  We can’t underestimate the anchor we are for our kids especially when things get a bit turbulent.

2.  Just listen.  I will do my best to not make any comparisons or connections about what it was like back then even though I may have  been through similar things and think I know how it feels.  They need their story, journey and experiences to be uniquely theirs.  

So, here’s to another school year!  They seem to be zooming past me at an ever increasing speed.  Before I know it, they will have all graduated and reality will take on a whole new meaning.  For now, I join you in another year of early rising, lunch money, permission slips, school pictures, homework, and all that comes with being a mom of school-aged kids.

All the best for a great year,

Donna Duffy   

     After two amazing weeks in Nazareth, my daughter and I returned to Delaware.  It was difficult to readjust-not just because of the jetlag but also because of the distance that separates us from people we love across the world. 

     Apart from being received back into ”our” neighbor like long lost daughters, I had the privilege to go back and give time and energy to Bridging the Gap–the program that we started 10 years ago for returning Arabic families and their kids.  BTG was born to help kids bridge the gap from the West to the East.  All of their studies are taught in English with Hebrew and Arabic as foreign languages.  Many students also take advantage of the opportunity to receive a US diploma from Sycamore Tree School in California. 

     Our ten year reunion a few weeks ago, reminded me of the impact  we were able to make in the lives of many students a world away.  Parents told me that if not for BTG they may not have stayed on to make a life there.  It was the academic and social bridge that BTG provided that helped the students succeed and gave the parents hope and encouragement. 

     Now back in the States, I recommit myself to continue to help build the program there into the next decade.  In doing so, I am more committed to not only help my children run their race through the high school years and finish well but also to help other kids in their educational journey .

     I am keenly aware that so many students are out of touch with their own skills and strengths.  Many times we struggle with this as adults.  Yet we want our kids to do their best when they may not even know what that is.  So as I think of the families and students that we serve at Academic Connections, I want to help kids not only excel academically but also encourage them to come to a greater understanding of the potential and gifts; the strengths and the talents that lie within them. 

     It certainly is a process and as life-long learners we are always dicovering new things about ourselves and the world around us.  I’m looking forward to playing even a small part in that discovery knowing that what is unearthed will be well worth the effort.

PS I will ever be grateful to Bishop Riah Abu el Assal and his son, Hanna, the principal of Bishop Riah Educational Campus for helping birth and support BTG through the years and to Zinat Laham and the dedicated staff for taking it forward.  To learn more about the school and the BTG program visit: www.brecn.org

It’s off to Israel in a few hours.  My daughter and I will fly back to celebrate the graduation of Bridging the Gap Class of 2008.  The program is now in its tenth year.  Did I think this day would come all those years ago when it was just me, ten students and a box of books? Now many of these students have families of their own, have gone on to university or are working and I am so blessed that our paths and lives crossed in the town of Nazareth, that we called home for 12 years.

It reminds me of the potential and the possibility that exist when we step out and try something new.  It takes courage, tenacity and trust.  Even if we’re shaking in our boots and are not sure of all that lies ahead, there is something so thrilling about taking a leap of faith!    We anticipate many scary things that never happen and we usually underestimate all the incredible things that could and do happen.  And so it is with BTG and my beloved students who made my last five years in Nazareth the very best they could be.  Congrats to the Class of ’08!!  To learn more about Bridging the Gap-the program for Arab American and expatriate students located in the Bishop Riah High School in Nazareth, Israel, visit
http://www.brecn.org/brecn/en/btg.aspx

Whether you call it summer brain drain or learning loss–the lazy, hazy days of summer often become an academic dead zone for our kids.  Even those destined for weeks of summer school may not be experiencing true learning.  What can we do to ensure some kind of educational connection through months of rest and relaxation? 

Reading and journaling are certainly a start but experience still may be the best teacher.  Is it possible that study skills can be learned from life skills that don’t feel like learning at all?  I find that the minute I say the words “life lesson”, I can be sure to encounter a tug-of-wills with my kids.  So I’ll do my best to banish such teachable moment lingo and jump right into the moment instead.  I’m open to suggestions and looking forward to hearing how you make sure the summer is not lost when is comes to learning.