Adults may find it especially easy and enjoyable to learn Italian because there are so many electronic tools available: apps for your smart phone or tablet, as well as excellent inexpensive software to practice vocabulary and conjugations. But nothing can replace the interactive instruction of a near native language speaker. I have a master’s in Italian Studies (the thesis was  written in Italian) and wrote my doctoral dissertation on an Italian subject. I have worked with many adults learning Italian for business or pleasure and would love to help you too!

I knew there was technology that could help because when I was in middle school, I learned speed reading with  Tachistoscope.  The machine flashed text on the screen, first single letters then words, then several words, then lines of text, slowly at first, then faster and faster.  I was taught to move my eyes across the page faster and faster, until I developed a high reading speed that got me through high school, college, and graduate school.

After years of searching, I finally discovered a software that uses a modern version of my middle school program.  It is called ACE Reader, and it’s put out by Stepware.com.  Students of all ages can benefit from its graduated approach, and many enjoy the eye exercise games as  well.  It even allows you to load text from files and the clipboard, allowing you to train with material you already need to read.  I highly recommend this software for students as well as adults. (I am not connected in any way to the company)

Here’s how roots vocabulary works. You take apart  a word such as expect, breaking it down into prefixes and roots that  each mean something.

So expect= ex-e- (out, former) +spect-spic-spi (see,  look, consider) = expect, to look out for.

Other words containing these prefixes or roots are excursion (short trip “running out”), expository (explanatory, interpretive “setting out)” edict (an official announcement , “speaking out”) exorbitant (extremely expensive, “out of this world”) and  prospective (“forward-looking” overview), retrospective (“backward looking” overview) introspection (“inward-looking” insight) despicable someonethat is “looked down upon”.  In the coming weeks, I will post additional prefix and root combinations, eventually creating an a data base with vocabulary words & exercises at the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade levels.

The SAT tests aptitude in three areas of knowledge: mathematics, reading comprehension and writing & grammar.  There are 10 sections to the test, three in each area of knowledge and one experimental section that could be any subject but doesn’t count toward your score.  The test lasts 3 hrs and 45 minutes.   A perfect score is 2400, 800 for each test, while 500 is about average.  You also receive a separate score from 0-12 for the essay.  Some questions (in math, sentence error, sentence improvement, and sentence completion) are arranged in order of difficulty.  Because there is a penalty of ¼ point for a wrong answer,  your guessing must be strategic.  Most important, don’t attempt the hardest questions in math or sentence completion if you don’t expect to score over 650.

The ACT has four sections, in math, English, reading and science, plus an optional writing section.  The test covers proficiency in knowledge learned in high school, rather than aptitude.  Although the 30 minute writing section is optional, most guidance counselors agree it’s strongly advised to register for the test with the writing option. There is no penalty for guessing, and questions are not in order of difficulty.  The test lasts 3 hours and 25 minutes.

Technically, the SAT is an aptitude test that is supposed to predict how well a person will do in the first year of college, while the ACT is a test of what students have learned in high school.  My own opinion on which is better to take is that it depends on where the person wants to go to college.  East or West Coast colleges frequently prefer the SAT, while Midwest and Southern schools often accept the ACT.  Many colleges accept either test. To keep your options open, you can prepare for both tests and send the better scores. No matter which test you choose to take, you need to prepare by taking practice tests and by working with a good test prep organization such as Advantage Learning.

• The spatial/visual learner learns from what is seen, especially diagrams and pictures.
• The linguistic learner remembers what is read or spoken.  They usually perform well in traditional academic settings that emphasize reading.
• The logical-mathematical learner is good at logical puzzles and mathematical operations.
• The kinesthetic learner learns from handling things or acting them out. Using flashcards or physical models of something or acting out an event in science or history works well with such a student.
• The interpersonal learner is extroverted and sensitive to the feelings of others and learns well in a group setting.
• The intrapersonal learner may be more introspective, and reflective, preferring to work alone with his/her own goals.
• The musical learner is more attuned (no pun intended) to the rhythms of words, and can often benefit from learning jingles or developing raps to memorize facts and dates.

Of course, some students may have strengths in more than one area.  Good teachers are sensitive to the different learning needs of students, and often offer assignments that provide opportunities to several types of learners.  Parents should follow their students’ assignments to make sure their child’s learning style needs are being addressed. 

Advantage Learning Center has considerable experience dealing with students’ different learning styles. Contact us today for a consultation.

One recent tool to help parents follow their student’s progress is internet access to the student record.  That way parents can see for themselves how the student is doing, rather than be surprised with a bad progress report.  Many teachers are also quite willing to respond to parental requests for information on a student’s performance.

If, after consultation with the teacher, there is still a problem, it may be time to call for help.  Rather than the one-size-fits-all tutoring provided by a tutoring center chain, your teen may benefit more from the individualized attention provided by an experienced, caring professional. For the best result, Contact Advantage Learning Center today for a consultation.

Critical thinking is a form of metacognition: thinking about thinking. Critical thinking means moving from thinking concretely about a topic, such as family, to thinking more abstractly about the idea of the family, which may not be like the students own family. It requires them to question the assumptions about information presented to them. These “higher order“ thinking skills include the ability to

• Know or recall details, main ideas, cause and effect, and/or characteristics: usually with memorization. For example, “I know Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania.”
• Apply and comprehend such information, translating conceptual material into your own words. “A state capital is a kind of Washington DC but for Pennsylvania”
• Analyze and conceptualize, that is, remember as part of larger categories. “All states have capitals. Pennsylvania is a state therefore it has a capital and Harrisburg is that capital”
• Synthesize, and put together facts to reach a generalization or concept or definition. “Federalism gives the states some powers, and politicians get together in state capitols to make and pass laws” or “State capitols are places in states where politicians get together to make and pass laws that the governor signs.  “
• Make informed judgments and decisions about the world around them based on evidence and reasoning, not emotion or prejudice. “Federalism gives the states some powers, and politicians get together in state capitols to make and pass laws which the people have to obey because a majority of people voted the them into office”

Critical thinking means making arguments supported by reasoning and facts, not opinions. Half-educated teenagers grow into badly informed adults, and our democracy won’t survive, let alone prosper, unless more individuals know and use critical thinking in their daily lives.

Related information:

• Defining Critical Thinking at www.criticalthinking.org
• What is Critical Thinking at www.criticalreading.com
• Critical Thinking from Wikipedia

Many, if not most of us, get anxious before tests; even if we are well prepared.  It’s similar to flight syndrome: the surge of adrenalin that keeps animals in the wild on their toes.  A little anxiety is not bad if it gives you the edge needed to complete the test.

Of course, if you’re not prepared, the anxiety can be worse.  In other words, the best way to avoid text anxiety is to be prepared for the test.  The more prepared you are the less likely you are to be nervous.

The most common anxiety is that of freezing during the test: of being so paralyzed that you cannot remember anything.  Here is a foolproof way to get over freezing up at the beginning of the exam.  When you first get in, before you even look at the questions, do a “data dump”.  Write down all the names, events, concepts, etc you have memorized.  Then, look at the questions and do another data dump. The techniques work because your mind is more likely to go blank if the questions surprise you, or are worded strangely.  When you dump your memorized info before looking at the test, you avoid that paralysis.  In addition, once you have some info out there, you’re more confident about your recall ability.

I have 15 years experience helping children work through their fears with test preparation and exercises like these. Contact me today; I can help you too.