The Memory Problem

You are helping Jace study for his Spanish test tomorrow. You are going over the vocabulary together. He made note cards several nights ago, but when you try to test him without the notecards, it seems he knows nothing.

Truth: Many students are not encoding information well enough into their long-term memory. Without the proper memory hooks, memories can be made both incorrectly or singularly. In the case of Jace he may know the vocabulary really well when tested on the words using his note cards because he may have memorized the ordering, and the visuals of the letters on the front and back. But Jace still needs that cue in order to recall the word. Jace cannot respond to his mom's quizzing because he doesn't have this cue. In fact, Jace and his mom now know Jace has not made strong enough memory hooks to recall the information on command in another form (in this case auditorily).

What I Suggest: Help Jace make proper memory hooks. Using multiple formats to manipulate information helps encode it correctly and for longer. For studying this Spanish vocabulary, Jace needs to identify what is interesting, similar, different, or unique about the words he is having trouble remembering and make memory associations. For instance, Jace cannot remember what the word "nueva" means in English. To help Jace build his memory hook help him identify: maybe"Nueva" has an "N" just like it's definition "new", or maybe "Nueva" sounds like "new wave". Help Jace draw his memory connection: maybe a wave with  both "new wave" and "nueva" written on the image. Hooking new or unfamiliar information with old or encoded information will allow Jace to answer "new" every time he sees, hears, or thinks of the word "nueva" (and vice-a-versa). 




Reply to this post if you'd like some visual examples of the memory hook strategies I mentioned above.

The Do's and Don't's of Note Taking

Taking proper notes to use as a resource and memory aid is very hard to do.


Follow these Do's and Don't's to guide your student on how to properly take notes:

*Avoid overgeneralized titles when titling notes (ex: "History Notes"). *Avoid taking verbatim notes. *Avoid taking down tangential information. Teachers tend to rant or veer off topic. Constantly be thinking: "does this relate to what was just said?", "is this a minor detail?", "does this veer away from the reading I did?", or "is this too much information?".
*Avoid a massive list of bullet points without categorizing or grouping.




*Be specific when titling and organizing note pages digitally or physically. Always put the date and a detailed title even if it isn't clear what exactly the lecture will include (ex: "World War II Notes Day 2" is great!).
*Notice when the teacher has added verbal information to a visual PowerPoint slide. Just getting down the information on the slide may not be enough of a memory aid for studying later on. *Develop and stick to shortcuts to help cut down on how long it takes to write things down (ex: "WWII", "b/w", w/", and not using pronouns and punctuation).
*Listen for cues from the teacher as to important information (increased or decreased tone of voice, and phrases/words such as "importantly...", "the main point is...", "what you need to know is...", etc.)
*Always re-write notes to ensure proper organization and increase retention of facts.

One Way to Plan for 9th Grade

Many parents of Freshman feel their student wasn't prepared for their first year in high school. Typically the biggest complaint is about the high demand for student's writing quality and quantity. There is a big shift in the amount of writing expected for all courses when student's get into high school.

Truth: The workload increases sometimes ten-fold when students go from 8th grade to 9th grade. This is because teachers are expecting critical thinking in each class. And, yes, that includes Science, Language, History, and even Math. This is on top of the English writing requirements! The best way to evaluate student's critical thinking is through written responses. In each class students are asked to produce written work to show their understanding, and each type of course requires a certain type of written language. 

What I Suggest: There are many ways to support students BEFORE they hit the ground writing in 9th grade. The best advice anyone can give is: start the work early! Starting with English class is usually the best. Ask the future English teacher for the name of the first book, the essential questions or standards of the first unit, or anything else that they have nailed down for the Fall. Just knowing the book can allow the student to pre-read, but, more importantly, to pre-WRITE! Do a Google search for common essay questions about the book (usually SparkNotes has a section for this called "essay topics"). Have your child start writing about the text, and what you may find is, not only will their comfort with writing qualitatively increase, it can decrease the quantity if they can use those writings as a starting place for the real essays and assignments they will encounter throughout the year. This same process can be achieved in History, Science, Math, and Language. Practicing written expression by using the actual texts the student must read during the school year can help bring purpose to the practice. 

Reply to this post if you're interested in other ways to practice writing if you cannot get access to any books or teach plans ahead of time.

The Importance of Simplifying Directions

You pick up Rachel from school today at 3:30pm, and your home and done with snack by 4:00pm. It's time to start homework. You run through the list of what you expect Rachel to have completed by the time you get back from dropping off your other kid at baseball practice and food shop for dinner. You get home at 5:30pm. An hour and a half has gone by and Rachel has done nothing.

Truth: Rachel most likely didn't hear what you said. Maybe she missed part of it, or maybe she missed all of it. Either way, she did not understand what you said well enough to act. See it through Rachel's lens. What if you only hear the following from your boss: "Email...right now...when I get back...I...see...done...at least...okay?". You would be very confused, but since you are an adult you wouldn't walk away and say "okay" or "got it", instead you'd ask for clarification until you know exactly what to do. Most children don't how to ask for clarification from their parent and more importantly fear that asking what you said will be letting you down. You can teach your child to ask for clarification, but realize, that will take a very long time to learn. Where you need to start is with simplifying your directions.

What I Suggest: Simplifying directions is the first step that needs to be made in order to make sure that your Rachel can get the plan, or at least part of the plan completed while you're away. Here is what you need to do: 
1. When giving oral directions be simplistic. The less words, the better. You only need to communicate the "what" and the "how" not the "why". Avoid going off on tangents about how important getting this done will be to you, to them, to the family, etc. Talking about the "why" increases anxiety, opportunity for push back, guilt, and fear. Keep it simple. Stick to "what" you want to see and "how" it can be done.
2. Always have a backup for what you said verbally. This can be a bulleted list of what you expect. But make sure the list is both concise and action oriented. Just saying "Of Mice And Men" isn't good enough. Tell your child "what" to do and "how" much to do: "Read Chapter 3 in Of Mice And Men".


Reply to this post if these two steps do not work for you and your child. You may need to employ Step 3: Checking for Understanding. 

The Limitations of Teacher Websites, Schoolloop, and Blog Posts

When PowerSchool, Schoolloop, Google Classroom, etc. all came out educators got excited. Finally, tools to communicate live grades AND homework! It is without a doubt that this technology opened up many more opportunities for teaching and learning. And one of the favored advantages by parents and students alike is the increase in feedback from the teacher to the student. 

Truth: These sites are truly incredible for communicating instant feedback on both graded and upcoming assignments. HOWEVER, there are several pitfalls. First, there is the problem with the sites themselves. Typically they are very difficult to navigate and not intuitive for the student to use efficiently. Also, these sites do not break down assignments into manageable tasks. Most of the time, all the student sees is a list of assignment titles (maybe a brief description or, if you're lucky, an attachment), and the due date. This limited information does not tell the student how to actually do the assignment. Therefore, it is an unrealistic expectation for the student to "just go to the website" to know how to do the assignment and break it up well enough to achieve the best possible result.

What I Suggest: There are limitations to all tech tools. We need to help students learn how to plan, break assignments down into manageable pieces, and reflect on their graded work. These are skills students MUST learn to be successful in school and in life. And these sites are not going to do this for your child. But, these sites can be used as platforms to practice their planning skills. So, how do you practice: Step 1: help your child identify the limitations that exist when relying on these sites.  Step 2: help your child write out a plan when looking at the information presented online. Ask them to identify the steps to completing a given assignment, and chunk the workload overtime. By chunking the workload and estimating the time it will take to complete a given chunk, students are also working on their concept of time in addition to planning.

Reply to this post if you would like to see an example conversation you can have with your child to guide them in building a plan from their school's feedback site.

When and When Not To Use Quizlet

If you are not familiar with Quizlet, check it out HERE. Quizlet was created as a platform to test yourself using self-made or teacher-made online flashcards. Whether you're studying for the GRE, or your Biology final, or even a comprehension assessment for your book in English, you can most likely find a pre-made set of cards to study from. While this sounds incredible, and it is really awesome, there are some major considerations to account for before jumping in and deciding Quizlet is the sole study tool you are going to use.

Truth: Quizlet has the wonderful features of varying quiz types, language translation services, and pre-made cards to make studying simple, fun, and easy! However, Quizlet is limited. Quizlet allows you to create a term or question to match a single definition or answer. Also, if the information, as entered by you, is incorrectly written, you are studying the incorrect information. The memory encoding you are making using Quizlet is literally one-sided. The brain will get stuck in believing there is only one answer and only one question that match that answer. Most assessments your student will take don't stick to one question type, or one answer type when assessing knowledge on a given topic.

What I Suggest: Only use Quizlet to remember definitions or translations. In those two cases, Quizlet is the perfect platform! If you need to remember how to say "cat" in Spanish, Quizlet is your go-to! But if you need to learn the steps of Meiosis, you will want to use a different study method. Boxing the steps of Meiosis linearly and singularly into the matched boxes on Quizlet will not help you answer questions that go beyond basic retelling of the steps on the assessment. As a previous Biology teacher, I never asked students to match the steps of Meiosis to their name. I was more concerned with how these steps relate to the overall process and purpose of sex cell replication and formation. Unfortunately, Quizlet will not help you remember that!

Reply to this post if you are looking for a strategy to study beyond the use of Quizlet for matching terms to definitions in order to encode and remember more complex material.

The Basics Of Organization

Organization seems so simple: red toys in the red bin, blue toys in the blue bin. At least it seems easy when we think of organization as a simplistic act.

Truth: The older a student becomes, the more complex organization becomes. Organization isn't just a matter of sorting. Organization is actually quite intricate. Organization for one particular class requires a student to first know: how the teacher organizes the coursework, what tools the teacher uses daily, and what types of assignments are repeated and how often they are repeated. Then for each assignment they must ask: how often will I be referring to that, where should I put it, and do I even need this assignment anymore? Very rarely do teachers set up an organization expectaion for their class. And even if they do, the teacher expects students to continue using the system without prompting. 

What I Suggest: First, identify the type of inherent organization your child operates on. Knowing if your student is a piler, or a "I need to see it to know it's there", informs the type of organization protocol your student will follow for all classes. Creating the system is the biggest hill your child should have to climb. Identify what assignments are actually being given, how often it will be referred to, and if this type of assignment will be repeated again. Knowing this will help set up the system based on what the student sees regularly. Your student can then forecast how to keep the organization system going with each assignment. Maintaining it requires consistency, flexibility, and adaptability to avoid making a mountain out of a mole hill. 



Reply to this post if you'd like a mini self-assessment to identify your child's inherent organization style, and specific suggestions based on their type.

The Top 3 Accommodations For Your Child With ADHD

Students with ADHD often appear as a behavior problem in the classroom. They are often said to be: "distracting the class", "trying to be the class clown", "not paying attention", "getting off task"...the list goes on.



Truth: Most teachers do not know how to support students with ADHD in their classrooms. Most students don't know how to redirect themselves to be "on task". The reality is: your child wants to learn, but their learning environment needs to be accommodated.



What I Suggest: If this describes your student advocate to add these 3 accommodations to their IEP as soon as possible:

1. Develop a clear hand signal or word to indicate the need for a break during class. When STUDENT NAME uses the signal, reward its use with the allowance of the break without consequence.
2. Redirect STUDENT NAME by tapping lightly on their desk, or using a hand signal rather than shout their name whole class when HE/SHE looks disengaged.
3. Check for understanding using specific questions related to the content, such as, "what was the procedure for solving this problem?", or "what are the three main points I mentioned about the cell cycle?". Avoid general questions, such as, "do you get it?", or "what did I just say?".

Reply to this post if you want specific language for what to say to help your child's teacher implement these accommodations correctly.

The Do's and Don't's For Helping With School Work

There is a fine line between doing too much and not doing enough. It is difficult to know where to draw that line.

Follow these simple Do's and Don't's to stay just behind the line.

*Avoid giving your student direction to study without a concrete plan for how to do it.
*Avoid jumping into helping your student with an assignment.
*Avoid talking at your child for long periods of time without checking understanding.
*Avoid giving your student the answer or solving the problem for them.




*Guide your child in creating a plan for studying with clear tasks and timelines
*Guide your student in breaking down assignments into action items.

*Assess your student's level of understanding: Do they understand the directions? Is it an execution (procedural/strategy issue problem or a content issue?
*Guide your student in advocating for themselves.
*Whenever you walk away give clear directions based on what just happened, what you expect to be accomplished, and how long until you will come back to check in.

Why Students Have Difficulty Initiating

It is frustrating for all involved - teachers, parents, siblings, the dog, and even the student themselves - when there is still a blank page where an essay should have been started a whole hour ago. If you have a student or are a student who struggles with Executive Function, initiating is very difficult. It is hard to empathize with a student when they may feel very confident in the content, highly motivated to get the assignment done, and actually have the intellectual capabilities to get some awesome work accomplished. The question often heard by this student is: "well, if you know what to do, why isn't it getting done?"

Truth: Your child is NOT lazy! In fact, initiating for students who struggle with Executive Function are fighting the battle to begin work for each assignment, and sometimes for each step of the same assignment. Know this: your child WANTS to get started. But also know this: your child has trouble doing so. Here are some reasons why:
1. maybe the assignment is worded differently from what the teacher said,
2. maybe the assignment is formatted in a way that is distracting and confusing,
3. maybe the assignment is too big of a task and needs to be chunked into smaller, more manageable pieces but seems like a mountain of work,
4. maybe the assignment requires tools the student doesn't have with them,
5. maybe the assignment requires completion of a step that the student didn't realize needed to be done first,
6. maybe the wording of the actual assignment is unfamiliar and therefore doesn't feel doable,
7. maybe there are too many distractions in the room to get started,
8. maybe there are too many ideas or options to choose from, 
9. or maybe, the student has no idea where to actually begin.

What I Suggest: First of all, wow! That is a lot of thinking for one assignment. Imagine how much you would stall if you were in your child's brain! Now that we've empathized we've got to help your student get into action! Put your child in the driver's seat. Guide them to developing a procedure when approaching an assignment. This procedure should include guided questions to help ease the initiation process. Questions like: "what looks awkward of confusing about this assignment?", "what would be the first step to getting this done?" and "what do you think you'll need to complete this assignment?"

Reply to this post if you want a complete list of questions to guide your child in initiating tasks, assignments, and even chores!