Study Skills Articles

100 Percent of My Students Passed Their NY State Mathematics, English Language, Art and Science Exams

By Gilant P. | 6/18/2013 3:35 AM CST |

For the 5th year in a row, all my students have passed their NY State examinations. A few have made it to the Honor Roll, and some are receiving Academic Achievement Awards next week. I am so proud of them. This was a difficult year for some, especially with Common Core test requirement, being a late suggestion and requirement by Bloomberg's team. So many students and parents were very worried and scared. So I did my research, and bought the required books, as well as to incorporate the use of the students' books.

Each session I worked on building their competency and comprehension skills,...

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It's a Matter of Style: Success on the Verbal Portion of the SAT

By Nicole T. | 5/15/2013 12:55 PM CST |

Just like learning a new language, every year students try to learn CBS: College Board Speak. The College Board is the name of the company that creates the SAT. In order to make gains on the SAT, one may have to try new ways of learning. One of the best ways to learn a language is to create an immersive experience by surrounding yourself with speakers of that language, by traveling to an area in which the language is spoken for an extended period of time, or by attempting conversational level fluency prior to learning the written language.

Ways that have worked for me and for students I have...

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Get Those Wiggles Out!

By Jessica M. | 5/10/2013 12:44 PM CST |

When working with children (especially 7 and below) it can be vital to their memory retention to take a break every thirty minutes.

I have had great success with my younger students who become stir crazy after half an hour of reading by leaving the study are and going outside or in a space where we wont bother others and doing some physical activities.

Since time is a concern it is important to only do this for ten minutes or so.

Sometimes we run and play tag, or we will do some jumping jacks, or just do some silly dancing.

When the student returns they are feeling a little more refreshed,...

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Medical Billing and Coding

By K B. | 4/29/2013 7:04 PM CST |

Hi there Medical Billers and Coders:

Have you been attempting to do medical coding and need some refreshing or just a guide of what to do. When I tutor a student, I also add tips and strategies used to help select the best the best code. For example checking the similarities between two medical terms. for example dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and dysphasia (impairment of speech). A good coder is familiar with medical terminology and always has a medical dictionary available. Recognizing the difference in similar terms ensures accurate coding. This means a claim can go out clean and would...

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Tired of What You Are Doing? Why Not Retrain for a New Career in the Health Care Field?

By Vicki N. | 4/27/2013 12:33 PM CST |

It was the Fall of 2009 and the economy left many of us unemployed for the first time ever! I'm SO glad I LOST MY FULL TIME JOB. Just like that, the corporate world is cruel, they pulled the rug right out from under me! I only got 1 week of notice too!!! It doesn't matter how great your severance package is, it is no fun to have your life turned upside down without giving you time to process what is happening to you.

Returning to college was the best decision I ever made. If you started a college education and put it on hold to raise a family or build a career and now you wish you were...

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Hiring Tutors and Finding Mentors

By Shannon B. | 4/22/2013 3:35 PM CST |

Study Skills

I don’t know about any of you , but I would love to find a mentor.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually have a couple of mentors. But once you leave school, experienced, knowledgeable, and understanding advice givers are not so easy to come by. Most often, they’re VERY busy and, although mean well, aren’t available to guide someone with a lot of questions.

The problem with that is ... you don’t know what you don’t know. You need someone, ideally a knowledgeable someone you can trust, to tell you.

A tutor is a type of mentor. You have to seek one out that works. It’s not like you get up in the morning...

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How To Study

By Anne Q. | 4/20/2013 4:29 PM CST |

Study Skills

You may be surprised to hear that there is a right and a wrong way to study. If you are surprised by this, then keep reading!

The most important thing to know is that you should aim to work smarter, not harder.

What does this mean? Well, a few things:

- Studying for several hours straight isn't effective!

Instead, aim to study no more than 90 minutes at a time. Then, take a break for 10-15 minutes. Relax. Do some stretches. Take a walk, get some fresh air if you can. Research shows that nothing recharges the brain better than a walk through nature. Then, go back and work for another 60-90...

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Modal Verbs and Other Such Grammatical Queries

By Karina G. | 4/2/2013 12:46 PM CST |

Do the terms "preposition," "verb," "article," and "modal verb" sometimes stump you? Typically, students are taught the word "preposition" in 1st grade. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that if I had seen that long word at the top of a worksheet in 1st grade, I would have skipped right over it, coding "preposition" as a long word that simply did not fit in my schema of the world.

Fast forward to middle, high school, and college, and I see that many native speakers often find one or more grammatical device or structure challenging. Grammar lessons learned in elementary school...

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Students, Pressure, and Making Sure You are Choosing the Right Tutor for Your Student

By Emily N. | 3/31/2013 3:16 PM CST |

The amount of pressure being placed upon students in the 21st century is increasing everyday. Pressures can include students who struggle with a learning disabilities, pressure to get into a good college, even poor teaching professionals who have lost their desire to teach our youth, which can lead to struggling in multiple academic subject areas. Put yourself into the shoes of a primary school student in the 21st century. Hormones are taking over and a plethora of emotions are showing their ugly faces. And your child probably has a glazed look every time you are trying to provide some guidance...

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Advice to my younger self- the student

By Lisa B. | 3/19/2013 8:54 PM CST |

IF I could go back in time and give my younger self some advice on how to be a better student, be more successful in school, life, etc, I would definitely tell myself that being involved in everything comes at a cost. It is better to find a few things that you like to do, do them well and often, than feeling stressed because there is so much on your plate at one time. Being a 'Jack of all Trades' it is natural for me to dip my toes in different waters- all at the same time, but that does not mean that I can give 100% to any of them at that time.

While I was able to get good grades (A- average)...

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