Distance Learning: Balancing Your Education and Busy Lifestyle
June 14, 2007
Distance Learning is a priority for most who have already set their lives out in one way or another in that their responsibilities have been laid out, and in quite a few cases, would not allow for regular College schedules. This is taken into consideration when looking for a place to study, and this shouldn’t mean below par education. It should mean convenience for those interested in education and furthering their portfolios.
Student Commitment
Distance Learning requires a certain amount of commitment as the student must schedule the time to study. This is also reflective in their work as they are not going to afford the time unless genuinely interested in the subject matter. The work from these students shows a clear interest in their progression, and therefore their time is not wasted on courses that they are only taking for UKAS points.
Flexibility
To Test or Not To Test - That Is the Question
June 13, 2007
Little Suzy has really been having a hard time getting some of her assignments done. When she reads in class, she struggles with many words, and her mother reported at conference time that Suzy spends hours each night on homework.
At the same time, Suzy carries on intelligent conversation, and when you ask her about what she learned from the class, she has some good feedback. She is getting excellent grades in math class and, when she does experiments in science class, she knows exactly what to do and gets great results.
You’ve thought about referring her for testing, wondering if a learning disability is getting in the way of her reading ? a skill that underlies everything a child does in school. You know she struggles with reading, yet she does so well orally and mathematically. Should you test her?
Little Johnny can’t remember his multiplication facts. Much of the time, he struggles with subtraction facts as well. His reasoning skills for determining whether he should add or subtract, multiply or divide, are faulty. And when he writes a math problem on paper, there are no columns. The numbers are all over the place. He gets very confused with the entire process as well.
Understanding Why Your Child Has Been Recommended for Testing
June 12, 2007
You have just received a call from your child’s teacher explaining that she has noticed your child having difficulty in school. Your child is not understanding math or reading the way the other children do. So she would like your permission to proceed with testing to find out if he has a learning disability. When this happens, it is always a good idea to meet with the teacher in person. Being proactive is extremely important to your child’s educational future. Arrange to sit down and talk with the teacher to discover specifically why she has recommended this. You may want to include the special education teacher as well, as she may be able to further clarify just what they are seeing that is causing them to question your child’s abilities. One thing you have to understand is that just because a learning disability is questioned, that does not mean that your child isn’t smart. It just means that, for some reason, he’s either not able to access those smarts and is not "getting" what is being taught. Or, he may be having difficulty expressing what he has actually learned. One indication that there is a problem might be that the child gets very good grades in math, but his reading is below average. He is not reading at the same level that most of the other students of his age are reading at. There is a big difference between his learning in math and his learning in reading. If he is old enough, there may be standardized test scores that also show that huge difference, and the teacher should be able to show you that information. You may have noticed other indications at home but thought they were just "kid things". If you ask your child to do 2 or 3 things in a row, does he forget most of them? When you ask him a question, does he have difficulty expressing the answer? Is his room always disorganized? Does he have trouble socially? These are some of the questions you might want to think about as you talk with the teacher and ask if she notices them in the classroom. It is important you realize that by doing this, you are not putting your child down or complaining about him or labeling him as a "bad kid". You are discussing the facts of what is actually going on, or not going on, with his learning. You are acting in his best interest. Do not hesitate to ask questions about anything you don’t understand. The teachers will not think that you are stupid or inadequate The area of Learning Disabilities can be very confusing and overwhelming to anyone. It is best that you understand what is going on right from the beginning. When the teachers have explained the symptoms to your satisfaction, then it is time to find out what will happen from here. Ask specific questions about the testing, how best to address your child’s concerns and how to minimize any "stigma" your child might experience as a result of being tested.
The Art Of Note Taking
June 11, 2007
The Art Of Note Taking
by: Scott Palat
By following these ten steps, you will become a more efficient note taker and this will help improve your overall study skills. With good note taking skills, better grades are just around the corner.
1. If possible, sit near the front and center of the class. You will be
less likely to become distracted and will probably find staying
focused easier.
2. Use a binder instead of a traditional notebook. This way you can
add, rearrange, or rewrite pages of your notes, insert handouts
and assessments in the appropriate chronological order and
review the material covered in the chapter/unit much easier.
3. Put headings and the date on all papers. Organize them
chronologically in your binder.
4. Take notes on loose-leaf paper and keep them organized in a
three-ring binder. Make sure that you hole punch and add all of
the handouts, assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. to your binder. It
usually is best if everything for the entire chapter/unit is kept in
chronological order in your binder.
Beginning the Special Education Process
June 10, 2007
Like anything else in life, there’s a method to the special education process. It was put in place to help people who deal with learning disabilities get the best services possible. In order to help you understand this method, here’s a simplified version of the Special Education process.
1) Request for evaluation
Someone sees that the child is having difficulty in school and asks that testing be done to find out what’s causing the problem. This request can come from parents or educators. If the parents make the request, the district must agree to give a full and individual evaluation. If the request is made from someone else, such as a teacher, a team of educators and an administrator will meet to review the reasons and decide whether to pursue testing. No matter who makes the request, you as the parent, must give written permission for this testing to be done. At this point, you will be informed of your rights and those of your child.
If the district decides not to test, then it must let you know that and inform you of your rights. You can continue to pursue the option through a due process hearing if you wish.
Choosing Baby Names for Twins
June 9, 2007
Choosing a baby name for your new born can be quite a stressful decision. With thousands upon thousands of names at your disposal, you may begin to feel a little over whelmed. Well, for twins, you can double the trouble! This article is aimed at helping soon to be moms and dads of twins to choose those perfect baby names.
Using anagrams for naming twins One way of choosing baby names for twins is to take one name that you like and rearrange the letters to make another name. A few examples of this are:
Reva & Vera Ira & Ria Mary & Myra
If you are a fan of traditional baby names, then your choices are slightly limited with this option. But, if you don’t mind bending the rules a little, then you can play around with this idea forever.
Using synonyms for naming twins
Another idea for choosing baby names for twins is synonyms! A synonym is a word (or a baby name in our case) that has a similar or exact meaning of another word. So, you might want your twins to both have names that mean ‘flower’. An example of this would be:
Aptitude, Achievement, Processing Deficit - What Does It All Mean?
June 9, 2007
You are sitting with the professionals who know about learning disabilities. They have been explaining what they will be looking for when they test your child.
“We look for an aptitude-achievement discrepancy as well as a processing deficit,” one of them explains.
Your eyes glaze over and you begin to feel you’re not too smart. It’s like they’re speaking another language. You haven’t a clue what these people are talking about.
Actually, I’ve always felt that special education does use a foreign language.
That doesn’t, however, mean that you can’t learn it. Like any language, after a while, you’ll get it.
When you meet with the Pupil Evaluation Team, or the Case Conference Committee, or the Child Study Team, or whatever it’s called in your area, you will probably hear the sentence mentioned above.
Let’s chop that sentence into pieces:
“We look for an aptitude-achievement discrepancy…”
Your child’s aptitude is his ability to learn. When I was in school, we called it an IQ. In order for someone to have a learning disability, he has to have at least average aptitude for learning. In other words, he needs to have the ability to learn as well as any average child of his age.
10 Ways You Can Advocate For Your Child With A Learning Disability
June 8, 2007
Did you know that you are the most important person in your child’s life? Of course you did.
But did you know that parents of children with learning disabilities can also be their child’s most effective advocate.
What exactly is an advocate? An advocate is someone who speaks up for someone else, or who acts on behalf of another person. As a parent, you know your child better than anyone else, and you are in the best position to speak for him and act on his behalf.
Here are 10 ways you can do that:
1. Realize from the beginning that advocating for your child takes a lot of time. Advocating involves a great deal of research, meeting time, and communication. That’s a given. But the end result will be a successful,responsible, happy young adult who will be able to survive the pitfalls of the real world.
2. Be informed. The more you know about what is going on with your child, the more comfortable you will be in helping others understand him. Here are some ways you can become informed: a. Read all you can about learning disabilities (especially your child’s learning disability). b. Attend conferences. That’s a great way to learn and make contact with other people faced with similar issues. c. Ask questions - seek answers. d. Join a support group if there is one available. You can learn a lot from a support group.
Advocating for Your Child with LD
June 7, 2007
Advocate: you’ve probably heard the term before. But what does it mean to you?
Advocating happens when you speak on behalf of someone else. You say for them what they can’t say for themselves.
When you have a child who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, this is exactly what you must do for them. You must speak on their behalf. You know your child the best of anybody, and you are the best person to speak for them.
It sounds like a tall order, and it is. It is not always an easy thing to do. I know. I’ve been there. Even with a college degree and a special education classroom of my own, I often felt “less than” the other members of the PET (Pupil Evaluation Team), the group of teachers and administrators that we met with to determine Michele’s program. Sometimes, I felt as if I was being punished for not doing enough for my daughter, since she didn’t learn the same way as the other children. Granted, it wasn’t the professionals who made me feel that way, it was my own perspective. But, right or wrong, that’s the way I felt.
To Clean or Not To Clean
June 6, 2007
Before my daughter was born my house was so tidy and immaculate that you could eat off the floor! Dishes were done immediately (no dishwasher here!), the toilet was cleaned every morning and the house was dusted and vacuumed quite frequently. Today? The dishes sit on the counter till the next day when I tip-toe to the kitchen before the baby wakes so I can get it cleaned and put away, the house is vacuumed just when it looks like it needs it and the dust sits even now several inches thick upon all my furniture. Oh, and did I mention the toilets are not cleaned every single day??
It is hard keeping a house clean with a toddler running underfoot. Especially one that doesn’t like the Big Bad Vacuum Cleaner and starts to cry at the site of it. Well, she’s getting better about it now, but still.. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get much done. I find myself sitting down, after the baby has been put down for a nap, and thinking to myself, “I can get the bathroom cleaned, do the dishes, take a nap or read a good book now. Which should I do??” By the time I figure out which one I have the energy to do (or not to do in this case), my daughter wakes up and is ready to go for several more hours! Well, scrap that idea and up I get chasing around after a toddler and playing peek-a-boo. Sometimes, I do choose one of those things and usually it is the nap that I choose to do. So does the house get cleaned? Yah, sometimes. Is it as immaculate as it was before our gem entered our lives? Nope. And you know what? That is just fine!! I treasure each day I have with my daughter and realize that these moments are passing us by so swiftly. It has almost been a year and I can barely remember the day she was born. Everything seems to be going by in such a blur! I truly understand now the phrase “in a blink of an eye”!
