Learning w/ Leah @ F-U-N-Training.com

PRAISE -- Never tell a child s/he is "smart"!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:10:00 +0000

I just started at discussion on my F-U-N-Training Facebook page -

PRAISE -- Never tell a child s/he is "smart"!!!

Carol Dweck, Ph.D. is the author of "Mindset", and the researcher who discovered that generic praise of intelligence, beauty, etc. actually has a DETRIMENTAL effect on kids. I created and facilitated a workshop for a local church parents group based on "Mindset" and Malcolm Gladwell's, "Outliers". The focus was the importance of EFFORT vs. the fallacy of "genius".

"NurtureShock" is an outstanding new book by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, which is a MUST READ for parents, teachers, grandparents, etc. They cover Dweck's research in Ch. 1: The Inverse Power of Praise, which you can read an excerpt of at NPR (scroll down the page). After you read the excerpt, please take a moment to share your thoughts by commenting via the F-U-N-Training Facebook discussion page & / or commenting below. THANKS in ADVANCE for taking the time to share -- your comments help all of us (parents, teachers, professionals) do a better job helping kids and their families : )

Leah Daziens, www.f-u-n-training.com
and F-U-N-Training & Tutoring at Facebook

START STRONG -- Keys to a Successful School Year

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:41:00 +0000

The new school year has begun, and if you want this school year to be the best one yet, here are some ideas:

Routines & Organization

Your child should have a daily routine. Obviously, there are different activities on different days, so each day will be a little bit different, but work together with your child to map out a sample weekly time schedule. Then, each Sunday, sit down together and review the schedule for the week ahead.

Every single day, your child should bring home a completely filled in assignment notebook / agenda. If your child isn't writing down all assignments & / isn't writing them down completely, then you need to ask the teacher(s) to initial the assignment notebook EACH & EVERY DAY. What happens if your child doesn't bring home the assignment notebook / agenda? What if it isn't initialed? That's where a good behavior plan comes in (see below).

At the designated time, your child should be in the designated place (see "Study Environment" below) completing his / her assignments.

When your child finishes the assignments, he / she should show you what was done, then put the assignments in the correct folder(s), the folders / books etc. should go into the backpack, and the backpack should go next to the front door (or other designated place). Also, when you are reviewing assignments, think of a "good boss". A good boss doesn't do your work; you present your work to your boss and ask for clarification when needed. The goal is an independent learner! The parent's role is to facilitate and provide quality inspections -- not to do the work or be a constant hand holder.

How long should homework take? Your child should NOT spend hours on homework!!! RESEARCH consistently shows that 10 minutes per grade level is the rule, so a third grader should spend no more than 30 minutes on homework. This does not mean 30 minutes of whining about doing the homework; it means 30 minutes of focused work. However, your child should take short breaks every 10 - 15 minutes. So, work for 15 minutes, then 3 - 5 minute "movement" break -- your child should get up and wiggle around for a few minutes. Then, 15 minutes more of focused work, then done!

Please note that this time does NOT include reading time. You should spend an additional 20 minutes or so reading together with your child. Take turns reading (alternate paragraphs or pages), since this allows your child to practice both visual and auditory comprehension. It also allows you to identify reading difficulties such as: losing ones place, skipping words, saying the wrong word, etc. Don't stop / correct your child every time he / she makes a mistake; that is very de-motivating for the student. Just make a mental note and go back over the missed words when your child finishes that paragraph / page. If you notice any of the reading difficulties listed above, PLEASE make an appointment to have your child's visual processing skills evaluated ASAP. (I evaluate visual processing skills as part of the comprehensive assessments that I offer, and / or I can refer you to a great developmental optometrist). ASK your child questions at the end of each reader's turn; one of the BEST questions is "what do you think will happen next...why". Another great tool for ALL ages (including adults) is to use AUDIO books (on tape / cd / mp3); the student should read along with the audible book -- not just listen to it. I recommend an mp3 player like iPod that allow you to adjust the speed of the audible reader; that way your child can pick the reading speed closest to their own silent reading speed. You can get audible books through the public library as well as online sources like audible.com.

Besides homework and reading time, try to include as much fun learning as possible. I am a huge fan of non-computer games like Boggle, Muggins, Racko, Bananagrams, Rat a Tat Cat, Quiddler, and many more. Board games provide practice of multiple learning skills: remembering the rules, adding up the score, and many more. I keep a running list of my favorite games, books, etc. HERE.

Nintendo Wii Balance Board -- although I frequently warn parents about too much screen time, I been very impressed with the sensory motor training benefits of the Nintendo Wii Balance Board. I use wooden balance boards with my students in the training lab, and I have been amazed by the speed of progress of those students using a Wii Fit Balance Board at home. So, if you don't have one already, I encourage you to seriously consider it for the next birthday / christmas / gift giving occasion; parents have also told me how much they enjoy playing with the Wii. There are lots of games for the Wii that utilize the Balance Board, and I would love to hear about your favorites.

Behavior Plans

Usually, when I mention implementing a "behavior plan", parents think of "good" and "bad" behavior. However, a behavior plan is just a formalized plan to reinforce behaviors that you want to see more of, e.g. bring home a completely filled out assignment notebook / agenda along w/ needed materials or complete homework without whining, etc.

Personally, I think the "Nothing in Life is Free" method works quite well, and it passes the common sense test. In life, there are things we like to do, and there are things that we need to do (but may not enjoy). So, in order for your child to do the things he / she likes to do, he/she will need to do those "need to" things!

Setting up a token economy is a good way to reinforce desired behaviors, since you can assign values for both the behaviors that you want to reinforce as well as values for the activities that your child likes (rewards). I am a huge fan of activity rewards versus "things". One other VERY important thing is that you must NOT take tokens away once they have been earned. Despite how most of us were raised (and even though WE turned out just fine), research consistently shows that punishment is ineffective -- however, punishment is HIGHLY reinforcing to the punisher. I highly recommend "What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage: Lessons for People from Animals and Their Trainers by Amy Sutherland. Disclosure: I have in no way, shape, or form mastered this (as evidenced by dogs' lack of training and my ability to notice every single thing that my husband does wrong :( -- but, it really does work; it's just not how most of us were raised, so we have to break old habits and create new ones.

Take some time to read up on how to set up your behavior plan and token economy: here , here , here.

The most important part of an effective behavior plan (and effective parenting) is CONSISTENCY / CONSISTENCY / CONSISTENCY!!!

Study Environment

This is that "designated place" mentioned above. Your child should have a set place complete w/ all needed supplies materials. While some students work best holed up in their rooms, some students prefer to work closer to the family, e.g. at a kitchen counter or dining room table. Some students need silence and some work well with background music (Mozart / classical -- NOT pop / rock or radio and NO TV). Some students work best standing up and some students need to wiggle while they work, so I recommend adjustable drafting tables and sitting on exercise balls (these tips work for grown ups, too). When trying to memorize math facts / dates or other information -- try using flash cards / note cards and MOVEMENT -- bouncing on a mini-trampoline works quite well. Research also shows that chewing gum helps with focus and concentration, so break out the gum during homework time.

HELP! Please send me your questions, suggestions, etc. I am always looking for new topics and love to hear what's working and what's not working for you in your family's "real world". Thanks in advance for taking a moment to share!

WASH, WASH, WASH Your Hands -- PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:06:00 +0000

SOAPBOX (pun alert) #1 NASTY HANDS

EVERYBODY needs to wash, wash, wash those hands!!! Sing the Happy Birthday Song TWICE!

Then, KEEP those HANDS AWAY from your FACE!!!

It is completely appalling to observe the number of adults who DO NOT WASH HANDS after using a public restroom. NASTY! I say, "Call 'Em Out" w/ a VERY LOUD/ "Excuse Me! I THINK YOU FORGOT TO WASH YOUR HANDS!!!"

We should all be cleaning our hands properly & frequently THROUGHOUT the day -- remind those around you to wash up properly & frequently, too.

SOAPBOX #2 -- STAY HOME if not 100%!

If you are not 100% healthy, PLEASE STAY HOME!!! If your child is not 100%, please KEEP him or her at HOME!!!

I can't count the number of times I have gotten sick after hearing, "it's not contagious, it's just allergies". If you or your child are coughing or sneezing, you are projecting your mucous into the airspace of others. Our downfall will be the American philosophy that encourages people to go to work and school when sick.

It is just rude and selfish to take the attitude that, "it's just a cold" or "it's just allergies", while spreading illness to others. What you may think of as MILD is STILL CONTAGIOUS, and mild illness can cause SERIOUS problems for those whose immune systems are compromised: elderly, young, cancer patients, etc. Whether it's swine flu, regular flu, a cold, "allergies", just a "bug" or whatever -- KEEP IT AT HOME! DON'T SPREAD IT AROUND! PLEASE!!!

While this current swine flu is mild, it is very important to SLOW the spread of this virus in order to buy time to learn more about it and develop an effective vaccine. The faster it spreads, the more likely it is to mutate and become more virulent and deadly. This doesn't mean we need to panic, but it does mean that each of us must be responsible for doing our part to minimize spreading illness and create social pressure for others to do the same. Our area always has illness and disease circulating: MRSA, Norovirus, Measles, etc. with more exciting outbreaks always developing and threatening. So, practicing pristine hygiene is critical today, tomorrow and for the rest of our lives.

Sorry to preach, but it just makes me beyond angry that people can be so selfish by refusing to wash hands and insisting on going to work / school when ill.

VENT OVER : )

Wait & See Now = MORE TIME & MONEY LATER

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:04:00 +0000

A newsletter from Ann Dolin linked to a great article at ReadingRockets.org, "Waiting Rarely Works: Late Bloomers Usually Just Wilt". During my teacher training in college and the classroom, it was repeatedly emphasized that "kids learn at different speeds" and "one day things will just click". Sadly, many of my clients are the victims of the "late bloomer" fallacy and have suffered the consequences:

students getting further and further behind

students suffering emotionally - anxiety & frustration about learning struggles leads to depression, "shutting down", acting out, and other behavioral / emotional problems

all family members and relationships suffer due to homework battles, unsatisfactory grades, poor behavior, etc.

Although it is never to late to get help, research and common sense show time and again that EARLY intervention is key. The sooner a child receives help, the better.

Think of an onion... every time a child associates a negative experience with learning, the pattern gets stronger, creating layer upon layer of negative associations and coping behaviors. When parents and students are referred to me, we all work together to peel away those "negative" layers by:

identifying the root cause(s) of learning difficulties through comprehensive assessments
showing the student the beauty of neuroplasticity, the importance of training the brain to make new connections and making those connections more efficient through continued practice.
training up weak skills to increase learning efficiency
working with teachers, parents, and student to reduce stress & anxiety while increasing postive learning experiences.

Please do your part to eliminate the "late bloomer" fallacy. Problems that aren't dealt with bloom & grow -- like an invasive weed.

Also, realize that different students will hit learning stumbling blocks at different points depending on the individual's skill strengths and weaknesses. For example, a student who has very strong visual memory can "regurgitate" information quite well, so this student will do great until school demands more advanced applications of information learned. Students who hit learning stumbling blocks later may actually suffer MORE, since parents and teachers may assume the student "just isn't working hard enough" or "just needs to study more". So, whether learning struggles happen in Kindergarten, 3rd, 4th, middle school, high school, or college -- seek immediate professional help! Difficulties during transition years in middle and high school are often dismissed, but a poor transition year usually leads to continuing problems.

Lastly, don't UNDERESTIMATE your child's learning potential -- each child has great gifts, and training up weaker skills enables a child to harness those gifts. We all suffer when a child with "A" potential is labeled as a "C Average"!

***REMEMBER: Taking the "wait and see" approach now means spending more time and money to remedy problems later -- not to mention the emotional damage. Don't wait to get help!

TAX DEDUCTIBLE TUTORING?

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Please note that I am NOT a tax professional, and you will need to consult one to determine if tutoring and other learning related expenses are deductible. However,

I highly recommend that you take a look at this guide to 2008 Tax Benefits for Parents

According to the tax attorney authors:
The following expenses may qualify for the deduction if a medical professional recommends the service or treatment for the child and there is a medical diagnosis of a neurological disorder, such as a severe learning disability:

* Tuition for a private school
* Tutoring
* Specialized materials (e.g., books, software and instructional materials)
* Diagnostic evaluations (by a private practitioner)
* Therapy
* Transportation expenses for a private school or tutor

The guide covers:
Tax Benefits: Deductions vs. Credits
Retroactive Claims for Refunds
Medical Expense Deductions
Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Savings Arrangements
Deduction for Disability-Related Conferences
Child and Dependent Care Credit
Exemption for Dependents
Earned Income Tax Credit
Where to Get More Information
Tax Counseling and Tax Preparation Assistance
Disputes With the IRS

Please note that "SEVERE learning disability" does NOT seem to be clearly defined as the online article Tracking ADHD Medical Expenses: How to organize medical invoices and insurance paperwork and save a little, too. by Patricia Quinn, M.D. at Additude Magazine's website states:

"Tutoring services prescribed by a physician can also be considered a medical deduction."

So, definitely review both the 2008 Tax Guide for Parents as well as the article on Tracking ADHD Medical Expenses!

VISION THERAPY SCORES AGAIN on NPR: Cardinals' Fitzgerald 'Eyes' Super Bowl Victory

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Yet another example of the benefits of training the vision system...

Cardinals' Fitzgerald 'Eyes' Super Bowl Victory by Mike Pesca

Listen Now @ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100049694

Morning Edition, January 30, 2009 · When the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals meet Sunday in the Super Bowl, one player to watch is Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. His optometrist grandfather gave Fitzgerald unique vision training that has helped him on the football field.

It is a tragedy that, despite its proven effectiveness, vision therapy / training is still disparaged by pediatricians and ophthalmologists. Learn more about VISION THERAPY at the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, http://www.oepf.org/Patients&ParentsHome.php and ASK ME about the benefits of VISION TRAINING!

THIS WED, 2/4 - DON'T MISS From Chaos To Calm: Structuring for Success in the Home by Sharon Weiss

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:25:00 +0000

I just found out about this wonderful Parent Link Seminar Series, so I wanted to share! Sharon Weiss' presentations are engaging and informative, so I hope you'll be there THIS WEDNESDAY, 2/4. -- Leah ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Chaos to Calm:
Structuring for
Success in the Home
by Sharon Weiss

DATE: Wednesday, February 4th

TIME: 7-9pm

LOCATION:
Flint Hill School's
Olson Theatre
10409 Academic Drive
Oakton, VA

MORE:
Everyone wants a
household that runs smoothly.
It's real life that
gets in the way!
What you need to know to:

* establish structure,
build routines, and change negative behavior
* enable your child to
get through daily activities without relying on adult support
* change the family
dynamic of nagging and yelling
*keep the day in gear -
moving from breakfast to bedtime

Please note that there is a
$25 fee at the door to attend.
Register in advance for multiple speakers and receive a discount!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join Our Mailing List!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

F-U-N-Training offers comprehensive tutoring & parent support Visit my website for FREE PARENT TIPS, TOOLS, & RESOURCES:
www.f-u-n-training.com

Behavior Plans & Contracts : Have you tried one? Results?

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Calling All Parents, Teachers, & Professionals:

I need your help! I frequently encourage my client families to implement behavior plans to reinforce desired behaviors. Whether it's remembering to bring home assignment logs or remembering to wear glasses in class or getting out the door on time or getting homework done without whining; a good behavior plan developed by student and parent can make a HUGE difference.

While I have a professional / academic understanding of developing & implementing behavior plans / contracts, my most important resource has always been feedback from real-life parents who are actually going through this process.

Now, I have been asked to give a presention on Behavior Plans / Contracts, and I want to get feedback from parents who have tried this technique. So, if you have tried using a behavior plan / contract with your child (ren) , please comment below to let me know all about it : )

Specifically, I would love to know:

age of child (ren)
GOALS of your plan / contract
IMPLEMENTATION tips -- what worked & what didn't
RESULTS -- were you able to increase the desired behaviors / decrease undesirable behaviors
RESOURCES -- how did you develop your plan / contract? People, Books, Websites, etc.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with other parents, teachers, and professionals working w/ children!

CREATIVITY ( a.k.a. Divergent Thinking )

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:43:00 +0000

In the midst of seemingly endless bad news, I came across a truly inspiring story which provides the perfect example of why CREATIVITY (or DIVERGENT THINKING) is so very important -- especially when combined with strong EVALUATION and PROBLEM SOLVING skills -- Please CLICK & READ this great article:

Inventor's 2020 vision: to help 1bn of the world's poorest see better Professor pioneers DIY adjustable glasses that do not need an optician

Usually, when I tell people that one of the cognitive skill areas that I assess and train is ... CREATIVITY, there is some confusion. I have yet to meet a parent who was referred to me due to a child's difficultly with creativity, which is viewed by most as either art or creative writing.

When I train creativity, my goal is to develop a child's (or adult's) ability to generate LOTS (fluency) of different (set change) unique (originality) IDEAS -- and to generate those ideas very QUICKLY (fluency). In simple terms, it's about quantity and speed -- not right or wrong!

Creativity training is critical for students who "freeze up" when faced with academic tasks that they perceive as difficult. "Writers' Block" can impact ALL academic subjects -- even mathematics; not to mention those wonderful HIGH STAKES STANDARDIZED TESTS. Developing creativity / divergent thinking skills is the key to curing Perfectionist Paralysis!

One very easy activity to develop creativity / divergent visual thinking is "the Scribble Game". Everyone gets out a blank sheet of paper and a pencil / crayon. One person says "start" and another says"stop". After "start", eyes are closed and papers scribbled on until the designated person says "stop". *Caution scribblers to remain ON the PAPER or protect the work surface ahead of time. After scribbling, papers are exchanged. Your job is to take another person's scribble and turn it into your own "work of art" using crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. There are no right or wrong answers, and everyone gets to share their creations at the end of the activity. ADULTS must also participate : )

For writing, use photo prompts followed by brainstorming sessions. Encourage WILD & CRAZY ideas! Using a timer can reinforce the "need for speed", but the race should be for personal best -- not competition with others. Track progress -- it is motivating to see that you have doubled the number of ideas you can generate in "x" amount of time after a month of practice.

INSPIRATION software can also be a great help to both kids and adults. Keri Smith's "Wreck This Journal" is a great tool for adults and older kids, and she has other books for younger kids, too. Julia Cameron's book, "The Artists Way" is a classic plan for enriching your creative life.

Lastly, and hopefully you will find this example of No Holds Barred Divergent Thinking to be somewhat humorous & not too terribly offensive. I just found it extraordinary that, at a time when the news seems to be nothing less than apocalyptic (and getting worse) each day, a software developer made $40,000 in 2 days on a 99 CENT i-phone application called ... wait for it ... i-Fart. (You can click to read the details, and someone even took the time to write a detailed REVIEW). Those of us that work with children are probably not surprised by the love of all bodily function humor, but who knew it could be so lucrative??? Personally, I am hoping that MYstudents will be going forth to accomplish great works which benefit all of humanity -- like the inventor of the DIY eyeglasses!!! : )

Ultimately, it comes all comes back to that saying:
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
(which seems to be attributed to Albert Einstein & a lot of other people, too)

The ability to quickly generate lots of different ideas means being able to think up lots of different ways to do things; and THAT means having lots of tools in your toolbox whenever you need them instead of being stuck FROZEN with FEAR when the old way doesn't work anymore. Of course, you also need EVALUATION skills in order to select the best of your many creative options AND Problem Solving skills in order to apply the best of those creative options; but I will leave discussions of Evaluation & Problem Solving skills for another day : )

PLEASE FORWARD
&
SHARE
your great ideas, tips, tools, events, thoughts, etc. with me via:

e-mail: leah.daziens@gmail.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=603979437&ref=profile

blog: http://f-u-n-training.blogspot.com/

My Favorite Things: Books, Games, & other Learning Stuff can be found at my Amazon aStore, http://astore.amazon.com/funtraicom-20

And lots of FREE Tips, Tools, & Resources are located at

www.f-u-n-training.com

Report Card Celebration!

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:58:00 +0000

The leaves are changing, and it's time for the first report card! Yesterday, I received a GOOD NEWS report card attached to an e-mail from a parent whose child has "graduated" from my training program. There is nothing better than a family discovering a child's true potential and seeing that child begin to stretch themselves onward and upward in learning.

Now, if you read my previous blog, you know that there should be NO SURPRISES on your child's report card!!! IF you followed my suggestions:

You have been communicating with your child's teacher(s) to be sure that you are all working together to support your child's academic success.
You have implemented an effective behavior plan and that assignment book is coming home completely and accurately filled out every single day.
You child is getting that homework done every night with your support and supervision; however, YOU are not doing the work for your child, and homework is not taking longer than is appropriate for your child's grade level.

Assuming that your child has the underlying skills needed for optimal learning and all of the above statements are true, then your child's report card should be cause for celebration -- for the entire family!

Just remember to celebrate hard work and effort and improvement; avoid simply saying "you're so smart". Carol Dweck at Stanford University has done extensive research showing that "if you teach students that their intelligence can grow and increase, they do better in school. Dweck's latest book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, gives parents and teachers specific ways to teach the growth mindset of intelligence to children."

What if the report card is disappointing for you and your child??? The FIRST question is: were you communicating with the teacher(s) frequently and consistently? Good Parent - Teacher communication = No Surprises on report cards. IF you WERE communicating well but are not seeing the desired results, then it' s time to find out WHY your child is not achieving academic success. Learning problems tend to get worse and more difficult (though NEVER impossible) to address over time. So, EARLY INTERVENTION is the KEY to SUCCESS.

Please note that, sadly, not all report cards are effective learning tools. Knowing that your child has a "C" in math is not helpful, but knowing that your child got a "C" in math due to missing homework assignments and/or poor test grades is useful information. Effective report cards contain a narrative from each teacher detailing HOW each grade was earned, and WHAT your child needs to change in order to improve the grade. If your child's report card lists grades only, please contact your child's teacher(s) to find out what your child needs to do in order to improve his or her performance going forward. And, let the principal know that you would like to see more useful information on the report card. Think of report cards as Job Performance Appraisals -- they should be tools to improve performance, not just required paperwork!

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me regarding your child's unique learning needs. I look forward to hearing from you!

Successful LEARNING TEAM = Parents + Teachers + Students

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:24:00 +0000

(Parent + Teacher + Student) x (COOPERATION + COMMUNICATION)
= SUCCESSFUL LEARNING TEAM

Parents often tell me that my attendance at Parent - Teacher Conferences is one of the most helpful services that I provide. By opening the lines of communication and by directing everyone's focus to the needs of the individual student, we are able to begin the school year working together "on the same page". Since a focused & cooperative learning team is critical in order to optimize school year success, WHY does parent - teacher - student communication often break down???

We can safely assume that:

*Students do NOT wake up each morning planning ways to be unsuccessful at school and plotting ways to upset parents and teachers.

* Parents do not start each day planning ways to MINIMIZE their child's success and plotting to make teachers miserable.

*Teachers do NOT wake up each morning planning to upset students and their parents.

In fact, most human beings wake up each morning hoping for a successful day filled with lots of positive interactions with others. So, why do students, parents, AND teachers frequently end up in tears of frustration??? When all 3 parties truly want the student to be successful, it is frustrating for everyone when the learning process is less than successful. Sadly, the tendency of human beings is to place blame. And, blaming leads to defensiveness, which is completely unproductive.

So, HOW can we set up our "Learning Team" for success???

# 1 ASSUME the BEST INTENTIONS -- not the worst. When you approach potential problems assuming that each party has the BEST intentions, it changes everything for the better. This is not just wishful thinking! Most of us want to be good people, and few of us have time to plot, plan, and conspire against others : )

# 2 COMMUNICATE EARLY & OFTEN -- My rule is "NO SURPRISES!" Parents & Students should not be surprised by interims and report cards. Teachers should not be surprised by unhappy parents. Parents & Teachers need to be sure to communicate the GOOD NEWS. When I taught in public middle school, far too few parents showed up to give the teachers positive feedback and appreciative words. Please DON'T be the parent who only shows up at school when there is a "problem"!

# 3 Use Tools & Resources to enhance Parent - Teacher - Student Communication:

Parent - Teacher Communication Plan from the Parent Toolkit @ allkindsofminds.org
Homework Help from the Parent Toolkit @ allkindsofminds.org
Learning to Relate to Others from the Parent Toolkit @ allkindsofminds.org

E-mail is a great tool to facilitate frequent parent - teacher communication, but be sure to establish your relationship and rapport face to face. While an e-mail compliment is certainly great, nothing beats knowing another person has "gone out of the way" to compliment you in person. And, parents, be sure to let your school principal (and other parents) know when something good happens!

FYI -- Your COMPLIMENT to CRITICISM RATIO goal should be 5 to 1 -- that means that you must give 5 (FIVE) COMPLIMENTS to every 1 (ONE) criticism! The bare minimum ratio is 3 to 1. This applies to all of your human to human interactions: parenting, marriage, work, home, school, etc.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: To get into the COMPLIMENT HABIT, put a roll of pennies in your right pocket, and move a penny to your left pocket each time you give a sincere, heartfelt compliment to another person. Please share your results with me and other readers in the COMMENTS below!

Lastly,

THANK YOU for taking the time to read this! Please let me know which suggestions / tips / tools you are able to implement and how it works out. I'll be sending all of my very best thoughts for your success in building the best learning team EVER this year!

Leah Daziens
www.f-u-n-training.com

Q. How do I SUBSCRIBE to a BLOG? What is RSS? BONUS Computer Tool Suggestions

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:26:00 +0000

You can subscribe to a blog using RSS feed. If you aren't familiar with RSS feeds, then Google Reader is a great tool to start with. Subscribing to your favorite blogs and sites using Google Reader or Google Desktop keeps you posted on all of the latest at your favorite sites. You actually (or theoretically) save time, since all of the information is in one place in front of you.

My FAVORITE blog is LifeHacker.com closely followed by Consumerist.com. If you ever have to battle with Comcast, Verizon, or Dell – try the EECB (Executive E-mail Carpet Bomb) technique recommended at Consumerist.com – I had to use it with all 3 of those companies, and after hours wasted on hold and being transferred, I FINALLY had competent people CALLING ME to fix the problems; but I digress.

Somewhat off the subject of F-U-N-Training, but I believe it is a totally relevant topic since all of my clients use the internet to schedule sessions, etc.

Here are some computer tools I love (and I do not have any financial stake in any of them):

http://www.ccleaner.com/ -- a great tool to clean up your computer registry and unneeded files in order to SPEED it UP! FREE

http://www.defraggler.com/ -- Defragments your hard drive – MUCH FASTER than the MS Windows Defrag tool. FREE

http://www.mozilla.com – STOP using MS Explorer as your browser. Seriously, Mozilla Firefox is much more secure and a better product. FREE

http://www.roboform.com/ -- a safer way to keep all of those passwords and log – ins. FREE TRIAL

Given the security issues with Microsoft products, I prefer this to letting a browser "remember" my password.

http://www.clipmarks.com/ -- there may be better tools than this, but I LOVE that I can just CLIP and save a headline for future reference. Or, I can just clip and e-mail or print ONLY the part I want to send w/o all the extra garbage on the page.

*Norton 360 or MacAfee Security Center – You MUST have a COMPLETE and RELIABLE SECURITY software on your computer. BOTH OFFER FREE TRIALS, but then PLEASE be absolutely sure to PAY for your RENEWAL SUBSCRIPTION!!! I was just visiting in Florida, and I discovered my Aunt's computer was terribly slow, had no current anti-virus software, and was full of spyware. Norton now has a cool service, PC POWER BOOST, where a technician will log onto your computer remotely (with your permission) and make adjustments to your computer setup to make sure it is running as efficiently (fast) as possible. It's usually $69.99, but I received a special offer for just $29.99, which I think is a great bargain to have someone else get your computer in tip top shape. I HAVE NOT tried it yet, so be sure to check out all of the details for yourself. If the Special Offer link doesn't work for you, e-mail me, and I will just forward you the e-mail that they sent me.

Remember that children should NEVER be allowed to access the Internet unless they are CAREFULLY SUPERVISED. Internet Safety is a bigger issue than I have room or time for today, but be careful out there in cyberspace.

Independence Day -- Developing Independent Learners

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:35:00 +0000

INDEPENDENCE DAY certainly got me thinking about how important it is to remember that the ultimate goal of parents and teachers should always be to develop INDEPENDENT LEARNERS. UNLESS, that is, you LOVED the CO-DEPENDENCE of doing homework together this past school year -- complete with tears and frustration!

Ultimately, while some colleges MAY accept student / parent enrollment, most employers aren't hiring employee / parent teams! So, developing the ability to learn efficiently and independently is a requirement for more than making the upcoming school year more pleasant for all. LEARNING is a LIFELONG ENDEAVOR!!!

IF you've been caught saying, "WE were up (late last / all) night (doing homework / studying for a test / finishing the science project)", then you have a learner who needs to get started on the"JOURNEY to INDEPENDENT LEARNING". Developing an Independent Learner is a Journey -- NOT an instant process. However, once you have committed to the ultimate goal of INDEPENDENCE, YOU CAN GET THERE w/ effective short term goals and a comprehensive action plan.

The first step is to figure out EXACTLY "where the learner is" right now. Since this is the JOURNEY to INDEPENDENCE, we need to know our starting point as well as our ultimate destination. At F-U-N-Training, I determine that "starting point" by identifying the learner's strengths and weaknesses using a proven and comprehensive evaluation / assessment process: the Structure of Intellect / Integrated Practice Protocol ( SOI / IPP ) assessments and training programs developed by Robert and Mary Meeker and proven in over 30 years of use. The SOI / IPP tools enable me to identify both strengths and weaknesses in 27 Cognitive skill areas as well as evaluate visual and auditory processing, and sensory motor integration skills. When a comprehensive assessment is combined with parent and student interviews / questionnaires, I have a detailed map for our "JOURNEY to INDEPENDENT LEARNER", and I am ready to serve as CO-PILOT for the trip.

If YOU would like a map for YOUR LEARNER'S JOURNEY to INDEPENDENCE, please contact me immediately. I have just a few assessment appointments left in August, and THIS is not a journey to postpone.

The next steps involve working with parents to develop an action plan and working with the learner's classroom teacher(s) and school specialists to make sure that the learner's CURRENT needs are being met. These plans usually involve BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, which is jargon to express the idea of rewarding the actions that we want to see more of.

We open the lines of communication with school personnel, so that we can track the learner's growth and make modifications to our action plan as necessary. While we may need accommodations to address CURRENT needs, our ultimate goal is always to REMEDIATE underdeveloped skills. True remediation / training of underdeveloped skills leads the learner to independence.

In future entries, we'll explore the use of Behavior Modification and how to develop a strong Parent - Teacher Partnership.

In the meantime, please check out my Parent Tips & Tools and Parent Resource List for lots of great learning activities your child could be doing RIGHT NOW!

Remember...
Learning is a Year-Round, Life-Long Endeavor!!!

Please Use Your Summer Learning Time Wisely : )