I had dinner with Robert Angarita (the founder of Cramster.com) and his wife the other night.

If you haven’t heard of Cramster it’s definitely worth checking out.  Their site does a great job of offering students homework help and the site is huge with over 120,000 active members.

It’s a great alternative or complement to tutoring because instead of meeting an individual tutor one-on-one, you can interact with subject experts in online forums and online study groups.  Subject experts (many of them professors) will answer your questions online instead of meeting in person.

For Current Tutors…

You may be interested in becoming a subject enthusiast on their site.  By answering student’s questions you can earn karma points to earn rewards (like Amazon.com gift certificates).  Some subject enthusiasts even obtain paid positions with Cramster.

For Current Students & Parents…

Check out Cramster’s pages for students or parents.  If you (or your child) are the type of student who might benefit more from online help over time as opposed to a private one-on-one tutor, then this could be a good resource for you.

Conclusion

Have you used Cramster?  What other homework help resources have worked well for you or your child?  Feel free to post a comment below with your thoughts.

Until next time, keep raising those grades…
Brian Armstrong
UniversityTutor.com

The following article appeared on Tim Ferriss’s blog and discusses a simple exercise to learn the basics of speed reading.

Speed reading is very real and can be a huge productivity boost in your homework if you can consume more material in less time.

Image source

Here is an excerpt (click the link below to read the entire article):

The PX Project, a single 3-hour cognitive experiment, produced an average increase in reading speed of 386%.

It was tested with speakers of five languages, and even dyslexics were conditioned to read technical material at more than 3,000 words-per-minute (wpm), or 10 pages per minute. One page every 6 seconds. By comparison, the average reading speed in the US is 200-300 wpm (1/2 to 1 page per minute), with the top 1% of the population reading over 400 wpm…

If you understand several basic principles of the human visual system, you can eliminate inefficiencies and increase speed while improving retention.

To perform the exercises in this post and see the results, you will need: a book of 200+ pages that can lay flat when open, a pen, and a timer (a stop watch with alarm or kitchen timer is ideal). You should complete the 20 minutes of exercises in one session.

First, several definitions and distinctions specific to the reading process:

A) Synopsis: You must minimize the number and duration of fixations per line to increase speed.

You do not read in a straight line, but rather in a sequence of saccadic movements (jumps). Each of these saccades ends with a fixation, or a temporary snapshot of the text within you focus area (approx. the size of a quarter at 8? from reading surface). Each fixation will last ¼ to ½ seconds in the untrained subject. To demonstrate this, close one eye, place a fingertip on top of that eyelid, and then slowly scan a straight horizontal line with your other eye-you will feel distinct and separate movements and periods of fixation.

B) Synopsis: You must eliminate regression and back-skipping to increase speed.

The untrained subject engages in regression (conscious rereading) and back-skipping (subconscious rereading via misplacement of fixation) for up to 30% of total reading time.

C) Synopsis: You must use conditioning drills to increase horizontal peripheral vision span and the number of words registered per fixation.

Untrained subjects use central focus but not horizontal peripheral vision span during reading, foregoing up to 50% of their words per fixation (the number of words that can be perceived and “read” in each fixation).

To continue reading the rest of the article you can click here.

If after completing the exercise you’d like to do a more thorough series of exercises over a month’s time, I’d recommend Peter Kump’s Breakthrough Rapid Reading.

I saw great results after going through the book, although one unintended side effect is that I found myself being much worse at proofreading.  I’d skim over material faster and completely miss small spelling or punctuation mistakes.  After learning to speed read, you’ll really have to force yourself to slow down for proofreading!

Have you tried speed reading?  What has been your experience with it?

There is some incredible research into how we remember things that is only recently starting to see the light of day.  It’s just starting to leave the laboratory and turn into practical tools that we can use on a day to day basis.

Case in point: check out this video demo for a new service called Smart.fm.

The science behind this is good, and I think it is going to be really helpful as we start to see more innovations like this come to education.  The public school system is going to be slow to innovate and adopt new techniques like this, but they can enter the private sector (like tutoring) much quicker.

If you create an account on Smart.fm you can generate study lists for your students (or for yourself) and see the effect right away.  Or if you are trying to study something for yourself outside of a classroom there are already hundreds of study lists available on the site (rated by other users).

By the way, this is the same sort of research done by Piotr Wozniak which was covered in Wired magazine recently.  I’ve included an excerpt below from the Wired article:

SuperMemo is based on the insight that there is an ideal moment to practice what you’ve learned. Practice too soon and you waste your time. Practice too late and you’ve forgotten the material and have to relearn it. The right time to practice is just at the moment you’re about to forget. Unfortunately, this moment is different for every person and each bit of information. Imagine a pile of thousands of flash cards. Somewhere in this pile are the ones you should be practicing right now. Which are they?

Fortunately, human forgetting follows a pattern. We forget exponentially. A graph of our likelihood of getting the correct answer on a quiz sweeps quickly downward over time and then levels off. This pattern has long been known to cognitive psychology, but it has been difficult to put to practical use. It’s too complex for us to employ with our naked brains.

Twenty years ago, Wozniak realized that computers could easily calculate the moment of forgetting if he could discover the right algorithm. SuperMemo is the result of his research. It predicts the future state of a person’s memory and schedules information reviews at the optimal time. The effect is striking. Users can seal huge quantities of vocabulary into their brains.

You can read the rest of the article here.

What do you think, will this be useful in education?  What techniques have you developed on your own to aid in studying the right material at the right time?

I stumbled across this free typing program recently, and it’s the best I’ve seen to date.  It’s not a “typing tutor” in the traditional sense of the word, but I think using a piece of software is actually better for this particular subject than using a traditional tutor (more on why below)

It’s called the Online Typing Tutor from TypingWeb.

As you can see it provides a nice diagram while you are typing to help you use the right finger, track your progress, and identify problem areas.  It also runs completely in your web browser so there is nothing to install.

If you’re like me you don’t use the full range of fingers for typing and this slows you down.  You can imagine the two extremes as being the “hunt-and-peck” method with your two index fingers (the slowest) all the way to using all 10 fingers on the right keys (the fastest).  Most of us are somewhere in between and need to get closer to all 10 fingers.  This program does a great job of helping you accomplish that.

What are the benefits of learning to type correctly?

• For students with messy handwriting this can be a crutch to turn in readable homework
• For students with dysgraphia or dyslexia using a computer can (sometimes) be a great help, especially with spell check to ensure proper spelling and learn correct spellings over time.  I personally find that spell check helps me learn correct spelling, and doesn’t discourage it as I’ve heard from others, but everyone’s experience is probably different.
• Perhaps the greatest benefit is that with some practice most people can type much faster than they can write by hand.  How much faster?  At least 300%.  From a productivity point of view, there is no reason you should ever write a homework assignment by hand ever again.  The exceptions are subjects like math and science which require diagramming and obscure symbols which are difficult to type.

You don’t have to create an account to try out Typing Tutor (just click “start typing” in the button right on the intro screen), but if you do it can be helpful because it will track your progress and identify which areas you seem to have the most trouble with.

It also provides with you a handy report at the end of each lesson (which range from very simple up to advanced) to show how you’re doing.

Occasionally people seek out typing tutors (the traditional human kind) to help them improve in this area.  It’s a subject which doesn’t lend itself well to tutoring well in my opinion.  The tutor can add little additional value after the first half hour or so, going over the basics and getting the student started on practice.  The real benefit comes from the student doing exercises on their own, and for that they can simply use a free program such as this.

Definitely check out the free Online Typing Tutor from TypingWeb if you or your students would like to start improving in this area.

What has been your experience with typing assignment versus writing them by hand?  Are there any other tools which you’ve found especially helpful?

Hat tip to Amber over at OnlineCourses.org for putting this resource together.

Who knew you could get a daily dose of education from Twitter.  This looks like a great way to integrate a little bit of learning into your day, and passively learn a subject over time.

http://www.onlinecourses.org/2009/08/19/100-best-websites-for-free-homework-help/

With all the buzz about Twitter being the latest source for breaking news, it may be easy to overlook the fact that Twitter is also a good place to look for information about the past. Whether you are studying history and want a little additional knowledge to support what you are learning in class or are just a history buff, then you will want to check out these Twitter feeds that offer all sorts of historical facts ranging from American history to European history to history of specific places or building to history of families to history in the making.

Continue reading…

Thought you might enjoy this video today on how school fits into our life, and how to not lose site of the real goal :)

Here is a link to the video if you if can’t view it below.

Today we have a question from a tutor:

Dear UniversityTutor,

I’d like to work on my profile to see if I can make it more appealing to potential clients. What are your thoughts on free/discounted trial sessions for students?

Sincerely,
Super Tutor

Dear Super Tutor,

A free first session is certainly one option, but I personally prefer offering a money back guarantee on the first session.  It eliminates the risk to potential clients and makes them feel more comfortable while still ensuring you are compensated for your time.

If you’re talking to a potential client on the phone you can say something like “this is really just a trial session to see if it’s a good match, if you don’t feel like you got what you wanted out of it then there’s no charge and we can part ways on good terms”.  This will make them feel much more comfortable about your price, and willing to try it out.  In my experience, you will almost always get paid after the first session using this arrangement and it will drastically increase the number of first meetings you get.  Any reasonable person will be happy to compensate you once they see you are genuinely helpful and know the material well.  In fact, the only time I didn’t get paid using this was when I really felt like I couldn’t help the person and decided not to charge them anything.

The first session really is just that, a test to see if it works for both of you.  You’ll make most of your money as a tutor from repeat business – students that you meet with week after week for months or years.  The first session is just to get your foot in the door and demonstrate that you know your stuff so that you can find a few of these students to be your regulars.

I personally think that every tutor should offer a money back guarantee on the first session, and display this prominently on their profile.  If you still aren’t sold on the idea, consider this: if after the first session a client is unhappy with how the tutoring went and refuses to pay, what are you going to do?  There really isn’t much you can do.  My point here is that you are ALREADY offering a money back guarantee, you just may not know it yet.  If the money back guarantee is there anyway, then you might as well display it up front and center, and attract some new business because of it.

Hope it helps!
Brian Armstrong

P.S. If you have a question of your own, feel free to submit it and it may appear in the future blog post.

When tutoring students I often face the problem of going over notes with them.  What’s the problem with notes?  Well, it’s a bit like the old game of “telephone” where one person tells another who tells another, and by the time it reaches the end of the line, the original message is incomplete or flat out wrong!

Hand written notes are often a poor choice of study material.  Let’s look at three reasons briefly.

Photo source

1. Lost in translation

When taking notes in a classroom you are often rushed and multi-tasking (listening and writing at the same time).  This means you are transcribing in real time.

Notes are like a first draft of an essay that you wrote all in one sitting with no backspace key on the keyboard.   It probably wouldn’t be a very good essay, and your notes aren’t a great explanation of the material either.  They are a rushed bumbling mess that you regurgitated onto paper as fast as you could.

Contrast this to the “original source” which is typically the text book or a hand out from the teacher.  It’s been through dozens of revisions, scrutinized by editors, etc.  Even if it’s not very good it’s a masterpiece compared to your notes.  It’s always more reliable to go to the “original source”.

Interesting side note: if the book or handout are incorrect, you can use this to your advantage when discussing your grade with the teacher.  If your own notes are wrong, you’re out of luck.

2. They’re written by hand

Hand writing is prone to errors.  You’ll often find yourself deciphering what you wrote, or unsure about certain words.  “What did I mean there?”  Your charts are crooked and don’t quite fit on the page.  Enough said.

3. When you’re writing notes, you aren’t paying attention

For some reason schools have ingrained in us the image of a student furiously taking notes who is trying the hardest.  But could that person actually be doing themselves a disservice?

This interesting article on how to study points out:

Imagine trying to transcribe the dialog of your favorite television program
as you watched. Not particularly appetizing is it? You’d “miss” the show while you were ‘watching’ it, right?

So why do you go to class and attempt to word for word transcribe the Instructor’s lecture? “Into the Ear, down the arm, out the pen, bypassing the brain”, is how one Professor described the behavior of his students.

Most students are not “there” when the information is being dispensed. They are playing the role of stenographers who have little consciousness of what they are writing down.

So when should you take notes?

In my view there are only a few times where it makes sense to take notes.  First, if the teacher is giving you something that is most definitely not in the text book.  A great example of this would be if they give you a list of topics which will be on the exam.  That would be a good one to write down!  Secondly, I think it makes sense if you can take notes in a very passive sense.  Jotting down a keyword, underlining something on a handout, or even writing right in the book itself.  Certainly nothing that would even come close to a complete sentence though.  If you find yourself getting into stenographer mode, step back and know that your mental energy is better spent on understanding than it is on transcribing.

Got a homework tip to add? Want to contribute an article to over 3,300 readers of this blog?  Click here for more details and to submit a post.

I recently stumbled across a new system of note taking on wikipedia which looks interesting.  It’s called the Cornell Note Taking System because it was originally developed and used by a professor there.

The basic idea behind it is to summarize as you go:

• On the right side of the page you take regular notes
• On the left side of the page you summarize main concepts on the right into a word or two
• At the bottom of the page you try to summarize ALL the topics on the page into a sentence

I can imagine this would make it easy to go back and study, reviewing the keywords on the left and sentence on each page.

But I think this might be effective for another reason: it boils down to the psychology technique of “chunking” (which is also discussed in our eBook, 10 Ways To Raise Your Grades By Studying Smarter, Not Harder).  The human brain isn’t good at memorizing more than about 7 similar items with any distinction.  But if you can group items, then you can remember 7 groups of 7.  Further grouping is basically endless.  This is the technique used by people in memorization marathons where they will remember a sequence of thousands of random 1’s and 0’s, or similar feats.

So what do you think, will it work?  Do any of you use this technique already?

Today’s guest post is written by Alexandra N.  You can view her tutor profile and inquire about hiring her for tutoring sessions in Spokane, WA by clicking here.

While studying and practicing can help improve test taking scores, there is something more important, especially for success on the SAT.  Because a large part of the test focuses on reading and writing skills, extensive vocabulary is a must.  This can be gained through practice.  There are lists of good vocab in SAT study books.  There are “word of the day” calendars and emails, and you can buy flash cards and study guides.  The best way to improve vocabulary, however, is to read.  By reading, I do not mean pulp, or Tom Clancy and Danielle Steel.  I mean classic books.  Authors like Dickens and Hugo can be difficult to tackle in any situation, especially six weeks before the SAT.  Even more fast-paced books such as The Three Musketeers and the Lord of the Rings Series (yeah, the books, seriously read them) can be difficult to get through.  The main point should be to focus on the vocabulary usage in the writing.

The chosen book should be by an author who really knows his or her English (for example, Tolkien was an English professor).  Fantasy and science fiction books, however, such as Tolkien’s or Herbert’s (Dune) are not the most appropriate because they may confuse some students with their made up words (character names, places).  Because of these, students with little experience in literature might confuse these made up words with real words or be unable to find good context clues.  For these reasons, works of historical fiction, biography, or simple novels would be better.  They provide normal writing structures, vocabulary, and experience in how English writing should sound (for proofreading skills).

To a recent tutee, I suggested reading “Twilight” after hearing my mother read it to my reluctant little brother.  She had to stop every few minutes to explain a word’s meaning or a metaphor to him.  Although the book does not have the most complex vocabulary, it does have the necessary depth to instill new words into a reader who is paying attention.  I suggested this book to the tutee because she, like many high school juniors, does not have much time to dedicate to reading.  For this reason, “Twilight” is appropriate because it is enjoyable, as well as being not too long or involved.

Although getting a student to read before the test to increase vocabulary skills is a good idea, the problem begins with the student’s education before his or her arrival in the junior year.  The lack of reading experience of good literature is the cause of this problem for students.  While catching up in the months and weeks before the SAT is a necessary object for students, they would be better prepared by reading in the years before the SAT.  Additionally, their vocabulary would be much improved if their parents read to them at a young age.

In summary, flashcards and rote memorization are often neglected by students studying vocabulary.  Reading is a great alternative that can be enjoayble and effective at the same time.