Every Moment, a Learning Moment: 

Make the World Your School!

For the month of November, I have the opportunity to travel to south India to assist a friend here on a Fulbright Scholarship, who is teaching at a women's college in south India. I'm seeing it not just as a chance to travel, but to get immerse myself in another culture and educational system.

The trip is twofold, consisting of actual touring of various parts of the country, then stay at Lady Doak College in Madurai, where I will be involved an entirely different approach to education.  I am learning first-hand about Indian foods (spicy!), very different cultures living side-by-side, the environment both lush and ravaged, multiple languages, terrifying traffic in an international adventure. I'm very excited, since I have a passion for knowledge and international understanding. 

There is so much we can gain from living life outside a school, noticing details, tapping into our natural curiosity. And in case you were wondering from the last blog--and didn't look it up:

autodidact |ˌôtōˈdīˌdakt|

noun

a self-taught person.

Each experience, sight, sound, discussion, meal, person that I interact with expands my mind and fascination with all things new. I always take the opportunity to learn more about anything that piques my interest to go deeper in understanding. 

For example, I am exploring the Hindu holiday Diwali--a festival of light in November/December. It is a celebration of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, end of the monsoon season, and the beginning of the Indian fiscal year. And as any good, traditional capitalist holiday, there are...STOREWIDE SALES!! GREETING CARDS!!

I've learned to tutor many subjects--statistics, physics, classical literature--that I hadn't learned in a thorough way, if at all, when I was younger. Sometimes I had no interest in them at the time, but over time I explore more and happily share/ learn it with my students (or anyone else who will listen!) 

“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.” --J.R.R. Tolkien

Principles of tutoring: Part 3. BE YOUR OWN TEACHER.

    How can you make education your own? Tutoring is an important piece of this equation. When you begin to think of learning as an ongoing part of your life, that infinite opportunities exist to expand your knowledge and intellectual curiosity, you move into an entirely different way of thinking about the world. Everyone and everything around can be your school in a way that brings much more meaning to life.
     I found, for example, that I was not only able, but very interested in learning the subtleties of algebra (yes, algebra) when I comandeered my own education and went about studying math. Not only did it come more easily than it had when I was younger (the wiring in our brains becomes more intricate and effective as we get older), I appreciated the theoretical level of math that I hadn't before. I'm sure it had a lot to do with choice, i.e., learning for its own sake instead of being told what to do. I also made use of resources such as peer-learning/tutoring, and finding ways to work that suited my own style.
   There is a term for one who learns things this way: autodidact. (Isn't that a great word?) It simply means a self-taught person; not necessarily one who has learned completely alone, but has followed her or his own interests and pace. Many brilliant people fit this term, and if you remain fascinated by the world, and undaunted by traditional schooling, you will find yourself creating your own brilliance in life-long growth.

have a look at the STES FB page..

[a brief break from this series] I keep a Facebook page for Susan Turner Educational Services. A bit more fun, opinionated, a few other things I like to share there. Have a look and tell me what you think.
Now back to our regular posts...

One to One: Part 2, Principles of Tutoring

I've always held that it's the personal aspect of tutoring, real tutoring, that makes it work.
There was a time, prior to free public education, that only truly wealthy folk could have tutors. This they did almost exclusively for an education. [Of course, you could get a doctorate in 4 years back then, too..just sayin'..]
Since then, we've had, and continue to have, the factory model of education: large, regimented groups of passive recipients of knowledge. This has been proven in endless studies to be one of the least effective ways to learn, as well as a wellspring of ADD problems, misunderstanding, and frustration for both teachers and students.
I don't wish to expound on the weaknesses of the mass-class system, nor do I disparage any of the hard-working people who do their best to make it effective. Heck, I grew up in a family of teachers, principals, and other public school workers. You all have my admiration, students, teachers, and administrators for making the best of an often-difficult arrangement.
I only wish to take this moment to strongly endorse an idea of individualized learning. This has been explored and practiced in various forms from time immemorial. My own high school experience was with a Carl Rogers-based curriculum which was way ahead of its time, and I found it inspiring.
On a more practical level, our present times call for more creativity within the confines of prevailing educational theory, budgets, and politics, just to name a few of the strictures.
This is where I believe professional tutoring can play a tremendous role. Professional tutors are very flexible, soundly based in learning theory, and can offer one of the key elements missing in standard education: human contact.
Though robots, online beings, self-teaching packets, etc. have been suggested as replacement teachers, an actual human being who can listen and guide and question specifically for the student, has no substitute.
Think about it: how you and people you know learn things, understand and think analytically (and with feeling) is the strongest foundation to the growth of your mind and being.

Tests, tests, and more tests

How do you prepare for a test? DO you prepare for a test? I'm still surprised by some students who don't have a fundamental plan for test and quiz prep. My theory is that they either think that if they done the homework they are ready. Or better yet, if they don't bring it up, the teacher will forget to give you the test. Well, of course these never happens, and all a passive approach will do is decrease the chances of doing well on a test. Using your time wisely will save you from rushed mistakes and peressure. Here are my top five test preparation strategies:

• Ask the teacher WHEN the test will be before they bring it up (unless they gave out syllabus which I find many high school teachers don't do)

• Ask WHAT will be on the test. Get as many specifics as possible. A study guide or practice test is ideal, but those aren't always offered either

• Ask HOW Long the test will be, and WHAT TYPE of questions (e.g., multiple choice, short answer, etc.) it will have.

• Set up a plan to study for the test, and not by just reading your notes. Include re-writing your notes, memory drills--a study partner is great for this), reviewing handouts and previous assignments.If you find there's something you didn't understand in the first place, get some help from the teacher or your tutor. It's way better to figure this out before you are sitting in front of the test staring blankly at the page!

• Spend at least 20-30 minutes a day for three or four days reviewing your materials, and make up some practice questions to quiz yourself. This should be enough time if you've kept up, since "cramming" doesn't work anyway.

You'll arrive rested and ready for your test if you follow these simple steps. Since tests often heavily weight your grade, you will see an improvement when you score well because your effective study plan. Good luck!