Quiz Frequently and Provide Feedback

Whether quizzing is a graded assessment or looks more like a fun activity makes little difference. The key is to quiz the students several times before the unit test or exam. But quizzing is only half of the task. There must be corrective feedback if you want the review activities to improve their grades. Researchers, in a study* among seventh graders, found that quizzing students several times throughout the unit improved their grades when they […]

The Best Practice is a Diversified Practice

Variety makes everything a little more fun and a little less boring, but it also enhances memory. When it’s time for your students to focus on practicing skills or reviewing material for mastery, mix the content rather than blocking the content. Blocking content involves concentrating on one type of skill, rather than practicing multiple skills together. But when practice lessons intermingle assorted skills, the students have to engage in thinking that goes deeper* than activities […]

A School Performance Check-Up

Now that we are in the routine of the new school year, it would be helpful to evaluate some important aspects of your child’s school performance. It’s not too late to make some improvements that will make a big difference for the rest of the year. Answering these questions will help you evaluate your child’s performance and develop a plan to succeed this school year. Do you know how to communicate with your child’s teacher? […]

The Power of Modeling

Are you thinking of something that you would like your students to do a little better? Think of a way to model it. Imitation is one of the most powerful ways for solidifying behavior. Research on this has been done for decades, and it is related to Bandura’s research and formation of social cognitive theory in the 1960s. He found that students were more likely to imitate what they observed from an adult than what […]

Is Dual Enrollment Right For You?

Duel-enrollment has become an increasingly available option for juniors and seniors. Students can earn college credit while they are in high school by taking a class that counts as both a high school and college credit. Some students sign up for free courses (textbooks are not free or cheap) made available through their local community college. Many accredited Christian colleges offer online classes for college credit that should transfer to almost any college a student […]