Year Archive - 2007
Academic Year Review: 2007, A Retrospective
December 11, 2007 Throughout the past year we’ve taken a close look at the educational topics that tie directly into the hot topics of the school year. Each month we looked at one topic that was relevant to what was going on in your child’s academic life—because even when school is out, learning ... more
Dealing with Teen’s Report Cards
November 21, 2007 It’s report card season. For parents of achieving students it’s a time to celebrate your child’s hard work. For parents of under-achieving students it’s a time that is not looked forward to. For parents of teens, it can be a whole other issue altogether. (see previous entry about how parent-teacher ... more
Parent-Teacher Interviews: A Cautionary Tale
November 12, 2007 With report cards on the horizon, parent teacher interviews are not far behind, which reminded me this unforgettable story that actually happened! This story is true—and hilarious. It was the week after report card cards and this father (names changed to protect the innocent and guilty parties) was scheduled at ... more
How to Get Your Kids to Read More
November 5, 2007 Ask any random group of kids about reading and they’ll tell you that it’s boring. Reading is old news—a holdover from a bygone era. Remember when children strained their vision reading by candlelight or by flashlight under the covers? Those classic images of childhood are relics. Kids today will more ... more
Communicating in the Digital Age
October 26, 2007 Sometimes, communication isn’t about talking or reading. Historically, icons—any sign or likeness that represents something else— were used to communicate a particular message. Icons are used in modern times too. Think Mickey Mouse or the Smiley Face, that famous yellow circle with a smiley face in it from the sixties? ... more
Board Games and Learning
October 18, 2007 In a techno-savvy world, it seems that old-fashioned board games have gone the way of the dodo. But before you put those old games out to the curb, you might want to reconsider the value of playing board games together as a family. Playing board games is more than just ... more
Techniques for the Classroom. Lesson 3: Test Prep
October 17, 2007 It’s the middle of the semester. Tests and midterms are on the horizon, which means more than a few afternoons, evenings, and weekends will be earmarked for studying. Solid study skills that help students to make the most of study time are not a natural skill—they are learned. Unfortunately, study ... more
Sleep Habits and Academic Performance
October 11, 2007 It’s Time to Lose Sleep Over Not Getting Enough Sleep So your kid wants to stay up an extra hour. Whether that extra hour is for TV, video games, computer time, or to complete homework, that lost hour of sleep can do more than simply make your kid grouchy the ... more
Techniques for the Classroom. Lesson 2: Note Taking
October 2, 2007 Why is note-taking in class important? In today’s technologically advanced times, class notes are often distributed by the teacher, or available online, even for elementary students. Taking proper notes in class is the first step to stress-free review and can make study time less arduous. With effective note-taking skills, a ... more
Child Not Making the Grade? Exercise is the Solution!
September 18, 2007 Forget the old battle about jock versus nerd. New studies are showing that the jock stereotype—all brawn, no brain—is completely wrong. In fact, the jock might just have a bigger brain than his more studious, less physical counterpart. New research shows that exercise can increase blood flow to the brain, ... more
Class Time and Learning Time
September 12, 2007 Does longer class time create better students? School is back in session! For the next 10 months children will spend the better part of their days being students—but how much classroom time is enough to ensure that our children are getting the best quality education possible? The amount of time ... more
Shyness
September 10, 2007 For many students, the return to school is something to anticipate and look forward to…maybe even get excited about. The night before, there may be butterflies in little and big tummies alike, but once feet enter the schoolyard and see friends and schoolmates again, the jitters disappear. For some kids ... more
Good Food Habits for School
September 5, 2007 You’ve packed their bookbag with everything that they’ll need to face the day ahead: pencils, markers, notebooks, and an agenda, but did you pack their lunchbag with everything that they’ll need to make it through the school day? Studies have shown time and again that children who eat breakfast do ... more
Techniques for the Classroom. Lesson 1: Paying Attention
August 30, 2007 It’s happened to us all before. You are in an important meeting. Someone is giving a presentation. A power point presentation starts, then, the next thing you know, everyone is getting up and leaving. You haven’t heard a word that’s been said. You were staring out the window, not paying ... more
How to Study: Stress, Noise and Study Habits
August 23, 2007 Studying for a test, scenario A: A student slouches on the couch in front of the TV, which is on. There is a cell phone open on the coffee table. The student also has iPod ear buds nestled in her lobes, a book propped open on her knees, which are ... more
The Dangers of Playing with Toys
August 15, 2007 Playing was good for your child’s health and development. Well, not anymore, and especially not if they are playing with the hundreds of mass-produced, foreign-made toys that can actually be detrimental to a child’s physical well being. Small, removable parts and toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process had lead ... more
Road Trip Games
August 7, 2007 Spring break is practically synonymous with long road trips. Whether you are heading to the beach, to camp, or to Grandma’s house, you’ll want an arsenal of tips handy to keep the kids occupied after the crayons are broken, after they’ve listen to their iPODS three time through, and after ... more
Harry Potter Book Magic for Kid’s Literacy
July 24, 2007 We’ve talked a lot about the importance of literacy on this blog and how traditional children’s leisure activities (like reading a good book, for example) are on the decline in today’s digital playground. That being said, children’s literacy scored a major victory this past weekend thanks to the release of ... more
Computer and Campsites: Camping in the Digital Age
July 17, 2007 Sand in your bathing suit, in your hair, in your sleeping bag…and in your keyboard? Camping, to this generation’s children, is not what it used to be. Camping has changed so much over the years that wireless connection is now listed as a basic service at many campgrounds across North ... more
Word of the Day
July 13, 2007 A good word to know, and a particularly relevant word today, is: triskaidekaphobia. Do you have this kind of phobia? You probably do if you are superstitious; triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13, or the fear of Friday the 13th. It just so happens that that is today’s ... more
Rudeness and the Teen: Strategies For Parents
June 22, 2007 The average teen can be rebellious, sullen, moody and mouthy. If you have a teenage child, then at one point or another they are going to talk back. Rather than being resigned to a life of rudeness, parents should arm themselves with some strategies for open and respectful communication. Anthony ... more
June 20, 2007 Staying au courant with the ongoing in your teen’s life can be challenging, especially since teens can be notoriously difficult to talk to. Short, one-word responses such as “nothing” is the norm to questions like “How was your day?” and “what’s new?” A recent article in the local paper told ... more
Letting them be kids again
June 19, 2007 Amid the welter of decibel-topping noise generated by violent and intense computer games, the Internet, TV and loud music shrieking from the stereo, I wondered whatever happened to a carefree childhood? As I watch my neighbors hustle their bleary-eyed children from competitive dance to nightly karate to little league and ... more
iPods not just for music anymore
June 13, 2007 “Mom, I need an iPod for school” If your child came home and told you that he needed an iPod for school, you’d probably be pretty suspicious. But this is just the sort of thing that your child may be telling you in the near future. Duke University has repurposed ... more
Exam Stress: Cheating on Exams - Part 2
June 6, 2007 In the first part of this series we looked at why students might cheat on exams. There is a lot of pressure to succeed especially in the higher grades as college or university looms near. But more than just pressure, if your child has been caught cheating on a test ... more
Exam Stress: Cheating on Exams - Part 1
May 31, 2007 The school year is coming to a close and for high school students that means exams. The inevitable fact of exams causes some strange behavior in students: they stress out. They freak out. They stay up all night cramming. They lose sleep. Sometimes they even cheat. Scenario: It’s 45 minutes ... more
'So You Think You Can Dance' Has Good Messages For Everybody.
May 23, 2007 Lately, one of my guilty pleasures is watching the reality show So You Think You Can Dance Each week, the contestants are taken out of their dancing comfort zone and made to learn new choreography in an unfamiliar style… with a partner they are unfamiliar with. In a limited time ... more
Brain Fitness Fads
May 16, 2007 Over the past few decades many public trends have focused on the body. There were fad diets: the Scarsdale diet, the Stewardess diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cabbage soup diet, South Beach Diet, Atkins, etc. And there have been plenty of exercise fads too: aerobics, spinning, weightlifting, pilates, hot yoga, ... more
How to beat the word NO
May 9, 2007 How many times have you heard the word no in your life? Probably quite a few. Maybe even hundreds or possibly thousands. Probably you are even guilty of saying NO. The thing about no, and not to put too fine a point on it—well, it’s negative. Nobody believed IBM and ... more
Media Literacy
April 25, 2007 Critical Thinking and Media Literacy Remember when you used to write in a journal that your aunt gave you for your 9th birthday? It had a miniature lock on the side and a tiny key that you kept hidden lest your sister find out that you had a crush on ... more
Summer Fun!
April 18, 2007 What are your plans to make this summer an educational one? Summer school? Day camps? Lazy days at the beach? Whatever your plans, these tips make your summer both educational and fun! Read, read, read! Read a book, a magazine, or a comic book. Talk about what you have just ... more
Let Your Kids Have Some FUN!
April 3, 2007 Childhood is in serious trouble according to Dashka Slater on Salon.com Consider the word FUN. Overly concerned with development, parents are sucking all the fun out of childhood. They say manners are fun! Brushing your teeth is fun! Homework is fun! And activities that used to be genuinely fun—building forts, ... more
Slang? Maybe Not Such A Bad Thing
March 20, 2007 Thumbs—they’re good for more than just hitchhiking. Teens these days do not use their thumbs for hitching rides on the side of the road. They use their thumbs to text rapid-fast messages to their friends on their cellphones. But, because keypads on cellphones are so tiny and typically thumbs are ... more
About Oxford - a video for parents
February 28, 2007 Our fabulous wordsmith Martina, who researches and writes our feature articles and blog posts, is currently recovering from surgery. Fortunately she is recovering well and will return shortly. If you are a regular reader here, please wish her well in a comment. I'm sure she would like to see it. ... more
Why can’t kids concentrate?
February 16, 2007 Did you know that studies show that in a single classroom more than 70% of children will have difficulties with focusing and paying attention? Seven out of ten; that’s an awfully high number. Do all these kids truly have ADD or is there something else going on? Consider our modern ... more
Study Tips for Exam Success
February 2, 2007 If your High School is on the semester system then most likely you have just finished, or are soon to be finished your final exams. I can remember cramming on my back porch for my Grade 10 Biology finals. (This is going back a while now; Quite a while.) I ... more
Education and Environmentalism
January 29, 2007 Toyota Canada is offering an Earth Day Scholarship to students entering their first year of post-secondary studies. If you are active in environmental issues in your community and are heading off to college or university next fall, you should check out this scholarship from Toyota. 15 students will win $5,000 ... more
School Systems not Keeping with the Times
January 10, 2007 An article in a recent issue of Time Magazine says that in a society filled will technological development, social change, and health care advances, one thing remains a shining beacon of the past: our school systems. “Today’s economy demands not only high-level competence in the traditional academic disciplines, but also ... more
