Year Archive - 2009
Empire of the Word (Video)
December 21, 2009 Did you get a chance to check out the TVO program called Empire of the Word? It was a four-part series on the history of the written word (that Oxford Learning sponsored). To watch all four episodes online visit the TVO website. From the TVO website: Eight years in the ... more
Celebrate Real Understanding with Oxford Learning
December 18, 2009 Face it…anything worth achieving takes work. A lot of work. It takes sweat, time, commitment, and mental muscles. Whether learning to read or whether completing a really challenging essay, when something that you’ve been working on finally comes together—when the light bulb goes on—it’s really exciting. It’s worth celebrating! In ... more
Pick Up a Book and Pick Up Better Habits!
December 10, 2009 One of the easiest ways to keep young minds active during breaks from school is by reading. Reading books—in the old-fashioned, alone and quiet sense—does more than simply help to develop a strong vocabulary. Reading helps today’s media-saturated children learn how to unwind and slow down. Spending quality time with ... more
Keep Kids on Track During the Holidays (in One Hour!)
December 9, 2009 For many students, school breaks are an opportunity to relax, socialize, and sleep in. However, for parents, the time off from school may cause concern about how children will be filling their days. School breaks can be very disruptive to a family’s schedule—filling the hours is often a source of ... more
Games Keep Brains Sharp During the Holidays
December 7, 2009 Looking for board games to play over the holidays that won’t strain your pocket book? “What Did You See?” is a fun game that uses everyday objects from around the house. This game is a lot like Memory, but doesn’t use purchased cards with childish images, so it’s great for ... more
Five Tips to Keep Kids Learning On School Breaks
December 4, 2009 School downtime is often the time when good school habits start to slide. That’s why it’s important that students maintain their academic momentum during school breaks. Students can stay sharp with these five easy tips: Read a book together. Parents can help young children develop better reading comprehension skills by ... more
10 Tips to Keep Kids Safe Online
November 24, 2009 Media watchdogs, educators, and parents alike are concerned about the amount of time that children are spending online, their abundant usage of instant messaging (IM), and how the new technologies can and will affect their educational and social development. What appears to be the consensus is that children of all ... more
A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Understanding Report Cards
November 24, 2009 Early years—Kindergarten Through Grade Two From the ages of five onwards, children are learning to adjust to an academic setting. Report cards tend to report on student’s behavioral and social progress, such as how they are getting along with their peers, and whether they can stay focused on a task. ... more
Talk To Your Child About Report Cards: Ten Tips
November 23, 2009 Whether you are pleasantly surprised or very disappointed with the first report card, you’ll want to have a discussion about the results, both with your child and with the teacher. The report card postmortem is part of a larger support strategy that makes you an active participant in your child’s ... more
Five Tips For The First Report Card
November 23, 2009 Your child’s first report card will be arriving soon. Whatever the results, and whatever your reactions, remember that the first report card of the year is not the final word on school achievement. Chances are, your child will have some marks to cheer about and others that will cause concern ... more
Just say no to homework
November 20, 2009 How much homework is too much? For one Calgary family, the answer is any homework is too much homework. With two children—one in grade five, one in grade seven—the family was spending an “inordinate” amount of time doing what the father, Tom Milley, called busy work. So they signed an ... more
Making the Best of a ‘Bad’ Report Card
November 17, 2009 By Amanda Dervaitis, B.Ed. Your child has just received a disappointing report card. You may have known that your child was having difficulty, but did not realize the extent of their troubles. Or maybe you were hoping that this time it would be different, and he or she would do ... more
How to Talk To the Teacher About Your Child’s Report Card
November 15, 2009 After the important report card discussion comes the parent-teacher conference. It’s a key step in the partnership between you, your child, and your child’s education. Often, it can give you insights into your child’s behaviors and weaknesses—things that become evident when he or she is away from home and family ... more
Are Your Kids Tempted By Marshmallows?
November 12, 2009 The Marshmallow Test is designed to test preschoolers’ ability to prolong gratification. The gist is this: A researcher places a marshmallow in front of a child and leaves the room. The child is told that if he can wait for the researcher to return to eat the marshmallow, he can ... more
Tips To Implement at Home to Keep Families Healthy During Flu Season
November 9, 2009 When kids get sick, they miss school. And when kids miss school, they miss out on important learning opportunities, which can put them behind academically. To ensure that our kids get the most of their learning, every single day, they need to stay healthy. While we may not be able ... more
Ensuring Students' Safety During Flu Season
November 5, 2009 Oxford Learning has implemented company-wide policies during flu season to ensure that students remain healthy and safe while attending classes at Oxford Learning. “Our topmost priority is the health and well-being of our students,” said Nick Whitehead, CEO of Oxford Learning Centres, Inc. “At all times, we are committed to ... more
Study Group 101
October 14, 2009 Getting together as a group to study can be a very productive way to study. It can also be a great way socialize and procrastinate. So, before signing up for a study group, make sure that the group will actually be helping you study, not eating up valuable study time. ... more
Settling into the School Year
October 14, 2009 Early Years It’s more than a month into the school year. By this time, young students should be getting over their new-school year anxiety and starting to show excitement about the classroom, their teachers, and their new friends. A large part of the early years of school is social, including ... more
It's Not ADD; It's Childhood.
October 13, 2009 Have you ever asked Tim, your 5th grader, to bring the garbage out, only to trip over the bag halfway down the back steps? And when you go looking for Tim, you find that he’s engrossed in a computer/TV/videogame. So you ask him about the garbage and he simply says ... more
Agendas Are Better Than Memory
October 7, 2009 Quick, what was the last thing that somebody asked you to do? Can’t remember? It’s not easy to keep track of all the things that we’re asked to do in a day. That’s why it’s important—for young and old alike, student and non-student—to use an agenda. We’re bombarded with information ... more
5 Habits That Can Ruin a School Year
October 2, 2009 1. Oversleeping/Not Getting Enough Sleep. Students of all ages need a bedtime. Research has shown us time and again that during sleep, the brain files and stores information learned throughout the day. Just as oversleeping can wreak havoc on a morning routine, not getting enough sleep can seriously disrupt a ... more
Oxford Learning Celebrates 25 Years of Helping Children Succeed
September 18, 2009 This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of Oxford Learning. Oxford Learning was founded in London, ON, in 1984 as an after-school educational program designed to not only help children get better grades, but to help children learn to really understand and to get “it” once and for all. The original ... more
10 Tips to Handle Homework
September 11, 2009 Practical Tips for Everyday One of the simplest ways for students to develop in-class confidence is by being able to confidently turn in homework, completed and on time. But in order to accomplish this, students need a reliable homework strategy. When it comes to homework, a little organization and strategic ... more
Guide to Back-To-School Success
September 1, 2009 The Early Years For the younger grades, the back-to-school season can be very intimidating. New teachers and new surroundings can be upsetting to young students’ routines. There can even be separation anxiety. Whether young students have back-to-school jitters or not, parents can help young students feel relaxed and confident about ... more
Positive After School Hours
August 26, 2009 What does your child like to do in her spare time? Does he like to paint? Or read? Maybe she likes to play video games or practice soccer techniques. How your child fills his after-school hours can impact how he learns in school in both negative and positive ways. Your ... more
Help Your Child Develop Confidence
August 24, 2009 Techniques to help students succeed in the classroom These strategies help children of all ages develop the confidence they need to succeed, both in and out of the classroom. Set a Routine. School is a routine. The sooner that young children are familiar with a routine, the sooner they will ... more
Back to School Tip #5
August 21, 2009 For a Better Start to the School Year While it may still be summer, school will be back in session before you know it! Help your child beat the summer brain drain and start the new school year off right with a few small tweaks to your family’s summer routine ... more
Back to School Tip #4
August 18, 2009 For a Better Start to the School Year While it may still be summer, school will be back in session before you know it! Help your child beat the summer brain drain and start the new school year off right with a few small tweaks to your family’s summer routine ... more
Back to School Tip #3
August 12, 2009 For a Better Start to the School Year While it may still be summer, school will be back in session before you know it! Help your child beat the summer brain drain and start the new school year off right with a few small tweaks to your family’s summer routine ... more
Back to School Tip #2
August 7, 2009 For a Better Start to the School Year While it may still be summer, school will be back in session before you know it! Help your child beat the summer brain drain and start the new school year off right with a few small tweaks to your family’s summer routine ... more
Back to School Tip #1
July 31, 2009 For a Better Start to the School Year It may still be summer, but school will be back in session before you know it! Did you know that your child might be heading back to school at an academic disadvantage? It’s true; over the summer, students’ learning momentum can drop ... more
JDFR Walk 2009 Update
July 6, 2009 Thank you to all the supporters of the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes 2009. Special thanks to all the people who volunteered their time to organize the events. We surpassed expectations. Huron Perth $38,000 London $126,000 Thank you to all local sponsors and supporters: TELUS, Lifescan, Bayer, Medtronic, Animas, Lerners ... more
Let's Talk About Summertime!
July 6, 2009 Summer: it’s on everybody’s minds and lips now that school is out. It’s all we can think and talk about too! Here are just some of the summer topics that we’ve been talking about: What to do and what not to do this summer How to turn summer moments into ... more
Summer Learning By Grade
June 19, 2009 Early Years: Grades 1-3 Whether a child is heading to class for the very first time or a seasoned veteran of the third grade, the summer break is a great chance to introduce or keep a young student familiar with the type of structure that they encounter in the classroom. ... more
Summertime At Oxford Learning
June 16, 2009 May and June have been busy months. Here's a look at some of the events happening at Oxford Learning. Customer Appreciation Day We think everyone had a great time at the 2009 Barrhaven Customer Appreciation Day! Thank you to all who came out! Celebrity Server Night The staff at the ... more
Turn Summer Moments Into Learning Moments
June 16, 2009 Children don’t have to be in a classroom to be learning! In fact, some of the most important lessons in life are learned outside of school. That’s one of the positives about summer and time off from school—it’s a great opportunity to gather plenty of life experiences. In the summer, ... more
Preventing Summer Learning Loss
June 15, 2009 The last bell of the school year has rung—before the book bag is put away for the summer, take a few moments to take stock of this past school year. Did your child encounter any academic obstacles? Were there trouble spots? Unfinished projects? Homework issues? Summer is the perfect time ... more
Improve Standardized Literacy Tests Results With Help from Oxford Learning
June 12, 2009 According to just released results, almost a quarter of high school students in Ontario are not passing the standardized literacy tests that are given in grade 10. While that may seem like a shocking figure, if you look at it another way, more than three quarters of all high school ... more
Reduce Report Card Stress
June 5, 2009 By Michelle Brennan-Mann Q: Report cards are almost here and I’m worried that it might be too late to get my son on track. I don’t want to get upset about his report card, but I’m worried about his future! It’s natural to be stressed about reports cards—after all, report ... more
Do SAT and ACT Prep Programs Work?
May 28, 2009 The answer is no, according to a new report released last week from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The report criticizes common test preparation courses as costly, ineffective, and a poor investment. That’s good news for Oxford Learning! That’s because our SAT and ACT Plus™ Programs are so ... more
8 Tips for Better Studying
May 25, 2009 Get Organized. Avoid last minute cram sessions by using an agenda or calendar. Plan out a study schedule. Working backwards from the test date, allow plenty of time to review all materials. Review with a Pen and Paper. When reading over notes, write down all of the subject headings, subheadings, ... more
Studying Tips By Grade
May 22, 2009 Early years—Kindergarten Through Grade Two Though there’s not much need for studying during the early years of education, but these are the years that habits and learning behaviors are formed. That’s why it’s important that positive attitudes about learning are developed at a young age; a good attitude toward studying ... more
Tips for Easier Studying at Home
May 21, 2009 Turn your brain on before you study! Active studying is as simple as asking questions before, during, and after study time: What am I about to learn? What do I already know about this subject? How does this information fit into a bigger picture? Do I understand what I have ... more
Extra-curricular Activities – How Much is Too Much?
May 21, 2009 By Amanda Dervaitis, B.Ed. There are an infinite number of programs available to children these days that appeal to every interest in sports, music and arts to name a few. Hockey, Taekwon-Do, Girl Guides, ski club, art class, piano, skating; the list goes on and on. It is wonderful to ... more
Why We Need Sleep To Learn
May 11, 2009 By Amanda Dervaitis, B.Ed. We spend about one third of our lives sleeping. Besides being critical for good health, sleep also plays an important role in the process of learning. For the most effective learning to happen, experts suggest that we get at least eight hours of shut-eye every night. ... more
Students need a Gap Year?
May 7, 2009 Should students take a year off between high school and university? In Britain, a gap year—a year off between the end of high school and the beginning of university—has been a rite of passage for school-weary, under-experienced high school students. It is considered a way for students to spread their ... more
Reading World Record-Breaking Event
May 4, 2009 On January 27th and 28th 2009, in support of Family Literacy Day, Oxford Learning and ABC Canada teamed up to break the world record for “most children reading with an adult, multiple locations.” Thousands of children took part at events across Canada in schools, libraries, service clubs, and at Oxford ... more
Practical Literacy Tips
May 1, 2009 Practical tips for the everyday world to increase literacy and become a life-long book-lover Introduce books and reading early in life Play games involving letters and sounds Create a habit of reading—make it part of your everyday routine Read the same book together, or read separately, but at the same ... more
Understanding Literacy Stage-by-Stage
April 30, 2009 If you want your child to be an enthusiastic reader, then there is only one surefire way to make sure that your child loves reading…read together. If you want your child to become a reader you need to expose him or her frequently and continually to literature—of any kind. The ... more
Making the Grade
April 29, 2009 By Angela Marseglia, B.Ed., MA I often receive panicked phone calls at this time of year from parents who are worried that they have missed the boat on getting appropriate help for their child. Now that the winter holidays and March Break are behind us, they can see that the ... more
Reading Comprehension and the Classroom
April 28, 2009 After 25 years of working with kids, we know that most of the problems that young students encounter at school can be traced back to their literacy skills, and in particular, reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is the ability to read a sentence and understand its meaning. It is the ability ... more
Avoid Last Minute Project Deadlines
April 17, 2009 Q: My daughter’s project deadlines always seem to approach too fast, and we scramble to finish. What tips do you have to help us avoid the last minute scrambles? A: Forgetting projects and assignments or putting them off until the last minute is usually a sign that your daughter is ... more
Acing the Final Exam
April 13, 2009 By Amanda Dervaitis, B.Ed. While the spring weather is a pleasant sign that the end of the school year is just around the corner, it is also an indicator that the most grueling part of the year for high school students is close by. Yes, I am talking about dreaded ... more
Make Your Child An Avid Reader. Here's How:
April 3, 2009 If you want your child to be an enthusiastic reader, then there is only one surefire way to make sure that your child will love reading: read together. If you want your child to become a reader you need to expose them frequently and continually to literature—of any kind. Don’t ... more
Does your child know how to set goals?
April 2, 2009 Most students don’t know how to set goals for themselves. It’s not their fault—skills such as goal setting, time management, and organization are very rarely taught in school. Because of this, most students go about their day-to-day business, floating from test to test, project to project without much thought to ... more
Is Your Family Over-Scheduled?
March 27, 2009 How to schedule your family out of the stress. Busy schedules can be fun—keeping the pace hectic can be enjoyable for some; it can even be a sort of status symbol. But for most families, being overscheduled is simply hectic and downright stressful. Whether it is running from one errand ... more
Too Busy for School?
March 20, 2009 Is your family overscheduled? Sometimes it seems like time really isn’t on our side. Especially if you have the typical busy schedule of most families. From school to chores to soccer and dance practice to socializing and homework, sometimes it seems like kids’ days are so jammed packed that there ... more
Are First Year University Students Ill Prepared For University?
March 12, 2009 Listen to most university professors in the United States and Canada, and you’ll hear the complaint about poorly prepared first-year students. In Canada, University of Western Ontario Professors James Cote and Anton Allahar show that students today get higher marks for unworthy performance. “Today’s college freshmen continue to be academically ... more
High School Students Get Organized! Using A Master Schedule
March 4, 2009 In previous posts, we’ve looked at how time is one of the biggest issues facing high school students these days. Today, we’ll look at just one of the many ways that students can get their time management issues under wraps and get organized (which is a big step toward taking ... more
The Ego Boom
February 20, 2009 Everyone has changed, according to two Canadian authors of the book called The Ego Boom: Why the World Really Does Revolve Around You. Steve Maich and Lianne George argue that today we think much differently than we used to. Once upon a time we would ask for help from others. ... more
Hey High School Students! Now is the Time!
February 12, 2009 Time is one of the biggest issues for high school students—there just never seems to be enough of it! There’s not enough time for homework, family, chores, play, and sleep. There’s not enough time to get that extra project done and go to soccer practice, and not enough time to ... more
Better Grades are More Important in Tough Times
February 4, 2009 Tough economic times are afoot. Tough economic times means that we often tighten our belts and eliminate the extras…the luxuries are the first to go. The dinners out, the extra car, the added cable stations… Whether you are in Canada or the US, Europe or South America, the one thing ... more
Understanding Literacy and Your Child
January 20, 2009 Literacy. It’s a term that we are all familiar with, but what does it really mean? We all know that literacy is the ability to read and write. But literacy is also so much more than that… Literacy is Understanding Knowledge Fluency Capability Growth Success in life Literacy skills help ... more
