Does your child’s math homework cause painful-sounding groaning noises to emit from the homework area?

A new study suggests that those sounds may not be kids overreacting. Researchers at the University of Chicago suggests that the same brain areas are active in people suffering from math-anxiety as people who suffer from the threat of bodily harm, and in some cases, physical pain.

However, if your child thinks this is an excuse to avoid math homework like the plague, think again: the research shows that the brain’s response is to the anxiety, not the math itself. Therefore, once an individual puts an end to the math-anxiety and actually begins completing the work, the brain’s negative response ends. Ian Lyons, a scholar from the University of Western Ontario who helped with the study says,

“The brain activation does not happen during math performance, suggesting that it is not the math itself that hurts; rather the anticipation of math is painful.”

So maybe the cure for the pain math homework causes is actually do the unthinkable: sit down and do the homework!

To read more on the study about math anxiety and how it effects the brain, click here.

To learn how to lessen the stress when it comes to exams and homework, click here, or call your local Oxford Learning centre to ask how we can help.

There was an article the other day about how video games are actually good for your brain. They make it work better, improve hand-eye coordination, and help you make decisions. Take that, Dad!

I know that this doesn’t mean that sitting in front of the TV or computer for six hours a day is good, but a little gaming every day is okay. I like playing video games because they are relaxing, and challenging. I can that tell my brain is working. I like solving the puzzles, and learning new stuff, and video games help with that. I also really, really enjoy killing zombies, and where else can I do that but on my PS3?

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever left studying to the last minute, then stayed up too late, trying to review as much material as possible.

Keep your hand up if you’ve ever been reviewing your study notes right up to the last second as you walk into the classroom.

Cramming is a study technique that we are all familiar with. And despite what teachers and parents say, it’s one that has actually been proven to have a beneficial outcome for students.

Cramming is even a recognized study habit, with universities providing how-to guides for students to maximize their minimized study time.

If you MUST cram, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

But we’re not saying that we condone cramming tips. While we do support the getting of better grades, in the long run, cramming is not the best way to go about it.

In terms of what’s going on in the brain, the neural connections being formed during the cramming process are temporary. All of the information being stored is in the short-term memory. So while cramming can help you rock that test tomorrow morning, when it comes to long-term remembering, it’s utterly useless.

That’s because in school, learning is incremental. Students need to remember—and understand—the material they study, because lessons tend to build upon what was taught previously. Learning only for the test is not helpful when considering what will be taught next year, or the year after that.

After all, you can’t perform quadratic equations if you can’t remember how to multiply.

It just makes sense that students take the time to learn and understand the material.

The best way to study for long-term recall is with a technique that experts call the “spacing effect.” This technique doesn’t require longer or more intensive studying: it simply means that students space out their study time. An hour here, and hour there, makes for a more effective—and long-lasting—approach to studying.

When it comes to education, better grades on the next test are important—and cramming can get you there—but better grades quickly are not as important as developing solid study habits that won’t leave you stressed and scrambling at the last minute.

And, better grades quickly are not as important as putting in the time to develop real and lasting understanding.

To sum up:

Cramming PRO: A quick way to review material and re-familiarize yourself with concepts to get a decent—even awesome—mark on a test.

Cramming Con: Reviewed material leaves your head as quickly as it’s stuffed in there.

The first weeks of school are critical: the habits that are formed during the first weeks can follow students—and parents—for the rest of the school year.

Now that school is back in session, ensure that students are on track and hitting the important milestones with this checklist:

1. Communicate with teachers
Don’t wait until the first report card to find out that things are off-track. Take 10 minutes to chat with the teacher about progress and nip any problems in the bud.

2. Do homework, even when there is none
Homework is school inevitability, the sooner students learn good homework habits, the less of a struggle it is. Do homework at the same time every night, even if none was assigned. There is no such thing as no homework, ever.

3. Use agendas
Agendas are the number-one school organizational tool. Students should be writing homework, assignments, and to-do lists in their agendas everyday. If schools don’t provide agendas, purchase one—it’s that important.

4. Talk about school
School is a major part of kids’ lives. If they are unwilling to discuss their day, something may be amiss. Talk to kids about their day and have an open dialogue about school and learning challenges.

5. Watch frustration/stress levels
Between learning new subjects and balancing homework, chores, and social lives, it can be easy for students to become overwhelmed. This can be very de-motivating and can lead to a drop in grades, and bad attitudes about school. Get help as soon as it’s needed.

6. Keep an eye on procrastination
Leaving work to the last minute/not wanting to do work is a sign of poor organization skills. Last-minute rushing means poor preparation and poor grades.

7. Forgetting work
A red alert of poor organization skills, forgetting work, misplacing assignments, or losing textbooks is a sure sign of an off-track student. If students are showing signs of disorganization, get help as soon as possible.

Bonus Tip! Get in the habit of opening and sorting through book bags right after school. Students should come home, open the book bag, take out lunch boxes, and place their agenda on the table. After a snack, or chores, open the agenda and get to work!

Check out our printable version!

No matter what the date on the calendar says, one thing is always true: university application deadlines are approaching, and they are approaching FAST. There may be various application processes and deadlines across Canada and the US, but one thing is always the same—applying to college or university is competitive and stressful! So, with that in mind, we’ve complied 8 tips for stress-free college and university application.

1. Don’t know what you want to study? Don’t worry! A general arts and sciences program is a great way to get a better feel for what your interests are. Colleges and universities have departments in place to help you make the best decisions for you. Be sure to take advantage of these resources—that’s what they’re there for.

2. Pick up the phone. Haven’t heard anything yet? Wondering if your application was received? If possible, find out the expected date when acceptance letters will be sent out to reduce waiting-related stress. Call the registrar’s office. Remember that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Getting answers is better than the stress of wondering.

3. Submit before deadline. Different schools have different regulations and deadlines, but applying before the deadline never hurts.

4. Have a plan/Do your research. Talk to guidance counselors and friends. Request catalogues, visit campuses, and join university and college social media groups. Even after you’ve applied, keep researching and continue to find out as much about the school, the campus, and the departments as possible.

5. Be realistic. If you have a 70% average, applying to schools that have an 85% acceptance averages is not the best strategy. If you know the school’s acceptance averages beforehand, and applied to schools in your range, your acceptance chances increase, which decreases stress levels.

6. Be organized. Keep track of submission dates and expected offer dates. Use an agenda or wall calendar. That way, you’ll know when to start watching for those big envelopes in the mail! Keep all your required submission materials such as student records, essays, and other forms in one place in case you need to refer to them later.

7. Have a back up plan in place. This is not negative—it’s realistic. Didn’t get in? Money fell through? What’s your plan B?

8. Breathe! Once the forms are submitted, relax. Take a deep breath. Take a night off. Then get back to work! High School isn’t over yet and there’s still time to pull up your average and increase your chance of admission!

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 throughout our day. Studies have shown that the short-term memory is capable of holding roughly 4-9 items, and only for a short period of time.

So don’t rely on your memory. Write it down. That’s why schools hand out agendas to students. It isn’t to doodle in during a boring lit class. It’s to keep track of assignments, homework, social activities, birthdays, and tests.

It’s there so that students don’t have to rely on imperfect short-term memory.

Students receive a lot of information during each school day. Using an agenda helps them sort, categorize, and remember that information.

Whether they realize it or not, and agenda helps students develop organization skills. It helps them to keep their priorities in order. It even helps them learn how to prioritize their responsibilities.

It also helps to reduce stress.

The trick, however, is to actually use it. The agenda can’t just stay in the locker during class, or in the book bag after school. To be effective, students need to make using the agenda part of their daily routine.

Oxford Learning has a great program that helps students learn how to use an agenda effectively. The “Get Organized Bootcamp” helps students learn to use an agenda, take notes in class, manage projects, and set goals.

Ask your local Oxford Learning about the “Get Organized Bootcamp.”

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 card time is recognized as one of the most stressful times for families. For parents, poor grades are a source of concern and worry—is their child facing an educational roadblock that could put dreams and plans for the future on hold? Or even worse, eliminate the future possibilities altogether?

Before you let report card stress take over, remember these five things:

1. Make sense of what the report card is really telling you. Read the comments written by the teacher. These comments can give you a better idea of how your child is performing overall.
2. Attend the Parent-Teacher Conference. The teacher has spent hours a day observing your child in the classroom. Often, they can paint a better picture of where your child is headed academically.
3. Put it in context. Some school years are more challenging than others. Certain grades are transition years, and are more challenging for students.
4. Talk it over. Have a report card chat with your child. But first, take some time to read the report card by yourself. Identify the subjects that are the biggest concern and address those concerns when you sit down together and go over the report card. Remember to remain calm—you and your child are allies in education, not enemies.
5. Take Action Now. A bad report card can be a serious roadblock to opportunities for the future. But it doesn’t have to be. Just because the school year is out doesn’t mean that you have to wait to get help. The summer is a fantastic opportunity to make impressive academic gains and get back on track.

Thanks to contributing author Michelle Brennan-Mann. Michelle has been working as part of the management team at the Barrhaven Oxford Learning Center in Ottawa for the past 6 years. Her background is in special education and her passion lies in helping kids see success. For more information about report cards, or about how we can help your child reach their highest potential please call 613-823-1300.

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 to the next, sometimes it seems like there isn’t enough time to say hello to one another let alone spend quality family time together or to get to the things that we need to do like calling the plumber, or homework.

But what can we do if our schedule is too busy?

Well, we can use a master schedule to help us identify our fixed and variable activities. And we can then use that schedule to ask ourselves some questions about how we are using our time and why.

Ask:

• Are we trying to do too much?
• What are my family’s priorities?

Sometimes taking a hard look at our schedules can reveal some interesting things about our day-to-lives and the choices that we make. It can also help busy families regain a sense of control over their hectic schedules.

Tip of the Week

Cut out some of the clutter that takes up your family’s time. Create a household rule for TV viewing and for computer use/sending emails—both notorious time consumers and major distractions for children who have homework!

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 isn’t even time to think.

Unfortunately, the one thing that seems to get dropped off the schedule the most often is schoolwork.

That’s why it’s important to keep track of the day-to-day responsibilities. Whether you use a master schedule or another method, getting a busy lifestyle sorted out is a surefire way to help calm the stress of a hectic daily routine.

When it seems like there just isn’t enough time, one way find some extra time in your schedule is to identify the fixed activities and the variable activities.

Fixed activities are regularly scheduled activities such as school, team sports and activities, dinner, after school jobs, and bedtimes.

Variable activities are not regularly scheduled, but occur frequently such as going to the movies, dinners out, group projects, special events.

Generally, the fixed activities will outnumber the variable activities. This is good because a fixed schedule

• Lets you see at a glance where you have room for variable activities
• Lets you better understand your time commitments

While it is good to have an active, busy life, there must be room in the schedule for school and enough time to complete homework.

A too-busy schedule often requires some re-jiggering to ensure that the important stuff such as homework—and the other stuff too—gets done.

Tip of the Week

Is your family overscheduled?

1. Use a master schedule to identify your family’s fixed and variable activities.
2. Get kids involved by asking them to help identify what activities are the have-to-do’s and which are the want-to-do’s.
3. This process will help your family recognize where there is free time and where you are trying to do too much and is a great way to reduce the stress of a hectic schedule.

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 control of that next report card!) by using a master schedule.

A Master Schedule gives the big picture of daily activities and allows planning of daily activities at a glance. Master schedules can be anything from a chalkboard to a blank page.

Their purpose is to identify both fixed activities—those things that happened all the time: school, homework, chores, catching the bus, eating, jobs; as well as variable activities—those activities that don’t occur all the time but still crop up: group assignments, extra-curricular activities, parties, extra credit projects, etc.

How To Create A Master Schedule:

1. Using our master schedule (pdf) fill in your daily fixed activities. This makes the free or variable time more easily recognizable.
2. Fill your school and work schedule
3. Highlight the free blocks of time (if any)
4. Schedule your variable activities using the highlighted areas

Tip of the Week

Use a master schedule!  It’s a great way to help teens to understand the “Big Picture” of their day-to-day life, responsibilities, and free time at a glance.