Ahh Summer! What a wonderful time of year. The grass is green, the birds are singing, trees are in full leaf, butterflies are aflutter…oh, and school is out! Students have been working hard for almost 9 months now; in the classroom grinding day in and day out, and outside of the classroom with homework, projects, book reports, essays, research papers, studying for tests, etc etc. Now it’s time for a little break. And I say “little break” with purpose, because I don’t know if you’ve heard, but summer is getting shorter every year (I know a lot of teachers). Time to kick back, relax, and enjoy days without having to wake up and go to school. Summer really is a great time of year; everyone just seems happier. Family vacations, days at the pool, staying up late, waking up even later, and no school! Successfully completing another year of school is a great accomplishment and does deserve some much needed time off; however, it is important that students mix in a little work with their play during the summer…
Staying Sharp
Do an internet search for “effects of summer on students.” You will find terms like “learning loss,” “brain drain,” and “summer slide.” These terms are referring to the negative effects summer can have on students IF there is no attempt at learning, during the time when children are not in school. It’s like almost anything in life; we have to continuously do something to ensure a certain level of quality. If you have ever tried to play golf, you know exactly what I am talking about. Think about when you take a vacation from work, even if it’s only a week. When you get back to work you feel as if it’s your first day to ever work there, and you have so much work to do to get back in the groove. Imagine being out of school for 3* months, and before you know it, it’s August again. It is extremely difficult to get acclimated to school and everything that comes with it, especially if there was no attempt at learning and staying sharp during the summer. As a parent it is so very important for you to make sure your child is mixing in some learning over the summer, putting forth an effort to become a better student for the upcoming school year. Find a balance between relaxation and stimulation.
Evaluate to Elevate
Children cannot become better students unless they discover their strengths and weaknesses and implement new strategies to achieve effective learning. Summer is a great time to sit down with your child and make a list of achievements and failures during the previous school year. Talk to your children and find out what skills they feel they lack. If your child struggled in certain areas of school, identify why and try to come up with a solution to those struggles. We have identified the 8 most important study skills for students today. After careful evaluation, we feel as if most students lack these skills, and it has been proven that when students learn these skills they are more likely to succeed in school. The stress of school in general is greatly reduced upon acquisition of these skills. We refer to these skills as systematic learning strategies. The first course in our course library is Student Self-Evaluation. This course is a great starting point as it allows students to identify which learning strategies work best for them personally, and which do not. Upon completion of this course, students will have individual strategic flexibility and their own personalized plan for success.
Now for the How
I urge you as a parent, to allow your child to complete our courses this summer in order to learn 8 very important skills. Our courses offer the type of learning needed for students to stay sharp over the summer. eLearning is great because it allows students to learn at their own pace in the comfort of their own home. Our courses offer a sense accomplishment; the motivation comes with achievement. The profound importance of these learning strategies serves as the driving force supplying the motivation of students to complete our courses on their own. When that light bulb goes off and students realize that stress during the upcoming school year will be greatly reduced, the smiles are involuntary. We use text, audio, worksheets, and quizzes to create an effective learning experience while building independent learning. Once you gain access to our courses, your children will be able to go back through any of the courses throughout the duration of the summer to stay sharp.
Take Us Higher Learning courses:
- Student Self-Evaluation
- Setting & Achieving Goals
- Getting Organized & Managing Your Time
- Improving Your Study Habits
- Reading & Taking Notes From Textbooks
- Taking Notes In Class
- Memory Strategies
- Preparing For & Taking Tests
Sit down with your children and identify which of these skills they are lacking, or purchase an All Access Pass to have access to all courses.
Exclusive Offer
Use discount code: summer at checkout for $15 off your All Access Pass.
*Discount only applies to All Access Pass, not individual courses.
Have a great summer!