Adding Khon academy to tutoring

I am tutoring a new student who wants to learn.  I think the Khan Academy can be done at home to help the tutoring go faster.  I like the Khan Academy because they use the color and clarity of teaching. I am working on finding the holes in the student's learning so we can fill them.

Thank you to Ted for correcting my writing

When I write I am often so excited about the success I am seeing that I do not get the sentences or spelling correct.  Those that know me know I cannot spell anyway.  My husband, Ted, checks my sentences and spelling. So when you see a mistake, I have sometimes written in the early morning and not had him check it. He was sleeping. He needs a big thank you.

exercise ball and personal helper for a struggling child in Bible Class

Janie, I have a wonderful little boy in Bible Class.  He is so disruptive, I cannot teach.  He wants to learn and I want him to be able to stay.  What can I try?
What a wonderful teacher!  She also has lots of energy.
My husband suggested a cinder block on his head.  Too often this is the suggestion.
I suggested several things that took too much room or time.  I asked if she had an exercise trampoline.
She was willing to go buy one.  Finally, we came up with two ideas to try.  One was to have a teen in the congregation be his personal helper. The other was to have him sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair.
The teacher called me and said that these two ideas helped.  She is also going to refer him for tutoring.
How exciting to have a teacher willing to look beyond the busy in a child.  She looked at his heart.

Working with a struggling reader, Reading one sentence at a time, Checking to see if the eyes trace smoothly

Someone wants to read and is making the effort to learn.  Too often this student is told he or she is just not trying hard enough or they are lazy or any excuse to blame the student. If this is not the excuse the student is just too immature to learn.  If the student is young the immature label will work for a little while. We expect children's eyes to develop earlier than the eyes can or will in our country.  

I have had too many parents tell me their child just does not try.  I know of very few children who are not curious about things around them.  Often adults wish the children had less energy because they get tired of answering questions. Then the child goes to formal school and they are lazy.  No, they are not lazy. They need to be taught in a different way with more movement than our schools allow them to use. 

I am working with a junior high student who wants so much to pass the test, they get physically sick when it is time to take the test.  

I am doing two things to check this out. First, they read one sentence and then I read a sentence. Second, we discuss the story as we read it.  Guess what? There is a reading comprehension issue.  I had them lie down under the hanging ball and follow the ball with their eyes.  Their eyes do not track smoothly. When the eyes jump following the ball, they also jump when reading and miss words. I have them follow the ball in each direction 2 or 3 times including diagonally and in a circle.  This can be very tiring. I tell the student to close their eyes if they began to hurt so I will know.  

It is easy to hang a ball at home and have the student lie under the ball.  Have them gently hit the ball and you watch their eyes as they follow the ball. I have them alternate hands as they hit the ball. Warning: it is fun to hit the ball too hard so insist on gentle hitting to avoid getting hit yourself. Also for safety use string that will break if a younger child gets tangled in the string.  One person was going to use wire so it would not break. They were not thinking of the danger it could pose.

Thankful for a good example

 Today is a day to be thankful for being allowed to have Aunt Pauline in my life.  Today is also a day to be a little sad that someone who made this world a better place is gone.  She will be missed by those who knew her.  She lived a long and good life.  We could not ask her to stay longer as she was tired and ready to go.  May we make a difference in the lives of those we come in contact with the way she made a difference in our lives. Thank you, Aunt Pauline for the example of love and kindness you provided as a wife, mom, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. You will be missed. Hopefully we can honor your life by taking the example you gave us and sharing a little of your kindness, love and wisdom with others that enter our lives.

Balance Board Ball Bounce

The balance board ball pattern bounce is again done to help with balance and patterning. I start with just one ball the first time. I bounce the ball with my right hand and the student or learner catches it with their left hand.  Then the ball is transferred to the right hand.  Then the student bounces the ball with his right hand for me to catch with my left  hand.  If the student does well at this, I introduce a second ball and both the student and I bounce the ball to each other at the same time.  The goal is to use 4 balls at the same time.  I use two different color balls. I also say things like I am good at math or spelling and etc.  When a student struggles in school they have taught their brain how dumb they are. I often use the statement I am good at tests and I like tests.  At first the balance board does not stayed balanced as the student repeats the statement.  As the student practices the statements and balls patterning the student learns to balance and believe in themselves. Once the student masters the direct front position then I move to each side of the board to use a different part of the brain. This can take several sessions as success is in an enjoyable way is the goal instead of tiring the student. This is also used in repeating math facts or anything else that needs learned.

Tulsa Bassoon Bonanza Camp and concert, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

This past week a niece from Texas stayed with us so she could go to Bassoon Bonanza Camp.  Each day she went to the Tulsa Jazz Hall of Fame.  Monday night, there was a concert by the teachers and Friday night there was a concert that included the students. I did not realize the range that bassoons have. We enjoyed the new experience.

Catoosa, Ok Tulsa Port of Catoosa Museum field trip

This has been a fun busy week.  This week we did a field trip to the museun at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. We looked at the demo of how the lock and dam system works.  We also looked at how
the waterway runs from here to the Mississippi River in New Orleans.  We drove around the port to see how the port worked so the concept of commerce was explained. One child put away her cell phone so she could learn.  This was probably because I would not give up and saying look and explaining why something works or asking my husband to explain it.  Next we drove to the lock and dam south of Inola.  They did not have any traffic, so this did not go as well as planned.

Real Money

People need to use read money to understand money.  Pictures of fake money are fine if the student understands the concept.  Too often the understanding is delayed because our society does not handle real money.  We use checks or debit or credit cards.  I have students count money and then teach them how to count money back.  An example of this is when we decide how much our watch (for example) cost and pretend to buy it.  I give them change and then have them buy the watch.  If they have ten dollars in change and the watch is $8.55, how much money do they need to give me.  When they give me ten dollars. I hand them the watch and count back to them two dimes and a quarter. This is 8.65, 8.75, 9.00 and another dollar for 10.00.  I lay this out on the table and we discuss how this makes 10.00.  We will use this with only a couple of items each tutoring session to avoid flustration.  I also show them how they could receive back other conbinations.  An example is 4 nickles and a quarter or all nickles and other changes.
I also use a handful of change and have them count it into stacks of a dollar and then count the stacks and the left over change.  I let them know this is how the banks count money.
I also have several 50 cent pieces and silver dollar size pieces.  I do not use the newer dollar pieces as they are too easily confused with quarters by struggling learners.

Scraves

I like to use bouncing balls better than scarves.  Scarves are another fun way to encourage balance.  I mostly use the scarves when I have a student, usually boys who do not control the balls.  Throwing balls as hard as you can is fun but is not going to help with balance and control inside a building.
Also young children like to toss the scarves and chase them.  This is a fun activity that help coordination.

MathUC Blocks

I used these blocks this week to show a student how counting by 12's has a pattern and it is easy to figure out the counting pattern.  This helps show how orderly math is.  Often these help a student figure out how math fits together.  Some students will not use this once they understand the concepts until they are stuck in math again.  I as a tutor just need to remember to use them when needed by each student as the student needs them. I also used a paper and pen to show how this shows up on the paper in math class and life. I always try to show how this skill or information is needed in life.

Monkey Balance Board, Mardel's

My daughter in law was in Mardel's and found a Monkey Balance Board.
This is a small balance board for 3 years and up.  It is smaller and has a monkey painted on it.
It was about 25 dollars.  This is a great gift idea to help children develop their balance skills while playing.
The toy is made by ALEX. www.alextoys.com is the website.

Rocket Phonics, Visual Phonics

This has been the best phonics program for me to use.  I tried 8 others before I found this one.  The other programs help some people but this one works for me.  One reason is that I do not hear the different sounds because I was not taught phonics as a child.  Visual Phonics is also another excellent program.

One reason Rocket Phonics works for me are these two cards.  I do not hear the difference between e and i with the other phonics programs except for the Visual Phonics.  I still have to work hard to pronounce many of the sounds.  When I say them wrong the kids still seem to get the information correctly with the cards.  The book also has stories written in blue print which helps those new reading learners.

Number Balance, hands on learners

 This is a fun tool for a student that needs to touch things to learn.  I use it for addition and substraction.
It is a popular toy or tool.  Here is 8 plus 2 equals 10 or put the 10 on first and then the 2 and ask what number is left when you start with 10 and take away 2.  Again it is back to balance. When the problem is correct the tool or toy balances.

Number Ball Toss, Balametrics, Balance Board and Number Board, Test taking

This is an example of how I use the Number Ball Toss.  It uses the balance board and the number board.  The ball is tossed or aimed at each number on the board. The numbers are not in 1,2 3 order. Often the learner moves his foot to retain balance and that again is good compensation. Then the feet are moved back to a balanced position. This is important as the eyes and body have to use patterns to read and to learn math.
At first the ball often will not go where it is aimed. As the student becomes better at this the ball will hit the number intended. This is another item from Balametrics. The ball is tossed with one hand to the numbers 1 to 9 and then 9 to 1. Then the other hand is used to toss 1 to 9 and 9 to 1.  Usually one hand or the other hand is better but as the student progresses this even out.  I encourage students to continueto the next number instead of thinking they have to hit each number perfectly.  This also helps with test taking as students need to finish the test not freeze when they come to a problem they do not know.
Yes someone has to chase balls sometimes.

game night, how can I help my child discussion, working together to help others learn

I went to a game night of some friends and family.  After the game, the women were visiting.  The conservation turned to how to help some of their children learn.  I did not start this conservation.  How long are we going to play the blame the child, parent or teacher game?  I think many more children, parent and teachers want the children to learn than are given credit.  Instead of blaming we need to learn to work together.

explaining fraction dominos game, is the tutor or teacher smart enough to teach me

This week I was tutoring a 6th grader for the next school year.  I have worked with her for some time now.  Her improvement is exciting.  We are working on her fractions. We are using the fraction dominos and
today I supplemented the game with circle fraction tiles.  She was have difficulty with the question why 3/6 is the same as 4/8.  When I showed her with the fraction tiles that the half tile is the same as the 3/6 and the 4/8, she understood how to play the game match.  I used two half pieces and put the smaller pieces on top of the half pieces. This is a child who needs to see what is being explained and then she flies again until there is something else she needs to see to understand.  Sometimes, I need to try a few times to figure out how to show her what I am trying to teach.  This does not mean just repeating the same information I just gave her in the same way.  It means figuring out a different way to show the same information.  This is an example of am I smart enough to teach this child this concept.

Test Taking Skills, Discovery Toys

I use these Discovery tiles and books to help with test taking skills.  It is a fun way to teach reading and following directions for homework pages and test taking.

Mom turns 85, Family discussion about learning

This weekend my husband and I were able to go to the 85th birthday party of my mom.  It was an exciting time.  Thank you to those who worked so hard to put things together, especially my niece Tammy. There are 5 siblings in my family and we were all able to be there.  This does not happen often.  I saw nieces and nephews and their children that I do not get to see often.
The discussion after the cake was about helping children learn.  There was discussion about our own children as well as those we know and love that are not our own children.  I think there is more concern about the children in this country from families that care than the news shows.  So often we only see the negative about families on the movies and television.  There was a good exchange of ideas from many moms and grandmothers.
I would share some pictures except we were so excited to visit and see one another no one thought about taking pictures.

The Balance Board from Balametrics

A child has 100 percent to learn with.  When a child or adult has to use part of their time or ability to remember to balance or sit still, then the 100 percent that is needed to learn is not available.  Many people especially young children need to move to learn.
I have students stand on the balance board with their feet balanced on the board.  The boards are numbered so the student can see that their feet are in the same place on each side of the board.  As the student improves their balance the board difficulty can be changed.  If a child or adult moves their feet to keep from falling that is good compensation.  The goal is to keep from falling.  Then the feet are moved back to a place of balance.  These boards can be found and bought under Balametrics. There is an entire course for home use sold as a set with a Dvd on how to use the boards and other equipment.
These boards helped me with some balance issues following a serious car wreck as an adult. I moved a small couch behind me so I would not fall to the floor as I worked on my balance.
I have students balance as they toss balls back and forth to me as they are learning.  An example is saying their math facts or counting by 3's, 4's and so on.