Sample Letters For Networking - Helping Students Find Your School

Sample Letters For Networking - Helping Students Find Your SchoolSample letters for networking are powerful tools that anyone with a passion for making connections should use in order to enhance their relationship with their tutoring business. In today's highly competitive education marketplace, people who are going into business with students will need to make a connection. That means building and maintaining a relationship with a client before you can build a relationship with that person's school.To be sure that they're able to compete with other prospective schools and attract students, institutions are placing greater emphasis on recruiting new students. One of the ways they accomplish this is by getting their name and logo out there in the news media.Local papers are more likely-interest items than they were just a few years ago. Media outlets such as CNN, CBS, NBC, FOX and the like are showing more interest in schools and their student populations. These networks feature stori es about schools and their students.But what's really interesting is that these various news outlets that feature these stories are all using the same letter formats and including the same format of one to three paragraphs and one to three bullets per paragraph. They are always written by someone who knows and respects the institution. This is one way they help students find their way to your school.When it comes to creating and printing press releases, it's important to understand that the most effective ones include a cover letter that highlights why the school and the company are the best match. A positive letter of recommendation from a close friend or family member is the most important piece of information that you can include.The letter that you use in conjunction with your press release should contain two types of facts. The first fact you should highlight is that you are the only person you know who has successfully handled the kind of work your school is required to do. Se cond, you should highlight how your tutoring business will help your school with its specific education needs.Finally, it's vital that you consider the end of your press release. Writing a letter that uses both facts and a testimonial about how your business will help your school can have a powerful impact on potential clients. It's important to remember that a well-written letter can influence an individual to make a decision to attend your school.

Family Vacations Worth Remembering

Family Vacations Worth Remembering Family vacations provide us with some of our fondest and most enduring childhood memories. As a parent, you want to create vacations that are full of fun, laughter, and family bonding. But, when one or more of your children has ADHD, making this vision a reality can seem daunting. Sibling conflicts, emotional outbursts, impulsivity, and hyperactivity can make road trips, flights, hotel stays, and activity-filled days especially challenging. With some planning and specific attention to the needs of your child, successful summer vacations are possible! Follow these tips to get started. Have realistic expectations. Family vacations do not need to be perfect in order to be great. Often the pressure to make special memories and enjoy every moment of a hard-earned vacation makes families less tolerant of irritable moods and disruptive behavior. Remember that kids (and parents!) will have bad moments during vacation just like they do during the rest of the year. Try to remember that these moments will pass and will not derail the rest of your vacation. If bad moments are becoming too frequent, try to identify the underlying cause. It may be that your child is hungry, tired, or overscheduled. Small changes to any of these areas may make a big difference. Involve your child in the planning. Kids with ADHD tend to do best when they are engaged in activities that they find highly interesting. Encourage your child to select one or more activities that will be geared especially toward them. Make sure each sibling has an opportunity to choose at least one activity. If your vacation involves visits to historical sites, let your child act as the family expert for their favorite site. This will encourage them to learn about the history before you travel, and theyll have fun sharing their knowledge during the trip. Create space for alone time. When tensions run high during family vacations, it is often due in part to the fact that everyone has had a little too much together time. Everyone needs some alone time to decompress and recharge, but how much alone time is needed will vary greatly from person to person. Think about your own family. Are there members who need more alone time than others? Create alone time breaks by allowing children to listen to music on headphones, read a book independently, or watch a video by themselves. After their break, theyll be recharged and ready for the next family activity. Allow for one-on-one parent-child time to reduce sibling conflict. During family vacations, its not uncommon for siblings to compete for their parents attention. Add into the mix the fact that kids with ADHD often require more attention to keep their behavior in check, and attention-seeking conflicts will inevitably pop up. Keep these conflicts to a minimum by scheduling one-on-one parent-child time with each of your children. These one-on-one breaks can be as short as 15 minutes, or longer if there are special activities that you would like to do individually with each of your children. Set small goals and reward good behavior. Kids with ADHD thrive with structure and external motivators like praise and rewards. Build structure into your vacation by setting mini-behavior goals for your child, and by providing praise and rewards when they meet these goals. For example, if your child struggles to stay seated during meal times, set the goal of only getting out of their seat 2 times during the meal. If they meet their goal, then they can get a special treat when the meal is over. Family vacations aren't without any stress, but with a few of these tips in place, you might just find that the stress level will stay down, the enjoyment will be up, and fond memories will be created. Travel safely, and have a great vacation! ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

The Letter You Should Have Given Your Ex

The Letter You Should Have Given Your Ex Photo via bluestockingguide.files.wordpress.com To The One Who Broke My Heart, I never said how I felt. I couldn’t because I was scared and unable to put my emotions into words. But I’m going to now, and you can’t run away or shield yourself against it. You owe me this much. My nights were spent shuffled beneath my bed sheets, crying; feeling lost; hopeless. The memories flooded and, all at once, destroyed me. I didn’t want to miss you. That sudden rush of sadness ran through my body, straight to my eyes that filled up when I realized how ignorant I was in our relationship. You were probably out, meeting new people and continuing on without any regret. While you lived happily without any ounce of guilt, I lived with ounces of alcohol, distracting the overwhelming emptiness that burned within me. I became comfortably numb. I craved the sound of my name coming from edge of your lips, while you enjoyed the rhythm of my endlessly breaking heart. I fell in love all over again every time your face lit up when you began talking about your favorite band, yet you were amused by the way my face abruptly lost its glow when our relationship fell apart. You shattered my heart into a million pieces. You watched with noticeable indifference as every last fragment fell to the floor. What destroyed me the most is you made me feel like you loved me with as much passion and selflessness that I provided to you with my love. But you had feasibly moved on before you even decided to give up on us. You probably found the toothbrush I kept in your bathroom and threw it away. When your iPod was on shuffle and my song came on, you hastily hit the next button. You didn’t want to think about meâ€"about what you did to me. The memory of me was simply another obstacle for you to avoid. I wish you would have fought harder. You made it seem so easy to walk away and move on. You flaunted it. Did it hurt you at all to see me after everything that happened? You couldn’t make eye contact with me and when you did, I hope you felt guilty. And a part of me still hopes you do. You probably think I never cared, because I fought with all my might to maintain my composure around you when you decided I wasn’t worth fighting for anymore. It took every inch of me to garner the strength to smile and pretend like I was okay. I could notâ€"and would notâ€"let you know that you affected me to such an extent. I couldn’t extend that recognition to you. Maybe because if I let you or anyone else see this, then I would know how deeply I was hurting. If I realized that, I would have become completely lost within myself. Everyone told me I would wake up one day and I wouldn’t love you or want you anymore, and I was never quite willing to believe them. I understand now. I accept that you aren’t apart of my life anymore. I need to let you go from my heart; free you from my anger. Through my interminable layers of brokenness, I still want you to be happyâ€"I hope you’re happy at this very moment. I wish I could ask you, but I can’t. We’re but strangers now. At the end of the day, I know you cared about me. I know there will always be a part of you that loves me. That’s why I forgive you. I forgive you for everything. Take care of yourself. With no regrets, Me

Tutorz.com Newsletter November

Tutorz.com Newsletter November Pay-per-Job Tutorz.com is transitioning from a subscription based service to a pay-per-job system.   Setting up tutoring profiles, marketing your services and receiving messages from parents and students remains free.  However, before you can communicate with your potential client you need to purchase the tutoring job.  Purchasing a tutoring job also makes you become the owner of students contact information (email, phone number, website, twitter id if any).    The prices for each tutoring job will be low ranging from $0.00 (free) to $5.00.  Thus, Tutorz.com system is transparent, fair and of great value. The price of an individual tutoring job depends on the quality of the tutoring lead. We compute a jobs quality from measures such as the tutoring subject, the specificity of content, geographic region, meta data, and the students past history. Purchasing a tutoring job is simple and typically requires just one click. Such a click results in the jobs purchase amount to be withdrawn from your Tutorz credit balance. Credit can be bought with your credit card or PayPal account. There are 3 credit packages available: Green Apple, Red Apple and Gold Apple. Purchasing a premium credit package (Red and Gold Apple) earns you extra money: $5 and $25 respectively. All existing tutors and for a limited time all new tutor sign ups receive a complimentary $20 in free credit. For more information on our new pay-per-job system check out: www.tutorz.com/how-it-works www.tutorz.com/pricing SmartMoney features Tutorz.com In its October 12 issue, the SmartMoney magazine (a Wall Street Journal magazine) features Tutorz.com in its article “Behind America’s Tutor Boom â€" How a cottage industry became a $100-an-hour juggernaut.” by Missy Sullivan. We at Tutorz.com are thrilled to be recognized by SmartMoney as one of the tutoring companies that shape the American education industry.  Specifically, Sullivan says about Tutorz.com: “…leading site…Tutorz.com, a California start-up, offer(s) an eBay-like marketplace where tens of thousands of tutors are treated as independent contractors;” Read the full article here: SmartMoney features Tutorz.com Tutor of the Month: Michael Powers Michael is a communication specialist who tutors Math, English, Reading, Writing, computer programming among many other subjects. He holds a BA degree from the University of Davis and currently lives in Northridge, CA.  You may visit his profile here. Web Statistics of October After a 3 month dry spell Tutorz web statistics has picked up noteworthy.  There were 83 unique, non-spam tutoring jobs (up from 60 in September). 1,860 visitors came to Tutorz. (1,770 in September). The visitor-to-lead conversion ratio remained at 3.4%. However, the most positive event this month which more than doubled from 20 in September to 45 in October. Alexa improved Tutorz’ global rank to 1.26 million  (1.58 million in September). Also, the bounce rate has improved to 43.6% (from 44% in October). The graph below visualizes the most important statistics (tutoring jobs, sign-ups, visitors). Sincerely, The Tutorz.com Team

ESL Study Tips For Taking The SAT - TutorNerds

ESL Study Tips For Taking The SAT - TutorNerds Making the SAT More Approachable for ESL Students Many students arrive in Irvine from all over the world. In fact, it is no surprise that people move to Orange County. The weather is beautiful and the public school system has a great reputation and our private Orange County tutors make in-home sessions. However, when it comes to the SAT, and other standardized tests, speaking English as a second language can be an issue. Being bilingual is a fantastic skill for college and for life in general and it also looks good on applications. Let’s look at some issues as well as ways to overcome them if you happen to be an ESL student (READ: 8 SAT Essay Tips). 1. Nuances and “Humor” I put humor in quotations because nothing about the SAT is really funny but there are several instances in the critical reading section where humor is displayed in Standard American English, and if standard American English happens to be your second language it can be really tricky. Actually, if Standard American English is your first and only language, it can still be really tricky. This is where a tutor comes in handy. Tutors who specialize in the Critical Reading section have read, memorized and learned to love these sections and passages. So, it is a safe bet that your tutor can help with these small yet crucial issues (CLICK: The Story Behind the SAT Overhaul). 2. The Dreaded (Now Optional) Essay SAT and ACT essay graders look for common mistakes in sentence structure and subject verb agreement that are often made by ESL students. I have seen some incredible essays with excellent examples that I know will likely not receive a 5 or 6 (out of 6) score because there are some basic grammar or sentence structure issues. A few hours with an essay specialist can help a lot when it comes to fine tuning the SAT and ACT essay. By the way, the SAT essay is very different from the ACT essay so check out our earlier blog post to learn the differences (READ: A Timeline Study Guide for the SAT). 3. Vocab, Vocab and More Vocab We all know that people don’t use words like supercilious or perfunctory in real life* but words like these appear on the SAT every year. About 1/3 to 1/2 of the words on the SAT actually do have some real world usage and will certainly impress your university English professor (you do know that everyone is required to take at least one college level English class, right?). If your English language vocabulary is not at a level that you need to reach your verbal target score, you may find yourself at quite a disadvantage. Tutors spend a lot of time going over vocab with English only and native speaking students, so ESL students will definitely want a few extra hours with their tutor to focus on this section. Native speakers also have the advantage that they have heard at least some of the SAT vocab words used in real life and, as a result may be able to figure out what the word means in relation to the context. If ‘meaning in context’ is a new term for you, now is a good time to arrange for a private tutor. *In case you were wondering Supercilious means arrogant Perfunctory means automatic 4. Grammar Errors I’m not talking about grammar errors that you make yourself but rather the errors that you have to fix in the verbal section. It is very easy for a teacher of English to fix all the little grammar and punctuation errors that are found in the verbal section. They do it every day. Did you know that ‘neither’ goes with ‘nor’, not ‘or’? Did you know that tenses must be consistent throughout a sentence? There is a good chance that you do but can you identify the errors in another’s writing, especially when that ‘other writer’ is a staff member at the SAT? SAT is not a logical test and thus getting good grades on your English homework is really no indication of how well you will score on the test. If you’re scoring 750-800 on both the Writing and Critical Reading sections then you are probably good to go. Actually, if you are scoring that high, you should probably apply to teach SAT. Getting below a 750? Call that Irvine SAT tutor. 5. Math No, I’m not crazy; math can still be an issue for an ESL student. Of course, numbers are numbers and calculators are calculators but word problems are written in English. Tutors go through math word problems with native English speakers all the time helping them pick out what the question is actually asking for, which words have no meaning and which words are meant to make test-takers confused and frustrated (dont wait too late and fall behind! Contact us today for one of our excellent Irvine math tutors). Allocate a couple of hours of your tutoring time to dissect these pesky word problems and see how much your score increases (READ: Use Your Math Intuition). Taking standardized tests like the SAT can put bilingual and ESL students at a slight disadvantage but there is no reason why you can’t completely beat the SAT verbal section with the help of a tutor. Work through it and get the score that will get you into that dream school. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at info@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about. The beginning of a new school year is crucial for establishing a strong academic performance. In other words, if your child wants to reach his or her potential, they can’t fall behind from the start. Hiring an Orange County private tutor is much more than extra academic help, it’s a confidence boost. Have your child be the first to raise their hand in the classroom by hiring a college educated tutor from TutorNerds. Contact us today!

Preparing to Go Overseas

Preparing to Go Overseas By Kathleen at Teach Away Heading overseas for the first time can be an exciting but daunting experience.There are so many things to consider that we’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 things to do before going overseas: 1. Read up:Arriving in a new country, ready to explore and open to anything that might come your way, can be an amazing experience. You have no idea what adventures are waiting for you! Realistically, though, most people will want to prepare for their travels, especially if they are moving to a country for a year or more. Research by using travel books, online travel blogs, and maps to help you get ready to depart. You’ll want at least a basic familiarity with the country’s culture and services â€" not to mention, it’s a great way to get excited and put yourself in a travel mindset! 2. Keep everyone in the loop:Make sure you contact your bank(s) to let them know you will be using your cards in another country.If you are traveling overseas for an extended period of time, you’ll want to consider getting your mail re-directed, or changing to electronic copies to ensure you keep up-to-date with mail from home. 3. Get your health check:Traveling can be physically demanding, so a visit to your doctor is a great idea to ensure that you’re in good health before setting off.If you’re moving abroad to teach, a health check is usually required before you can obtain a visa. You might also need to determine if your new destination requires any vaccinations prior to arrival.And if you need to travel with medication, you’ll need to check as to whether you can bring your medication into your destination country. Will you be able to purchase your it there if needed? Embassy websites will usually have useful links where you can find out what’s permitted to bring, and what’s available in the country. 4. Copy documents: It’s always wise to make both printed and electronic copies of your essential documents. Have a folder of essential travel documents in your carry-on, and make sure to leave a copy with family members at home in case of emergency. Necessary travel information includes the following: Your passport Airline tickets Emergency contact numbers Travel itinerary Teachers should also make copies of professional documents: Resume Teaching certifications Degrees Reference letters Even if your employment is already organized prior to your departure, you never know when copies of these documents might come in handy.Keep your important information at easy reach by emailing electronic copies to your account, or having them on a USB. 5. Stay in touch:You’ll want to make sure that your loved ones can contact you while you are traveling abroad, and vice versa. Share your travel experiences with everyone, and keep in touch with what is happening at home.You can set up a free Skype account, and encourage your friends and family to do the same. You’ll want your overseas adventure to be as fun and worry-free as possible. By making sure you’re prepared before you leave, hopefully you’ll avoid unnecessary complications in your trip. Safe travels! Kathleen is a Placement Coordinator at Teach Away Inc.

Heine the Royal Tutor - A Complete Adventure With This Great Character

Heine the Royal Tutor - A Complete Adventure With This Great CharacterHeine the Royal Tutor is a character that is an all time favorite. Every child who is just looking for a fun-filled adventure, this character is what they will be looking for.His English language skills are like a fairy tale. It seems as though he will come up with all sorts of words to describe any situation. If you look at him and ask him what it is that he knows, he will tell you without hesitation, that he knows 'the king's secret'.He also has quite a few talents in his other skills, like book writing, playing the guitar, and he has some advanced conversational skills as well. He just can't seem to do much wrong in his day to day life. We all know that Heine is the one with the magic wand that can control anyone's fate. He has the power to manipulate any situation and can just seem to make everything work out perfectly.When Heine was just a little boy, his father died and left him his beloved teacher, Mr. Berg. The teacher was never afraid to tell Heine what was going on and how to handle things. Heine went through a lot of changes, but as a teenager he didn't seem to be the same person he used to be.In time, Heine's friend Phil Rivers decides to take him back home. Heine was given a list of chores to complete, and he did them with a smile on his face. He even gained back some of his strength from the teacher, he was forbidden to interact with, which is something that he didn't think he had.Heine was on his way to being the greatest student that ever lived, until he couldn't seem to find a way to make it on his own. His friends at school made their opinions known about how great he was, and other students were more than willing to give him tips. Heine thought that he was finally ready to graduate, but then his teacher let slip that his secret was the next to be revealed.Heine had been trying to make that announcement all year, but it never came. His teacher decided to let him in on the se cret that he had been hiding. At first, Heine had been very upset, but he soon realized that the power that he had always secretly dreamed of was now out there waiting for him.

ACS Exam in General Chemistry - Essential Information to Know

ACS Exam in General Chemistry - Essential Information to KnowThere are a number of topics that you may encounter when taking an ACS exam in general chemistry. These include as well as chemical solutions, solvents, and solid state energy. Of course these are the most basic steps that you will encounter on your exam, however there are also other important aspects that you will need to be aware of.Exam papers vary in several different areas. Some topics will contain information on organic solvents, for example. This is because they are used commonly in your chemistry laboratories.Solvents are used to allow different molecules to mix. Some examples of solvents are liquid carbon dioxide, water, and alcohols. Because of this fact you should be aware of how a solute is combined in chemistry.Compounds that are obtained by various reactions are known as end products. For example alcohols are produced from acids, as are benzene compounds. Different kinds of compounds will require different sol vents to be used.It is important to remember that solvents have very different effects on different compounds. They can melt them or combine them together. When choosing a solvent to use it is important to understand the properties of the solution that it is being used with. In general they are classified as clear, liquid, and oily solvents.As previously mentioned, some problems can arise with solvents. You will need to know about what they do and how they are useful. Other types of compounds that can be mixed with solvents fuels and paint thinner.On your ACS exam in general chemistry you will encounter a number of other things that you need to be aware of. You will also have to make sure that you have your chemical mixtures under control. Some of these things include washing out the solutions, mixing the chemicals, and whether you can isolate or not.

What Are Higher-Order Thinking Skills

What Are Higher-Order Thinking Skills How Are Higher-Order Thinking Skills Defined? ChaptersWhat is the Difference Between Higher Order Thinking and Critical Thinking?More Effective Problem-Solving Through Higher Order ThinkingThe Limitations of Core Standards on Higher Order Thinking SkillsHow Tutors Can Encourage Higher Order Thinking SkillsHelping Students Develop Higher Order Thinking Skills: How Much is too Much?It was long held as true that humans are the only animals capable of thought.Only recently has that idea been debunked; studies into non-human animal behaviour indicate that animals evince episodic memory and the have the capacity to navigate terrain using landmarks.Some animals have even displayed non-verbal mathematical ability!Nevertheless, there is a wide gulf between the cognitive ability of humans and other mammals.Whereas your beloved pet may have a type of focused intelligence â€" say, figuring out a way to get to a treat, a toy or your attention, they cannot apply that knowledge to solve another ‘problem’.By contrast, human thought processe s permit adapting previous experiences to a new set of variables to think of a ‘best solution’, thus accruing knowledge.How do we do that? Were we taught to think or does it come naturally? Is all thought the same? Are there different degrees of thought â€" from deep to mindless?And what in the world are higher-order thinking skills?Are they the inevitable product of life experience? Are they something everyone should have? How do we train our students to think like that?Superprof now unveils all you need to know about higher-order thinking: why it is vital and how you too can help students gain those skills.You could introduce your students to fflowcharts, an effective way to organise information Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabaythe psychomotor domain: developing and using motor skills for learning.A good example of that last domain on an intellectual level would be stacking blocks or sorting rings by size.By contrast, effective learning  can easily be described as knowing you can go to mum and dad for a cuddle if you suddenly feel insecure, tired or overwhelmed. Yes, even that type of knowledge weighs on other learning experiences.These two domains are the primary focus of our public education system’s first two years of schooling.In those classes, Early Years Foundation and Reception, students learn mostly through play, although some academic learning is involved.Doesn’t that beg the question, then, why curricula change completely once students enter Key Stage 1?At that point, the playing is over. Students are expected to sit, to listen to their teacher, to work and to learn. They are, in effect, treated as empty vessels which can only be filled by a school teacher.For teachers, this idea is particularly vexing. Their professional development has taught them that pouring facts into their students’ heads does not equal student achievement.Where and how are students supposed to cultivate critical thinking skills, if not in school and guided by know ledgeable persons?Discover more about higher-order thinking and developing critical thinking abilities.Brainstorming and asking 'why' are effective higher-order thinking tools! Image by Arek Socha from PixabayMore Effective Problem-Solving Through Higher Order ThinkingHigher-order thinking consists of critical thinking and problem-solving.In a sense, it sounds like this segment could be a ‘chicken and egg’ scenario.  After all, to be a higher-order thinker, you must apply critical thinking and the skills required to solve problems in a given situation.However, you don’t always have to think critically to solve a problem and problems need not be inherent for critical thinking to occur.Rendering an opinion on a film would be an example of such.  Nevertheless, thinking critically in the course of problem-solving allows one to consider the widest range of variables and often yields the best possible outcome to any situation.To crystallise that concept, let’s look at exactly what problem-solving skills are:Communication involves everything from body language to active listening, as well as the words being spoken and the tone they are spoken inResearch: this can be done by calling on one’s own experiences pertaining to a similar situation and soliciting input from stakeholders â€" in our case, other studentsAnalysis could imply brainstorming within a group; they might appeal to data and statistics or compare and contrast similar situationsTeam building suggests a consensus built on similar values and ideasCreativity: formulating a set of solutions to the given problem rather than a single answer.All of these facets of problem-solving draw on the three domains listed in Blooms Taxonomy as essential for effective learning: the cognitive, affective and psychomotor realms through which we absorb specific types of knowledge.Learn more about problem-solving skills and the difficulty this concept poses in today’s classrooms...Regardless of what they are called in one country or the other, every academic program has core subjects: math, literacy skills â€" reading, writing, vocabulary and spelling, and sciences.How well those subjects are taught is measured by student performance on summative assessments; the exams taken at the end of every Key Stage.Already we can determine a twofold problem:1. Such exams really only prove students’ adeptness for memorizing2. The effort of impressing all of the information necessary to earn high marks on such exams leaves little time to work with new information in class.In stating this, we’re not criticising teachers or their massive efforts to make a difference in their kids’ lives.We’re just pointing out that every educator comes equipped with classroom strategies and is quite adept at lesson planning; why not just let them ensure that the knowledge they impart is understood through classroom activities such as group work and active learning?Say, by allowing time to ask a few higher level think ing questions or assigning project-based learning activities?Exams at the end of every learning unit, term, school year and Key Stage really don’t prove very much.Far better would be leaving room in the curriculum for the teacher to conduct a formative assessment on each student â€" a practice that would genuinely indicate levels of comprehension.Join the discussion: is ‘common core’ getting in the way of critical thinking and problem-solving?All three of these suggestions require higher-order thinking skills! Image by bluebudgie from PixabayHow Tutors Can Encourage Higher Order Thinking SkillsThere is no doubt that teachers are overtaxed: under pressure to ‘make’ students perform well on exams, tasked to complete never-ending reports, marking papers...Actual teaching seems to be the last on a long list of teachers’ duties.An alarming number of teachers simply leave the profession.Others turn to private tutoring so that they can have a bit of satisfaction in exercising t heir pedagogy â€" their vision of how teaching should actually be.In such a setting, in your students’ homes or in your own, you have the peace and the time to probe your charges’ understanding of their subject matter.How would you do that?By asking the types of questions designed to make them think. By digging deeper â€" why? why? - to discover actual viewpoints... not just the answers your students think you want to hear.By employing teaching strategies designed around creative thinking: you devise an activity in which your tutee must draw on his/her personal experience to complete.For instance, if you know that a particular student has suffered at the hands of bullies, you might provide this essay prompt: How students can protect themselves against bullying in school.Discover other ways that tutors can help students develop thinking skills outside the classroom...Helping Students Develop Higher Order Thinking Skills: How Much is too Much?Let’s say you did, in fact, give you r student that ‘Bully’ topic.You believed that thinking critically about bullies and how one could defend oneself from them would be empowering â€" possibly even a liberating exercise for that poor student who has been terribly picked on.You notice the body language first. Shoulders slumped, eyes downcast and, if the hair is of sufficient length, most likely it is shielding the face. Perhaps you hear a sudden, nervous thrumming: a leg, twitching out a staccato beat.You don’t need to wait for the tears to know that you’ve far overshot the ‘safe’ line.Admittedly, this is a dramatic example of how much ‘pushing’ is too much.As well-intentioned as any higher-thinking exercise may be, we have to recognise when a student is ready for that level of engagement  -  be it more complex maths problems or an issue that requires insight and draws on personal experience.When such opportunities do arise, make the most of them!Ask those open-ended questions! Engage in a debate! You m ay even invite your students’ caregivers to offer their opinions; the more information is available, the better your pupils will develop the ability to reason.Does this topic resonate? You will enjoy our full article knowing the limits higher-order thinking.