March 25th, 2014
Memorization is a constant struggle for most people. One of the best (and immediately useful) classes in college I took discussed how people learned different material. We also went over various memorization techniques. Here at the Study Hut, these skills are obviously applicable and important to our students.
We all know about short-term and long-term memory. But did you know that your brain often filters out information it does not think is useful to you? So when you are trying to study for that geometry test, and you keep telling yourself that the material is not important, this can definitely work against you. That is why repetition, used as a memorization technique, is often useful. Your brain thinks that if you come across that piece of information so much, it must, and should be worth memorizing.
You also learn information in groups. Information can be grouped together either by the environment in which you learned or encountered the information. This is why smells and sounds, like songs, can bring up many other memories. It is then not surprising, that when college students ate dark chocolate in a research study, and then during or shortly before an exam, they were able to recall more information. Taste is mostly olfactory in nature; which means taste is mostly constituted of smell. The researchers also theorized that the caffeine in dark chocolate might have also played a part, but the results were not conclusive. In addition, because we learn information in groups, it can be far easier to remember associations between words, rather than simply the individual words or terms themselves. When studying vocabulary, try to connect meanings and sounds to each other in a story or sentence. When studying history, try not to memorize random dates but connect the important events in a story. This will also, of course, give you a deeper understanding of the meaning of events and no doubt help you write more introspective essays. In science, try not to remember individual terms but how they connect to one another in a process or function.
Tags: applicable, classes, college, college students, events, function, geometry, geometry test, introspective, introspective essays, long-term, material, meaning of events, memories, Memorization, process, repetition, short-term, songs, sounds, techniques, understanding
Posted in General |
No Comments
March 20th, 2014
Why working at the Study Hut is awesome!
If you’re looking for a chance to work alongside other bright and motivated young professionals (or a safe haven for the nerds of SoCal), StudyHut is the place for you! I love tutoring at StudyHut because of the fun work dynamic and easy-going company culture. The tutors at StudyHut have created a very casual and comfortable learning environment for our students. All of that said, there is never a dull moment. I love the diversity here – tutors at the StudyHut come from many different backgrounds and prestigious universities all across the US. Besides being able to fulfill the responsibility of influencing young minds in a continually stimulating work environment, I get to be surrounded by fun and like-minded peers who are also passionate about teaching. It’s very rewarding to be able to build strong rapport with the students, support them through their schooling and take part in their academic success. The difference between doing that here and teaching somewhere else is that the tutors here treat each other like members of a big nerdy family. The people at StudyHut, tutors and students alike, are super friendly – just picture it as the better, “funner” high school experience you’ve always wished for.
Tags: backgrounds, company, culture, diversity, passionate, professionals, SoCal, study Hut, Study Hut Tutoring, Tutors, un
Posted in General, General Articles |
No Comments
March 19th, 2014
“A perfect tutoring session is a thing of beauty. There’s no formula for recreating it every time, but it happens more and more often at Study Hut these days. Tutors and tutees are in mid-season form by this time in the year – the early-semester inertia long past and the end-of-semester burnout still months away. We’ve settled into the school year, developing our own rhythms and rapports with all our Study Hut students. It’s perfect tutoring season.
No two perfect sessions look exactly the same; there are too many contributing factors to consider. Some students are panicked, struggling to finish cramming for that test they kept putting off; some students are relaxed, looking forward to another weekly session with the same tutor they’ve been working with for the past 6 months; some are on their way to SAT tutoring, dreaming of the day they will strut their stuff at college, applying all their Hut study skills to everything from Bio 101 to Shakespearean sonnets to intramural softball. Some are terrified at the mere mention of numbers, others are enthralled by the simple joys of deriving or integrating. Still others are history sponges, seeking to soak in as many dates and elections and revolutions as possible, baffled by some of their peers’ classic refrain: “Why do we have learn this? It already happened.”
This variety is what makes working at Study Hut so engaging. It is a constant process: evaluating a student’s interests and needs, weaknesses and strengths, passions and quirks. Only by getting to know each student – asking them about their day, their favorite color, and their life’s goals – can we craft these elusive perfect sessions.
As we begin to understand our tutees, we get better at tailoring our sessions to their own specific needs and goals. This is the constant process of creating perfect sessions. We may not achieve perfection every time (and some students may make it more difficult than others), but even when we fail we do pretty good job at making learning happen.”
Hope this is useable and feel free to make any changes you want!
Tags: contributing factors, factors, goals, inertia, interests, intramural softball, job, life goals, perfect, school, school year, Shakespearean, strength, strengths, study Hut, tutees, tutor, Tutoring, tutoring session, Tutors, weakness, weaknesses
Posted in life skills, local tutoring, Manhattan Beach, Tutor Tips, Tutors, Uncategorized |
No Comments
March 18th, 2014
Finding Your Dream College
As your junior year winds down, it’s time to start coming up with the list of colleges that you will be applying to. Maybe you’ve had a dream school in mind since you were a little kid, or maybe you haven’t even started thinking about it, but you’ll need to come up with a mix of reach schools, safety schools, and a few in the middle of the road. There are around 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, so trying to narrow them down can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula for choosing your mixture of schools, but here are some criteria you can use to find schools that would be a good fit for you.
- Kind of college- Are you looking for a two year or four year school? Public or private?
- Location- Do you want to be able to do your laundry and eat dinner at home, or only fly home for winter break from a whole new environment?
- Size/Setting- How do you feel about being at a school where everyone knows your name? Or would you rather find your niche in a large, diverse student population?
- Life Outside the Classroom- Do you see yourself in a fraternity or sorority? How important is school spirit to you? Do you want to be able to go to “the big game” every weekend? What about volunteering, or an active student government? What kind of balance are you looking for between being academically challenged and having a fun-filled social life?
- Major- If you’re not sure what you want to do with the rest of your life, or want a lot of variety before you work on a major, don’t worry! That’s totally normal. If you want a specialized degree, such as engineering, it’s important to find schools that have the right program for you.
- Cost- This is one of the most important factors in choosing a college. Talk with your parents about college costs, look into applying for financial aid, and research different scholarships.
Once you’ve come up with a manageable list of schools, go on some campus visits to get a feel for the school’s unique vibe. Each school has its own “X-factor” where even if it sounds perfect on paper, it might not feel right in person, or you might fall in love with a school you didn’t think you would. To make your search easier, the College Board website has a school search, information about schools, and background on the application process. Visit
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges/how-find-your-college-fit to start searching for the school that’s right for you!
Tags: academically, application, application process, classroom, college board, colleges, cost, Dream, dream college, fraternity, information, location, major, mixture, school, schools, setting, size, sorority, student, student government, United States, vibe, website, x-factor
Posted in 2 year vs. 4 year University, Big vs Small, choosing a major, College, College Applications, College essays, extracurricular activities, four year university, General, General Articles |
No Comments
March 13th, 2014
Never a Dull Moment
Last weekend the tutors at Study Hut Redondo found some time to get out and explore Downtown Los Angeles. On Saturday, our group of tutoring veterans piled in to the infamous ‘Study Hut Van’ and headed to Union Station to begin our Urban Scavenger Hunt. After parking, we split in to two teams (girls vs. boys) and loaded the clues and rules, provided by Urban Adventure Quest, on our smart phones and then the race began.
The first clue had us scrambling up and down Olvera Street- A popular fieldtrip destination for high school Spanish Students- in search of a sundial and a statue of King Carlos III of Spain. To solve the next riddle we had to run back to Union Station and play a game of ‘Spot the Difference’ in Richard Wyatt’s City of Dreams mural. At this point the girls’ team took a lead, but some lucky timing catching the train to the next spot closed the gap.
We relaxed on the train, but as soon the doors opened it was an all-out sprint to find the Bradbury Building, the oldest commercial building in the downtown area. From the outside, the Bradbury Building is rather modest and undistinguishable; however the interior reveals a spectacular Victorian Court with a glass ceiling and marble floors. After taking in the view, we used the art and statues to solve the next riddle. Our next clue took us through Grand Central Market and up the Angels Flight, the world’s shortest passenger railway. After climbing to the top of the hill our path took us through some of the many scenic courtyards in the downtown area, complete with reflecting pools and fountains, to the MOCA and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
At this point the two teams were still neck and neck, so we raced off to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. We solved a few riddles about animal statues found on the cathedral grounds and sprinted to the finish line at City Hall. Thanks to some swift sprinting and correct answer choices, the boys’ team was able to pull out the win. After, we went to Philippe’s to celebrate with some original French Dip Sandwiches. It was an awesome escape from our daily routine to explore an area that I never thought could be so beautiful and entertaining.
Tags: Angels flight, boys, Bradbury Building, City Hall, Downtown Los Angeles, fountains, French Dip Sandwiches, girls, Grand Central Marker, Los Angeles, marble floors, MOCA, Olvera Street, passenger Railway, Philippe, Redondo Beach, reflecting pools, Saturday, Scavenger Hunt, Spanish students, study Hut, Study Hut Redondo Beach, Sudy Hut Van, Union Station, Urban, Urban Scavenger Hunt, Veters, Victorian Court, Walt Disney Concert Hall
Posted in General, General Articles, Hut 2 Superiority, Hut competitions |
No Comments
March 12th, 2014
Title: Put the Phone Down
We need to have a technology intervention.
It’s time for students to put their phones down and disconnect. (And to be clear- this includes tablets, phablets, iPads, smartwatches, Chromebooks, netbooks, web-enabled eyeglasses, and all the rest of the gadgets.) In an era where education and study habits have been transformed by some pretty remarkable online tools and toys, there are still good reasons to disconnect.
For instance, in study after study, researchers have determined that multitasking simply doesn’t work. Multitasking is an especially terrible practice when you need to focus and study. Think about it, it is pretty difficult to think through your essay on Beowulf if you are constantly interrupted with urgent texts, snapchats, tweets, and instagrams all clamoring for your attention. A recent study [1] on college students’ study habits revealed that 10 hours or so of smartphone use reduced their empathy skills or the ability to put oneself in other peoples’ shoes. They became so self-absorbed with their multitasking and devices that they were not able to meaningfully understand and connect with their friends. It seems like multitasking with distracting technology is not only is a bad way to study, but if you are not careful it can also make you a jerk.
So what should we do, abandon our phones altogether when studying? It has been estimated that 75% of Americans are within 5 feet of their smartphones every moment of everyday [2]. There is simply no escape and the phones and their distractions are here to stay. What we need is a way to use these tools responsibly and in way that helps rather than hurts learning. A modern student must be proficient with these tools but we need to strike a balance.
Food for thought: some of the best learning happens when you have the opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on what you’ve studied…just for a minute, put the phone away and go for a walk
Tags: Chromebooks, disconnect, education, food for thought, gadgets, multitask, netbooks, Phablets, Phone, researchers, smartphone, smartwatches, Study, study habits, tablets, technology, tools, toys, web-enables
Posted in focusing, General |
No Comments
March 11th, 2014
We interviewed multiple students in our office today and here are the top 10 reasons why our students love coming to the Study Hut!
1. I love coming to the Study Hut because the tutors are all really easy to talk to which makes it easy to ask questions when you’re confused. – Charlotte
2. I love coming to the Study Hut because the tutors help to keep me organized and help me prepare for upcoming things in school. – Nikki
3. I love coming to the Study Hut because it has a laid back but very productive atmosphere where I feel comfortable. – Pratt
4. I love coming to the Study Hut because I’ve been coming here for years and the people who work here are like family to me. – Isabelle
5. I love coming to the Study Hut because I have many friends here and my subjects become more clear after my sessions are over. – Josie
6. I love coming to the Study Hut because it has helped me to improve my grades. – Isabella
7. I love coming to the Study Hut because it has great snacks and healthy foods like Apples and Bananas that I can have during my tutoring sessions. – Alex
8. I love coming to the Study Hut because the tutors make learning fun and easy to understand. – Ben
9. I love coming to the Study Hut because they have locations in the area which makes it convenient since I can choose which location I want to go to depending upon where I live. – Nicole
10. I love coming to the Study Hut because they help me not only with regular tutoring but they also help me with my SAT training. – Alex
Tags: Apples, bananas, family, food, grades, location, prepare, SAT, SAT training, school, snacks, study Hut, Study Hut Tutoring, subjects
Posted in General, Manhattan Beach, SAT, Tutor Tips, Tutors |
No Comments
March 7th, 2014
Personalized Meetings in the Classroom
In the beginning of spring 2014 semester, Laura, Justin, and I had one-on-one advisement sessions with Mr. Mullen’s AVID (http://www.avid.org) class at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (PVPHS). We split the class up into four groups & had each freshman student bring up their grades, as well as a write-up of their future goals for spring semester. The main objective of these one-on-one meetings was to assess & acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses in each individual’s academic performance, analyze certain areas in which the students needed improvement, discuss their past history of success & setbacks, visualize how they should go about working towards those improvements, and how they could tackle their educational struggles so that they may be able to achieve their end goals.
During these mini break-out sessions, I noticed a pattern with a couple of my Biology students. Nicco, Sarah,Tessa, and Annie, talked about how hard it was to retain all the information their teachers expected them to digest & how they continued to struggle with this particular subject. I informed the students that they should be delegating at least 45 minutes per day to Biology because the subject requires a lot more memorization than most of their other subjects. In addition, I advised them to take advantage of all the resources available to them, whether it’s their textbook, materials given out in class, valid online resources, or even videos from places like www.khanacademy.org.
I felt that these individual conference meetings were very beneficial to the students because each student goes through their own distinctive battle. As an AVID tutor, my goal is not only to teach the appropriate set of skills, but also to ascertain students’ attitudes towards school and their self-perception as learners. Furthermore, by uncovering the root of their concerns about school & listening attentively, I develop relationships with my students based on mutual respect, thereby opening their minds to learning and applying skills.
Tags: AVID, Biology, freshman, goal, Palos Verdes High Schoo, Peninsula High School, relationship, skills, spring semester, tutor
Posted in AVID, AVID |
No Comments
March 6th, 2014
From iLead to AVID, Study Hut covers ground in the South Bay!
Study Hut has had the privilege to extend our tutoring services to local high schools in the South Bay, including South High, Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. We are able to do this by orchestrating in-class programs like AVID (http://www.avid.org/) in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District and ILEAD through the Torrance Unified School District. In a typical AVID or ILEAD class, Study Hut will send a number of tutors (typically ranging from four to eight) who each specialize in variety of academic subjects. Our tutors then have the unique opportunity to break the class into smaller groups of students based on subject each student feels that he or she need the most help with.
Last Tuesday was an awesome day at both South High and Peninsula! We arrived at South High for ILEAD at 8am to offer additional tutoring on late start mornings. We then separated the students into a “Math and Science” classroom, and an “English, History and Foreign Language” classroom. Tori and I were put in charge of English, History and Languages room. After an hour of answering questions about everything from World War I and the differences between Preterite and Imperfect in Spanish, our manager Justin was nice enough to take us out to a quick breakfast to refuel before we headed up to PVPHS to tutor in AVID for their third and fourth periods.In AVID we like to take a more hands on approach by encouraging the students to break into groups and take turns writing their questions on the board. Their peers then use their notes and textbooks to help them solve their problem. In my English groups in AVID, we had some remarkable discussions about Animal Farm (my favorite) and determining Direct Objects vs. Predicate Nominatives.
Tags: AVID, english, high school, history, ILEAD, Imperfect, Justin, language, manager, math, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes High School, Peninsula, Peninsula High School, Preterite, PVHS, science, study Hut, Study Hut Tutoring, torrance, Torrance Unified School District
Posted in AVID, AVID, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes High School, Peninsula |
No Comments
February 27th, 2014
Here is a blog written by our Manager in the Newport Beach Office named Justine!
Here’s a little blog writeup for what’s going on in Newport:
This week at Study Hut in Newport Beach, many of our students from Newport Harbor High School, Corona del Mar High School, and Sage Hill High School dominated their Final Exams. Erica, who first came to our office with a C in AP Physics, was able to raise her grade to a B+. Go Erica!
Now that Finals are over, don’t relax for too long; SATs are just around the corner.
This Saturday, ten of our students will be riding the SAT wave on March 8th. A shout out goes to our star student Zach, who raised his SAT score by 400 points after February’s test. Fun fact: SAT originally stood for “Scholastic Achievement Test.” Though some students have affectionately nicknamed it the “Stupid A*@ Test,” in 1994, the test was re-named to simply “SAT.”
If the SAT isn’t your cup of tea, please consider the ACT. Almost every college accepts both tests, and many students prefer one over the other. Several more students are gearing up to take the ACT on April 12th. If you haven’t registered for a test date yet, it’s not too late. Don’t fret if you haven’t prepared, just come in for our free diagnostic test on March 8th to find out where you stand.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
Tags: ACT, AP physics, Corona Del Mar, Corona Del Mar High School, finals, Newport, Newport Beach, Newport Beach Study Hut, Newport Harbor, Newport Harbor High School, Sage Hill, Sage Hill High School, SAT, Scholastic Achievement Test, study Hut
Posted in Uncategorized |
No Comments
