February 6th, 2012
What do you do if you’re a Mira Costa High School student and your finals week didn’t go like you had hoped?
If you’re a student who didn’t pass 1 or more of your classes this last semester there is still hope! Credit for classes not passed can be made up via Independent Study offered through Brigham Young University. BYU offers a wide array of high school courses that allow you to independently make up credits without falling behind. The courses consist of between 6 and 8 instructor-graded assignments (referred to as speedbacks) that are submitted either online or through the mail, as well as 2 midterms and 1 final (which must be taken at a credentialed proctoring center). Conveniently, Study hut tutoring not only offers BYU independent study tutoring but also is a BYU accredited proctoring center.
BYU Independent Study is undoubtedly a great opportunity to get a 2nd chance to make up for class with a non-passing grade. Courses are however completely independent some students find it difficult to stay on track and not fall behind. Not to mention there is very little additional instruction if a student is struggling with a particular lesson of the course.
Study hut’s wide array of friendly tutors and its BYU accredited proctoring services make it the perfect environment to help your high school student make up credits for courses with non-passing grades.
Tags: BYU accredited proctor, BYU classes, byu independent study tutoring, BYU proctor, BYU testing center, byu tutor, byu tutoring, byu tutors, study hut tutor
Posted in 9-12, Manhattan Beach, Summer Tutoring, Testing, Tutor Tips |
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February 2nd, 2012
Upon entering high school, many students fail to realize the value of AP and honors classes and the impact they can have on their future college careers. For those who do see the benefit, AP English is a popular choice, as it seems far less intimidating than AP Physics or an advanced placement foreign language. However, AP English can be just as challenging as any accelerated course and any student who wishes to take it on must make sure he or she is fully prepared. The reading assignments will be heavy and the expectations of writing ability will be even heavier. Combined with the intense work load of a full schedule, any student would be completely justified in feeling overwhelmed and lost. It is for these reasons that students must take the appropriate steps to stay on top of the assignments. Particularly mid-year, the work can become daunting and tedious and it is easy to lose focus. To stay ahead with AP English, students should commit to completing all of the reading. Missing even one assignment can have a huge negative impact on future work and exams. Secondly, students should make sure that they begin essays at least a week before their due date. This is because a full week allows for several rounds of editing. The more a paper is edited, the better it will be, with few exceptions. Also, whenever possible, students should ask others to take a look at their work and give outside suggestions. Last, students must stay organized to succeed. A neat binder and notebook are always a must!
While AP English will most likely prove a challenge no matter what, students who take the steps to ensure their preparedness will undoubtedly have a much easier time tackling the class.
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Posted in AP Tutoring |
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January 31st, 2012
Finals are OVER! Sound the bells, raise the banner, and sing it to the heavens. That wretched time of year is gone, and shall never darken our door again! So, now you’re probably saying to yourself, “Self, you don’t need to study anymore. All the hard work is behind you, and it’s smooth sailing from here on in.” Oh, if only this was true. But, the fact of the matter is that this is when the real work begins.
Finals aren’t just an opportunity for teachers to make you nervous and lower you’re grade. (That’s only an extra perk.) Finals are also a major indicator on how well you’ve been learning throughout the first half of the year. They tell you which subjects you need to dedicate more time to, and which ones you’re clearly acing. Which means, you have a major opportunity here. An opportunity to get it all together before June comes along.
Getting a bad grade on one of these tests can be paralyzing. You see that test, and the effect is has on you’re overall average, and just assume the fight is over. Don’t give in to this feeling. Nothing’s over until you win or give up. The bad grade is in the past. There’s nothing you can do about it. But you can LEARN from it. Among the things you can do:
-Get your test from the teacher. Go through all of the wrong answers and see if you can correct them. Among other things, it makes sure you don’t make the mistakes again.
-See if there’s any relationship between the questions you got wrong. (Were they from the same chapter? Were they from a week you were absent?) Go back to the book, and relearn that material. It WILL come up later in the semester, and you don’t want to be caught twice.
-Compare what material you studied BEFORE the test, and compare it to the material that was ON the test. Did it match up?
Above all, remember this: A bad grade is not the end of the world. But it should be motivator to get your butt in gear, and make sure that the same mistakes aren’t made again. Because guess what? Finals will be back in June! The only difference is, next time you’ll know exactly what to expect, because you’ve already done it. Get mad, get mean, and get those grades up.
Tags: finals, grade, learn, Study, subjects, teachers, test, tests
Posted in 9-12 |
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January 30th, 2012
It’s a happy time of year, that time of year where you can finally relax and say to yourself, “At least I’m done with finals.” Hopefully you all did well, and if not, take solace in the fact that you made the effort to do well- by coming in to tutoring and studying hard. So give yourself a pat on the back.
This time of year also presents itself with a fresh start. Everybody inevitably finds themselves playing catch-up during the semester, but you can minimize the level of catch-up by making an effort to plan your studies more and doing a little everyday, rather than procrastinate and cram. So take this opportunity to start fresh with your tutor as well. Keep your planner updated and make a thorough game-plan as to how you’re going to study for your various tests. Hold yourself accountable to get what you need to get done before going out or playing video games. We all know the pleasure from those little things is no where close to the stress you feel when you have a chemistry test and you’ve forgotten what a nucleus is.
The message is this: whether you’re in middle school, high school, or college, the method to doing well in your classes is the same. It all comes down to a daily balance. Yes, a balance, between work, school, and personal time. To succeed in the school part, you have to balance it, not cram it, and make sure you save time for yourself in the process, because no one can ONLY work or study.
So grab this opportunity by the reigns, follow your planner, and use your tutor as a resource and guide to both success, and having a good time.
Tags: high school, middle school, planner, success, tutor, Tutoring, Tutors
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, high school, Learning, life skills |
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January 26th, 2012
Today in AVID 10 at Palos Verdes High School, Rob and SP introduced our first lesson for the Critical Reading section of the SAT. Training for the SAT can be very difficult, and for many students, the vocabulary component of the Critical Reading section can be extremely daunting.
In an effort to keep things simple, but at the same time teach students a new and complex concept, Rob decided to start the SAT tutoring with the “plus-minus-neutral” approach, a strategy that can help students eliminate incorrect answer choices by assigning a value or feeling of worth to the blank space, as well as each of the answer choices.
Students then practiced eliminating wrong answer choices and making educated guesses about which vocabulary words would and would not work in each sentence. The process was rigorous and slightly painful, but I think we all walked away from the experience with a new tool in our quiver of SAT strategies.
Here is an example of a question students will see on the Critical Reading section of the SAT. You will probably understand why training is the only way to attack a test that contains hundreds of problems like this:
1. Today Wegener’s theory is ____ ; however, he died an outsider treated with ____ by the scientific establishment.
A. unsupported – approval
B. dismissed – contempt
C. accepted – approbation
D. unchallenged – disdain
E. unrivaled – reverence
Please let Study Hut know if you need any tutoring or training for the SAT, specifically the Critical Reading section. We have excellent SAT tutors who earned great scores, went to top universities, and follow our streamlined approach to no-nonsense SAT training.
Tags: AVID tutoring, critical reading, Palos Verdes tutoring, SAT tutor, SAT tutoring
Posted in 9-12, AVID, high school, SAT |
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January 25th, 2012
The year 2012 brings many changes to the local Study Huts in your neighborhood. The high demands of students have made us expand not only in location but, hours as well. In the effort to provide quality one on one tutoring Study Hut is now open 7 days a week. This new radical change has taken over two years to come into effect. Before January 2012, students had the chance to come receive tutoring only Sunday Through Thursday. The small window of tutoring hours started to become inconvenient for our athletes, honor and extracurricular activity students. “Some kids with APs and sports can’t do weekdays and if they have band, theatre, or newspaper, then it’s super tough too”, informs our owner Robert Stone. These students have demanding schedules and sometimes could not squeeze in tutoring hours. As previous high school and middle school students the hut staff understand how demanding and exhausting this could be mentally and physically for the students. The changes are Friday and Saturday available days of tutoring and test preparation classes. “These are also the quietest days at the Hut, so there are advantages in the noise department as well”, states owner Sean Patrick. During the week it can become incredibly loud and for many students, the noise level is an extreme interruption of concentration.
The Study Hut has also become a huge asset in test taking preparation classes and has branched out in so many administered tests preparation of the nation. Included in the national tests, is our well known ACT and SAT preparation classes. In concurrence with weekends being open for tutoring, Fridays and Saturdays are also open for these test preparation classes. These classes give our students a huge advantage to learn the materials needed while tackling down their weekly courses as well. Nothing makes us happier here at your local hut than our students’ success in their classes. We pride ourselves in their academic goals and strive to make sure they meet their goals. So if we must stay open 7 days a week, so be it.
Tags: academic, academic goals, ACT, APs, courses, high school, hut, hut staff, middel school, middle school students, SAT, school, students, students' success, study Hut, Study Huts, test prep, test preparation classes, tests, The Hut, The Study Hut, Tutoring, tutoring hours
Posted in Manhattan Beach |
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January 23rd, 2012
The week of finals for a number of local schools is finally upon us and many students are scrambling, studying and stressing to make that last ditch effort to either improve their grades or make sure to keep them up. With all of this last minute studying and cramming for tests students will often time resort to eating and drinking whatever they can to keep them going and continue studying. However drinking three Red Bulls, two trenta vanilla lattes, eating an entire bag of cheetos and a Chipotle burrito to make it through an all night cram session is not the best strategy for succeeding on finals and keeping your body functioning at peak performance. While it may taste good and keep you going for the day, after this week is over the students bodies will be screaming in utter dismay at the stress and torture that students put themselves through during finals. Because we cannot climate the stress from the actual taking of the tests on ourselves, we need to make sure that everything else happening to our body is making it feel good and strong. To accomplish this the students need to eat balanced meals throughout the day and limit the caffeine intake , especially eating some kind of breakfast each morning before the days of the test because you wouldn’t be able to drive your car without fuel so what would make it possible to use your brain without the necessary fuel.
Another major problem taking away from students ability to do well on finals is the increase in internet use. With all the new social media and internet sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. students have so many new things to distract them from their studies than there was even 5 years ago. While it may not be effective to completely restrict the student from the internet because there are so many useful learning and study tools, it would be extremely beneficial to even just deactivate ones Facebook for the week of finals or even better the week before through finals to keep focus on the studying as opposed to their social internet lives. Finals can be a stressful week for everyone from students, parents, teachers and tutors, but by taking necessary and beneficial steps in preparing we can make it a little easier for us all and hopefully earn A’s
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Posted in Finals Tutoring |
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January 18th, 2012
Finals are the most stressful and overwhelming time of each semester. It was hard enough studying for each test the last couple of months, but how are you supposed to study for a test in every class covering everything you have learned! It’s a tall task, but it is manageable with the right tools and preparation. The tutors at the Study Hut are ready to arm you with the weapons necessary to conquer the dreaded week.
Probably the most important key to studying for finals is budgeting time. You have to have realistic expectations for each class and weigh the pros and cons of time spent studying for each class. If I have a C+ in math and need to nail my final to get a B, I’ll put more time into that class than in English which comes easy to me and I have a solid A. Once you decide how important each final is, now you have to make sure you set time aside for each, and work both diligently, and effectively.
A second key to studying for finals is simply knowing WHAT to study. Believe it or not, finals are usually far easier than the individual chapter tests. This is because on the final, the teacher is going to test the big concepts from each section, not the nitty gritty details like those tested in a chapter test. With the help of your Study Hut tutor, you can go through your old tests and assignments and realistically pick and choose what you must dedicate more time to studying.
So remember: Don’t panic, stay organized, take your tutors advice, and study diligently. Good things will come. Best of luck to you all.
Tags: finals, organization, test prep, tutor, Tutoring
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, focusing, General Articles, high school, Learning, life skills, middle school, retention, Self esteem, study skills, Test taking anxiety, Testing |
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January 17th, 2012
It’s mid January, which means all of our students have shaken off the long winter break – and it’s all-encompassing mental freeze- and are gearing up for their finals. Here at Study Hut, we’ve extended our hours and expanded our tutoring capacity to help our students tackle their logarithmic functions, combustion reactions, and preterit tenses before they’re tested on it for the last time this semester. We’ve brought out the big guns this finals season to make sure they’re reviewing what they know, filling in any gaps in knowledge, and gaining confidence in subjects ranging from Pre-Algebra to AP Biology, but are doing so in a comfortable environment. This past week, I’ve personally logged over 50 hours of just finals tutoring, complete with much needed Goldfish cracker and Oreos breaks.
Obviously students should be studying all semester long to keep up with all relevant concepts, but there is no substitute for getting some extra one-on-one tutoring right before the test. Our tutors are experts in many different fields of study, so the instruction the students get in here is second only to what they get in class (and sometimes even better).
I always make certain that building confidence is a focal point in tutoring my students, as well as emphasizing the importance of working a little every day. Tutoring is a lot like baseball practice: you don’t skip practice and then do a six-hour scrimmage the day before a tournament and hope to win. You practice your plays day-by-day and BAM! The day of the game you’re ready. Finals are the same – with daily practice, paying attention to homework assignments (those questions WILL be on the final), and then a solid review of the semester’s teachings (whether or not the teacher provides a study guide), you will be game-day ready. So, study up for finals, kids, and come into Study Hut for some awesome one-on-one tutoring to make sure you’ll hit it out of the park!
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Posted in Finals Tutoring |
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January 16th, 2012
Ah, final exams. That glorious time of year. (I’m just kidding; I’ve heard finals called many things, and “glorious” has never been one of them). They are daunting, difficult, and above all, important to your final grade. But the good new is that they CAN BE BEATEN! (Huzzah!) It all depends on HOW you bring the fight to them. Luckily, that’s kind of a specialty here in the Study Hut.
Now, it’s difficult to write a catch-all strategy that will help you study for ALL of your finals. Mainly because you’re going to be using completely different methods for completely different tests. You wouldn’t study for a geometry test the same way you’d study for history. HOWEVER, there are similarities. Number one (and this should be completely obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t do it): Give yourself enough time. Finals are not like other tests. You cannot start studying for them a few days before, and expect to be all right. Ideally, you should have started studying for each test AT LEAST 2 weeks before the test date. Remember, these tests include everything you’re studying now, PLUS everything else you’ve studied in the semester. You need time to review concepts, do practice problems, plan essays, ask questions, etc.
Number two: Organization. The very first thing you should do, before even cracking open your text book, is set up a schedule for yourself. This may sound like a chore, but you would not believe how much pressure it takes off of you. It’s a lot less scary to look at a list of things you need to accomplish than it is to stare at 6 months of notes and not know where to start. For example, I’m working with a student who has to study for a History final, covering 6 chapters and about 400 years of history. SO, we set up a schedule that he’d study exactly one chapter per night for six days (not too hard to do). Since he started so early (see Tip 1), by the time he’s done with those six chapters, he’s going to have a full week left before his test. Now, he can use that week to go more in depth, bring problems to his teacher, and make himself more confident before the test. It’s a lot easier to study a huge amount of material if you break it up into small pieces, and have ample time to do so.
And number three: Confidence. Finals are stressful. We’ve all been there. Make sure that you get a full night’s sleep the night before. And (this is huge), don’t go nuts cramming 15 minutes before the test. By that point, you know everything you’re going to know. Give yourself that 15 minutes to decompress. Just close the book, and trust in the fact that you’ve put in the proper work. You’d be amazing what a difference it makes to go calmly into a test.
If you follow this tips (and of course, come see your friends at your local, neighborhood Study Hut), you’ll greatly increase your chances at doing well on your final exams. Good luck!
Tags: course, essays, exams, Final exams, finals, geometry, grade, history, Study, study Hut, studying, teacher, test, tests
Posted in 9-12, Finals Tutoring, high school |
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