May 27th, 2014
Working at the Study Hut affords us tutors the freedom to delve deep into the student’s subjects beyond that what they do in class. I recently had a student who didn’t have much work in her high school biology and Spanish classes (what we normally work on) so I improvised and pulled out some knowledge from my university psychology classes. She was learning about the brain in her biology class, but the class only touched on the basics of the brain’s anatomy. After we covered the material from her textbook, we spent the rest of the lesson going in depth on the structure of neurons and synapses, the anatomy of the brain and nervous system, and a brief overview of neurotransmitters.
Since she grasped all the necessary information quickly and effortlessly, we also previewed a couple of interesting neurological disorders that highlighted how the brain works, and how it sometimes fails to work. Specifically, we talked about a neuropsychological disorder known as ‘hemispatial neglect’. It primarily affects patients of strokes and causes them to neglect one side of their bodies. They aren’t blind, and they have sensations in those areas, but they they do not recognize or are not aware of one side of their body. For instance, if you were to punch one of these people on their neglected side they wouldn’t see the punch coming, but they would feel the pain. This lack of awareness leads the sufferers of this unusual and startling neuropsychological disorder to do things like apply makeup to one half of their face or only put on one sleeve or pant leg.
I loved teaching this student about a subject that I was passionate about, and it was something that went beyond the scope and focus of an average high school class. Here at the Study Hut we have the flexibility to delve deep into subjects that students may not be exposed to in school but that may pique their interests.
Tags: anatomy, average, Biology, brain, brain's anatomy, class, high school, High School Biology, neurological, neurological disorders, Psychology class, Spanish, Spanish classes, study Hut, subject, subjects, teaching, University, University Psychology class, work
Posted in General, General Articles |
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April 24th, 2014
For many years, our tutors have been helping seniors at Palos Verdes High School complete their senior projects called the Capstone. This project consists of a research paper on a topic the student is interested in or affected by and a corresponding research project or experiment. Study Hut owners Rob and Sean Patrick, together with Redondo Beach manager, Justin, are all industry partners and judge the Capstone projects at the end of the year to decide which students will receive prizes and scholarships. In the past, the entire project has been completed during the course of the student’s senior year, but during the 2013-2014 school year, the school made some changes. Now students are required to finish their entire paper in the last quarter of their junior year, leaving the entire senior year to dedicate to their physical project and research. As the school is aware that this can be a very stressful time for students due to Advanced Placement exams in May, AP students are not required to begin working on their Capstone papers until after they have completed all their AP exams.
Early in the school year, I worked with a senior named Cara whose project analyzed the effectiveness of three different teaching styles. She works as a swim teacher at the South Bay Aquatic Center, which was the perfect place for her to experiment with different teaching styles in her swim classes. I recently worked with a junior named Halle who studied the societal influence on the evolution of music. While expanding on previously learned academic skills and preparing students for college level papers and projects, the Capstone also provides students an opportunity to pursue further education about a topic of personal interest.
Tags: Capstone, dedicate, education, Junior, manager, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes High School, paper, project, Redondo Beach, Redondo Beach Manager, scholarship, scholarships, senior year, student, students, study Hut
Posted in General, General Articles, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes High School |
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April 1st, 2014
The Rigors of PV Curriculum from a USC Alum
As a former student at Palos Verdes High School ( www.pvhigh.com ), I have found that the Study Hut curriculum for PVHS Math, Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, and English are perfect for the PV High curriculum. The PV school district’s expectations for Math classes, ranging from Geometry to Calculus, are very high and the homework and study workloads show this. At Study Hut ( www.studyhut.com ), I give one-on-one tutoring to help students understand and manage their challenging Algebra, Algebra 2, and Geometry workloads. Adding to this, most students are required to take Biology and Chemistry. From my experience as a Natural Science major at USC ( www.usc.edu ), I can personally attest to the very high level and challenging requirements that Palos Verdes high school students face.
At Study Hut, I help students in understanding the difficult materials, as well as in preparing for their tests (whether they be finals, AP, SATs, or SAT 2). Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 are also requirements for PVHS students and during my time at PV High, I remember that many students also take Spanish 3 and Spanish 4. These classes can be especially problematic for students who have never taken Spanish before or are not used to the verbal and written demands of the classes. At Study Hut, I really enjoy helping students improve their Spanish vocabulary, as well as their grammar and pronunciation. With all of these subjects, it really works to my benefit that I have taken the classes that I tutor at PV High (a lot of times with the same teachers), so I have a good understanding of the expectations and style of work that PVHS requires for a good grade. Adding to this, the atmosphere and tutoring style encouraged at Study Hut meshes well with Palos Verdes High School students and generates very positive results.
Tags: algebra, algebra 2, Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, curriculum, english, expectations, geometry, good grade, grammar, helping students, improve, math, math classes, Natural Science, positive results, pronunciation, PV, PV High Curriculum, Rigors, Spanish, Spanish 3, Spanish 4, Spanish vocabulary, study Hut, USC Alum
Posted in General, General Articles, Geometry, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes High School, Tutors |
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March 27th, 2014
I’ve been tutoring Kelsey from Redondo Union High School (http://www.redondounion.org/) for about three weeks now. After briefly talking about Kelsey’s day, we discuss how she thinks she did on her most recent quizzes or tests, what assignments she needs to work on in that moment in time, and how we can prepare for her upcoming quizzes or tests. Kelsey mainly comes into Study Hut to get tutoring for Chemistry and Algebra 2. My goal is to help Kelsey overcome her struggles in these two subjects by accommodating her with tutorials that will help her retain information efficiently, develop excellent study habits for any of her future assessments, as well as motivate her to be the best student she could be.
The first day I worked with her we completed her review packet for her upcoming Chemistry test. At the time, Kelsey was learning about specific heat capacity and how to find the missing variable, whether it was the amount of heat gained or lost, specific heat, or final or initial temperature. Kelsey came into Study Hut confused about the basics of this particular subtopic in Chemistry, so I went over the fundamentals by breaking down every significant piece of information she had to know.
The second day I worked with Kelsey, we reviewed for the Algebra 2 test she took last week. Kelsey was being tested on her knowledge of conics, including parabolas, hyberbolas, circles, and ellipses. Kelsey was confused about the difference between each of the conics, how to go about finding the different types of points for each type of graph, how to formulate an equation when given specific points on the graph, and lastly, how to graph each type of conic. I went over the details of each graph and provided her with simply strategies on how to memorize the specifics of each graph.
Tags: algebra 2, assignments, Chemistry, goal, memorize, motivate, prepare, quizzes, Redondo Union High School, specifics of each graph, strategies, Study, study habits, study Hut, test, tests, tutorials
Posted in General, General Articles, Tutor Tips, Tutors, Uncategorized |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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