It was only a year ago that our phones were ringing off the hook here at the Newport Beach Study Hut with concerned parents, some of whom were asking about current Study Hut students, and others that were new or prospective clients, and they all had questions about the same thing: Common Core tutoring in Newport Beach. Parents wanted to know what the Common Core math curriculum was going to change, what it would look like in English classrooms, and how we were assisting our students with Common Core tutoring now that we had begun the school year and were working with the content first-hand.
Many websites do contain plenty of helpful information that can demystify the curriculum and break down the process, such as this official California Department of Education site: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/im/ and while information like this can be helpful, sometimes it is just too confusing for the average mom or dad trying to rush one kid to piano lessons and another to soccer practice.
After having gone through all grade levels of the Common Core curriculum last year, we here at Study Hut can officially say that we have got you covered. We know where students are most likely to get stuck, and we know how to help them get back up and truly understand the critical foundational material involved in each of the building lessons. Whether you love Common Core’s arrival in Newport Beach or just plain can’t stand it, we can all agree that the lessons and levels build upon each other. So when your student gets caught on a few concepts, please do not just accept it as a bad grade and move on. These deficiencies or areas of missing conceptual understanding will come back to bite students later in the year, and in most cases with math and English, the same concepts will come back up year after year. That is just all the more reason to make sure to get a solid base for your son or daughter as early as possible, and be sure to seek help with Common Core tutoring if you feel like your kiddo needs a little bit of extra support in order to get caught up or stay ahead in his or her classes at Newport Harbor High School or Corona del Mar High School.
Having a hard time studying for your math test? One of our tutors from the Newport Beach/CDM Study Hut shares her study tips!
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition See what I did there? Math is about learning the steps. This holds true for Algebra, Geometry, Stats, and even Calculus. You have to be comfortable with what you’re doing at each step, no matter what curveball is thrown. Think of a baseball player who spends hours in the cage, or a basketball player who finishes every practice with 10 made free throws (Kobe Bryant has actually been known to come to the gym early to make 800 jump shots before practice)! The more practice you put in, doing the problems over and over again, the easier it will be and the better you will do on the real thing.
Give It a Scent While you’re studying for that Geometry midterm or Trig final, or another subject for that matter, chew a unique smelling gum, or spray a new perfume/air freshener. Then, while you’re taking the test, chew that same gum, or spray that same scent. The smell will trigger your memories of studying and improve your performance!
Study Somewhere New While it is great to have a spot where you always study (it has everything you need and a comfy chair!) it’s good to mix it up sometimes. Go to the local library, Starbucks down the street, or just a new spot in the house. Just like with the new scent, your memories of studying will be linked with the feel/look of the new study spot.
This CDM math tutor’s favorite mnemonic.
Create Mnemonics While it is rarer that you need to memorize lists in math, memorizing formulas can be daunting. Using a common mnemonic can ensure that you commit that bad boy to memory. For example, many people like to use Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally to remember the order of operations (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction). The only thing better than using a common one like this is making one up for yourself, because then it has personal meaning and you are more likely to remember it.
Ask for Help No one can do it alone! Tutors at Study Hut have been collecting tips and tricks like these for years, and would love to share them with you! Call today to start building strong study habits and acing those tests!
Many of our students from Newport Harbor High School and Corona del Mar High School (especially seniors planning to take the ACT for the final time), have been cramming as much ACT tutoring as possible in this week. While some colleges will accept later test dates, others look at the official October 24th ACT as the final opportunity for serious applicants to show the improvement they have earned (hopefully!) over the past few months of hard work. A few of our students have come in every night since Sunday to take a few last practice sections and make sure that they have their timing down and their strategies set. While this can certainly be a week of anxiety for some students, here at Study Hut we have been training and practicing the same approach over and over again, so our students are typically calm and well prepared for the big day. The mood here at our Newport Beach Study Hut has been rather tranquil given the circumstances.
ACT students have been working throughout the summer and the fall with their ACT tutors at Study Hut to attack areas of weakness and to fill in content gaps. We know how to best assess and correct these areas of weakness because our advanced software provides superior analytics. We break down the data from students’ prior practice tests and from their previous official attempts from junior year, and then focus on the specific areas of improvement that the student needs to address. This method is far superior to the approach taken by many students when working alone, and it gives Study Hut students who embrace ACT tutoring a major advantage on “Game Day.” We think this is one of the primary reasons that our popularity has grown so much this year, and also a major driver for our spike in referrals. We are incredibly appreciative of the positive feedback that our ACT tutoring program has received, especially here in Newport Beach among Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar students.
Come down to the Study Hut in Redondo Beach, where we arm students like you from all over the South Bay with strategies to excel on every section of the test. We understand that taking the ACT coincides with a very crucial time in students’ lives: when you decide where you want to go to college. On top of making sure that your grades and applications are in order, you also have to worry about preparing for a four-hour long test designed to evaluate almost everything you’ve learned in high school. It’s enough to make anyone stressed out. But that’s okay. Even the best students aren’t always the best test-takers, so don’t worry; you’re not alone if you think you need help.
ACT at the Redondo Beach Hut
At the Hut we employ graduates from renowned universities, including UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and Cal Poly SLO to equip you with the leading ACT test-taking skills. So, when the time comes to take the test, you will not only be able to complete it efficiently, you’ll be able to do so confidently.
Because we work with students from a diverse pool of high schools — Palos Verdes, Peninsula, South Torrance, Redondo Union, Loyola and others — we have plenty of experience adapting these test-taking strategies to best fit your specific needs. No matter what your subject background or your skill level, we are ready to help you.
So how does this work? First, we set you up with a free and brief consultation where we determine the ACT prep course that’s right for you. Our packages range from 12 to 16 to 20 sessions total, with each session lasting two hours. After we set up the course that best suits your schedule and abilities, you start meeting with your tutor! Together we’ll help you dissect complex reading passages, simplify the steps you take to answer questions correctly, and prepare you to make more educated guesses.
Over the years, the Hut has witnessed so many of its students exceed their expectations on the ACT, and we would love to catalyze your success too.
Ready to give this a shot? Either fill out the contact form on this page or give us a ring at (310)540-5888. We’re looking forward to gearing you up!
I love my job at Study Hut Tutoring… and this Portuguese Water Dog!
Being a Manhattan Beach tutor at Study Hut Tutoring has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of working in education because of my own educational experience, which I believe was excellent, and made me want to be able to give as many Manhattan Beach students as possible the help that they need to have an equally excellent educational experience. Each time a student comes and sits with their favorite Manhattan Beach tutor, me, I am reminded of the joy I get when I foster that eureka moment in my student. It is so satisfying to see the light-bulb go on as a result of my instruction!
One of my favorite topics as a Manhattan Beach tutor at Study Hut Tutoring is lower level math because I feel that many students often get pushed away from math early on because they see very few practical applications for what they are learning. In order to combat this I do my best to explain to my students from Manhattan Beach Middle School (MBMS) and the other Manhattan Beach schools how what they are learning now will eventually be applied to their future studies. I believe that I am a unique pre-algebra and algebra 1 tutor because I have been exposed to higher level math (such as multivariable calculus and linear algebra) so I am able to explain what by Manhattan Beach students are studying in a great deal of depth and give them an idea of how what they are learning now will be applied later.
In addition to tutoring math, I also love to tutor history. I absolutely love history and love being able to see students become engaged in what they are learning. As a Manhattan Beach tutor, specifically for history, I do my best to place as much emphasis as possible on the story rather than the tedious task of memorizing dates and facts. The stories really are compelling. Once students connect to the emotion of where we are, memorizing is so much easier. I find that those come much easier when intertwined into an engaging story. Being able to spark an interest in a Mira Costa or MBMS student in history for the first time is absolutely amazing.
After a fantastic 2014-2015 school year in Manhattan Beach, Mira Costa students are about to enjoy some fun in the sun. While many have finished their SAT and ACT exams, others are starting summer school. So for those of you who have to spend some morning time in the classroom, Study Hut Tutoring is here for you after class, at our new summer location: 1208 Artesia Blvd. in Hermosa Beach, across the street from Mira Costa High School.
Our geometry tutors are standing by– we are available for hourly sessions Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm. Whether you are getting ahead and taking Modern World History or US history, we have the local experts and books you need in order to earn A’s over summer. It is important to get off on the right foot because the summer classes are especially condensed, often only 4-6 weeks long. If it’s algebra tutoring you need, our top people are locked and loaded, ready to go.
Mira Costa High School isn’t the only school letting loose. Students from Manhattan Beach Middle School are “free at last” from the rigors of Mr. Rucker’s Boulder, Mrs. Luke’s math homework and early morning tutoring sessions on Late Start Wednesdays. Now that school is out, a lot of students are coming to Study Hut Tutoring for summer tutoring in Manhattan Beach to brush up on their pre-algebra skills, five paragraph essay writing, and Spanish verbs. These basics are quintessential to earning top marks in the fall. While buoy swims are equally as important for the body, the mind requires specific tuning in order to test well in early September.
For those students who have just wrapped up their last days at Grandview Elementary, Pacific Elementary, Robinson Elementary, and Pennykamp Elementary, there is a real transition that lies ahead as they enter into Manhattan Beach Middle School. Now more than ever, incoming 6th graders will be put to the test. But not to worry, Study Hut Tutoring is in your corner, having just helped a plethora of students with wide ranging needs, we are ready to help you tackle these challenges: we have the books, we know the curriculum, and you’re going to have a ton of fun knockin’ it out with us. Come in for engaging summer tutoring in Manhattan Beach to keep your mind fresh!
It’s no question that education is a two way street. Teachers, parents and tutors are united in their efforts to bestow kernels of wisdom on the younger generation. Likewise, students soak up information like a sponge. But when one is out of sync with the other, it’s a situation where full learning can be lost in the wind. However, being a tutor of many years now, I can honestly say there are a few key qualities I’ve seen in students that make the flow of learning right as rain. Not to let educators off the hook (two way street, right?), but students can certainly learn from the following ideas on how to be a student tutors will love.
ORGANIZATION
It seems like a cliche, but Office Depot and The Container Store are the keys to 50% of learning. As human beings, we naturally codify, order and pattern information into compartments in our brain for easy retrieval. That’s why highlighters and binders and all the other trinkets sold at these stores will help students learn and retain information. Tutors love it when their students show up organized and ready to learn and review. When students are organized, they’ve done half the work!
PARTICIPATION
As mentioned above, learning is a two way street, which means interaction, asking questions and providing feedback are key to a good study session. Studies show that repeating ideas out loud will help students understand and retain new information better than simply listening. That’s why questions are great! Activities such as games and exercises will also maintain participation.
GOOD ATTITUDE
Who doesn’t want to be in good company? This goes for both the teacher and student. A good attitude can go a long way in building trust, keeping focus, and developing a strong report. Furthermore, having a good attitude might even surprise the most unsuspecting student because a positive mood opens our minds to learning something new. What tutor doesn’t love for their student to learn something new?
Study Hut tutors have the opportunity to work with the Academics Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at different high schools. One of these schools is Peninsula High School in Palos Verdes. During her freshman year, a student named Cindy was among one of the students I got to regularly help last school year. Now as a sophomore, Cindy comes in to Study Hut for tutoring and it seems fair to say that she is both enjoying it and benefitting from it. While waiting for her ride after one of her sessions, Cindy decided to hang around. Since I did not have a student at the time, I invited Cindy to sit at my table until her ride came (more like she invited herself to come sit). We chatted about her AVID class, school functions, friends, and life in general. Although the conversation only lasted about five minutes, it was one of those small events that happened to make my day that much better. It was a great feeling knowing that she was comfortable enough to talk to me like a friend and I was able to provide her with advice as a mentor. On behalf of the Study Hut tutors, we strive to provide an environment that balances serious styles and laid-back styles in order to allow students to succeed inside the classroom and beyond. This is just one example of the bonds that the tutors and students experience at Study Hut – I am sure there have been and will be plenty more.
Imagine if each year you allowed three consecutive months to pass without ever considering diet or exercise; the result would be low energy, an underperforming immune system, and many other undesirable consequences. Just like any other part of the human body, the brain requires regular attention and maintenance to perform to its potential. Students often struggle to get back into the swing of academics after a long summer break, as their brains have been stagnant for weeks on end. Here at Study Hut Tutoring, we make sure to keep our students sharp through the summer time, allowing an easier entrance into the new school year and helping them to start strong and maintain that impressive GPA throughout the course of the academic year.
Summer tutoring offers many benefits to students. For some, summer tutoring serves as a valuable time to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the previous school year, and to clear up and solidify conceptual understanding that they will need to progress to more advanced courses. For others, summer tutoring serves as an opportunity to learn new material before being exposed to it in the classroom, giving them more confidence and an easier route to an “A”. And still for others, we help with writing enrichment, summer reading requirements, and preparation for the Fall SAT and ACT.
Of course, we at Study Hut Tutoring also appreciate the value of leisure time. Our founders, Rob and Sean, along with our tutors have been making the most of this summer by spending plenty of time on and in the ocean, be it to surf, spearfish, or boat across the channel to Catalina Island. We will be seeing off our managerial staff on an annual leadership trip at the end of July, and look forward to building an even stronger team to help our students through the remainder of the summer and next school year.
If you would like more information regarding our summer tutoring services, or you would like to sign up your son or daughter for summer help to prepare for the upcoming school year, please feel welcome to contact us at info@studyhut.com. Enjoy your summer!
With summer underway and the Independence Day holiday weekend behind us, our enrichment programs at Study Hut are in full force, and learning is back on the agenda.
Tonight we begin our ACT small-group course, which runs Monday and Wednesday evenings for the remainder of summer. Our SAT small-group course also begins tomorrow evening, and runs through the rest of summer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Students are excited to learn concepts that they either missed in high school or have not yet learned, and they are even more eager to go over their practice tests and learn time management and question prioritization strategies for both the ACT and SAT. Students in previous classes at Study Hut Tutoring have learned all about the tremendous benefits of having an ACT tutor or an SAT tutor in their corner.
Whether a student needs help with SAT math, critical reading, writing, or some combination of these, having a top Study Hut tutor has shown to make a huge difference in students’ scores. Our small group ACT and SAT classes have helped to earn students an average of over 200 points of improvement from their original scores, and many students improve 300 or more points.
At the Hut, we strongly suggest making a game-plan early so as to ensure that your son or daughter has the maximum amount of time to make the gains that he or she desires. The test preparation process is, after all, about opening as many doors as possible, both for college and for opportunities beyond.
If your son or daughter has not yet taken a practice SAT or ACT, now is the time to see where you stand. We offer free full-length SAT and ACT diagnostic tests, and we also provide free consultations to parents and students after the test so that you can fully understand your results. Please email info@studyhut.com today to sign up at any of our beach-front locations.
