Why Academic Teaching Doesn’t Help Kids Excel In Life

Cliff1066

Academics. Most of our current school system revolves around it, and yet, I think it falls miserably short of what our kids need. To be honest, I think our academic system of education is highly overrated, at best. At worst, it destroys a number of our kids.

Hear me out. I’m not saying that our kids shouldn’t learn to read, or do math, or develop other valuable skills. But too often, the focus of our kids’ school day is Content with a capital C, with little connection to why it matters. Instead of learning together, many of our students spend hours filling in worksheets or copying down lecture notes that they could google in 30 seconds.

Too often the lectures they listen to are boring and irrelevant to their lives. And from my experience, most of this content is simply memorized, spewed out for an exam and then quickly forgotten. But beyond this, there’s often only one right answer, which frequently cultivates in our students a fear of failure.

SCHOOLS VALUE HOOP JUMPING

For the most part, kids who we consider “academic” tend to be good hoop jumpers. They’ve figured out the system and can navigate their way through the predictable demands of the system. But they are seldom truly engaged. Rarely are they transformed by their learning. They’re going through the motions.

I’ve come to realize that being “academic” doesn’t tell you much about yourself. 

Research shows that some of the least engaged students are the highest achievers. Think about that. They do well because they know how to “do school.” Is this really the best we have to offer them?
What if you’re not “academic”? Most of these kids pass through too many years of their young lives feeling like they don’t measure up. Feeling stupid. And for some, it radically alters their trajectory of their adult lives. Unfortunately, too many students have to recover from school once they graduate. Is this really what we want for them?

I USED TO TEACH THIS WAY

In all honesty, I have to admit that I used to believe in this academics-oriented system. For too many years my students sat in straight rows. I asked the questions. I had the answers. I controlled the learning.

The truth is I did this because it’s what I knew. It’s how I’d been trained. It’s what I saw replicated in universities and in other teachers’ classrooms. I sincerely believed that good grades mattered.

I’m an English teacher, and I subscribed wholeheartedly to the belief that the pinnacle of success in English was the ability to write “the essay.” But I’ve radically changed my position. I’ve come to believe that the traditional essay is one of the most useless things we teach our students.

Recently, I’ve started to ask people I know, “Do you ever write an essay?” I’ve never had one person say yes. I wonder how many teachers, except those who are taking university classes (or writing an opinion piece like this), ever write true essays. If I may be so bold, I wonder how many English teachers frequently write essays.

I’m not saying our kids shouldn’t be able to write. On the contrary, I think our students should be able to argue gracefully and persuade powerfully. They also need to know what they believe and why. I simply think the essay is a medium that has outlived its usefulness, at least in high school.

ACADEMICS FOR THE ACADEMICIANS

I’ve come to realize that being “academic” doesn’t tell you much about yourself. It tells you you’re good at school, which is fine if you plan to spend your life in academia, but very few of our students do. It doesn’t indicate whether or not you’ll be successful in your marriage, raising your kids, managing your money, or giving back to your community. All things that matter much more than being good at school.

School should be a place where kids can discover what they love. They should be able to ask the questions that matter to them and pursue the answers. They should discover what they are passionate about, what truly sets their hearts and souls on fire. They should discover they can make a difference now. Above all, they should leave school knowing what they are good at.

Today, I think most kids graduate only knowing if they’re good at school or not. Often our students have many talents; they just don’t fit in our current curriculum because their talents are likely not considered “real knowledge.” And what is that? In the Biology curriculum that I’ve taught for the past several years, one of the objectives that my students need to know is earthworm reproduction. Really? Out of all the things we could be teaching a 17-year-old about biology, someone (a whole panel of someones, we can guess) decided earthworm reproduction was essential?

OUR STUDENTS LOSE THEIR CURIOSITY

We are born curious. Babies explore their environments to learn; they do it naturally without being told. Three-year-olds constantly, at times annoyingly, ask, “why?” And yet, by the time my students arrive in Grade 10, they have all but lost their curiosity. Consequently, when I get a new class of students, we start by unlearning.

We begin by imagining what school could be, instead of what they’ve known for 10 years. Only then can we move into the work that will help them become lifelong learners who truly enjoy the search for answers, rather than the mark at the top of their exam.

Recently I’ve been reading Amanda Lang’s The Power of Why. In it she states:

“Curious kids learn how to learn, and how to enjoy it – and that, more than any specific body of knowledge, is what they will need to have in the future. The world is changing so rapidly that by the time a student graduates from university, everything he or she learned may already be headed toward obsolescence. The main thing that students need to know is not what to think but how to think in order to face new challenges and solve new problems.” (p.14)

LEARNING HOW TO LEARN AND FAIL AND LEARN SOME MORE

Our school system doesn’t need to create kids who are good at school. Instead, we need to create an environment that engages learners, fosters creativity, and puts responsibility for learning where it belongs – with our students.

Instead of rote learning, teachers need to use content to teach skills. We need to build environments that allow our students to get messy and build things. Places where students learn how to learn, and know how they learn best. Where students engage in significant research, and learn how to identify credible resources amidst a plethora of information that, at times, may seem overwhelming.

Furthermore, our students need to be able to problem-solve, innovate and fail over and over again. Throughout all of this, our kids should be collaborating with each other, as well as virtually with students across the globe. They need to be able to communicate powerfully using the mediums of print, photography and video.

THREE QUESTIONS TO GUIDE STUDENT-DRIVEN LEARNING

As I’ve worked with my students, we’ve come to realize they need to be able to answer three questions, regardless of what we’re researching:

• What are you going to learn?
• How are you going to learn it?
• How are you going to show me you’re learning?

How they get to this last question is often their decision. And what they come up with never fails to surprise me.

My classroom hasn’t always looked like this. But over the past three years we’ve shifted to a constructivist pedagogy that has transformed not only my thinking, but my students as well. Now we learn in an inquiry, PBL, tech-embedded classroom.

The journey at times has been painful and messy, but well worth the work. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that my students will often exceed my expectations, if only they’re given the chance.

Are We Wringing the Creativity Out of Kids?

Comstock

Do you think you’re creative?”

Ask this question of a group of second-graders, and about 95 percent of them will answer “Yes.” Three years later, when the kids are in fifth grade, that proportion will drop to 50 percent—and by the time they’re seniors in high school, it’s down to 5 percent.

Author Jonah Lehrer recently discussed the implications of these sobering statistics for education in his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works. In a talk and question-and-answer session he participated in at the Commonwealth Club in Palo Alto, California, last month, Lehrer talked about why children lose their playful sense of creativity as they get older, and how we can help them hang on to it.

Lehrer began by quoting Picasso: “Every child is born an artist. The problems begin once we start to grow up.” Actually, Lehrer noted, the problems begin in a very specific time frame: the years covering third, fourth, and fifth grade. It’s during this period, he says, that many kids “conclude that they are not creative, and this is in large part because they start to realize that that their drawing is not quite as pretty as they would like, that they can put the brush in the wrong place, that their short stories don’t live up to their expectations—so they become self-conscious and self-aware, and then they shut themselves down.” Parents and teachers must intervene during this crucial window to ensure that children’s creativity doesn’t wither.

“Right now we are grooming our kids to think in a very particular way, which assumes that the right way to be thinking is to be attentive, to stare straight ahead.”

One such intervention: “We have to expand our notion of what productivity means,” said Lehrer. “Right now we are grooming our kids to think in a very particular way, which assumes that the right way to be thinking is to be attentive, to stare straight ahead—which is why we diagnose 20 percent of kids in many classrooms as having attention deficit disorders, when the research is actually more complicated.”

People with such conditions are actually more likely to become “eminent creative achievers” once they’re out in the real world, Lehrer noted. He cited research by Jordan Grafman of the University of Toronto, showing that distractibility can be an asset as long as it’s combined with a moderately high IQ. “When you’re distractible, you’re always grabbing at seemingly irrelevant ideas and combining them with other ideas. Most of those ideas won’t pan out, which is why being smart helps, because that means you can get rid of those ideas quickly,” he said. “But every once in a while, that new mash-up is going to be useful, is going to lead you somewhere interesting.”

Parents’ and teachers’ task, he said, is to help kids learn how to “productively daydream.”

RELATED READING:

• 9 TENETS OF PASSION-BASED LEARNING
• WHERE’S THE JOY IN LEARNING?

Lehrer’s second proposal: Teach children how to have “grit,” the perseverance and determination that’s required to create something new. He referenced the research on grit conducted by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth, who professes the maxim “Choose easy, work hard.”

Lehrer elaborated: “What she means by that is that’s important to give kids a menu of possibilities pretty early on, a menu of things they might fall in love with—maybe it’s painting, maybe it’s drawing, maybe it’s writing, maybe it’s computer science—just a bunch of passions that they could discover. [You want them to] find these things that don’t feel like work, activities that just feel like fun. And then you have to remind them—‘OK, so you’ve found something you love, the goal you want to strive for. Now you have to work hard. Now you have to put in your thousands of hours of practice. Now you have to be willing to persevere through failure and frustrations.’”

With these key interventions, Lehrer suggested, children’s vital spirit of creativity can be kept alive.

2013 Big Ideas in Education

Erin Scott

It might feel overwhelming to keep track of the latest education trends, jargon, and ed-tech products. But for many educators — and most MindShift readers — the topic of focus that stays top-of-mind above the chatter is learning. A look through the most popular MindShift posts this year reveals that, despite all the news about iPad rollouts and Common Core, the strongest thread of interest for our readers remains the topic of learning: student-directed learning, inquiry-based approaches to teaching, and the desire to help students learn how to learn in a changing world.

POSITIVE CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING

Adults can make a big impact on how students view their own learning process and capabilities, as described in the article Giving Good Praise to Girls: What Messages Stick. Research by Stanford professor Carol Dweck has shown that students who demonstrate a “growth mindset” about their abilities fare much better than those who believe their abilities in any given area are fixed — that either they’re smart or they’re not. Educators and parents can help encourage a growth mindset by praising the effort children put into their work, not the byproduct.

“What we’ve shown is that when you praise someone, say, ‘You’re smart at this,’ the next time they struggle, they think they’re not,” Dweck said. “It’s really about praising the process they engage in, not how smart they are or how good they are at it, but taking on difficulty, trying many different strategies, sticking to it and achieving over time.” Her research also shows that girls are more susceptible to the fixed mindset than boys, especially when it comes to math. Dweck’s research asks educators and parents to think carefully about the messages they’re sending to children, even at a young age. The praise a parent gives her child between the ages of one and three affects that child’s ability to overcome challenges five years later.

“What we need to do is be sure that the current generation of children has the attentional capacities that other generations had naturally before the distractions of digital devices.”

Just as adults should be careful how and what they praise, they may also want to spend concentrated time helping kids ignore distractions and focus on a single task. In the article Age of Distraction: Why It’s Crucial For Students to Learn How to Focus,Daniel Goleman presents compelling research suggesting that the ability to focus has more impact on future success than socio-economic background or IQ. “The more children and teens are natural focusers, the better able they’ll be to use the digital tool for what they have to get done and then to use it in ways that they enjoy,” Goleman said.

If children don’t learn to tune out distracting deluge of texts and online messages, they may not develop the neural pathways that lead to empathy, as well as the ability to stay on task and self-regulate. “The circuitry for paying attention is identical for the circuits for managing distressing emotion,” Goleman said. Even as he advocates a “digital sabbath,” regular time away from devices to help gain balance, he recognizes devices themselves aren’t the enemy. “What we need to do is be sure that the current generation of children has the attentional capacities that other generations had naturally before the distractions of digital devices,” Goleman said. “It’s about using the devices smartly but having the capacity to concentrate as you need to, when you want to.”

The same premise comes up again in the article How Does Multitasking Change the Way Kids Learn? The article describes a study that showed that students stayed on task only 65 percent of the time in a 15-minute period — even with the knowledge that researchers were watching their study habits. That has big consequences for learning. When students multitask while studying, they come away with a shallower and spottier understanding of the material. And while checking a quick text doesn’t seem like a big deal, neuroscientists point out that reading email and texts are complex mental tasks that use the same parts of the brain as listening to a lecture or reading. Neuroscientists don’t believe it’s possible to multitask two complicated tasks at the same time.

STUDENT INQUIRY AND INTEREST

Educators are finding that student-driven learning based on interests and passions is one of the best ways to help students develop intrinsic motivation, and that theme has been shown to resonate with tens of thousands of MindShift readers.

“If you inspire them to care about it and draw parallels with their world then they care and remember.”

Perhaps one of the most basic elements of inquiry-based learning — though a crucial one — is knowing when to step back, according to educator Diana Laufenberg, the primary source in the article Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning. “There are vastly creative minds that are capable of doing intensely wonderful things with their learning but often we don’t let that live and breathe,” said Diana Laufenberg who taught history at Science Leadership Academy for many years. “Thankfully I got out of their way and let them do the work they were capable of.”

It’s also important to know when to step in. The inquiry process can provoke feelings of uncertainty, optimism, frustration, satisfaction, and disappointment, and in the article Tools to Help Students Learn How to Learn, it becomes clear that educators are aware of key moments when a small intervention or offer of guidance can help mitigate emotions that might derail the student’s commitment to the project. One of the most difficult things about helping students learn how to learn is recognizing those small shifts in enthusiasm and energy and helping students to get beyond emotional roadblocks.

One of the most tried-and-true tactics — learning through doing — is the focus of another hugely popular article this year, What Project-Based Learning Is — And Isn’t. The best kinds of projects, the article argues, allows discovery that’s embedded in the project, not offered before it begins or after it ends. Many teachers have found the best way to achieve this goal is by connecting learning to the real-world problems and experiences of students. “If you inspire them to care about it and draw parallels with their world then they care and remember,” said Azul Terronez, eighth-grade Humanities teacher at High Tech High. This process takes a lot of teacher planning, but doesn’t require any “teaching,” just a lot of guidance and an authentic audience as motivation.

In the article How Teachers Can Sell Love of Learning to Students, author Dan Pink says helping student find their own interests and passions resembles the job of a salesman. Pink, the author ofTo Sell Is Human, argues against policies that standardize education and erase the power of individuals from the system. Standards-based learning and assessment make it easier for adults to evaluate children, Pink claims, but don’t necessarily lead to learning.

Busting open the standardized education system is the focus of another popular article, A School With No Teachers, Where Students Teach Themselves. Launched by telecommunications magnate in France, the school, called 42, is for young people between 18 and 30 and is based on the idea that no educator can foresee problems of the future, so students need to become self-sufficient, independent learners who are used to problem-solving without any parameters. The school hopes to develop creativity and innovative skills by remaining outside the standard French education system, and achieve a more equitable environment by doing so.

LISTS

MindShift readers love a meaty, informative list. One of the favorites this year, 10 Ways To Teach Innovation, goes into detail about how teachers can inspire students by demonstrating a willingness to innovate themselves, by encouraging teamwork and by emphasizing skills and concepts over facts.

Math Anxiety

Are you a student who gets anxious at just the thought of taking that required math class? Do you worry about having to figure out everyone's part of the bill when you have lunch with a group of friends? Do you believe that you simply do not have a math mind? Do you avoid activities or other classes that may involve mathematics? If any one or more of these situations describes you, you may be suffering from Math Anxiety.

What is Math Anxiety?

Math anxiety is an intense emotional feeling of anxiety that people have about their ability to understand and do mathematics. People who suffer from math anxiety feel that they are incapable of doing activities and classes that involve math. Some math anxious people even have a fear of math; it's called math phobia. The incidence of math anxiety among college students has risen significantly over the last decade. Many students have even chosen their college major in the basis of how little math is required for the degree. Math anxiety has become so prevalent on college campus that many schools have designed special counseling programs to help math anxious students. Math anxiety is an emotional, rather than intellectual, problem. However, math anxiety interferes with a person's ability to learn math and therefore results in an intellectual problem.

What Causes Math Anxiety?

Math anxiety does not have a single cause. Often math anxiety is the result of a student's negative or embarrassing experience with math or a math teacher in previous years. Such an experience can leave a student believing him or herself deficient in math ability. This belief can actually result in poor performance, which serves as confirming evidence to the student. This phenomenon is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy. Math anxiety results in poor performance rather than the reverse.

Math Myths

There are a number of erroneous beliefs about math, which contribute to students' fears, and anxiety about math. Some of those myths include:

• Men are better in math than women. Research has failed to show any difference between the sexes in math ability.
• There is a best way to do a math problem. Most math problems can be solved a number of ways.
• Some people have a math mind and others don't. Most people are much more capable in math than they believe they are.
• It's bad to count on your fingers. Counting in fingers actually indicated an understanding of arithmetic.
• Those good in math do problems quickly in their heads. Even math professors review example problems before teaching them in class.

Math Games

Math anxiety is often perpetuated by a number of mind games that students play themselves.

• I don't do math fast enough. People learn at different rates. How fast one does math is not important.
• I don't have a math mind. This belief interferers with one's real ability to learn math.
• I got the right answer but I did it the wrong way. There is no best way to do math problem.
• If I get it right, it's too simple. Math anxious students often discount their own abilities when they are related to math.
• Math is unrelated to my life. Freeing yourself of the fear of math adds choices and freedom to your life.

What To Do About Math Anxiety?

Math anxiety is a learned psychological response to math, which interferes with a student's ability to perform math. It is not a reflection of a student's true ability in math. There are a number of strategies a student can use to overcome the anxiety response. Some of the primary strategies are described here.

• Review and learn basic arithmetic principles and methods. Many students, perhaps because of early negative experiences, never really developed a solid foundation in basic arithmetic, particularly multiplication and fractions. Because math is an accumulative discipline, that is complex concepts are built cumulatively on more simple concepts, a student who has not developed a solid arithmetic foundation will have trouble learning higher order math. A remedial course or short course an arithmetic is often a significant first step in reducing the anxiety response to math.
• Be aware of thoughts, feelings, and actions as they are related to math. Math anxiety affects different students in different ways. It's important to be familiar with the thoughts you have abut yourself and the situation when you encounter math. If you are aware of unrealistic or irrational thoughts you can work to replace those thoughts with more positive and realistic ones.
• Seek help! Math anxiety is learned and reinforced over a long period of time and therefore is not quickly eliminated. A student can reduce the anxiety response more effectively with the help of a number of different services. Staff psychologists and counselors in the Counseling Center can help students analyze their psychological response to math, learn anxiety management skills, and develop effective coping strategies. The Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC) can help students get a tutor, take math class noted and prepare for exams more effectively, and it can provide a number of math learning aids. The TxState Math Lab provides special tutorial assistance to students in lower division math courses.
• Learn the vocabulary of mathematics. one of the problems students have with math is understanding the terms and vocabulary. Math often uses words in a completely different way than they ate used in other subject. The term factor is an example. Students often confuse lack of understanding of terms and vocabulary with math ability.
• Learn anxiety reduction and anxiety management techniques. Anxiety can greatly interfere with concentration, clear thinking, attention and memory. Students can learn relaxation anxiety management techniques that are very effective in controlling the emotional and physical characteristics of anxiety that are interfering with mental processing capabilities.
• Work ion having a positive attitude about math. Having a positive attitude will build self-confidence and thus reduce anxiety.
• Learn positive self-talk. Giving yourself positive self-talk helps to counter and overcome your belief in the math myths or to stop playing mind games on yourself. Positive self-talk is effective in replacing negative thoughts, which create anxiety with positive thoughts that reduce anxiety.

Learn effective math class and study techniques.

Students who fear math often avoid asking questions to save embarrassment, sit in the back of the classroom, fail to seek help from the professor, and usually put off studying math until the last moment. All of these negative behaviors are intended to reduce the student's anxiety but actually result in more intense anxiety. There are a number of positive behaviors, which actually help the student learn and perform better in math classes. First, sit near the front of the class where you will experience fewer distractions and feel more a part of what is being discussed. Second, if you have questions, ask! Rest assured that you are not the only one who has the same question you want to ask. Don't be afraid to seek help from your professor after class or during office hours. Third, prepare! Read the textbook material before it is discussed in class. Do the problems. Math skill comes from practice and repetition. Finally, after class, review the material covered again.

REFERENCE

Find it Now at the Math.com Library
Formulas - Formulas for all occasions. (English/Español) Graphing and Plotting - See your graphs instantly! Dictionaries - Math words defined. Encyclopedias - longer articles Math History - What happened when Biography and Quotes - Famous mathematicians and more. Science Fair Time - Plans and ideas for math projects. (Math Forum)

Dictionaries

Glossary of Math Terms - (K-8) from Harcourt School Publishers.

English-Spanish Math Translation - Math terms translated from English to Spanish.

Measurement Dictionary - Dictionary of measurement terms by the Center for Mathematics and Science Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Origins of Math Words - The history of mathematical terms. (Pat Ballew)

Encyclopedias

Mathematical Atlas - (High School +) Definitions of the fields that make up mathematics. (Dave Rusin)

Math History

Math History - The MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive offers a wide variety of topics related to math history: articles, explanations of math areas, biographies of mathematicians, information on Math societies, famous math quotations, and more.

Math History (Elementary - Middle School) Includes stories, inventions and biographies. This site from a Thinkquest team offers concise information and many pictures.

Famous Problems in the History of Math - This site presents a view of math history by studying some of the great problems that have inspired mathematicians throughout the ages. (Math Forum, Isaac Reed)

TEST PREPARATION

Introduction to the SAT - An introduction to the test and more! Sample questions for all sections with tips on getting the right answers.

Introduction to the ACT - What is the ACT? Learn about the test format.

SAT or ACT? - Do you have to choose? What's the difference? SAT and ACT practice questions.

PSAT Information - The what, when and why of the PSAT. Try some practice math questions!

About the SAT II - How do colleges use the SAT II. What subjects should I take?

To enroll in a Kaplan course click   

Additional Test Preparation Resources
Websites - dates, tips, and more Books Software Videos - are you a visual learner?

Websites

Kaptest.com, Kaplan Test Prep is the leader in computerized test preparation, offering you a one-stop destination for test prep, admissions, and success in school. Kaptest.com is committed to helping you achieve your goals through books,software, online and center-based courses. Planning to go to law, business, grad, or medical school? Thinking about SAT and college? Visit Kaptest.com for admissions tips, test strategies, school spotlights, and more!

4Tests.com - Free online practice for standardized tests. Includes: ACT, Catholic High School Entrance Exam, GED, PSAT, SAT, Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), GMAT, GRE, LSAT, CLEP.

Review.com From Princeton Review, a leader in standardized test preparation has a site with information on all tests, online assesment and more.

TESTPREP.COM A free online WebWare SAT test preparation course hosted by Stanford Testing Systems, Inc., with thousands of math and verbal lessons and over 700 practice problems.

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) AP Calculus Web Center Available here are postings related to the high school AP calculus program, including a Lesson Center which contains Mathcad� versions of class lectures (Mathcad� 6.0 or later required); Study Aids which provide material useful for AP Calculus exam preparation, such as exam-style questions, review sheets, old tests which can be down-loaded and links to other sites; and a Quiz Center which provides an online quiz-taking opportunity.

Math Anxiety

Don't panic! Feeling nervous about math is very common. Do you...

• feel NERVOUS before a math test?
• PANIC and freeze while taking math tests?
• feel HELPLESS doing your homework?
• think that it's HOPELESS - you just don't get math, never will, so there's no sense even trying?

I read everything, now what?

Nervous Nights Stomach-churning head-spinning sleepless nights can be a sign of math anxiety. Try these simple ideas to help you relax and wake up feeling in charge.

1. Study - OK, that sounds dumb. Of course you should study. Check out these study tips. But look at #2...

2. Don't study too much! Spending too much time going over and over the same stuff won't help and will just overwhelm you.

3. Calm those fears by treating yourself with calmness. Try to have a set routine - knowing that you ALWAYS eat oatmeal on test days might just help. Go to bed on time. In the morning, eat breakfast, put on your lucky sweater (really! it works!), and pack yourself a treat for lunch.

Test... Brain... Freeze... Panic OK - you studied, got a good nights sleep and are wearing the lucky sweater. You get to class and forget your name. What to do now?

1. Remember your name. No, really - just think of something that you DO know is the first step in remembering all those lost formulas.

2. Unfreeze your mind by unfreezing your body. Give yourself a quick stretch (don't get up and do jumping jacks, OK?) and tell yourself you are OK. Take a deep breath and try to break the cycle of the panic.

3. Work around the panic by finding something on the test that you can do. Gain confidence and then go back and finish the rest of the problems. Keep going on the ones you can do, then go back and try the others. You might be surprised to find that you can now tackle them with ease.

Where are the Homework Elves? Yes, we agree, it would be nice if the homework elves came in the middle of the night to do your homework, but that hasn't happened yet (to us, anyway). So try these tips when you find yourself wishing for them.

1. Draw a picture. Try a new way. Talk it out. Sometimes just telling someone else about the problem can help break that mental block. Drawing and talking use different parts of your brain than the math-oriented parts - let your brain help you out!

2. Jump on it. If you are leaving your math homework until last you may be too tired to tackle it. Do it first, even if it isn't your favorite.

3. Totally stuck? Take a break - then go back to work (funny how we forget the last part...). Even doing a different problem can help you get the gears moving again.

It's Hopeless - Don't Bother! Well, you are here at least, so it must not be THAT hopeless. Most people feel that they are the only ones who don't get it. It's not true.

1. Ask for help. There are lots of people around who can help if you just ask. Find a tutor or ask your teacher.

2. If the help isn't working, change it! It's OK to try a different way.

3. Try to remember if there was a particular incident related to math that was unpleasant. Sometimes a bad early experience can lead to a general feeling of anxiety about all math, which can lead to stronger feelings without realizing the cause. Sometimes just recalling and talking about the first incident can help you deal with the anxiety.

Now what? Math anxiety can be overcome. It's a matter of admitting that it is something you want to get over and working on it. Here are two more suggestions:

1. Check out Ask Dr. Math. Dr. Math has been busy answering questions from students just like you about all sorts of subjects. Looking at these questions might help you feel a little less alone in the universe!

2. Math isn't all tests and problems, either. Finding things you like about math can help make you feel better, too. Check out the Wonders of Mathand Puzzles sections for the amazing math found in art, puzzles, and games

So You Want to Speak Great English?

Attending classes is only part of your English education. To become proficient in English you have to take responsibilityand be active in acquiring it. You have to live and breathe English. How well you succeed is really up to you. Here are some suggestions for making English your own.

Think of English as more like an art than a science- Many people study English as if it were a math or science. They often feel they are trying to solve a problem. Yes, you can study rules, but there are often more exceptions to the rules than there are rules. This doesn't mean you should study them, but language is living. It breathes, it moves, it grows, it changes. You have to learn to live it, to feel it in your soul. You have to make it your own. It has to become a part of you. It has to feel natural.

Don't hold on to your dictionary so tightly- Your top priority in learning English should be to think in English. Our brains slow down when we are constantly translating English to and from our language. The first thing you should do is stop translating new words you hear directly into your native language. Most people immediately go to their electronic dictionaries when they come across something new. Don't do it! Try this instead:

1. Try to understand the new word or phrase from context. The words and ideas around them should help you make a good guess. If you still don't understand...
2. Ask someone to explain what it means in English. If you still don't understand...
3. Consult an English-English dictionary*. If you still don't understand...
4. Consult a dictionary in your own language.

* I recommend using a paper English-English dictionary. Many teachers have noticed that their students remember words much longer when they are forced to search for them in the dictionary. Also, dictionaries in book form generally give more detailed examples than electronic dictionaries.

Keep a list of new words and phrases in your own notes- Make your own vocabulary lists and review them often. Write sentences to help you remember what they mean. Use these new words and phrases in conversations and writings whenever you have a chance. The more you use the words, the more they become your own.

Surround yourself in English- Listen to radio in English; watch TV and movies in English; read newspapers, magazines, books, and the internet in English; join a class, club, or any gathering that is conducted in English. The important thing is that you are around English as much as possible. When you spend time living a language, it comes to you more naturally like it does for a child.

How to Improve Your English Level

There are five points, number 1 is the most important.

5) Make English your hobby and have fun! 
Study at least two or three hours per week.
Learn English through other activities: Reading – there are graded books in English for your level. Internet – begin with the activities on this website and on the links page.Songs in English - take your favorite songs, download the lyrics (the words) from Google and sing them again and again until your neighbors scream: “STOP!!”. DVDs – many films are also in English with subtitles in your language.Magazines – there are specialized magazines for English students. Travel – travel motivates you to improve your level because you need English for everything.

4) Be constant! 
Don’t stop for long periods of time such as in the summer and don’t do too much! It is also important to study at least 3 hours every week. To progress very well, you should study at least 5 hours per week.

3) Be as disciplined and organized as possible with your classes! 
Free conversation is necessary and so is more controlled speaking (in practice activities in class). However, it is better to balance conversation with other activities in your classes or outside of your classes. In a "one-to-one" class, you should do all of the homework, reading and vocabulary studying outside of your class and then comment on the homework in the class. It is very important for you to do the homework that your teacher assigns you and it is very important for you to be punctual to your classes.

2) Get a teacher or attend a class! 
It’s easier to be constant, disciplined and organized if you have a teacher. It’s more difficult to study English alone. Also, it is more difficult to learn how to “speak” English if you don’t have an English teacher to speak with.

1) It is your responsibility to reach (to get) your objectives! 
Learning English is your responsibility and not the responsibility of your teacher. You must have initiative in your classes! The teacher cannot learn or study English for you. For example, you often have to study and learn vocabulary alone.

With point number one, you will develop all of the other points. If you apply these five points with long-term motivation, you will learn English or any language. Put simply: if you spend more time studying, you will learn more. If you are very interested, you will continue studying

Taking Control of the English Language

How can I speak English better? How can I communicate better in English? How can I express myself better in English? How can I listen to and understand English better? How can I improve?

You speak English at an advanced level. You speak it fluently and you use it every day, yet you aren’t satisfied with your ability. You feel like you can’t express yourself the way you want to. When you can’t say what you want to say or need to say in the manner that you would like to, it might not leave you with the best feeling you could possibly have. There is only one thing to do about it. You must take control of the English language. What does taking control of the English language mean? It does not mean taking control of the entire language. It means taking control of the English language that is yours; the English language that you have. It means using the English that you already have to get more. It means taking responsibility for your own learning.

You might tell yourself that you want to have private instruction with an English language tutor. That’s a good idea. However, there is something you should know and be well aware of. What happens during the time that you meet with an English language tutor is very important, but what happens during the time between your meetings with an English language tutor is even more important. The proactive steps that you take in order to improve have a direct effect on what it is you get out of the time and money that you spend with an English language tutor. In order to receive the maximum benefit possible for the money you spend on a tutor, you must dedicate a sufficient amount of time to studying between each lesson. Of course, the amount of time that anyone is able to dedicate to studying will vary, but nevertheless, it must be done. Furthermore, there are a number of things you should do leading up to the time that you decide to pick up the phone and make that call. So you ask, what is it that I need to do? What can I do on my own?

You need to increase your vocabulary. You need to build your lexicon. You need to learn more idiomatic expressions. Does this mean studying vocabulary lists? No. Does that mean buying books that list idiomatic expressions in English and their meanings? That may or may not be helpful. Does it mean going to the Internet and studying idiomatic expressions that are listed at websites? Perhaps, but that wouldn’t be all. Does it mean learning the word of the day that is given by online dictionaries? No! You need to build a personal lexicon. You need to maintain a lexical notebook. You need to learn words and expressions that are interesting to you and will be useful to you. You need to learn words and expressions that are part of your environment. Where can you find these words and expressions? You can find them by listening to the radio, by listening to those that you speak with on a daily basis, and by even listening to those that you don’t speak with. You don’t have to converse with someone in order to listen to someone. Of course, you can find new words and expressions by choosing challenging reading material that is interesting to you: newspaper and magazine articles, books, short stories. In order to start building your new lexicon, I suggest starting by finding something to read.

Now that you have chosen something interesting to read, here is what you need to do. You need to write down the words and expressions that you don’t understand. Take note of the page number and paragraph that the words or expressions are on as you read. After you are done reading, go back to the words and expressions that you didn’t understand and write them in your lexical notebook. Leave space to write an explanation or a definition. From the context, see if you can figure out what the words or expressions mean. After you have done this, go to a dictionary. For idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs that you are unfamiliar with, I strongly recommend taking advantage of Cambridge Dictionaries Online. It is important that you practice these new words and expressions by writing your own sentences. This is helpful in incorporating them into your daily conversations and speaking habits. Don’t be overwhelmed by thinking you have to read a lot. Read what is good for you. If you come across too many words and expressions that you don’t recognize, it might be a good idea to find some less challenging reading material. What you read should be challenging, but it should not be so challenging that it might be discouraging.

Listen to the news on the radio. Listen to talk shows. Generally speaking, radio announcers that report the news speak clearly, use good vocabulary, and also use idiomatic expressions. If you have a computer, you can listen to news reports from National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation (NPR and the BBC). You can usually find a RealPlayer link to listen to news stories from both of these resources. However, listening to the radio will suffice as well. If you can, it would be a good idea to record a ten to fifteen minute segment of a news show or any broadcast that might interest you. Take note of any words or expressions that sound unfamiliar to you. Write them down in your lexical notebook. If you were able to record what you listened to, listen to it again to see if you can figure out what the new words and expressions mean through the context that they are used in. If you are unable to figure out what something means, then by all means go to a dictionary. Once again, I suggest using Cambridge Dictionaries Online for a comprehensive overview of any single word. Cambridge Dictionaries Online is a very good resource in that it demonstrates how words are used in idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs. Cambridge Dictionaries also point out any important secondary definitions that a word might have.

Pay attention to what you hear wherever you go. If you are on a bus or a train, listen to what people say and how they say it. If you are in a supermarket, a shopping mall or any other public place where you can hear others speak, open your ears and try to listen. Take note of what you hear. Jot it down in a small pocket size notebook. Later, you can add it to your lexical notebook. If you pay attention, you are eventually bound to hear at least one word or one expression that is new to you. When you hear it, write it down. Find out what it means later. Learn it. Use it.

When learning new words and expressions, it is important to take note of whether these words and expressions are used in an informal context or a formal context. Many words and expressions are used both formally and informally. If you aren’t sure of exactly how to use a new word or expression, you can try them out with work colleagues and friends. Find people to converse with. They may not be instructive in any way, but you can try out new ways to express yourself. You should also listen as closely as possible when you converse. Listen for anything that sounds different, new, or unfamiliar. If the circumstance permits, don’t be afraid to take out your pocket notebook and write it down. If you say something that isn't quite right, the person you are speaking with might take note of it and let you know. If you aren’t sure of something you said or would like to say, then ask about it. If you hear something and you don’t know what it means, ask about that as well. Some, or even many people, may not view themselves as “teachers” per se, but most native speakers of English should be able to assist you in this manner. I believe most people would be glad to help. It is of the utmost importance to not be afraid to ask questions. That’s part of taking control of the English language. That’s part of making the English language your language. English is not your first language, but there is no reason why it cannot be your language. Get a notebook. Get something to read. Find something to listen to on the radio. Take control of the English language now

10 tips to improve the way you speak English

Many deserving candidates lose out on job opportunities because of their vernacular accent.

Can I 'neutralise' my accent?

Yes, you can. All you need to do is train yourself to speak English as comfortably and perfectly as you speak your mother tongue.

How do you train yourself? By inculcating certain practices in your daily lifestyle. These will get you closer to sounding like a native English speaker and equip you with a global accent -- and you will speak not American or British English, but correct English.

This is the first step to learn any other accent, be it American or British or Australian.

Lisa Mojsin, head trainer, director and founder of the Accurate English Training Company in Los Angeles, offers these tips to help 'neutralise' your accent or rather do away with the local twang, as you speak.

i. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.

When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.

ii. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.

If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you. 

Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.

iii. Listen to the 'music' of English.
 
Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'. 

iv. Use the dictionary.

Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.

v. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.

Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.   

vi. Buy books on tape.

Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.

vii. Pronounce the ending of each word.

Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.
 
viii. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day. 

Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.

ix. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.

Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.

x. Be patient.

You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.

Quick tips

Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech.

~ Focus on removing the mother tongue influence and the 'Indianisms' that creep into your English conversations.

~ Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star Movies and HBO.

~ Listen to and sing English songs. We'd recommend Westlife, Robbie Williams, Abba, Skeeter Davis and Connie Francis among others.

Books to help you improve your English

• Essential English Grammar by Murphy (Cambridge)
• Spoken English by R K Bansal and J B Harrison 
• Pronounce It Perfectly In English (book and three audio cassettes) by Jean Yates, Barrons Educational Series
• English Pronunciation For International Students by Paulette Wainless Dale, Lillian Poms

5 Speaking Rules you need to know!

1. Don't study grammar too much

This rule might sound strange to many ESL students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar. 

Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small fraction of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. I can easily look up the definition and apply it, but I don't know it off the top of my head. 

I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively. 

Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb, or do you want to be able to speak English fluently? 

2. Learn and study phrases

Many students learn vocabulary and try to put many words together to create a proper sentence. It amazes me how many words some of my students know, but they cannot create a proper sentence. The reason is because they didn't study phrases. When children learn a language, they learn both words and phrases together. Likewise, you need to study and learn phrases. 

If you know 1000 words, you might not be able to say one correct sentence. But if you know 1 phrase, you can make hundreds of correct sentences. If you know 100 phrases, you will be surprised at how many correct sentences you will be able to say. Finally, when you know only a 1000 phrases, you will be almost a fluent English speaker. 

The English Speaking Basics section is a great example of making numerous sentences with a single phrase. So don't spend hours and hours learning many different words. Use that time to study phrases instead and you will be closer to English fluency. 

Don't translate 

When you want to create an English sentence, do not translate the words from your Mother tongue. The order of words is probably completely different and you will be both slow and incorrect by doing this. Instead, learn phrases and sentences so you don't have to think about the words you are saying. It should be automatic. 

Another problem with translating is that you will be trying to incorporate grammar rules that you have learned. Translating and thinking about the grammar to create English sentences is incorrect and should be avoided. 

3. Reading and Listening is NOT enough. Practice Speaking what you hear!

Reading, listening, and speaking are the most important aspects of any language. The same is true for English. However, speaking is the only requirement to be fluent. It is normal for babies and children to learn speaking first, become fluent, then start reading, then writing. So the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing. 

First Problem
Isn't it strange that schools across the world teach reading first, then writing, then listening, and finally speaking? Although it is different, the main reason is because when you learn a second language, you need to read material to understand and learn it. So even though the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing, the order for ESL students is reading, listening, speaking, then writing. 

Second Problem
The reason many people can read and listen is because that's all they practice. But in order to speak English fluently, you need to practice speaking. Don't stop at the listening portion, and when you study, don't just listen. Speak out loud the material you are listening to and practice what you hear. Practice speaking out loud until your mouth and brain can do it without any effort. By doing so, you will be able to speak English fluently. 

4. Submerge yourself

Being able to speak a language is not related to how smart you are. Anyone can learn how to speak any language. This is a proven fact by everyone in the world. Everyone can speak at least one language. Whether you are intelligent, or lacking some brain power, you are able to speak one language. 

This was achieved by being around that language at all times. In your country, you hear and speak your language constantly. You will notice that many people who are good English speakers are the ones who studied in an English speaking school. They can speak English not because they went to an English speaking school, but because they had an environment where they can be around English speaking people constantly. 

There are also some people who study abroad and learn very little. That is because they went to an English speaking school, but found friends from their own country and didn't practice English. 

You don't have to go anywhere to become a fluent English speaker. You only need to surround yourself with English. You can do this by making rules with your existing friends that you will only speak English. You can also carry around an iPod and constantly listen to English sentences. As you can see, you can achieve results by changing what your surroundings are. Submerge yourself in English and you will learn several times faster. 

TalkEnglish Offline Version is now ready for download. In this package, you can utilize over 8000 audio files to completely surround yourself in English. There are over 13.5 hours of audio files that are not available in the web form. All conversations and all sentences are included, so even if you don't have many English speaking friends, you can constantly surround yourself in English using your MP3 player. This package is available at the English Download page. Take advantage of this opportunity and start learning English faster.  

5. Study correct material
A common phrase that is incorrect is, "Practice makes perfect." This is far from the truth. Practice only makes what you are practicing permanent. If you practice the incorrect sentence, you will have perfected saying the sentence incorrectly. Therefore, it is important that you study material that is commonly used by most people. 

Another problem I see is that many students study the news. However, the language they speak is more formal and the content they use is more political and not used in regular life. It is important to understand what they are saying, but this is more of an advanced lesson that should be studied after learning the fundamental basics of English. 

Studying English with a friend who is not a native English speaker is both good and bad. You should be aware of the pros and cons of speaking with a non native speaking friend. Practicing with a non native person will give you practice. You can also motivate each other and point out basic mistakes. But you might pick up bad habits from one another if you are not sure about what are correct and incorrect sentences. So use these practice times as a time period to practice the correct material you studied. Not to learn how to say a sentence. 

In short, study English material that you can trust, that is commonly used, and that is correct.