Sometimes, all it needs for a student is the drive and ambition--if in possession of these, learning is a stepping stone towards a greater dream. Having the right motivation is enough for some students to pursue academic excellence, such as helping the family, or personal fulfillment. In the video, the student struggles to learn a classical piece of music, in spite of her disability. Although a hundred times harder for her, she put in her best effort and passion into her music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um9KsrH377A
***
Helen Keller, a deaf-mute-blind managed to learn how to read with the help of her teacher, Annie Sullivan. Her first word learnt was "water," wherein the letters of the word were finger-written in her palm while the water flowed over her hand. Later on, she progressed to the words "ball," her own name, her teacher's name, among others. What seemed impossible proved surmountable, little by little, word by word. In a few years she was learning braille, and became a teacher herself to others like her. Of course, her path to education would not exist if not for a teacher who lived her profession nobly. She poured in patience, her own determination, and love, yes love, for teaching, and compassion to Helen. Without her dedication, Helen would not be what she became under the tutelage of Annie Sullivan. It is also then true that with people around us who care enough to help us learn and be educated in the truest sense of the word with the right values and concepts, we can succeed. No man is an island. Remember Helen Keller? A truly worthy story of inspiration.
***
I'd like to add that for Michael Phelps, 8-gold medal record holder in a single Olympics (Beijing, 2008) in swimming, the biggest challenge for him is when people say that he can't possibly do it. He became motivated to go faster than the guy next to him in the pool whenever he read in news and magazine articles derogatory statements on his aquatic capabilities. Instead of letting these bring him down, he used it to prepare himself for the biggest competition of his life. In reality, the only barriers around us are our own mentality. We can reach excellence if we have the right mindset and we can learn anything if we are truly determined to do so.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Learn ways to help your kid succeed in school
Why reading makes us smarter
A good read for all the parents out there:
http://momshomeroom.msn.com/?topic_id=6§ion_name=InfoList§ion_id=20764596&source=hp>1=25051
The article basically says that most vocabulary words are learned through READING. Normal everyday conversations seldom use "rare" words--even college students regularly use repetitive words that are not helpful in adding to a person's word bank. So even with educated parents, the best source of new, insightful words are BOOKS--whether classic novels, children's storybooks, biographies, fantasy, science fiction, or other what-have-you.
A good read for all the parents out there:
http://momshomeroom.msn.com/?topic_id=6§ion_name=InfoList§ion_id=20764596&source=hp>1=25051
The article basically says that most vocabulary words are learned through READING. Normal everyday conversations seldom use "rare" words--even college students regularly use repetitive words that are not helpful in adding to a person's word bank. So even with educated parents, the best source of new, insightful words are BOOKS--whether classic novels, children's storybooks, biographies, fantasy, science fiction, or other what-have-you.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Preparing for your lessons?
In planning for lessons, there are moments when tutors or classroom teachers get stuck. How will the concepts be better understood? Is there a new and interesting way of presenting the subject matter?
Internet access has enabled these questions to be answered with relative ease. One of the ways is through open-source learning. Open-source learning, the method of educating people using the internet, has been opening up more opportunities for a greater number of people.
Connexions (http://www.cnx.org) is one of those initiatives at open-source learning. They have modules and collections on a wide selection of topics and languages, and at different levels. What sets it apart is that you can modify the module or the collection to suit your needs and your audience and have the option to share your work by uploading it. You can even create your own! Not only are you given more ideas in teaching, it also paves the way for your brilliant ideas to be shared with others so that they, too, can benefit from them.
Internet access has enabled these questions to be answered with relative ease. One of the ways is through open-source learning. Open-source learning, the method of educating people using the internet, has been opening up more opportunities for a greater number of people.
Connexions (http://www.cnx.org) is one of those initiatives at open-source learning. They have modules and collections on a wide selection of topics and languages, and at different levels. What sets it apart is that you can modify the module or the collection to suit your needs and your audience and have the option to share your work by uploading it. You can even create your own! Not only are you given more ideas in teaching, it also paves the way for your brilliant ideas to be shared with others so that they, too, can benefit from them.
Who started this and why? Watch this:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/richard_baraniuk_on_open_source_learning.html
Monday, September 21, 2009
Confronting Sensitive Questions
“Teacher, teacher, what is a vagina?”
Science time. That was my seven-year old tutee asking me. I was a first-time tutor then, about four years ago. And that was my first day. I was prepared to answer questions, but not about things like that. To have more time to think about how to answer the question, I casually asked him why he wanted to know. He said his classmates would always say that and would laugh.
“Hmm, it’s strange that they find it funny”, I said. “All girls have vagina. That is what we have because we don’t have penis.”
Ok, I was guilty of assuming that he knew what penis was. I still had to explain it using a term which he was familiar with – bird. Having satisfied his curiosity, we got back to his assignment.
The following night, he had a new question – “What is sex?” I admit it was difficult not to laugh. Just the fact that it was coming from a kid made it seem so…weird. In an effort to get away with it, I just said that I think his Dad knows more about it than I do. He consented to ask his Dad instead. It turned out, however, that his Dad would not answer the question so the following night, I had to face him again.
You know how little kids are – you have to answer their questions in a convincing way or else they would not drop the topic. If that happens, good luck to your tutoring. S/he might still be wondering about it even if your topic is Math. So answer the question, I did. I told him, “That’s what parents do so that they can have babies like you. As to how they do it, you have to wait until high school Biology to understand. Right now, let’s just do your homework so that we can be sure that you can eventually get to high school.” Whew!
If you are a tutor, I hope this would not happen to you. But you must have noticed how kids nowadays hear about sensitive topics at an age earlier than we first started asking about them. I remember the time during my elementary days when my younger brother asked, over dinner, what sex means. The know-it-all girl that I was, I blurted out before anyone could answer: “Sex is whether you’re a male or a female! Just put ‘Male’”. He was satisfied. Honestly, that was all I knew about sex. I just had an inkling that there must be another meaning to it because my sister and her best friend laughed, saying that they got nervous as to what I would say.
I am not an expert in Child Psychology, but ever since it happened to me, I began to take interest in how I could answer questions like that without “damaging” a child’s mind. Here’s what I gathered:
1. Do not laugh. If you do, they’ll get even more curious. Or they might think there’s something bad about it.
2. If you are not confident that you can answer the question, refer them to their parents. Their parents might have foreseen that one of these days, their child would ask them these questions and they might have readied their answers.
3. If the parents would not answer or the child was not satisfied with the answers s/he got and you still are not confident that you can answer the question adequately, say that you’ll find out later and get back to him/her. (Please keep your word. That’s one way of teaching kids about word of honor).
It’s good to be prepared. So now that you have read this, go and find out more and better ways of dealing with instances like this. And please get back to us. Other tutors might also want to learn from what you have gathered.
Happy tutoring!
Science time. That was my seven-year old tutee asking me. I was a first-time tutor then, about four years ago. And that was my first day. I was prepared to answer questions, but not about things like that. To have more time to think about how to answer the question, I casually asked him why he wanted to know. He said his classmates would always say that and would laugh.
“Hmm, it’s strange that they find it funny”, I said. “All girls have vagina. That is what we have because we don’t have penis.”
Ok, I was guilty of assuming that he knew what penis was. I still had to explain it using a term which he was familiar with – bird. Having satisfied his curiosity, we got back to his assignment.
The following night, he had a new question – “What is sex?” I admit it was difficult not to laugh. Just the fact that it was coming from a kid made it seem so…weird. In an effort to get away with it, I just said that I think his Dad knows more about it than I do. He consented to ask his Dad instead. It turned out, however, that his Dad would not answer the question so the following night, I had to face him again.
You know how little kids are – you have to answer their questions in a convincing way or else they would not drop the topic. If that happens, good luck to your tutoring. S/he might still be wondering about it even if your topic is Math. So answer the question, I did. I told him, “That’s what parents do so that they can have babies like you. As to how they do it, you have to wait until high school Biology to understand. Right now, let’s just do your homework so that we can be sure that you can eventually get to high school.” Whew!
If you are a tutor, I hope this would not happen to you. But you must have noticed how kids nowadays hear about sensitive topics at an age earlier than we first started asking about them. I remember the time during my elementary days when my younger brother asked, over dinner, what sex means. The know-it-all girl that I was, I blurted out before anyone could answer: “Sex is whether you’re a male or a female! Just put ‘Male’”. He was satisfied. Honestly, that was all I knew about sex. I just had an inkling that there must be another meaning to it because my sister and her best friend laughed, saying that they got nervous as to what I would say.
I am not an expert in Child Psychology, but ever since it happened to me, I began to take interest in how I could answer questions like that without “damaging” a child’s mind. Here’s what I gathered:
1. Do not laugh. If you do, they’ll get even more curious. Or they might think there’s something bad about it.
2. If you are not confident that you can answer the question, refer them to their parents. Their parents might have foreseen that one of these days, their child would ask them these questions and they might have readied their answers.
3. If the parents would not answer or the child was not satisfied with the answers s/he got and you still are not confident that you can answer the question adequately, say that you’ll find out later and get back to him/her. (Please keep your word. That’s one way of teaching kids about word of honor).
It’s good to be prepared. So now that you have read this, go and find out more and better ways of dealing with instances like this. And please get back to us. Other tutors might also want to learn from what you have gathered.
Happy tutoring!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Pisara Tutorials now accepting credit card payments
Hi,
Pisara Tutorial and Review Center now accepts credit card payments for its UPCAT and Other College Entrance Tests Review, Science High School Entrance Test Review, and home-based tutorials through PayPal:
Maximize your credit card points as your child has academic tutorials with Pisara for as low as only Php1,550 (inclusive of transportation fee) for 5 quality hours with a UP tutor.
Warmest regards,
Di-Ann Suarez
Pisara Tutorial and Review Center
Pisara Tutorial and Review Center now accepts credit card payments for its UPCAT and Other College Entrance Tests Review, Science High School Entrance Test Review, and home-based tutorials through PayPal:
Maximize your credit card points as your child has academic tutorials with Pisara for as low as only Php1,550 (inclusive of transportation fee) for 5 quality hours with a UP tutor.
Warmest regards,
Di-Ann Suarez
Pisara Tutorial and Review Center
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Recommended Reading List for Elementary Students
In Pisara Tutorials, our aim is to open the grade school students to the wonderful world of literature to fuel the imagination, which will help the student later on in secondary school and college as his interest in reading is deepened and appreciation for the written word is integrated in his learning process. What better way to spend some freetime than to read a good book?
Here's a reading list of recommended books for Elementary students, for them to better understand English and develop reading comprehension skills.
1. The complete Aesop's Fables http://www.bartleby.com/17/1/
2. Peter Pan by James M. Barrie http://infomotions.com/etexts/literature/english/1900-/barrie-peter-277.txt
3. Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales and Stories http://hca.gilead.org.il/
4. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/BurLiPr.html
5. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll http://infomotions.com/etexts/literature/english/1800-1899/carroll-alices-99.txt
6. Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DicChri.html
7. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/GraWind.html
8. Jack and the Beanstalk http://www.usm.edu/english/fairytales/jack/d.htm
9. The Call of the Wild by Jack London http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/CallOfTheWild/
10. White Fang by Jack London http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/WhiteFang/
11. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift http://www.jaffebros.com/lee/gulliver/contents.html
12. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/VerTwen.html
Should you have any comments or concerns, feel free to post, and we would be happy to respond/ assist you.
Here's a reading list of recommended books for Elementary students, for them to better understand English and develop reading comprehension skills.
1. The complete Aesop's Fables http://www.bartleby.com/17/1/
2. Peter Pan by James M. Barrie http://infomotions.com/etexts/literature/english/1900-/barrie-peter-277.txt
3. Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales and Stories http://hca.gilead.org.il/
4. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/BurLiPr.html
5. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll http://infomotions.com/etexts/literature/english/1800-1899/carroll-alices-99.txt
6. Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DicChri.html
7. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/GraWind.html
8. Jack and the Beanstalk http://www.usm.edu/english/fairytales/jack/d.htm
9. The Call of the Wild by Jack London http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/CallOfTheWild/
10. White Fang by Jack London http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/WhiteFang/
11. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift http://www.jaffebros.com/lee/gulliver/contents.html
12. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/VerTwen.html
Should you have any comments or concerns, feel free to post, and we would be happy to respond/ assist you.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Help your child to a bright future
PISARA is home to a wide pool of tutors who cater to the learning needs of students. We enthusiastically promote the wholistic development of our tutees by offering a diverse range of courses and interests. Here at PISARA, understanding lessons can truly be made fun and easy as our tutors interact with the students and try different techniques suited to the student's learning style.
We hope to further the mental, aesthetic, and communication possibilities of young individuals by supplementing what is already taught in school. We provide personalized tutee packages in academics, the arts, and basic languages at quite affordable rates. It is our ultimate goal that PISARA students are genuinely educated and inspired, continuously gaining more confidence to face the everyday world.
HELP YOUR CHILD REACH HIS FULL POTENTIAL
We at PISARA aid students in the learning process by employing new and better lesson strategies.
PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE
PISARA entrance exam reviews give the students an edge in getting into their target schools towards a brighter future.
MAKE HER DREAMS COME TRUE
At PISARA Tutorials, your child is on the right track in pursuing her dreams as she endeavors to acquire academic excellence.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Di-Ann - (0917)8570904, (02)7255841
Donna - (0927)5293507
Irvin - (0927)2561022
or please email:
pisara_tutorials@yahoo.com (for tutees)
pisara.tutorials@gmail.com (for tutors)
We hope to further the mental, aesthetic, and communication possibilities of young individuals by supplementing what is already taught in school. We provide personalized tutee packages in academics, the arts, and basic languages at quite affordable rates. It is our ultimate goal that PISARA students are genuinely educated and inspired, continuously gaining more confidence to face the everyday world.
HELP YOUR CHILD REACH HIS FULL POTENTIAL
We at PISARA aid students in the learning process by employing new and better lesson strategies.
PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE
PISARA entrance exam reviews give the students an edge in getting into their target schools towards a brighter future.
MAKE HER DREAMS COME TRUE
At PISARA Tutorials, your child is on the right track in pursuing her dreams as she endeavors to acquire academic excellence.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Di-Ann - (0917)8570904, (02)7255841
Donna - (0927)5293507
Irvin - (0927)2561022
or please email:
pisara_tutorials@yahoo.com (for tutees)
pisara.tutorials@gmail.com (for tutors)
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