ThinkTank Learning Magazine 2011 Winter Issue

1 Williams College

2 Princeton University

3 United States Military Academy

4 Amherst College

5 Stanford University

6 Harvard University

7 Haverford College

8 University of Chicago

9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

10 United States Air Force Academy

11 Northwestern University

12 Claremont McKenna College •

13 California Institute of Technology

14 Yale University

15 Carleton College

16 Swarthmore College

17 United States Naval Academy

18 University of Notre Dame

19 Wellesley College

20 Colby College

21 Brown University

22 Duke University

23 Pomona College

24 Vassar College

25 Washington and Lee University

26 Boston College

27 College of the Holy Cross

28 Rice University

29 Union College

30 Dartmouth College

America’s Top Colleges

1 - 30

31 Colorado College 32 Bates College 33 Lafayette College 34 Centre College 35 Wesleyan University 36 Whitman College 37 Colgate University 38 Bowdoin College 39 Tufts University 40 Middlebury College 41 Scripps College 42 Columbia University 43 Kenyon College 44 Harvey Mudd College 45 Emory University 46 University of Virginia-Main Campus 47 Georgetown University 48 Bucknell University 49 College of William and Mary 50 DePauw University 51 Cornell University 52 University of Pennsylvania 53 Vanderbilt University 54 Bryn Mawr College 55 University of California-Los Angeles 56 Smith College

57 Sewanee: The University of the South 58 Barnard College 59 Dickinson College 60 Hillsdale College 61 Davidson College 62 Connecticut College 63 Lawrence University 64 St Lawrence University 65 Virginia Military Institute 66 Wheaton College (IL) 67 Santa Clara University 68 Grinnell College 69 Skidmore College 70 University of California-Berkeley 71 Hamilton College 72 Oberlin College 73 Wofford College 74 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 75 Rhodes College 76 Westmont College 77 Wake Forest University 78 St. Olaf College 79 Knox College 80 Trinity College

31-80

2011

* The schools in red mean they are located in California

*

America's Top Colleges

The best years of life are also among the most expensive. Choose with care.

Our annual ranking of the 650 best under-graduate institutions focuses on the things that matter the most to students: quality of teaching, great career prospects, graduation rates and low levels of debt. Unlike other lists, we pointedly ignore ephemeral mea-sures such as school “reputation” and ill-conceived metrics that reward wasteful spending. We try and evaluate the college purchase as a consumer would: Is it worth spending as much as a quarter of a million dollars for this degree? The rankings are prepared exclusively for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability and Produc-tivity, a Washington, D.C. think tank founded by Ohio University economist Richard Vedder.

For the second year in a row, Williams College, a small, western-Massachusetts liberal arts school, has been named as the best undergraduate institution in America. With total annual costs adding up to nearly $55,000, a Williams education is certainly not cheap, but the 2,000 undergraduates here have among the highest four-year gradua-tion rates in the country, win loads of presti-gious national awards like Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, and are often rewarded with high-paying careers.

In second place? Princeton University, which boasts nearly nonexistent student debt rates due to one of the most generous financial aid programs in the nation. Outside of Princeton and Harvard (#6), Ivy League schools fare relatively poorly, suggesting that their reputations might be a bit over-blown. Yale (#14), Brown (#21) and Dart-mouth (#30) crack the top 5%, but the other Ivies – Columbia (#42), Cornell (#51) Univer-sity of Pennsylvania (#52) — do not.

Because of our emphasis on financial prudence, the zero-cost military service

America's Top Collegesby Michael Noer, Forbes Staff

Choosing A Good College with Different Perspectives

6 Harvard University in Massachusetts

academies rank highly. West Point, which topped the list two years ago, ranks third this time, thanks to outstanding teaching (#3) and high alumni salaries (#8), while the Air Force Academy (#10) and the Naval Academy (#17) glide easily into the top 20. Even the less prestigious academies – the Coast Guard (#97) and the Merchant Marine (#158) — score well.

Outside of the academies, the highest ranked public school is the University of Virginia (#46) followed closely by the College of William and Mary (#49) and UCLA (#55).

The rankings are based on five general categories: Post Graduate success (30%), which evaluates alumni pay and promi-nence, Student Satisfaction (27.5%), which includes professor evaluations and fresh-man to sophomore year retention rates, Debt (17.5%), which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates, Four Year Graduation Rate (17.5%) and Com-petitive Awards (7.5%), which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, the Marshall and the Fulbright.

In addition to the overall rankings, the Center for College Affordability and Produc-tivity also prepares a “value” ranking which takes into account the overall cost of each school as relative to the quality of the education provided. Predictably, the service academies also dominate this “best-buy” list, nabbing the top three spots: West Point #1, Air Force Academy #2, and the Naval Academy #3. New York City’s Cooper Union, which grants full scholarships to every student, snags the #4 value slot (#154 overall), with the College of the Ozarks (#6, #191 overall) and the University of Wyoming (#10, #361 overall) also giving students amazing value for their educational buck.

3 West Point Military Academy in New York

1 Williams College in Massachusetts

2 Princeton University in New Jersey

4 Amherst College in Massachusetts

5 Stanford University in California

Choosing A Good College with Different Perspectives

2011

8

650

(Center for

College Affordability and

Productivity)

(Richard Vedder)

(Wi l l i ams

College)

20006

(Princeton University)

( H a r v a r d

University)( )

(West Point)

(Air Force Academy)

(Naval

Academy)

46 (University of

Virginia) 49

(College of William and Mary)

55

(UCLA)

1. (30%)

2. (27.5%)

3. (17.5%)

4. (17.5%)

5. (7.5%)

Michael Noer, Forbes Staff

3

1

2

4

5

Content

Why is it so critical to start planning 2012 summer extra-curricular activities now?

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ThinkTank Education Magazine

Published by ThinkTank Learning2011 Winter Issue 2007 1 First issue was released in January,2007.

Publisher ThinkTank Learning Education Media

Chief Editor T.K. Hu

Executive Editor / Art Pauline Chan, Chris Pai

Proofread / Translation Pauline Chan, Chris Pai

Address 4701 Patrick Henry Dr, #14, Santa Clara, CA 95054

Telephone No. 408.330.9300

Fax No. 815.371.2411

Website www.TTLearning.com www.TTLearning.cn China

Education Medi aTM

02. Forbe’s Top 80 Colleges04. 06. How to be successful in high school preparations for college07. 08. ConsumerWatch: Bay Area Firm Offers College Admission Help, For A Price09.

10. ThinkTank Learning Spring 2012 Class Schedule2012

14. Instructors Introduction 15. President Obama’s prepared remarks for back-to-school speech20. 23. 24. 26. Healthy Eating in Christmas27. 28. Student Testimonials30. 31. Managing Homework32. iv-vi.

Yes, we agree.

But the issue becomes what is the best? Is it a Ph.D. in biophysics, to help advance bio-technology? Is it to study electrical engineer-ing and become a Professional Engineer? The answer is, it depends.

security, earnings, and upward mobility as it is by personal happiness and satisfaction. The unfortunate truth is that most people work more than anything else in their lives. If we

-ing, or passion, then no matter what social status and wealth is attained, money does not buy happiness.

success as a balance between career and personal ambitions. Realistically, the time to begin is in high school. Where else will

losing almost nothing? High school is the time for students to discover themselves; parents,

this is something that you need to support, not dictate.

-ful: teenage ambivalence (lack of direction), academic stress, and communal expecta-tions often collectively impair a student’s

what they love to do. It is this dilemma that all students are faced with – even those Ivy League bound.

Having seen students graduate from Ivy League, still without direction, yields no better results than graduating from any UC. Graduating from either institutional system with a passion and vision is different – but that is dependent on if the student is able to develop in such capacity. If they have been coddled and groomed to perfection, they often cannot articulate why they will be successful (which also is the key of college admissions).

Here at ThinkTank Learning, we pride ourselves on helping families - both students and parents alike - resolve these obstacles in front of their students. The experiences we bring and our institutional successes enable us to readily identify the best, personalized path to success - even if this means creating new pathways. We pride ourselves on help-ing our students balance their academic (career) and personal goals. It is only after identifying what is truly right for them, that they can be successful in high school, col-lege, and beyond.

Parents always ask us to help their children maximize their potential, and to be the best they can be – after all, this is the most that we can ask of our students, isn’t it?

06

How to be successful in high school preparations for college Chris Yang, Senior Admissions Consultant at ThinkTank Learning

07

Chris Yang,

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — It’s that time of year again; students working on applications for college. From navigat-

trying to get into one’s dream school is no simple task.

-nesses such as Think Tank Learning are

coaches and counselors that offer help with the admission process. The com-pany promises students an acceptance letter to any school the student shoots for.

Steven Ma of Think Tank Learning said his --

tee. He promises his clients acceptance to an agreed upon school for a fee that

admitted to his or her desired college or university.

“The further you are away from the

he said.

come cheap. Think Tank Learning’s col-lege guarantees have run the gamut of

on top of what customers already paid for the consulting

-cess rate for students getting into their top choice.

“What I tell students when it comes to extracurricular activi-

-

While Think Tank Learning has already spread across the Bay Area with several locations and ensures well-educated and

But Ma thinks his work for his clients is worth it. His customers

Ma is assisting them on the way to get there.

Excerpt from http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/10/21/

for-a-price/

08

ConsumerWatch: Bay Area Firm Offers College Admission Help, For A Price. CBS News Reports ThinkTank Learning Offers 100% Money-back Guarantee For Premium College Application Package.

October 21, 2011

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/10/21/con-

a-price/

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Alan HugenotM. Ed. Gifted Education, Liberty UniversityA.E / B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Oregon Institute of TechnologyB.A. English, Writing & History - Southern Oregon College

Alan 35150 ASHRAE,

NFPA SNAME ABYCAlan 1975

Alan

2011

AlanAlan

SAT ACT AP

12

William Hendel Ph.D., Comparative Literature, UCLA M.A., Comparative Literature, UCLA B.A., Comparative Literature and Philosophy, UC Berkeley

Our Teachers

William has taught at UCLA, as well as the University of Memphis, where he served as Director of the International House, a residence hall devoted to world languages and cultures. With over twelve years of experience in education, William has taught and tutored English language, literature, and writing, in addition to all levels of French, from the beginning of language study to graduate-level literature seminars.William’s teaching and tutoring style involves a patient, encouraging approach that carefully builds on students’ past accomplishments to pave the way for long-lasting future success. His students value his talent in breaking down complex topics into easy, manageable units and in motivating them to think about the wider implications of ideas and events. Drawing on his love of language and passion for teach-ing, William inspires students to appreciate the subtleties and power of the spoken and written word and to learn from examples of effective language. Not least of all, William appeals to students’ own interests in order to encourage their engagement with the material and to see the relevance of language, literature, and history to their lives. A vora-

and music.

Alan has been teaching and tutoring adolescents and young adults for over 35 years. Widely published, he has written over 150 magazine feature articles and is a nationally recognized

for ASHRAE, NFPA, SNAME and ABYC. His teaching career began at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington in 1975. He specializes in coaching teenagers and young adults in writing, critical reading, and language skills. After credentialing in English as a second language, he taught English learners (Chinese and Korean nationals) in the graduate program at Olivet University, San Francisco until retirement in the spring of 2011. Now semi-retired, he devotes full time to Think Tank Learn-ing’s classes in English, Creative Writing and History, and also tutoring creative writing, history for SAT, ACT and AP, and English learners. A gifted intellectual, he speaks the language of gifted students and loves motivating them to achieve.

14

President Obama’s prepared remarks for back-to-school speech

By POLITICO STAFF | 9/27/11

Hello, everybody! It’s great to be here at Benjamin

Banneker High School, one of the best high schools in Washington, D.C. Thank you, Donae, for that introduction. I also want to thank Arne Duncan, our excel-lent Secretary of Education, for being here with me today.

We’ve got students tuning in from all across America, and so I want to wel-come all of you to this new school year. I know that here at Banneker, you’ve been back at school for a few weeks now. So everything’s starting to settle in for you, just like for your peers all across the country. The fall sports seasons are underway. Musicals and marching band

big tests and projects are probably just around the corner.

I know that you’ve got a lot to deal with outside of school, too. Your circle of friends might be changing. Issues

your Facebook feeds and Twitter ac-counts. And some of your families might be feeling the strain of this economy. You might have picked up an after-school job to help out, or maybe you’re babysitting for a younger sibling be-cause Mom or Dad is working an extra shift.

So you’ve got a lot on your plates. You guys are growing up faster and inter-acting with the wider world in a way

that old folks like me didn’t have to. So today, I don’t want to be another adult who stands up to lecture you like you’re just kids. Because you’re not just kids. You’re this country’s future. Whether we fall behind or race ahead in the coming years is up to you. And I want to talk to you about meeting that responsibility.

It starts with being the best student you can be. Now, that doesn’t always mean you have to get a perfect score on every assignment. It doesn’t have to mean straight A’s all the time — although that’s a good goal to strive for. It means you have to keep at it. It means you have to work as hard as you know how. And it means that you take some risks once in a while. You won-der. You question. You explore. You color outside the lines every now and then.

That’s what school’s for: discovering new passions and acquir-ing the skills to pursue those passions in the future. That’s why one hour you can be an artist; the next, an author; the next, a scien-tist. Or a historian. Or a carpenter. This is the time when you can try out new interests and test new ideas. And the more you do,

15

If you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I wasn’t always the very best student. I didn’t love every class I took. I remember when I was in eighth grade, I had to take a class called “ethics”. Ethics is about right and wrong, but if you’d have asked me what my favorite subject was in eighth grade, I’d have said “basketball.” I don’t think ethics would have made the list.

But you know what? I still remember that ethics class. I remember the way it made me think. I remember being asked questions like “What matters in life?” “What does it mean to treat people with respect and dignity?” “What does it mean to live in a diverse na-tion?” Each question led to a new one, and I didn’t always know the answer right away. But those discussions and that process of discovery are still with me today. Every day, I’m thinking about what those issues mean for us as a nation. I’m asking all sorts of questions just like those. And I’ll let you in on another secret: I still don’t always know the answers. But if I’d have just tuned out because the class sounded boring, I might have missed out on something that I enjoyed and something that’s still useful to me today.

So that’s a big part of your responsibility: Testing things out. Taking risks. Working hard. Engaging with the world around you. Those are the things that will make school more fun. And down the road, those are the traits that will help you succeed – the traits that will lead you to invent a device that makes the iPad look like

power a city. Or write the next great American novel.

Now, to do almost any of those things, you have to not only graduate from high school, but continue your education after you leave. That might mean a four-year university, a community college, or a professional credential or training, but the fact of the matter is that more than 60 percent of jobs in the next de-cade will require more than a high school diploma. That’s the world you’re walking into.

So I want all of you to set a goal to continue your education after high school. And if that means college for you, just getting in

world’s highest proportion of young people with a college de-gree. Now we’re 16th. That’s not good enough. And so we need your generation to bring us back to the top.

If we do that, you guys will have a brighter future. And so will America. We’ll be able to make sure the new-est inventions and latest breakthroughs happen right here in the United States.

and greater opportunities for your kids. So I don’t want anyone listening today to think that once you’re done with high school, you’re done learning. Or that college isn’t for you. You have to start expecting big things for yourself right now.

I know all this can be intimidating. You might be wondering how you’ll pay for college. Or you might not know what you want to do with your life. That’s OK. Nobody expects you to predict the future. And we shouldn’t expect you to make it on your own.You’ve got your parents. They love you to death and want you to have even more opportunities than they had. So don’t give them a hard time when they ask you to turn off the video games and the television, and sit down to help you with your homework.

You’ve also got people all across this country – including me – working on your behalf. We’re taking every step we can to ensure that you’re getting

Testing things out. Taking risks. Working hard. Engaging with the world around you ... those are the traits that will help you succeed.“

“16

an educational system that’s worthy of your potential. We’re working to make sure that you have the most up-to-date schools with the latest tools for learning. We’re making sure that our country’s colleges and universities are affordable and accessible. And we’re working to get the best teachers into your classrooms, so they can prepare you for college and a future career.

Now, teachers are the men and women who might be working harder than any-body. Whether you go to a big school or a small one, whether you attend a public, private, or charter school – your teachers are giving up their weekends and waking up at dawn. They’re cramming their days full of classes and extra-curriculars. Then they’re going home, eating some dinner, and staying up past midnight to grade your papers.

a big salary. They do it for you. They live for those moments when something clicks, when you amaze them with your intellect and they see the kind of person you can become. They know that you’ll be the citi-zens and leaders who take us into tomor-row. They know that you’re the future.

But I also want to emphasize this: with all of the challenges that our country faces today, we don’t just need you for the fu-ture – we need you now. America needs your passion, your ideas, and your energy right at this moment. I know you’re up to it because I’ve seen it. Nothing inspires me more than knowing that young people all across the country are already making their marks. They’re not waiting for any-body.They’re students like Will Kim from Fremont,

gives loans to students from low-income schools who want to start their own busi-nesses. And he’s raising the money doing what he loves: through dodgeball tourna-

Jake Bernstein, a 17-year-old from a military family in St. Louis, worked with his sister to launch a website devoted to commu-nity service for young people. They’ve held volunteer fairs, put

volunteer opportunities that range from maintaining nature trails to serving at local hospitals.

And last year, I met a young woman named Amy Chyao from Richardson, Texas. At just 16 years old, she discovered a break-through process that uses light to kill cancer cells. It’s incredible – and she’s been approached by some doctors and research-ers who want to work with her to develop her discovery.So, just like Will, Jake, and Amy, you don’t have to wait to make your mark. A lot of the time, you’ve got better ideas than the rest of us anyway. We just need those ideas out in the open, in and out of the classroom.

I have no doubt that America’s best days are ahead of us because I know the potential that lies inside each one of you. Soon enough, you’ll be the ones leading our businesses and our government; you’ll be the ones charting the course of our unwritten history. All of that starts this year. Right now. So I want you all to make the most of this year ahead of you. Your coun-try is depending on you. So set your sights high. Have a great school year. And let’s get to work.

Article cited from: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64581.html

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你準備好了嗎?Are you ready

By POLITICO STAFF | 9/27/11

Benjamin Ban-neker High School Donae

Arne Duncan

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“

“

“

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Fremont Will Kim

Jake Bernstein

Amy Chyao

Will, Jake Amy

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64581.html

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[email protected]

25

Healthy Christmas Eating! by Tash Hughes of Word Constructions

Alternatives

Whenever you have control over the food on offer, always look for the healthier alternative to prepare and serve. Likewise, make sug-gestions to other people who will be feeding you over the holiday period.

This is a good opportunity to make Christmas a bit different this year ~ for instance, try a picnic this year with lots of salads rather than huge roasts or do an activity with friends instead of having a Christmas drinks night.

Some ways to reduce the fat content and increase the nutritional value of Christmas foods are listed below.

Which ones apply will depend on the style of oc-casion you are cooking for.

Meat

seafood instead of roast red meat.

mixed with garlic and herbs.)

of roasting it, or roast it on a rack.

to cooking. Trimmed of fat, the crackling can be cooked separately – although crackling isn’t particularly good for you anyway!

Desserts

makes this most appealing!

it with chocolate and no one will know it’s healthy!

Christmas drinks. Choose a recipe without much sugar in it, though.Source: http://www.wordconstructions.com/articles/xmas%20eat.htm

hristmas is not seen as a good time

matter if you are on a diet to lose weight, be healthy or deal with a dis-ease, the range of food available at Christmas is intimidating for dieters.

However, Christmas need not mean the end of your diet or a struggle through

January to compensate. There are ways to keep your diet healthy during the

Christmas season.

Moderation

Keeping things in moderation -

easy to say “eat and drink in moderation”, but not quite so easy to carry out so here are some ideas for moderat-ing what you eat this festive season.

than lots of one thing

drink, have a glass of water. Water

effects, is cheap and will help wash out the excesses. Help clear the

eating rather than sitting and picking at leftovers.

food so people don’t over serve themselves.

26

Tash Hughes

: http://www.wordconstructions.com/ articles/xmas%20eat.htm

I feel that this center has helped me a lot. The services that are available (class) are wonderful and the teachers here were very well-educated. I feel that I have learned a lot from all the classes I have taken here and will be continu-ing to take classes here.

I started going to think tank the summer of my 8th grade and I am still going to Think Tank in my junior year of High School. If someone asked me what Think Tank does, I would say it gives you a chance to achieve your dreams. Think Tank is a place that encourages students who want to do more than they think they are capable of. It al-lows one to expand their own horizons and look towards a brighter future. A future that they never thought could be theirs.

Think Tank has taught me many things that will be useful throughout my education. The staff is friendly and the place is comfortable to learn in. The environment created stimulates learning that is interactive and allows more communication from student to teacher. All the teachers have a very firm grasp on their subject and they are fun to learn from. The teachers and tutors taught me many skills that helped me become the student I am today.

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I’ve received a lot of very useful information about colleges and applications from ThinkTank Learning Center. My college counselor is very helpful and informative; he’s always available when I need him and helps keep me on track for my goals. They have helped turn my dream of going to an Ivy League university from just a faraway dream to a realistic possibility.

When I first joined Thinktank two years ago, the thought that went through my head was wow, I’m going to learn a lot, not wow, my mom is making me do this. Most kids my age prefer partying out, but for me, I wanted to come to Thinktank. What attracted me are definitely the great groups of teachers. The teachers at Thinktank are very helpful, lively, and passionate about their jobs. They treat us like peers, so there is no division of superior-ity in the class. Sometimes, I feel like the teachers are one of us. The best thing about them is that they are really patient and will supply you with supplementary handouts and lectures via e-mails. The most helpful classes I’ve taken are AP chemistry and SAT train-ing classes. My chemistry teacher made the class understandable, even for a chemistry-illiterate like me. The SAT teachers helped me mastery tricks in math problems, short-cuts in reading passages, and approach on writing a good essay. I enjoyed the times I spent at Thinktank every weekend and summer months because I know the team there will help me be successful through high school. In addition, I got to meet a lot of new people and packed my Facebook friend request list. Yeah, you feel pretty darn good about yourself.

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2011 10 20 Daniel Loy 408-329-7549

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30

Homework can be a mental challenge. Don’t let it over-

whelm you.

DAILY HOMEWORK

1. Pick your place: Where you do your homework is important.

Do you work better shut away in your own room or at a corral in the library with minimal distrac-tions? Or are you most creative when there is other activity around you such as at the kitch-en table or in a coffee shop? Or do you work best with fellow students where you can talk about the assignment together?

being on your own with your own music versus shooting the breeze with friends. The question is: in which setting do you get the most work done, both qual-ity and quantity: on your own, versus with other people in the background, versus interacting with those around you? Which-ever setting works best for you set it up every day and get your work done there.

2. Schedule your work: Once you have picked your home-work location, decide what you must do. List the immediate things (due tomorrow), the mid range things (due within one week), and the long range items (due after next week). If you only have two or three items in total, divide up the available time that you have, pick the most urgent

3. Strategy: If you have four or more items you will have to strat-egize. First decide how much time you can allocate to each assign-ment. Then decide what order to follow. Say you have Math, Span-ish, Social Studies, and Biology for tomorrow, an English report due

in three week’s time. Suppose you have 4-9pm to work including din-ner. Divide up all your time for the urgent items, say: one hour for Math, 45 min-utes for Span-ish, 30 minutes for Social Studies, 1 hour for Bio, and 20 minutes for dinner. Factor in an extra 15 minutes buffer time for Spanish and 10 minutes for Social Studies. Your total time is now 4 hrs, leaving you one hour for your

that one hour on and what you will aim to complete in that one hour.

4. Turn off all potential distrac-tions. Hold down the power button on your phone until it powers down. Turn off you com-puter unless you are doing online research, and if you are, be very disciplined – don’t wander. Put on some music if it helps you con-centrate.

5. Get Cracking: Now you have the optimum environment, and

you are clear about what needs to be done - get cracking! There is no time to lose! As you work your way through your list switch be-

into a mental game. For instance -

to get you into a winning mood, or hit the Spanish

up with Math as your self-reward. What if you do not

of work in the time allotted? If you can get it done

within 10minutes, go ahead

to one side and press on with the rest of your work. If you have time after you have completed your other work, then come back to

6. Too Much Homework: What if you have too much homework? We are not talking about procras-tination, i.e. you put off your work when there was time to complete it, and we are not talking about distraction i.e. playing computer games or social networking when you should be studying, but we are talking about having too much. Tell whichever of your teachers is giving you the most work that it is too much. First make a list of all the work that is

31

MANAGING HOMEWORK Mark Hanson-Kahn, PhD, Teacher and Tutor at ThinkTank Learning

assigned and tell your teacher. Ask for a reduction in homework.

7. Active Learning: Always en-gage in active learning. When you read a book use a pencil to underline, to make comments in the margin, and to note impor-tant passages and phrases. Keep your mind from wandering by taking notes and discussing topics with others. People process infor-mation in different ways. Some like to draw pictures or charts to digest information, others prefer to read out loud or make de-tailed outlines. Find the methods that work best for you. Ask your teacher or tutor for recommen-dations.

PROJECTS

In Middle-School: Learning to manage homework begins with

At this age cultivate the habit of beginning homework projects as soon as they are assigned. Put a planner on display in a prominent place such as the refrigerator door, and craft a basic assign-ment schedule such as when to

-

cannot do this by themselves; they need a parent to gently guide them. Helping your child teaches them to have mastery over school projects; after three or four times of repeating this method, your student will devel-op the skills to master any project,

(Con’t) because these are transferable skills.

In High School: What if you are a high school student with a big project? The same planning technique applies but you will need to divide your research paper into smaller parts and give yourself deadlines for each one. Here is a sample of the steps:

(1) a date to have a topic chosen,

(3) a date to have an outline completed,

(5) a rough draft dead line and then

Knowing that your time is limited will spur you on to complete each part. Once you have a plan you can follow it. You are learning an impor-tant skill: how to learn on your own and not be dependent on teachers and classes.

1

2

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MANAGING HOMEWORK Mark Hanson-Kahn, PhD, Teacher and Tutor at ThinkTank Learning

Mark Hanson-Kahn, PhD. Teacher and Tutor at ThinkTank Learning.

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: SAT I & Subject Test Date SAT I & Subject考試日期

: AP Test Week AP考試週

Documents

ThinkTank Learning Magazine 2011 Winter Issue