Active learners accept much of the responsibility for learning.

Active learners understand that the responsibility for learning must come from within, while passive learners often want to blame others for their lack of motivation, poor performance, time-management problems, and other difficulties that thy might experience. When active learners don’t perform as well as they’d hoped, they evaluate why they didn’t do well, and change those studying behaviors the next time. Passive learners, on the other hand, often approach every course in the same manner and then get angry with professors when their performance is poor. It is only when students accept the responsibility for their own learning that they can truly be called active learners.

Active learners question information. 

Active learners question information that they read and hear, while passive learners accept both the printed page and the words of their professors as “truth”. Active learners don’t question everything, but they do evaluate what they read and hear. When new information fails to “fit in” with what they already know, they may differ in the conclusions they draw or in the inferences they make.

Excerpt from College Success Strategies by Sherrie L. Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh.

 

Active learners reflect on information and think critically.
 
Being reflective is an important part of active learning because it means that you are thinking about the information. In other words, you are processing the information. You may make connections between the new information and what you already know, identify concepts that you may not understand very well, or evaluate the importance of what you are reading. An active learner reflects constantly. In contrast, passive learners may read the text and listen to lectures, and even understand most of what is read and heard, but they do not take that crucial next step of actually thinking about it.

Active learners are engaged learners.

They listen actively to the professor for the entire class period and they write down as much information as possible. You must think about the information before you write.

Active learners know that learning involved more than simply putting in time.
 
Most students know about the importance of having good time-management skills and expect to invest time in studying in order to be successful. But just putting time into studying is not enough. It is the quality if that time- why you actually do with it- that makes the difference.

Active learners get assistance when they are experiencing problems.
Because active learners are constantly monitoring their understanding, they know when their comprehension breaks down, and they ask for help before they become lost. In addition, active learners often predict the courses that may give them trouble. They have a plan in mind for getting assistance should they need it. Active learners may hire individual tutors, take advantage of free peer tutoring, or seek assistance from their professors. Although passive learners may seek help at some point, it is often too little too late. In addition, because passive learners do not reflect and think critically, they often don’t even realize that they need help.

Excerpt from College Success Strategies by Sherrie L. Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh.

We’d bet that no one deliberately sits down to read with the purpose of not understanding the text. However, we’re certain that you have been in a situation, probably more than once, where you “read” an assignment, closed the text, and thought, “What in the world was that about?”  When you interact with a text in this manner you are reading passively. Active readers, on the other hand, set goals before they read an check their understanding as they read. When they finish, they can explain the main points and know that they have understood what they have read.

Excerpt from College Success Strategies by Sherrie L. Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh.

Ever heard “two roads diverged in a yellow wood”?  We have too.  Well schooling is like that, life in general is.  You have two choices when it comes to attitude.

It’s perhaps sad but true-there will be courses you don’t like, a professor with whom you fail to connect. Even if you have a wide range of interests and you can get along well with almost everyone, at some point you’ll have to make it through and rough class. You can take one of two routes when this happens.

Route A: you can think of every excuse imagine able not to do the work or go to class. You can blame your attitude on the professor or the ‘boring’ material that you are expected to learn.

Consequences of route A: a poor course grade, feeling bad about yourself, and having to work doubly hard in another course to bring up your overall grade point average.

Route B: acknowledge that you really don’t care much for the course or the professor. It’s one course, however, and you can make it through. Study with someone who seems to like the course. Try to motivate yourself with small rewards. Tell yourself that this is temporary and the course will soon be over.

Consequences of route B: perhaps you will not earn an A in the class but you will emerge with your ego and your grade point average intact.

Excerpt from College Success Strategies by Sherrie L. Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh.

Ever had to guess on a test?  Scary right? Of course you’ll find that you have to occasionally guess on tests.  But you should never just guess at random.  Narrowing down the answer choices first is imperative.  Otherwise, your odds of getting the right answer will be pretty slim.  Follow this plan when you guess: 1.       Eliminate answer choices you know are wrong.  Even if you don’t know the right answer, you can often tell that some of the answer choices are wrong.  For instance, on Date Sufficiency questions, you can eliminate at least two answer choices by determining the sufficiency of one statement, 2.       Avoid answer choices that make you suspicious.  These are the answer choices that just “look wrong” or conform to a common wrong-answer type.  For example, if only one of the answer choices in a Problem Solving question is negative, chances are that it will be incorrect. 3.       Choose one of the remaining answer choices.

Essential SAT word:

Actuality; n.  The state of being actual or real; truly existing.

On Halloween the children were so taken by the costumes that they had a difficult time distinguishing between actuality and pretend.

Essential SAT word:

Applicable; adj.  Readily usable; practical.

Lorena was not sure that her ideas were applicable to the problem, but she offered them, nevertheless.

Essential SAT word:

Authenticity; n.  The quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy or genuine.

Before paying the high price for the painting, the art dealer had to check the authenticity of the work.

Essential SAT word:

Bona fide; adj.  Authentic and genuine.

Among all the knockoffs in the shoe store, I found an inexpensive pair of bona fide Steve Madens.

Bona fide; adj.  Made and carried out in good faith.

The offer on the farmhouse was a bona fide agreement; the seller and buyer shook hands to secure the deal.

Essential SAT word:

Categorical; adj.  Without exception; absolute and explicit.

Nobody in the room doubted that Samuel was the categorical winner of the Lincoln-Douglas debate.

Categorical; adj.  Of or relating to categories or arrangement or order.

Sammy was so left-brained, logical, and sequential that no one was surprised when she put all her information in precise, categorical order.

Essential SAT word:

Defensible; adj.  Justifiable for accuracy.

Maria had a defensible position: There was no doubt that she would win the debate.

 

Essential SAT word:

Factual; adj.  Of the nature of fact; real.

Even though the book was a work of fiction, it was full of factual information about that historical era.

Essential SAT word:

Genuine; adj.  Not counterfeit, but authentic; honest and real; free from hypocrisy or dishonesty; sincere.

My uncle gave me  genuine two-dollar bill for my birthday.

Essential SAT word:

Invulnerable; adj.  Impossible to damage or enter; not able to alter the reality.

The front door seemed invulnerable; it was made of steel, and it sported seven strong locks as well.

Essential SAT word:

Legitimacy; n.  The quality of being legitimate-authentic, genuine, and according to the law.

The painting was suspect, so the legitimacy of its authenticity was questionable.

SAT Essential word:
unassailable; adj.  Undeniable, actual, and authentic.
The unassailable truth came out when Marla’s little brother realized that their parents were really the tooth fairy.

SAT Essential word:
valid; adj.  Real, authentic, correct; sound and well-grounded.
Benny Lee was able to draw a valid conclusion only after he had discovered allt he facts.

SAT Essential word:
veracity; n.  Adherence to truth, reality, accuracy, and precision.
The teacher confirmed the veracity of the student’s late pass by checking with the teacher who supposedly wrote the pass.

SAT Essential word:
veritable; adj.  Being truly so-called; real or genuine.
A veritable stranger was kind enough to give Suzanne enough money to use the phone so she could call home.

SAT Essential word:
aberration; n.  A defect of departure from the normal; deviation or imperfection.
My mother was not sure whether her occasionally seeing her dead great grandmother was real or an aberration.

SAT Essential word:
artifice; n.  Pretense, deception, or ruse.
The young woman was about 90 percent artifice and only 10 percent authentic.

Essential SAT word:

invulnerable; adj.  Impossible to damage or enter; not able to alter the reality.
The front door seemed invulnerable; it was made of steel, and it sported seven strong locks as well.

Essential SAT word:

legitimacy; n.  The quality of being legitimate-authentic, genuine, and according to the law.
The painting was suspect, so the legitimacy of its authenticity was questionable.

Essential SAT word:

materiality; n.  The state of being material.
Esther was so intent upon possessing things that her friends started questioning her focus on materiality.

Essential SAT word: materiality; n.  Being of real or substantive quality.
In Macbeth, Banquo’s ghost appears to Macbeth with such materiality that he is overwhelmed by guilt over Banquo’s murder.

Essential SAT word:

pragmatic; adj.  Dealing with facts, reality, and actual occurrences.
Aaron’s insubstantial reasons were not pragmatic, so consequently non one believed him.

Essential SAT word:
tangible; adj.  Possible to touch; possible to be treated as fact; real or concrete.
Carlos’s fantasy became tangible when Angie, the girl of his dreams, agreed to go out with him.

Essential SAT word:
tenable; adj.  Capable of being maintained; able to be maintained because of genuineness.
The team’s successful season was barely tenable because of the girls’ growing apathy toward attending practice.

Essential SAT word:
truism; n.  Self-evident truth, actuality, and reality.
The rumor about a possible scandal became a truism once the facts were released to the public.

 

unassailable; adj.  Undeniable, actual, and authentic.
The unassailable truth came out when Marla’s little brother realized that their parents were really the tooth fairy.

valid; adj.  Real, authentic, correct; sound and well-grounded.
Benny Lee was able to draw a valid conclusion only after he had discovered all the facts.

veracity; n.  Adherence to truth, reality, accuracy, and precision.
The teacher confirmed the veracity of the student’s late pass by checking with the teacher who supposedly wrote the pass.

veritable; adj.  Being truly so-called; real or genuine.
A veritable stranger was kind enough to give Suzanne enough money to use the phone so she could call home.

aberration; n.  A defect of departure from the normal; deviation or imperfection.
My mother was not sure whether her occasionally seeing her dead great grandmother was real or an aberration.

artifice; n.  Pretense, deception, or ruse.
The young woman was about 90 percent artifice and only 10 percent authentic.

invulnerable; adj.  Impossible to damage or enter; not able to alter the reality.
The front door seemed invulnerable; it was made of steel, and it sported seven strong locks as well.

legitimacy; n.  The quality of being legitimate-authentic, genuine, and according to the law.
The painting was suspect, so the legitimacy of its authenticity was questionable.

materiality; n.  The state of being material.
Esther was so intent upon possessing things that her friends started questioning her focus on materiality.

materiality; n.  Being of real or substantive quality.
In Macbeth, Banquo’s ghost appears to Macbeth with such materiality that he is overwhelmed by guilt over Banquo’s murder.

pragmatic; adj.  Dealing with facts, reality, and actual occurrences.
Aaron’s insubstantial reasons were not pragmatic, so consequently non one believed him.

tangible; adj.  Possible to touch; possible to be treated as fact; real or concrete.
Carlos’s fantasy became tangible when Angie, the girl of his dreams, agreed to go out with him.

tenable; adj.  Capable of being maintained; able to be maintained because of genuineness.
The team’s successful season was barely tenable because of the girls’ growing apathy toward attending practice.

truism; n.  Self-evident truth, actuality, and reality.
The rumor about a possible scandal became a truism once the facts were released to the public.

actuality; n.  The state of being actual or real; truly existing.On Halloween the children were so taken by the costumes that they had a difficult time distinguishing between actuality and pretend.

applicable; adj.  Readily usable; practical.Lorena was not sure that her ideas were applicable to the problem, but she offered them, nevertheless.

authenticity; n.  The quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy or genuine.Before paying the high price for the painting, the art dealer had to check the authenticity of the work.

bona fide; adj.  Authentic and genuine.Among all the knockoffs in the shoe store, I found an inexpensive pair of bona fide Steve Madens.

bona fide; adj.  Made and carried out in good faith.The offer on the farmhouse was a bona fide agreement; the seller and buyer shook hands to secure the deal.

categorical; adj.  Without exception; absolute and explicit.Nobody in the room doubted that Samuel was the categorical winner of the Lincoln-Douglas debate.

categorical; adj.  Of or relating to categories or arrangement or order.Sammy was so left-brained, logical, and sequential that no one was surprised when she put all her information in precise, categorical order.

defensible; adj.  Justifiable for accuracy.Maria had a defensible position: There was no doubt that she would win the debate.

factual; adj.  Of the nature of fact; real.Even though the book was a work of fiction, it was full of factual information about that historical era.

genuine; adj.  Not counterfeit, but authentic; honest and real; free from hypocrisy or dishonesty; sincere.My uncle gave me a genuine two-dollar bill for my birthday.

invulnerable; adj.  Impossible to damage or enter; not able to alter the reality.The front door seemed invulnerable; it was made of steel, and it sported seven strong locks as well.

legitimacy; n.  The quality of being legitimate-authentic, genuine, and according to the law.The painting was suspect, so the legitimacy of its authenticity was questionable.

spasmodic; adj.
Having the characteristic of a spasm or convulsion.
The doctor said that the medicine could cause spasmodic episodes. Happening intermittently; from time to time. The spasmodic sound of fireworks made the little boy frightened.

sporadic; adj.
Occurring at different intervals, with no set pattern.
The rain this summer has been sporadic, which is why I’ve seen my dad watering the lawn so much.

transitory;adj.
Short-lived; temporary; only passing, not permanent.
Kami was involved in another of her transitory relationships.

vacillate; verb.
To move back and forth, especially being unable to make up one’s mind.
I vacillated between blue socks or red socks all morning.

habitual; adj.
Naturally out of habit or routine; regular and common.
It became habitual for Joseph to brush his teeth every morning.

incessant; adj.
Continuing without interruption, sometimes to an excessive degree.
Incessant snow was becoming overwhelming for my stressed mom.

impalpable; adj.
Not able to be grasped, held, or understood.
Tess struggled with math because she felt it was impalpable.

incidental; adj.
Having little or no importance or impact.
The hurricane caused Jo destruction so it was incidental.

irrelevant; adj.
Unrelated to the matter being considered.
Taylor’s answer to the question was very irrelevant.

modicum; adj.
A small, very modest, or token amount.
Billy took a modicum of Jesse’s birthday cake.

nonessential; adj.
Not essential; of little or trivial importance.
When Sadie looked on Google, she found a lot of nonessential information to what she was looking for.

whit; noun.
The least bit; just an iota.
Savannah didn’t give a whit about finishing her math homework.

considerable; adj.
In a large or impressive amount or significance.
The teacher found her suggestion considerable.

intense; adj.
Of extreme degree, characteristics,strength, or effort.
Alex’s training was so intense that she won a gold medal.

momentous; adj.
Significant and meaningful; sometimes even historically important.
Jonathan made a momentous decision to throw the football which led them to a victory.

There are a few age-old questions such as,

1. What is the meaning of life?
2. What happens after I die?
3. Why do bad things happen to good people?

Then, there are other types of questions that don’t quite make the “big questions of life” category, but they are still pretty important. And, when you’re in high school, often the small questions are the big concerns.

PS: Yes, the picture of a girl with hair on her face has nothing to do with high school time management. But – don’t you think it’s interesting? Yeah, me too.

And so it is today. I asked my daughter, Kameron, to help me better understand what she does to stay on top of things as a freshman in high school. Below are her words and may they be helpful to you.

High School Time Management

I’m only finishing my freshman year, but I’ve seen enough of high school to understand that the greatest skill needed is how to efficiently manage your time. Making time fore homework and other activities is one thing, but getting the motication to do them is another. Here are some suggestions on how to develop the havit of managing your time.

1. Get enough sleep. You nee your sleep to stay awake and be aware.
2. Keep some sort of planner. This will help you keep track of things you need to get done and help you remember the homework for 1st period, seven periods later. This will also help you remember other activities in your life.
3. Make the time to get things done. If you sis there in life waiting for an open slot of your time set aside for duties, you’ll never get those done. Make time for these things and stick to the times, getting as much done as you can.
4. Put distractions away. Is it homework time? Put your phone away, keep the television off, don’t even eat until you’ve finished what is to get done during this time.

By following these simple steps you will quickly develop a habit of getting things done and managing your time. Be prepared to feel proud of yourself when everything is done and there is time left in the day to play.

In 9th Grade Math, I got a C, now what?

This is another article by my daughter, who is a Freshman in high school and is in 9th grade math. Here, she shares her story of when she got a C in 9th grade math and what she did to learn from it and then to turn things around. I hope you find the article interesting and helpful. Thanks for reading – and, if you’re interested, she wrote another really interesting article on Organization Tips for High School Students.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what the picture of the Afro to the right is all about, I have no idea. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now an Afro on a post about Math seems just really random. Oh well.

This past term in school, I got my first C. Devastated by this I’m determined for it to not happen again. But what went wrong this grading term? Let’s make it into a lesson for us all.

One factor that went into my C is that I did not understand things we learned earlier and so when we added upon that knowledge I was doomed to fail because I hadn’t understood before.

Lesson 1

Make sure you understand what you’re learning before you move on in the lesson. You can’t afford a gap in your learning and understanding. Another factor resulting in my bad grade was that I didn’t reach out and receive personal help that I needed to help me understand what I didn’t. I did not ask for a tutor or even ask questions that I should’ve.

Lesson 2

This was a fatal mistake and I know I don’t need to be afraid to ask questions or get homework help-often it’s the only way you’ll learn. I often leave school at school and seem to forget about it at home. Instead, it would have been beneficial to me if I had laid out what I needed help on and done some practice at home. Even reviewing notes would have been better than forgetting about school when I stepped into my house.

Lesson 3

Take some time at home to do school work and review. It’s all for your benefit anyway.

Conclusion

By figuring our the factors that played into my bad grade, I learned some crucial things I need to be doing in order to get good grades, but not only that: I learned things needed as habits in order to get the most out of my education and be more prepared for things ahead including college.

Key points learned:

• Make sure you understand what you’ve learned before moving on
• Ask questions and reach out for the help you need
• Take some school home and review