Supporting the College Transition

For some students, the transition from high school to what’s next couldn’t be smoother. But for others, this time can feel impossible to navigate. The most important thing parents can do is find a balance between being supportive and giving their students the space they need to develop their independence. No matter where they’re headed next, these tips will help you help them make sure they’re on the right track.

Offer Help, But Give Space

Your child is likely craving independence. But he or she is also not ready for it in a lot of ways. He will still need you to guide and support him during this time. So be there! Be available for talks, advice, or to help with navigating some of the new adult skills your child (who is no longer a child) will soon need. If he’d rather navigate something on his own, let him (as long as it’s safe). It might just be a valuable learning experience.

Study Habits

Whether or not your child will be entering college, it's important that she develops productive work habits and study habits. This will come in handy (or be crucial) in whatever it is she is doing next. Knowing effective time management and organizational strategies will help her in all areas of her life, not just academics.

Self-Advocacy

 Every adult should know how to self-advocate. Ideally, students start learning self-advocacy early. While still in school, they should begin learning how to recognize their learning style and needs, and how to communicate them to others in their life, including professors, bosses, and even friends. The first step in truly mastering self-advocacy is to build confidence. Students who feel sure of themselves and believe that they are worth whatever they are advocating for are a lot more likely to speak up when they need something.

Teach or Reinforce Metacognition

Another important skill children need as they transition to young adulthood is metacognition, or the ability to think about one's thinking. All this really means is that students should have a good sense of themselves as learners and as individuals in order for them to best operate. For example, if your child needs to take breaks periodically to stay focused, it's helpful for them to be aware of that so they can proactively plan their work time with those breaks in mind.

Be Available to Help With Logistics

There are a lot of adult skills that just don’t come naturally to kids. We take some of these skills for granted because we’ve known how to do them for so long. Things like paying bills, filling a car with gas, or even mailing a letter at the post office (those still exist?!) can feel daunting to a teen! Be available to help with these things, but allow for independence when it’s there and when it’s comfortable.

Provide Guidance

We have our own curricula designed to support this transition, which we’ve named Smarter College - get in touch to learn more.

Summer Learning

As we head into summer, most students (and teachers) feel at least some measure of relief, more than ready for a bit of rest and relaxation. But parents and educators alike also sometimes worry about the potential for “learning loss” given months away from the classroom; it’s a phrase that, along with “coronavirus slide,” has recently been popping up in news articles and opinion pieces with some frequency over the past 2-3 years. In this week’s post, we look into the research, and suggest a way to reframe the issue around potential for growth.

The general anxiety around COVID’s prolonged effect on student learning is justified, given the unprecedented nature of the pandemic’s disruption. Massive rollouts of tutoring support or increased classroom time have attempted to make up for missed material. These initiatives often use research around summer learning loss to make predictions about how much material students may be missing as a result of school closures.

Academic studies in the late 1980s and 1990s, including an oft-cited meta-analysis by Harris Cooper, established the concept of summer learning loss as a major driver of student achievement gaps. According to these studies, the average student might lose as much as a month of progress in math and reading levels, which, compounded over several years of schooling, could accumulate to a significant disadvantage. Using these measures, one research group suggested that the “coronavirus slide” in combination with normal summer learning loss could result in a year’s worth of catch-up in math and science subjects. 

More recent work, though, suggests that the reality is more complex; while many students do indeed lose ground academically over the summer, others stay at a similar level, and some are even able to continue to progress. These results support a conclusion that might seem intuitive: the classroom is not the only place where students learn, and for certain students, it’s not even the most important. Rather, a supportive home environment, paired with project-based learning and targeted summer activities -- some with an academic bent, along with others that are more creative and/or social -- can ensure that students continue along their unique educational trajectories. 

There is hope to be had in the realization that learning comes in many forms, and targeted doses of academic practice over the summer can have a significant effect. While making sure that students have the break they need, families should seek to build in these learning opportunities along the way.

The Reading Debates

For many years, even the most proactive and conscientious teachers have taught reading using a “Balanced Literacy” approach; that is, using a combination of explicit phonics instruction, and more whole language strategies like using context to “guess” words. But collective research from the last few decades has overwhelmingly shown that those whole language strategies don’t build strong readers able to decode complex texts. This extensive research has been coined the “Science of Reading.” As the name implies, we are all learning that teaching reading is a science, not an art. Students need explicit, systematic language instruction to “crack the code” and make sense of written language.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCIENCE OF READING AND PHONICS?

Phonics is part of the science of reading. Phonics instruction refers to the specific skills students learn about letter sounds and symbols. The science of reading is more complex than just phonics. It includes everything about how kids learn to read, which does start with systematic and explicit phonics instruction, but it doesn’t end there. In addition to teaching phonics, it also includes vocabulary acquisition, morphology skills (manipulating words), and comprehension strategies.

SCIENCE OF READING IN THE CLASSROOM

So what should a reading lesson look like knowing what we now know? A typical reading lesson used to consist of a specific skill being modeled, perhaps through a read-aloud. Then students would try it out themselves through independent practice. It still works this way, but some of the skills and strategies promoted by Science of Reading research differ. Teachers might still model skills through a read-aloud, and students might still have time to practice those skills independently. But instead of teaching students strategies like using a picture and the first letter of a word to figure out what it says, students learn how to solve the word based on how it’s written. And instead of isolated comprehension strategies like sequencing events or identifying cause and effect, students practice mindful reading, and teachers show them what it looks like.

SHIFTING YOUR PRACTICE

It can be difficult to acknowledge that something you’ve been doing for years isn’t best for students. But everyone who teaches reading is in the same boat! We are all constantly learning and growing. Making the shift toward a more structured approach to teaching reading just means that, like the research itself, your teaching practice is evolving.

A classroom that truly embodies the science of reading principles starts with phonics instruction early. It empowers students by helping them crack the reading code by actually learning how to decode words instead of using pictures, sentence structure, or context to guess at them. It also teaches comprehension not through isolated skill practice, but through interacting with text and being metacognitive about one’s reading process. This means students are encouraged to think about what and how they are thinking while they read.

So given what we know about the science of reading, what makes a good reader? First, it takes knowledge of phonics rules and how to apply them. Next, it takes meaningful vocabulary acquisition. And finally, it takes actively and metacognitively engaging with text in order to make sense of it.

Testing the Testing Waters

Entering the world of test prep is a fraught prospect for many families. Competition can be a valuable motivator in the right context, but it can also sow feelings of inadequacy, bring added stress to students and parents, and wield undue influence on a student’s educational experience. As we guide families through the process of test prep, from the ISEE to the SAT/ACT, there are a few tenets we hold to in order to align with our own philosophy of teaching and learning.

1. Treat testing (and preparation) as a learning opportunity — for content, and for executive function skills

In most cases, the test prep process occurs entirely outside of school - this makes it a valuable opportunity to teach good habits around independent time management and structured goal-setting. Since test prep also inherently involves an element of repetition and error analysis, it’s also a chance for students to learn how to evaluate the effectiveness of different learning styles and study strategies as they reflect on their own mistakes and track their own progress over time. These metacognitive and executive function skills will empower students to work more effectively across the board.

2. Teach a growth mindset: embrace challenge, celebrate effort, support learning

We’re big believers in the growth mindset - and dealing with standardized tests is both the perfect chance to put it into practice, and, unfortunately the perfect trap for falling back into a fixed mindset perspective. From day one we want to encourage students to sit with the discomfort of not knowing how to solve a puzzling problem, and remember that challenge is an opportunity to grow by trying new strategies, rather than a sign of failure. We help them recognize the value of their effort, and demonstrate through results that their abilities can improve in direct relation to the work they put in - rather than allowing their test score to define them in a fixed, unchangeable way.

3. Remember that every student is unique

One reason standardized testing can be stressful is that it throws everyone into the same basket, ignoring (but in practice amplifying) differences in schooling, family background, learning style, etc. Although the test is the same for everyone, though, we must remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to test prep. The value of tutoring is that it can - and should - be individualized to match the specific needs of each child, both in terms of learning style, and in terms of content. It’s also vitally important that the goals and expectations set for students by parents and tutors be appropriate, and based as much as possible in the mastery of skills and strategies that will be useful beyond the context of the test as well.

Chasing Your Curiosity Outside the Classroom

With the increasing demands of high school academics, it can sometimes feel difficult to find time for extracurriculars — but the danger of feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork is all the more reason to carve out a balanced schedule that includes time for development outside of the academic sphere. Of course you have continued license as a high school student to explore new interests, but by now you have hopefully also found an area or two in which you know you can thrive, whether playing a sport, learning an instrument or art form, or advocating in support of a particular cause. Pursuing these extracurricular interests with sincerity is more than just a signal to colleges that you are a well-rounded, passionate individual; it is the time-tested formula for becoming one. 

The first step toward extracurricular development is setting ambitious but appropriate goals for yourself. In your first year at a new school, seek out older students whose example you can follow. Next cast your net more widely — look online for students who have excelled at something that interests you, and absorb what you find about the steps they took to get where you want to go. You will find students your age who are conducting independent research projects to compete in national contests, forming their own bands, making short films, volunteering with the elderly—almost anything you can imagine. You can even research the biographies of established professionals you admire to give yourself something to aim towards; let yourself be inspired!

Next, take the initiative to start down the path you find most compelling. Does your school already have a jazz band you can audition for, or a speech and debate team? If not, consider starting one yourself, gathering a group of like-minded peers to form a community that might well become an important part of your high school experience. You can also look outside of your high school for opportunities. If you’re living in New York City, the possibilities are endless — aspiring veterinarians can nurse wounded birds back to health at the Wild Bird Fund, and budding journalists can apply to the New York Times’ Summer Academy. Often the hardest part is getting started, so avoid procrastination by setting a clear timeline for applications and find a friend who can help you stay on track. 

Finally, remember that the more sincerely you can pursue the thing that interests you—rather than the one you believe will look best on a resume—the better you will do. It’s not a bad thing to consider how your skills and experiences will be perceived by colleges, and to work strategically to present yourself in the best light. However, it is also important to trust your instincts, and go after the goals that excite you. The authenticity that this kind of activity will show to colleges is not something that can be easily replicated, and so long as you chase your own particular passion with a dedicated effort, your work will pay off in one way or another. 

The Joys of Creative Writing

A central part of the human experience is finding effective ways to express ourselves and be understood by others. As children we can work through complex feelings, emotions, and ideas, with our parents, teachers, or a trusted caregiver. As adults we have partners, siblings, and life long friends to hash out our thoughts with. Unfortunately, though, it’s during the tumultuous teenage years when it is often feels most difficult to find a good listener. For many students, creative writing can be a great outlet that leads not only to emotional catharsis, but also to improved writing skills!

Whether writing poems, stories, plays or lyrics, the process of putting thoughts down on paper is a great way to reflect and process without fear of judgement. Troubling thoughts that might otherwise fester and breed negativity, anger, and self-consciousness can be exorcised from the brain as teens acknowledge them and attempt to move on. There is no fear of confrontation and no need to be on the defensive or offensive; instead, creative writing offers students the opportunity to reflect and hopefully learn from experience.

Apart from being a therapeutic form of self-expression, creative writing is also good for communication and problem-solving. A writer must describe an experience or scenario in a way that will make the reader fully believe and even feel the things the writer is feeling. This requires an amazing vocabulary, heightened awareness, and empathy. When students translate abstract observations and feelings into well-formed sentences and paragraphs, they are engaging in the human experience: learning, listening, and decoding. After all, storytelling is the oldest form of human communication and exists in every culture and society; when a student is able to engage another person in their story, not only does it feel good, that child is also learning how to create a meaningful social bond.

Creative writing is beneficial to students on so many levels. It encourages emotional development and self-confidence, and improves teenagers’ ability to empathize and connect with others. At the same time, creative writing also leads to academic gains as students learn how to analyze the world around them and communicate their ideas about it with more clarity and sensitivity. We are all driven to reflect on and understand our environment, and to try and make things better both for ourselves and those around us. By encouraging independence, empathy, catharsis and expression, creative writing is one of the best ways to ensure a child becomes a conscientious and well-rounded adult!

Computer Literacy in the Digital Age

In a world of supposed ‘digital natives,’ we’ve forgotten that certain computer literacy skills still need to be taught. Although it’s true that kids growing up in a world of omnipresent gadgetry have a natural ease with certain aspects of the digital world that might escape their parents, this does not translate into automatic mastery of the essentials, such as organizing materials, evaluating the reliability of sources, safeguarding privacy, and even typing. Guiding students toward best practices in these areas is a vital part of teaching them to succeed both in and out of the classroom.

For a certain generation of students--those raised on instant messaging in a world of desktop computers--typing practice was a natural part of growing up, and a bit of guidance toward proper technique made all the difference. Nowadays, since most students learn to type in their free time on phones and iPads, touch-typing on a more traditional keyboard is a much neglected skill. As students enter middle and high school, a growing proportion of their work is typed, rather than handwritten -- but for many, this is a laborious process, one that hampers the transmission of thought from mind to page. A few daily minutes of practice with free online resources, including the appropriately named www.typing.com, can quickly improve a student’s approach, saving hours of time in the long run.

Anyone who uses a computer regularly -- which is to say, nearly everyone -- knows the importance of keeping an organized desktop, file system, and inbox. Computers serve as a portal to increasingly vast realms of information, and an important repository for personal data. Without some level of structure, this mix can quickly become chaotic. Parents and teachers can help by explicitly guiding students through the process of building nested folders by school year and subject, on the desktop and in cloud-based systems such as Google Drive. A long term research project might deserve a folder of its own, where source material, drafts, and notes can be stored together. 

Digital time management tools can also be of help to many students; iCal and Google Keep provide electronic alternatives to supplement traditional paper planners and to-do lists, with programmable reminders, color-coding, and the ability to share appointments and tasks. Many schools now have their own version of an online portal for students and parents, where teachers post assignments, grades, and course materials. This should be a resource for students that is checked daily and then processed and recorded in their own planners. 

In addition, students benefit from a clear explanation of the guidelines for evaluating the reliability of different sources online, and for keeping their own information safe from potential hackers or other unwanted eyes. In an online world without clear editorial standards, students need to understand how biases function and be guided toward reputable sources, learning to be wary of taking what they read at face value. Parents should also have a plan for discussing how to choose and manage passwords around the internet, what information to share and what to keep private, and how to deal with the dangers of operating in the public forum of the internet, while feeling like you’re in private. 

This is even more important given the emergence of tools like ChatGPT (which, incredibly, wrote a first draft of the paragraph you are about to read). As artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives, it's important for students to have a basic understanding of what AI is and how it works. Students should know that AI is a field of computer science that aims to create intelligent machines that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and natural language processing. Additionally, students should be aware of the implications and ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI, including issues related to bias, privacy, and job displacement. Ultimately, having a foundational understanding of AI can better equip students to navigate a world increasingly shaped by these technologies.

Understanding Executive Functioning and ADHD

Challenges with executive function skills go hand-in-hand with ADHD. These difficulties can impact a chid’s ability to organize resources and information, manage time and tasks, and maintain focus and attention. As a result, many kids with these issues are labeled as “lazy,” “scattered,” or a “space cadet,” when in fact they are doing the best they can but simply need more support.

Given that nearly 10% of kids have ADHD, these challenges impact 1-in-10 kids and families. That’s why Smarten Up and Braintrust CEO and Co-Founder, Mara Koffmann, was so excited to speak with psychologist, Dr. Ami Norris-Brilliant, about ADHD and executive function skills. Dr. Norris-Brilliant, the Clinical Director at the Center for ADHD, LD, and Related Disorders at Mount Sinai Medical Center, discussed the connection between ADHD and executive function skills, the cause of these challenges, and strategies for supporting children who struggle with these skills.

Key Takeaways:

• Approximately 9.4% of children in the United States have ADHD. Boys are far more likely to be diagnosed than girls. That is because ADHD presents differently in these two populations.

  • Boys with ADHD are more likely to be hyperactive and struggle with self-control. This causes them to act in school and at home in ways that are more disruptive.

  • Girls with ADHD are less likely to be disruptive and hyperactive. Instead, they tend to be described as “dreamers” or “absent-minded.” Because they don’t have any problematic behaviors, girls with ADHD tend to be overlooked more often.

• Difficulty with executive function skills is a part of the ADHD profile, but these struggles also impact kids who do not have a disability. Some common signs with this area of learning include distractibility, careless errors, and forgetfulness.

• The frontal lobe controls executive function skills, and this area of the brain doesn’t fully begin to develop until age 8. It then continues to develop well into early adulthood. Accordingly, parents often begin to see signs of ADHD and challenges with executive function skills at specific developmental junctures. It is recommended to seek the support of a specialist when these difficulties interfere with a child’s safety, confidence, or academic success.

  • In early childhood, children with ADHD can make decisions that create cause for concern around safety. They act impulsively and have difficulty following directions on a regular basis.

  • Around 3rd grade, when kids are 8-9 years old, they are expected to complete more complex tasks with greater independence. Kids with executive function challenges and/or ADHD often begin to struggle to make this transition in school.

  • In 5th or 6th grade students transition to middle school where they have to keep track of more complex schedules, materials, and classroom expectations. This juncture is often a challenging one for students who struggle with ADHD and executive function skills.

  • With the transition to high school, students once again have to learn to manage an even more complicated collection of materials, information, expectations, and responsibilities. This is also a point in time when many kids need a new level of support in order to be successful.

• Recommendations for learning:

  • Create a visual schedule to support younger students with expectations for what to expect each school day.

  • Schedule breaks for your child during the day that create opportunities for movement and activity away from the screen. The possibilities are endless, but some ideas to explore include building with Legos or Magna-Tiles, movement games like Simon Says or a scavenger hunt, any sort or arts and crafts activity, a dance break or yoga session, or even a movement game.

  • Schedule time to complete work. Many kids need support and direction when it comes to understanding when to complete work and what needs to be done. Parents can help by printing out assignments and creating set times for completing independent work.

  • Use rewards charts! Set experiential rewards that are motivating to your child and directly linked to behavioral expectations.

Teaching Students to Self-Monitor

Self-monitoring refers to our ability to track what we are doing and how or why we are doing it. We self-monitor (or at least we should) in every setting and activity. From how we read and write, to how we engage with friends and family, self-monitoring greatly improves our academic performance, social interactions, and daily life. The more aware we are of what we are doing and why we are doing it, the better we are able to perform any given task. And while self-monitoring is important for all of us, it is especially essential for students. The earlier they can learn to self-monitor, the better.

Strategies for Teaching Students How to Self-Monitor

BUILD METACOGNITION.

The first step in improving a student’s self-monitoring skills is to improve their awareness of their own strengths and challenges, which is to say their metacognition. Otherwise, kids won't be able to plan for challenges, identify successes, and learn from mistakes. One way to help students get to know themselves is by giving them a metacognitive survey. Surveys like this one can help them become aware of their strengths, values, learning styles, and study habits. As a result, they'll be able to self-evaluate more effectively.

CREATE CHECKLISTS.

A simple but impactful strategy to help students learn to self-monitor is to create checklists with their most common mistakes. This will not only help students learn to identify the errors they make most frequently, it will also help them actively check their work to avoid those same mistakes. This strategy can be applied to a series of math problems, a piece of writing, a recording of them reading a text – you name it! The key is to reinforce that mistakes are just information for learning, but students must learn from them so they don't make the same ones again.

QUESTION OFTEN.

As students are working, they should periodically stop and ask themselves what they are doing and how or why they are doing it. Questions like “does that sentence look right?” or “did I show my work in a way that makes sense?” can help students self-evaluate and learn from experience. The best way to get students comfortable with asking themselves these questions is for them to see it modeled often and in different contexts.

IDENTIFY THEIR PURPOSE.

As students are going through their day, they should stop and reflect on their purpose. Why am I reading this book? What is this emotional reaction helping me accomplish? Am I communicating what I want to get across in this paragraph? Once they have identified their purpose in any given task, they can evaluate whether they are on the right course.

STOP, REVIEW, REFLECT.

A big part of self-monitoring is self-evaluation. As important as it is, many students are resistant to checking their work. But self-evaluation is about much more than double-checking answers. It’s about reflecting on not just the end-result, but the process, and how the student felt in that process. It’s about identifying gaps in skills, strategies, or knowledge that may have caused any errors or frustrations, and coming up with a plan for how to do better next time. Once again, there is nothing wrong with making mistakes; they are a part of the learning process. Identifying those mistakes through self-monitoring and learning from those experiences is the key to growth and improvement!

How to Address Writer's Block

It can be hard to know how to help students who feel “stuck” in their writing. As students progress through the grades, writing demands grow more and more challenging. Many students are able to keep up, whether with or without extra supports, like sentence starters. But sometimes students who have been doing just fine so far suddenly find themselves struggling with writing. So how can we tell if a student is experiencing writer's block or something more concerning? 

Writer’s block can look very different from one student to the next. It can last varying amounts of time, from a few minutes to several weeks. Therefore, it can be difficult to identify the root cause. Plus, writer’s block can sometimes resemble a writing disability in that they both result in the student feeling stuck. And while students with disabilities can be more susceptible to getting writer’s block, the two things have nothing to do with each other. 

WHAT TO WRITE VS. HOW TO WRITE

When a student suffers from writer’s block, they are unable to decide what to write. Sometimes they are unable to come up with any ideas at all, and sometimes they just can't choose one. While this can be a very frustrating experience for any author, especially for an amateur writer, there are ways to tell when this type of roadblock is due to a lack of creativity or a lack of understanding.

While true writer’s block comes from being stuck on what to write, difficulty that stems from a writing disability exists because the student may not know how to write what they are supposed to be writing. Sometimes a student is stuck in their writing because something about the task or writing purpose feels too challenging. This is when a teacher will need to intervene with some explicit teaching in whatever it is the student is struggling with.

SIGNS OF A WRITING DISABILITY

When a child experiences writer’s block for one day, then it will be clear very soon that that’s all it was. But if the student is dealing with a long-term struggle, the best way to determine whether it’s just writer’s block or a writing disability is to carefully observe the student’s habits in other areas of writing. How does he perform when writing for other academic purposes? Is his writing more proficient or does he experience more or less the same struggles? How does he appear to feel about writing for other purposes? If he is motivated and confident in other areas but struggles when it comes to informational writing, then it’s probably writer’s block. But if you notice the same struggles across classes or subject areas, and/or the student’s feelings about writing have gotten more negative and stay that way, it might be worth a preliminary evaluation.