_In The News April 2005 Vol. 8-4
President’s Message  There
is no quick trip in education. During the last month I have
received several phone calls from students and in some cases parents
who want a "quick fix" in educating their student. For
what ever reason, their child has fallen behind his or her peer
group. In a desire to "catch up," these students
are looking for ways to get through several years of study in
the
shortest amount of time possible. It is often impossible for us
to tell when a student has taken a "short cut" but we are
not the losers. The student is the one who will suffer in the
long run. Facts, figure, information and knowledge important for
a successful future are compromised. The idea that
learning stops at a
certain time in our life is wrong. Learning is something that
goes on throughout life. Often we squander learning, by wasting
our time on that which may not serve us well for the future. Our
goal at Knowledge HQ is to create an environment where an expanded
understanding of learning is
central to a balanced and productive life.
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The
past month has been another very busy time for
us as we bring Brilliant Learning under our umbrella. The move
provides us the opportunity to increase sales and marketing
efforts. Our work remains simply interesting, fascinating and constantly changing.
I am learning so much every day.....at times my mind is tired, but I want to continue on
because the possibilities are endless. So for me busy is okay....not enough
time in a day or week.....never. The challenge is invigorating and I relish
the busyness. 
of these wonderful Spring
days lift our spirits and puts a "spring" in our step.
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Did
you know that we have been in this business since 1997? It seems
like just yesterday that we started. And, even today people are
saying we are ahea |
d of the curve. So, we thought you might like
to see what we have been during all these years. Take a look at
some of our past newsletters. You will notice how we have grown
and changed over the years. | Page 2 |
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Only you can be yourself. No one else is qualified for the job. |
 Learning
with e-Tutor
e-Tutor was developed to provide students and parents a choice from traditional schooling. It was not developed for fast track learning. Each module in a lesson provides a function which when completed appropriately provides the learner important tools for further learning. e-Tutor lessons are
grouped at Primary (about K-3), Intermediate (about 4-5), There is much reading
and writing in the program and users will have excellent reading and
writing skills if the program is used consistently.
Parents are encouraged to review the completed Activity
and Extended Learning for each lesson.
This is required for those receiving credit or diplomas. These
are included with every lesson. They
are frequently off-line projects and so e-Tutor relies on parents to
review these. Use them for a springboard for discussion. Students are encouraged to keep track of the time they spend learning. They can jot down the time they start to study and the time they finish on a piece of paper or a calendar. Make sure and include time spent in physical development and the arts. Parents will quickly know which areas their children are struggling in and which topics they favor by frequently checking their portfolios. Parents might need to make recommendations to their children about trying new subjects or topics. New lessons are added frequently. Eleven new lessons were added to e-Tutor this month. Join the e-Tutor world of learning today to view the Lesson Library. We want to hear from you. If you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us. We enjoy hearing from parents, students and others. |
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During a recent conversation a
psychologist mentioned, "Raising children is not so difficult if
parents would realize one thing. Children need constant One study of a number of large
corporations revealed the number one reason why pe The Public School Administrator |
Middle/Junior High (about 6-8) and High School.
praise. When the children cut their meat right.....great! Praise
them! When they tie their first shoelace....great! Praise
them! Even if they are just good all day....great! Praise
them! The human psyche seems to feed and thrive on praise and
attention." And people never really grow out of that
constant need for praise and appreciation. 
ople
quit their jobs was because, as they put it, "No one appreciated
what I did. " William James, the best known of America's
psychologists, said that the desire to be appreciated is one of the
deepest drives in human nature. So get in the habit of being
"praise minded." The way people dress, act, do their
jobs and express themselves as personalities can all be
characteristics for some wo
rds
of praise from you. Perhaps your own family and friends would be
a good place to start.| Page 3 |
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The ladder of success doesn't care who climbe it. |
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Although note-taking generally is thought of as a strategy for older students, lower elementary pupils can be introduced to this strategy through simple activities such as the following: Have your child play the
roles of message-taker in a telephone-message activity. Have
someone be a message-receiver role and leave the room. A
message-giver begins by reading the message aloud to the message-taker
at a normal rate of speech. Then the message-taker takes notes
of the pertinent information. Remind the message-taker to keep
the message-re The following will introduce note-taking to intermediate students. Select a short expository
passage and have a family member read the passage while another models
note-taking procedures on a pad of paper. Think aloud to clarify
your purpose for listening to the passage. Then, as the passage
is read, make notes relevant to your purpose for listening. You
might also vocalize why you are noting some points and not noting
others. Use indenting and skipping spaces to indicate the
relationships and subordination of ideas. Next, ask your child
to ta Silver Burdett and Ginn |
Some do's and don'ts that will help you get the most out of the time you are studying, whether completing an e-Tutor assignment, doing homework or going through a lesson. Do
Don't
Knight Ridder/Tribune News |
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Wisdom is oft times nearer when we stoop than when we soar. |
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To cope with the many changes ahead, the successful person will have to exhibit four traits::
Adapted from Success, New York, NY.
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The brain is all about creation,
connection and control. Electrical charges flowing from axons to
dendrites create chemical packages in nerve cells. These
chemical packages are like little buckets of memory juice.
Whenever we want, we can dip into these buckets to access our
memories. Cells in the brain and body are constantly creating
new packages and recreating old packages. Scientific studies affirm what seems to
be common sense: if you are extremely busy, don't get enough
sleep or are nervous or anxious, your power of memory will fade
rapidly. Low self-esteem and poor self-image also Finally, here are a couple of scientific no-brainers:
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Nearly everyone agrees that volunteer work is a nice thing to do for others. But, as more young people are discovering, you benefit yourself as well as others when you donate your time to a worthy cause. Here are several ways volunteer work can help you later, in a paying job or career:
Here are some other ways you can use volunteer work to serve yourself as well as others:
Illinois Association of School Boards
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The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. |
San Francisco Symphony Kids' Site:
Visit this website for a refresher course on The Instruments of the Orchestra and or an introduction to reading music in Meet the Notes. German for Travelers:
Educators will want to zero in on the Learn section. Explanations,
vocabulary lists and exercises are available for those who wish to learn
conversational German. There is even a quiz (in German) on Harry Potter;
look under Exercises with Video. You can find travel information here, Digital History: Digital History includes a U.S. history textbook; over 400 annotated
documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection on deposit at the Pierpont
Morgan Library, supplemented by primary sources on slavery, Mexican American and Native American history, and U.S. political, social, and
legal history; succinct essays on the history of film, ethnicity,
private life, and technology; multimedia exhibitions; and reference
resources that include a searchable database of 1,500 annotated links,
classroom handouts, chronologies, glossaries, an audio archive including
speeches and book talks by historians and a visual archive with hundreds of historical maps and images. The site's Ask the
HyperHistorian feature allows users to pose questions to professional historians. This Web site was designed and developed to support the
teaching of American History in K-12 schools and colleges and is
supported by the Department of History and the College of Education at
the University of Houston. SuperThinkers: SuperThinkers features a set of original interactive mysteries designed
to foster literacy and problem-solving. Created by children's book
From the Knowledge HQ Staff
Copyright © 2005 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com |
ceiver
and the purpose of the message in mind when selecting those facts
worth noting. Once the message-taker has the message, the
message-receiver may return to the room. The message-taker can
refer to the notes as he or she recounts the message. Others who
have observed the activity should determine whether or not the message
has been adequately conveyed. 
ke
notes over the same passage, but with a different purpose for
listening. Ask your child to explain as he or she takes notes
why he or she is noting particular facts and not
others. 
the work is all just a part of the overall grade. If you are
still stuck when you get back to work, call for help. 
a
little treat....like some time on the Xbox.
or
if one assignment takes longer than scheduled. 
heir
brains for tiny improvements to be more "cutting-edge"
than a competitor. To make it all happen the successful
person will have to inspire others to exert themselves to their limits
inhibit
memory. Many drugs can influence the memory process. Drugs
like seratonin, adrenaline, dopamine and the endorphin group (created
by the body itself) enhance memory. Alcohol, marijuana and
nicotine can greatly decrease the ability to remember. Even
prescription drugs to reduce blood pressure, eliminate pain or induce
sleep interfere with the memory process. 
Students
with no employment history gain that all-important "previous
experience." 
important to contribute to society.
Have
A Wonderful Month!