Follow the web link below to hear and see a truly wonderful spontaneous event involving Virginia State’s choir you wont’t soon forget:
http://www.nbc12.com/story/30869185/virginia-state-university-gospel-chorale-serenades-passengers-on-plane
Tag Archives: education
The True Source of Fear and Hatred
In today’s Washington Post, Fareed Zakariah does an excellent job of pin pointing the true source of fear and hatred that Donald Trump has tapped into for his political success. It’s very insightful. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Achievement Gap Economics
A recent article in the New York Times focused on achievement gaps caused by socio economic differences instead of racial differences between students in America. These achievement gaps begin to show up early – cognitive differences start to appear in children from the top and bottom socio economic sectors in America before kindergarten and only increase as they progress through school. Furthermore, the achievement gap between high and low income students has increased. Since 1970, the achievement gap on standardized test of reading has increased by almost 40% between the 10th and 90th percentile household income .
What this means is that there is limited upward mobility in America – more limited than in most first world countries. A child born to parents with income in the lowest bracket is ten times more likely to end up in that same lower bracket than they are to rise to the highest bracket as an adult (43 percent versus 4 percent). And, a child born to parents in the highest income bracket is five times more likely to stay there than end up there than the lowest (40 percent versus 8 percent). These results run counter to the historic vision of the United States as a land of equal opportunity.
The good news is that a college degree can make a big difference. Without a college degree a child born into a family in the lowest income bracket has a 45 percent chance of staying there forever and only a 5 percent chance of moving up into the top bracket. Children born into the lowest income bracket who do earn a college degree have only a 16 percent chance of staying there and a 19 percent chance of moving up into the top bracket.
Upward mobility means more than just money. Parents in higher socioeconomic brackets invest not only more money in their children, but more time as well. On average, mothers with a college degree spend 4.5 more hours each week engaging with their children than mothers with only a high school diploma or less. This means that, among other things, by age three, children of parents who are professionals have vocabularies that are 50 percent larger than those of children from working-class families, and 100 percent larger than those of children whose families receive welfare, disparities that some researchers ascribe to differences in how much parents engage and speak with their children. By the time they are three, children born to parents who are professionals have heard about 30 million more words than children born to parents who receive welfare. Additional language skills put child at a distinct advantage when they start school and will probably follow them throughout their educational career.
All of this information makes getting a college degree even more important for all students – especially disadvantaged students. It’s the best investment they can make with a higher return than any other way to invest the cost of a college education. It doesn’t just mean more money, it can mean changing the path taken in life. If you’re in high school now, do the best you can and do everything you can to get a college degree. If you are in college, stay there until you’re finished. Getting that degree can be a life changing experience for you and for all the stakeholders in your life.
Grade UP! Challenge #7: To Be Good With Numbers, You’ve Got to Get to Know Them First
In GradeUP Challenge #6, I showed you how to create your own outlines to help you learn in a way that best suits you. Another reason to create personalized outlines is so that you read about and understand the underlying concepts before trying to use them to answer questions and solve problems. This applies to all classes and all levels of study.
A student I’m advising came to my office thoroughly frustrated because she was failing economics for the third time. She said she was able to answer questions on tests but couldn’t do the problems – even after doing the homework assignments. I asked her how she did the problems assigned. Here is her process:
- Look over her class notes for understanding;
- Try to do the homework problems;
- If she couldn’t, she’d go to the part of the textbook that seemed relevant and read that for the first time;
- Try the problem again;
- Keep doing this until she got the problem right or gave up on it and asked the teacher to show her how to solve the problem.
After all this effort, she couldn’t even figure out how to get started with problems on tests. I told her she needed to use the outlining techniques that I shared with you in Challenge #6 to understand the concepts that the problems are based on before trying to solve them. Here’s a the process:
- Create your own outline;
- Study sample problems in the chapter to understand how the concepts were used to identify and solve the problems before trying your homework;
- Use this information to know what kind of problems you have and what you need to do to solve them before you start working on them – in other words, have a strategy for solving the problem before trying to solve it;
- Use your strategy to solve the problem.
There is more in-depth information on creating your problem solving strategies in Chapter 19 of College In Four Years.
GradeUP! Challenge #6: You Can’t Study Your Textbook!
In the last post, I talked about how to use your textbook to prepare for and get the most out of your classes. You’re a few weeks into the semester so you’re probably preparing for a test on the material you’ve covered so far – let’s talk about how you prep for that.
First, don’t use your textbook to study for your test – it was never meant for that. The textbook is a reference source of all information about certain topics and concepts – you can’t remember all of what is in there. That’s why there are study guides that go with textbooks. However, you need to create your own custom study guide, one that works for you, not a generic one written by someone else. The best way to fully grasp the information that you’ll need to retain for an exam and use as a foundation for more learning is to process what’s in the text – not memorize the text. Here’s how you do that:
- Get organized. Gather together everything you need to know and understand for the test – text, notes, handouts, your syllabus;
- Using the textbook do the following;
- Read a portion of the material you are responsible for on the test;
- Close your book and summarize what you read in your own words – don’t look back at the book and don’t use or copy what the author wrote;
- Read the section in the book again to see if your summary includes all of the important points;
- If you missed some of the material, it means either you didn’t remember or you didn’t understand so go over that material again, summarize it;
- Repeat the process for the next section of the text and repeat until you have created your own outline for all the material you are responsible for knowing for the exam;
- Use this same technique for any additional resource material you need to know for the exam. Use the syllabus to make sure you’ve covered all the material you’re responsible for;
- Don’t use anyone else’s study guide – you must do your own. This process creates a study guide specifically tailored to the way you process and learn material;
- Now, use your study guide to prepare for the test. Don’t study the book or that stack of class notes – you’ve covered that in creating your guide so everything you need to know is in it.
Yes, this will take time – a lot longer than just reading the material but it is the best way to actually understand and be able to use what you learned when test time comes because doing your study guide well requires that you understand everything you outlined. You can’t finesse this – you’ve either got it or you need to go back to your resources and get it. Getting that understanding and creating your study guide is when learning takes place. When you’re finished, you will know and understand everything in it because that is the only way you could have done the guide well. A bonus, you’ve already started your comprehensive study guide for finals!
In Chapter 11 of College In Four Years, “How to Use Your Textbook the Right Way,” you’ll find more information on how to outline different types of study material to maximize understanding and ensure it works well for you.
Next GradeUp! Challenge, Tuesday, February 24.
GradeUP! Challenge #4: Go To The Source – See The Decision Maker
You are going to need help to complete college successfully. Everyone does. If you’re in college to earn a degree and graduate with great job prospects, you’ll need some help along the way. Be it academic, career planning, social or emotional issues – stuff comes up during the semester and there are resources on campus to get you the help you need. To access the right advice at the right time the following rules always apply:
Never hesitate to ask for assistance. If you think you need help, ask. If you think you’ve got this, ask anyway. In college you are surrounded by a wealth of information; access as much of it as you can, whenever you can. At no other time in life will you be in a place where the primary goal and objective of everyone there is to help you succeed.
Go to the source. When you need information that’s important to your success always go to the source of that information and, when you can, go to more than one source to verify what you have been told. Don’t go the source that is convenient or that will give you the information you want to hear – like your roommate, Facebook, the Internet or people who can only tell you what they’ve “heard.” Remember, an opinion spoken and repeated twice becomes fact. The first time it’s “I think” the second time it’s “I heard” and the third time it’s a fact! Don’t be misled this way. Go to the person who is responsible for creating and disseminating the information you need. You’ve been to see your advisor – (Challenge #1) and you should have talked to your professors (Challenge #3). Visit the registrar to confirm you’re on track to graduate on time. Register with the career office to get information on the job market. If you didn’t get the information you seek directly from the source – it’s all just hearsay.
Go to the decision maker. Make sure you are always dealing with the decision maker and that they are empowered with the authority to make a decision and stand by it. No one else can give you the definitive answers you need. Others can tell you about decisions that have been made in the past or what they think about the decision; but if they are not the decision maker, they can’t ensure your outcome and the only one with something at risk is you. Don’t take chances with your college success. Always go to the person with the authority to make a decision you can count on – preferably in writing.
Knowing when, where and who to ask for advice is key to success in college and in life.
Next GradeUP! Challenge post on Tuesday, February 17.
GradeUP! Challenge #3: Go See Your Professors
If you haven’t yet visited the professors for the classes you’re taking this semester, Go Now! Make sure your teachers know you and understand that you’re serious about doing well in their classes. If they know you as more than just a name— you give your professors the opportunity to respond to you as a person, not just a name or number on the class roll.
See every teacher from every course, outside of the class time, at least once during the semester. The biggest chunk of the money you spend on college pays for your professors, so go see them, make them know you, let them help you and get your money’s worth!
When you go to see your professor, you’re not just going to introduce yourself – try to accomplish the following:
- Be prepared! Show your instructor that you have read and thought about the material you’re covering in class. If you don’t understand something, formulate reasonable questions beforehand so the meeting will be beneficial for you and your instructor will gain more appreciation for you as a scholar.
- Ask open-ended questions about the class. For example, “What can I do, other than the assignments, to improve my performance in class?” or “ Are there things you can tell me that I should avoid doing in this class to improve my performance?”
- Ask your instructor how he/she thinks you are doing in class and whether he/she can project a grade for you based on your performance so far. This is the assessment that counts. Find out how it is being made and the best ways to monitor/influence your performance in a positive way.
- Act on the advice you are given. If your instructor suggests that you do something to improve your performance in class, do it and make sure he/she knows you did it.
- Be grateful. Make sure your professor knows you appreciate the help and advice you are given. Saying thank you, and meaning it, is important.
Get more information and advice on the benefits of talking to your professors and, read about the time a visit to a professor saved my grade in Good Players Talk to the Coach, Chapter 15 of College in Four Years. If you don’t yet have College in Four Years, during the GradeUP! Challenge you can purchase the book for $14.99 (normally $19.99), a special 25% discount. I’ve set up a special College in Four Years storefront that will only be open during the Challenge and it is the only place you can buy the book for $14.99.
To get the discount enter the code BBQ86MXV at checkout from the special College in Four Years GradeUP! Challenge storefront. Use this direct link to the storefront.
If you prefer an eBook, you can purchase it for $9.99 on Amazon.com.
Next GradeUP! Challenge,Thursday, 2/12: Why your professor isn’t the only person you need to see.
GradeUP! Challenge #2: Make Your Syllabus Your Action Plan
Read the syllabus for each class you’re taking. Really read them – all of them. Find out what is expected of you and when, then use a planner – paper, electronic, virtual – and plan out what you need to do and when you plan to do it so you stay current in all your classes. If you don’t have a system for scheduling your time – get one NOW! Don’t get behind because trying to catch up and keep up at the same time is a losing proposition.
From the syllabus in every class you should:
- Confirm the location and time for class – be there on time from the first day forward.
- Learn the instructor’s name, office location, contact information and office hours so you’ll know who to contact and how to contact them when you have questions about class;
- Find out what you need for class – the textbook (if it’s required) and any other material or equipment, (calculator, software package, etc.) you’ll need to be successful. Get everything now, not having the materials is not an excuse for not doing your work;
- Understand the assignments for each class including reading, homework, projects, reports – know when each is due then schedule when you plan to tackle that assignment so you can turn it in on time;
- Know when exams are scheduled and what they will cover so you can plan when and how to prepare for them;
- Find out how you’re going to be graded in class so you’ll know how you’re doing at any time during the semester (more about this in a subsequent post;
- Note any other information about how the class is going to be run and what is expected of you; and
- Find out anything that you think you need to know to get the most out of each class, now is the time to ask for it.
The next Challenge posts on Tuesday, 2/10/15. Learn more about the GradeUP! Challenge here.
To let me know what you think about this post and the GradeUP! Challenge, please leave a comment below.
GradeUP Challenge #1: Talk To Your Advisor
One of your most valuable and probably most under-utilized resources is your academic advisor. They do more than sign your advisement form. Your adviser actually has the best view of your academic future – no crystal ball needed. With access to your academic past (what courses you’ve already taken), present (what courses you’re taking now) and future (what you’ll need to graduate) and the experience they’ve gained from successfully shepherding other students through the college experience – they have some valuable skills.
Meet with your advisor as early in the semester as possible – before the drop/add date in case you need to make changes to your schedule. When you see your advisor do the following:
- Talk to them about your performance last semester. Discuss why you got the grades you did and how to keep doing what you did right or how to fix what didn’t work. They actually have the answers to these questions.
- Ask them to review with you what your curriculum is going forward and what if any changes you need to make or accommodate.
- Look at your present course load – are they aware of any particular challenges? Should you arrange or rearrange what you’re taking this semester?
- Talk to your advisor about scheduling classes so you’re not trying to take a spring course in the fall or a fall course in the spring.
- Talk to you advisor about when you should take your courses to ensure you meet all the prerequisites when you want to take a course that requires them.
Get more information and advice on working with your advisor in Chapter 9 of College In Four Years.
Let me know what you think about this post and the Challenge. Please leave a comment below.
The next Challenge posts on Thursday, 2/5/15. Learn more about the GradeUP! Challenge here.
Study Together, Fail Alone: The Fallacy of Study Groups
Contrary to popular belief, the value of a study group is not to share notes and study together – it is to test your knowledge of material you acquire for yourself. The best way to actually learn and assimilate information is to study alone – by taking your own notes in class, in discussions with your professors or reading assigned material. It is a fallacy to believe that you can use someone else’s notes and knowledge to assimilate knowledge for yourself. Information you seek to acquire from actions taken by others – is proprietary; you can’t buy it, borrow it or steal it, here’s why:
* The person that took those notes learned and assimilated information, then made notes best suited to their learning style, not yours.
* Your learning process did not kick in, no matter how carefully you read their notes. Why? Because you didn’t put in the time on those notes; the person who created them did.
If all you need to do is memorize, then you can probably use someone else’s notes. If you need to understand the material at a deeper level and use it formulate answers to questions and/or solutions to problems, you must do more, you have to know it for yourself.
Let me tell you a story from my book, “College in Four Years,” to illustrate how studying together, might end in your failing alone. Seven students in a class I was teaching formed a study group. They divvied up taking notes and making outlines from class. They met regularly and exchanged notes and problem solutions to study for exams that covered all the material they were responsible for. They all ended up failing my class.
After talking extensively to them as a group, as well as individually, I figured out that they had each mastered about 1/7th of the information in the class – equal to the notes and material that they had been responsible for in the study group. Some students knew more than others but none of them knew much more than they had studied for themselves. If you master just 14% of the class material, there is no legitimate way you’re going to pass.
I explained to them that the value of a study group is to test your understanding of what you already know. Needless to say, the students were skeptical of my theory. So I asked the students to bring me their group notes for the course, with each set identified by the student who made them. I asked the group questions; however, the student who took the related notes could not answer. For the most part, the students did not know or only partially knew answers from notes made by their counterparts. They were surprised.
“We read through every set of notes,” they said, “We were sure we knew the material.”
These students found out the hard way that group knowledge is not the same as individual knowledge. They took a shortcut and relied on the study group to split up the work so each person could do less. A better way would have been the two-step strategy for study groups:
1.Gather and learn information independently by taking your own notes which summarize study material in a meaningful way that you understand and can use.
2.Then, get together and ask one another questions to test everybody’s understanding of the material.
This is how your study group becomes a valuable resource. Your study partners can test your understanding of the material studied much better than you can on your own. The students who do less get less for it – when students do more, they get the most out of it.