The Mean Tutor Strategy

The key to overcoming test anxiety is deceptively simple. Rather than discussing anxiety in an abstract way, treat it as a concrete skill.

Students can work on overcoming test anxiety in the same way that they work to improve their math or reading skills. It’s not enough to tell students, "stop thinking negative thoughts." We have to help them practice the thoughts that lead to success. We do this in a variety of ways, from teaching kids to free-write their worries to something we call the “mean tutorstrategy,” which is one of my personal favorites.

In order to implement the mean tutor strategy, we begin by talking to kids about the cognitive triangle. This is the idea that our feelings are affected by thoughts which in turn affect our behaviors. We then generate a list of negative thoughts that get in the way while the student is taking a test, such as:

• “I’m not fast enough.”
• “I’m not good at tests.”
• “I’m stupid.”
• “I stink at math."

Once we have a list of mental messages that pop up while the student is trying to concentrate on a test, we generate a list of replacement messages:

• “One foot in front of the other.”
• "I'm going to use my strategies."
• "I'm prepared for this test."
• “I can do this.”

This is just the beginning. To help a student to truly absorb these positive messages, we use the MeanTutor Strategy.

The student is assigned a set of problems to practice. While the student is working, the tutor will say out loud, “you know you’re not good at tests.” The student will then reply with one of their new positive statements: "I'm prepared for this test." As the student goes back to work, the tutor will continue: "You're not fast enough." The student will then reply, "One foot in front of the other. I can do this." The two of them will continue this dialogue until the student has finished their set of practice problems.
 

Though we call this the mean tutor strategy, the tutorisn’t actually being mean. He or she is simply reciting the student’s thoughts aloud, giving the student the opportunity to practice responding. The student counters each negative statement with a new positive statement. In this way, the student is practicing overcoming anxiety the way he or she would practice any other skill, rather than accepting their negative thoughts as the truth. With enough practice, the negative thoughts that create test anxiety can be replaced by positive and productive thoughts.

March Proctored Tests!

Join us for our next proctored test event! These tests are a fantastic opportunity for students to take a practice test in a real test environment. New students can take a diagnostic pre-test, and students currently working on a test prep program with us can take their mid- or post-teset.

Register Online Now!

pre-registration is required.

Hinsdale

Sat. March 24^th

Winnetka

Sat. March 31st

All the tests that we tutor  are available. It's an especially good time of year for:

* ACT

* SAT

* SAT Subject Tests

Contact Lauren at 312-260-7945 ex. 112 with any questions.

Why do we practice?

We encourage our tutors to be broken records with their students, especially when it comes to attitudes about homework. We want tutors to help their students define the right attitude and create a mantra to help their students believe in its purpose and significance. An effective homework mantra and resulting attitude adjustment can have real long-term benefits when it comes to homework completion.

While students are told that homework matters, they tend not to believe it. I’m sure you’ve heard about teachers who quickly check homework just to see that it’s done – the “effort” grade. So students rush through the assignment to have something to show, but they’re not really using homework as an opportunity to practice and master skills. Their attitude is that homework doesn’t really matter. We want their attitude to be that doing homework thoroughly will help them truly understand concepts and processes, that it will help them do well on the test, and that it will help them down the road when they use that foundation to learn a new skill. So a mantra to reinforce this attitude might be “Trying really matters.” Homework is a great place to learn from mistakes, so another mantra may be “Mistakes are good.”

When I meet with students who are ready to start ACT prep, I talk with them about the importance of homework. I tell them that in the beginning homework is important so they can practice using new skills and strategies independently. Once they get the hang of it, they must continue to do the homework so the processes become automatic and they can open up space in their brains for doing the trickier work. With some students, I make a sports analogy: Tom Brady doesn’t quit going to practice because he’s a really good quarterback; he’s a really good quarterback because he keeps going to practice. Think about what analogies you may use with your students or children to help them understand that effort and practice will lead to improved performance. And then remind them of that analogy often!

-Erin Doyle

Changes to the 2012 Prairie State ACT

Every April, students in Illinois public schools take the Prairie State ACT and submit the scores to their colleges of choice.  We at Nurturing Wisdom love the Prairie State ACT – since students take it at school during the day, they traditionally do very well! However, due to recent changes, submitting these scores to colleges just became a lot harder. How will this affect your child?

What is the Prairie State ACT?

The Prairie State ACT is a real ACT taken by all Illinois public school students in late April. It is funded by the state of Illinois and taken as part of the state’s achievement testing. Students at private schools do not take this ACT.

How is it changing?

Due to funding cuts, the state of Illinois has eliminated the writing portion of the Prairie State ACT.

Why does this matter? Isn’t the writing section of the ACT optional?

Although the writing portion of the test is considered optional by the ACT, many colleges require this section for admissions. These colleges will not accept a student’s ACT scores unless the student took that particular ACT with the writing portion.

Other colleges don’t require the writing portion, but will accept it in lieu of SAT subject tests.

So does this mean my child can’t use their Prairie State ACT scores for university admissions?

Possibly. Check with the individual colleges your child is applying to, to see if they will accept the ACT without writing.

Can I opt to pay for the writing portion of the Prairie State ACT myself?

No, currently individual students and schools are not allowed to pay for the writing portion on their own. This means that no high school in Illinois will be offering the writing portion of the Prairie State ACT.

This is frustrating! What can I do?

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do to change the state’s decision. However, we’d recommend that you register your son or daughter for the national ACT test date on April 14^th, which is taken a few weeks before the Prairie State ACT.

That sounds like a lot of testing. Isn’t that overwhelming for students?

It can be, but many of our students have found the repetition of taking two tests so close together to be helpful. Also, keep in mind that the Prairie State ACT is taken during the school day, and doesn’t require any additional time commitment.

Is there any possibility that the state will reinstate funding for the writing portion?

There is a remote possibility that the state will decide to reinstate funding, but given the state’s financial situation, it is unlikely. We recommend that parents assume that the writing section will not be included on the test unless you hear otherwise.

Do you have any additional questions?

Feel free to contact us at 312.260.7945. We’d be happy to help!

-Alyssa DeCesari

Achieving the Impossible!

Walking in to your first tutoring session, you have so much emotion running through you: nerves, excitement, curiosity, anticipation. You are so excited to meet your new student and you can’t wait to see what the future holds! Walking out of the first session, you know that you can help this student achieve their goals. Not once do you think about how this student is going to affect your life and change you. Well, here’s the truth that I’ve learned: every student will change your life and make you a better person.

Enter Ben. Ben was a junior who needed tutoring for the ACT. Ben was one of my first students and after hearing all about him, I was so excited to work with him! Ben’s mom, however, was a little skeptical. She knew how new I was, and she also knew that Ben needed to do really well on his ACT to get into his top choice schools. My emotions went from excited to extremely nervous. (I mean, no pressure or anything to make sure Ben does really well on his ACT.) Ben and I started working together and it was a perfect match! We worked really well together; he responded well to my teaching techniques and feedback and always did EVERYTHING I asked of him without one ounce of complaining! I was always so excited for Sunday tutoring because I got to work with Ben! To make a long story short: Ben went up 6 points on his first real test, but then went down on his second.

After his second test, Ben, his parents, and I all sat down and had an amazing talk. We knew Ben was capable of surpassing his highest score, and he really needed to get one point higher to be a “shoo-in” to his top choice school. Ben was on board! He said he would do whatever it took to get that extra point. And if he didn’t get it in June, he would try again in September. Ben worked his tail off prepping for the June test, even with the load of finals weighing on him. But again, not one complaint came out of his mouth. A few weeks ago I got a phone call from Ben’s mom. I had been having dreams about Ben’s ACT scores - clearly I couldn’t wait to hear what she said. She told me that Ben had gone up two additional points from his first real test, raising his total score increase to 8 points - above and beyond what he needed to get into his top choice school. Then she started talking about how I have changed Ben’s life. She said that a year ago, she never thought that any of this was possible for Ben, but that we proved her wrong! Hearing her say all these wonderful things brought tears to my eyes. It was nice to hear how I had affected Ben’s life, but what about how he changed mine?

Ben made me realize why I love my job so much! He made me realize that life is all about the hard work you put into it. There’s no such thing as an easy path, and if there were, I wouldn’t want to take it. Ben and I worked so hard to achieve the impossible. The road was tough at times, but man does it feel good to look back and say, “We did that!”

Lauren Feldmann, Staff Development Assistant