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.

Factory Education?

by Amanda Vogel

As Ken Robinson implores in his talk Changing Education Paradgims, “If you are interested in the model of education, you don’t start from a production line mentality.” His talk elicits powerful images of children sorted in batches, moving down an assembly line. He brings up some tough questions we need to ask as parents and educators:

• Are our schools focused on “conformity” and “standardization?”
• Do our schools treat children like items being produced in a factory?

Unfortunately, the answers to these questions may be yes.

An article in the July issue of Wired,“How Khan Academy is Changing the Rules of Education” outlines how students can learn math for free at their own pace through the website Khan Academy. A motivated student can do some pretty amazing things on this site. The article tells stories of 5th graders independently learning advanced high school trigonometry!

But some teachers don't like the idea of students making this much progress: “Khan’s programmer, Ben Kamens, has heard from teachers who’ve seen Khan Academy presentations and loved the idea, but wondered whether they could modify it 'to stop students from becoming this advanced'.”

It’s hard to react to this statement with anything less than fury. Aren’t teachers supposed to help students reach the fullest potential they possibly can? Shouldn't teachers embrace any means by which they can individualize to students?

We know that students learn at their own pace, and that they have different strengths and interests. It's hard to imagine that, when presented with an option like Khan, some teachers are pushing against it. The last thing we want is to teach students to reach for mediocrity, or to sentence them to boredom day after day in the classroom.

As an educator, the idea of my students advancing quickly and going beyond what they or others ever thought was possible is exhilarating! In fact, the concept of individualization is the foundation of the Nurturing Wisdom Academy. Classes like math, reading, and writing will be self-paced and taught in very small groups. Students will also have independent time each day to pursue their goals and passions. Above all, our goal is not to keep every student on the same page. We don't want to treat them like cogs along an assembly line. We want to encourage them to continually grow. We believe that there are no limits to what students can achieve!

Visit us online:

academy.nurturingwisdom.com

Why I Love Mistakes

Have you ever dropped food on your clothes while eating in public? What's the first thing you did? If you're anything like me, you looked around and hoped no one saw you....even before you cleaned it up. After all, if no one saw it, you can act like it didn't even happen.

All my life, I've been that way with mistakes. Not just the foolish little things like dropping food all over myself (which I do with some regularity), but all kinds of mistakes. If I totally goof something up at work, I'd hope I could fix it before anyone noticed. This is only natural, right?

Even now, when I realize I've made a mistake, I get a knot in my stomach, my skin feels almost prickly, and I start to sweat. Why? I'm still worried about who saw my mistake.

Yet, there's a better goal to strive for. There's a small population of people in our society who don't feel this way every time they make a mistake. They honestly view mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow. They don't focus on the humiliation of the mistake, but rather on all that they can gain from it.

When babies first start walking, they fall over and over again, every hour of the day, without getting discouraged. We watch them and know that with each fall, they're gaining strength and learning a little bit more about balance. Every fall moves them closer to walking with stability and confidence. It's sad, but we un-learn this method of trial-and-error so quickly. I saw this recently happen with my own daughter.

When she was two, she adored puzzles. She would patiently sit and turn the pieces over and over again until her puzzle was done. It gave me so much joy to watch this! Then, abruptly, she stopped doing puzzles. I couldn't figure it out. Suddenly I realized: she had come to fear failure. She didn't want to attempt something she wasn't sure she could finish. We talked about it, and made a new goal....to "try hard things" and to "stretch our brains" each day, regardless of mistakes. A few weeks later, she suddenly started picking up puzzles again, even if they're hard, and she hasn't stopped since.

Now it's my turn. I want to value my mistakes. The lessons we learn from mistakes do not end when we become adults. I want to focus on each one as an opportunity for growth, not as a flaw in my character.

-Amanda Vogel

Amanda Vogel on "Make It Better"!

Our VP Amanda Vogel wrote an article a few months ago, titled "Why is my Intelligent and Hardworking Child Struggling in School?"

Her article caught on like wildfire amongst parents -- they were thrilled to see issues that aren't often discussed being addressed in a clear, understandable way.

MakeItBetter.net, a community website for families on the North Shore, loved her article too - so much, that they posted it to their website. Check it out here. We're very excited for Amanda, and we're so happy that her expertise is getting some recognition!