Archive

Posts Tagged ‘books’

Learning Speed Reading

July 6th, 2011

What have you been reading lately? In a gathering, you can tell who the broad-spectrum readers are. Wide readers often think and speak well. They win the admiration, respect, and good opinion of others. After all, reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it one of the most satisfying pleasures of mankind, combining, as it does, mental agility and physical relaxation way above the scale of television.

Reading is primarily a mental activity, as you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of the detective thriller you are reading. You use your mind to imagine the pain that the main characters in the story are experiencing as the plot unfolds; or you contemplate the various arguments and ideas introduced by the author in that self-help book you are studying.

Reading effectively helps you to develop an extensive range of vocabulary by reading different kinds of books. A skillful reader recognizes a wide range of vocabulary. The reader may not understand exactly what every word means, but he/she will have a good idea of what the sentence is trying to say.

The act of reading makes you more aware and more curious about new words. Some readers even like to employ 'the dictionary habit', which means that whenever they find a new word, they attempt to work out what it means from the context. If they cannot do this, they refer to a dictionary.

Similarly, reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing the reader to different subjects. He/she learns to read by reading books of increasing difficulty and variety. Just as in other forms of education, he/she is learning by actually doing and while he/she is reading he/she is automatically learning about the subject matter of the book too - a free by-product!

Reading trains you to have an active and open mind. Merely understanding the writers idea is not enough, you have to make a positive response to what you read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Develop the habit of drawing your own conclusions, the habit of active thinking, of agreeing or disagreeing with the author. Always keep your mind open; understand and weigh the ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of conclusions.

Now let me introduce you to the idea of speed reading. All of the above applies three, four, eight, nine, even ten times over, because speed readers can read that much faster than the average reader! Imagine that ... being able to read, comprehend and remember all those books. You would certainly become well-read in your subject far more quickly than others. Just think how that could help you at work or in school or college ...

Now, let me tell you the four primary rules for better reading and better comprehension:

1) Try to read more and more every month. Remember that practice makes perfect. 2) Learn the habit of reading the main ideas, ie look for the subject and predicate - the principal ideas 3) Learn to read with focus and concentration. Good readers read with understanding. 4) Learn to budget your time. Experiment with your reading time. Try to read faster. Give yourself a time limit for the specific article that you are reading.

Reading is a wonderfully stimulating mental activity. It expands your understanding and capability. You have so much to gain by discovering the joy of reading. So, go on and take down a book right this minute.

Are you interested in speed reading for yourself or a loved one? If so, please pop along to our website focusing on Speed Reading.

When Fear Is A Part Of Life At School

April 30th, 2011

Do you have happy memories of your school years? Do you have happy memories of teachers and school friends? If you do then you were lucky, because some kids hate every minute of being in school and not because they are no good at it either. Often it is the clever children who are bullied for being swots and teachers' pets. They are safe and sound in the class, but the travelling to and from school and the school breaks can be nightmares.

However, it is not only bullying from other children that causes fear in school children. There are other reasons for fear in school as well. Occasionally, children think that a certain teacher does not like them and sometimes children are just frightened of failing or doing badly. Occasionally teachers are frightened of doing badly as well. It can all lead to an atmosphere of fear at school. It makes you ask yourself how anyone could have enjoyed their school days, does it not?

This atmosphere of fear can become greater in state schools because the teachers are subject to success charts and the children are more open to bullying. Furthermore, all of the school shootings in the world have taken place in state run schools.

However, the most insidious kind of fear in school comes from teachers who are scared of missing the targets set by the state, because that will cost them their jobs. This fear is passed on to their students. The regime of fear is exacerbated by over-sized classes. Why?

Because teachers can hold the attention of only so many pupils - as we all can in normal discourse. Therefore, if the class is too large, the teacher will have to switch roles from being a teacher to a controller. When this occurs, education suffers for the sake of keeping order.

For all of these reasons and more, many parents are turning to home schooling. Some of the reasons why parents are deciding to educate their children themselves are: distrust of the state education system; fear of bullying or worse of their children; a desire to teach their children in a more conventional or religious manner.

There are education packages that parent-teachers can buy to give them a course of action on what to teach. There is also a lot of help available on the Internet. The problem facing any parents who wish to educate their own children is providing a rounded education.

People have a natural tendency to specialize in one subject or group of topics like, say, astronomy or the sciences, which is why schools supply numerous teachers, so that every one can teach his or her favourite subject. However, if you are the only teacher you will have to teach all the subjects yourself.

This is why it is best to have a course or set of guidelines to follow. It is difficult to teach maths if you have no talent for it, so look at your strengths but also your weaknesses before you take the considerable decision to withdraw your children from school and educate them themselves

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on numerous subjects but is currently involved with Fear At School and Home Schooling. If you would like to read more, please go over to our web site entitled Home Schooling.

Learning History At Home Schooling

October 2nd, 2010

Do you think that passing time in traditional classrooms is a waste of time? For some people, that is probably true. For example, an exam is due and the students are asked to memorize a lot of dates and names. However, after taking the exam, they will definitely forget 90% of those dates and names. That's what the majority of students do every time they have tests. If you are one of these people, you will find traditional history lessons boring, so home schooling, which concentrates more on the history of the world, will probably interest you more.

Simple memorization is not enough to know the importance of famous people and important events. Through home schooling in history, you can learn about the different cultures of the past in a unique, but interesting way - your own way! Through the study of history, you will also understand the current situation of the world today.

If you think that home schooling is the most effective option for your child's learning, you should also be prepared to take on some responsibilities. Since there will be no teacher physically present, you will have to supervise your child's educational progress yourself.

Let's just suppose that your child is interested in a particular sport. Through combining history and home schooling, you can start by simply putting a map on the wall of your child's bedroom and mark the location of his favourite sports team. Make sure that you track all the team's activities and schedules. Then, you could return to history lessons by reading biographies of the various athletes, who had been popular in the particular sport that your child follows. Apart from that, you could also study the history of that particular sport and discover where it started, its inventor, and the other things happening in that particular time in history.

For instance, if your child likes baseball, you can teach your child about the history baseball, government hearings on the use of steroids and other favourite hobbies during that period in time. But remember that you can apply this method to any interest such as dancing, cars or any invention. You can also have conversations with your child about current affairs or read interesting historical documents and other books. Aside from that, you could also watch documentaries together with the rest of the family. There are various resources that you can use while home schooling, like TV, maps, newspapers, books, a globe, an atlas, and encyclopedias. Because of the exciting adventures that you and your child will read about and see on film, your child will find it easier to remember the names and dates of the history lessons. After all, education is best when it is done in an interesting way.

These methods are recommended for when the child is still young, but once your child is older, you must choose an appropriate home schooling program that is suitable to his/her age group. The programs are available at the elementary, high school, and even college levels. You just have to search online for these different programs. A good thing about these programs is that you can tailor them to fit the needs of your child. However, you must ensure that all the lessons are followed by your child.

Once you and your child have decided to go for home schooling, you must be prepared for some changes to take place in your life. The learning environment will now be your home not a school and through the various resources that you can use including the computer and Internet.

If you are interested in Home Schooling then please visit our website at Home Schooling Information

Home Schooling And The Family

May 29th, 2010

If a survey by the National Center For Education Statistics is to be believed, almost 1.1 million children took home schooling in 2005 alone. That's a great deal of children. Not so long ago, homeschooling used to be a radical statement - something like a declaration of independence.

It was the conservative Christians who advocated homeschooling in the '80s and legalized it in every State. But the typical homeschooler of today is not religiously motivated.

More recent surveys indicate that parents are quite fed up with the public school system where much of the learning is superficial and compulsory. They are also concerned about the negative environment in school, ranging from drugs and abuse to negative peer pressure.

As a result, we have a surprising mixture of people who make up the homeschooling world of today. They cut across all religious creeds and all regional borders. Their main aim is providing meaningful and productive education through a method that strengthens the bond between the various members of the family.

All these families have one main thing in common - a long enduring commitment to the sanctity of childhood. The children in these families are accorded a primary position. Many believe, and, I think, rightly so, that home schooling allows parents to bring up their children in a more natural and nurturing environment.

Public schools can make a child nervous, diffident and downright mean. Children who get their education at home are protected from these damaging, negative influences until they reach an age where they can deal with them.

Home-schooling draws the whole family into the almost religious task of teaching. Everyone is put to work. Both the parents together form a bond with the children. Any experience can be turned into an learning experience. Both the parents are aware of exactly what is going into their child's education.

Parents also have a greater say over the type of religious and moral values that the child is taught. Even watching a film together can become an educational experience. Visits to the libraries, zoos, museums and other places become educational experiences as well as recreational ones.

A home-schooling family is usually dependent on the income of one earning member. That means that often outgoings have to be curtailed and proper planning of expenditure is necessary. This helps to bring the family members together and everybody becomes involved in the task of not spending money.

Just having a parent at home to supervise, to nurture and to care for the children brings with it a lot of love and caring. Even the husband chips in and there just is no room for boredom.

All right, problems do crop up, and there will be a lot of misgivings in your mind, but when you know that your kids can always count on you, and your kids know it too, then homeschooling becomes a richly rewarding experience.

If you are practicing Home Schooling then please visit our website at Home Schooling Information

Home Schooling And Young Children

April 11th, 2010

In the last decade, home schooling has become very popular especially with middle and upper-middle class families. There have been lots of arguments before about home schooling. Teachers say that there are advantages as well as disadvantages in home schooling but it seems that the former outweigh the latter and so, a lot of families are now selecting home schooling over the traditional schools.

Cultures vary enormously and relationships within families are strongly affected by culture too. In some cultures, family ties are fairly strong, but there are also those who don't have very good relationships with other family members at all. However, through home schooling, family bonds can be enhanced. Parents have to spend more time with their children because of the home schooling program and the children will have to listen to their parents as well. Communication is much enhanced and both parties have to learn about the importance of both speaking and listening.

Many families prefer home schooling because of its diversity. Since the cost of home education is a bit more than normal schools, the financial standing of the family is very important. However, without thinking about money, many parents will still opt for home schooling, because it can ensure their children's safety. Public schools often have dangerous situations that can affect children terribly, but if they are in a home schooling program, they can stay away from these predicaments and their parents will be there to guide them.

Rather than placing the children at a public school, many parents prefer home schooling because the learning environment in the public schools is not that conducive. In public schools, very young pupils may experience problems that can affect them socially, mentally, and academically for a long time. Pedagogues that have conducted studies, claim that children learn better in a good environment surrounded by loved ones. A further advantage of home schooling is that children can learn according to their capacity. You can't just give a new lesson, if the previous one hasn't been learned yet. It may take longer, but the results are definitely better.

As mentioned earlier, home schooling is a bit more expensive. If you think that you can reduce the educational expenses of your child, you're wrong. Home schooling expenses are just about the same as those of traditional schools. However, if you join in the forums of the parents of home-schoolers, you will discover that there are ways to reduce costs. Of course, you will have to spend on the resource materials, computer, and internet, but you can also use outside resources like cultural events, public libraries and many others.

You will get even more cost-saving ideas, if you get in touch with other parents. The Internet offers endless possibilities and with a bit of research and homework, you can definitely come up with a way to reduce the costs. If you don't want to hire teachers, then you will have to learn the lessons too. You have already learned the various subjects in your kids' educational program, so you only need to review them. You can get further learning material online or the bookshop and later on, teach your kids.

Therefore, it is plain to see, that home schooling is definitely the best option, especially, if your child is still very young. So, it all depends on you and your child, whether they decide to continue this form of schooling until they graduate for college.

If you are interested in Internet home schooling then please visit our site at Home Schooling

categories: home schooling,teaching,school,parenting,children,books,reading,writing,mathematics,computers,science,motivational,stress,other

Home Schooling and Computer Learning

March 30th, 2010

There is access to a computer in nearly every home in the West nowadays and the rest of the world is catching up very quickly. So, it is extremely important for you to have one at home too, because of the many benefits it can bring, especially if you have an Internet connection. Nowadays, you need to have have some computer experience, if you want even a reasonably-paid job, so learning how to use a computer must begin at school. You and your children can have a interesting educational experience with a computer at home. Children of today should learn about this extremely important device at the very earliest age possible and one of the best ways to do that is through home schooling computer programs.

These days, even pre-school children are being taught how to use computers and their associated resources. If you opt for home schooling, you and your child will also spend most of your time making use of a computer and the Internet. Educating your children will be much more efficient when done online, because of the diverse resources available there. Your child will be provided with exceptional educational resources, from which he/she will benefit hugely not least since job market trends today involve the Internet.

One of the largest ethnic groups who prefers to make use of home schooling is the African Americans because some see certain society problems and they can keep themselves informed about their own heritage by home schooling. The parents of children from minority groups can assist their offspring learn more about their history by having an Internet connection at home. Children's education can be better encouraged by parents and they can also assist in improving the mindset of their children too. Parents can educate their children about their own particular heritage by means of the various online resources.

It is important to remember that home schooling only works if the parents are willing to support their kids all the way. They must also be committed and prepared for the challenges that they will come across. The parents should look for a good computer program or book that can help their children learn about using computers. Frequently, the lessons are divided into various parts or series so that the children can cope with them easily. Children have different learning capacities and since too often children are not given much chance in traditional schools, the use of computers is an ideal opportunity to bring out the best in them.

Home schooling is no longer new, so if you think that your child is not doing well in school, talk to his teachers and get some information regarding your child. The guidance counsellor can also assist you to select the best education for you child. Home schooling is already accepted and perhaps it can help your child to learn more in the safety of your own home.

If you are prepared to commit yourself to home schooling, you will need to discuss the matter with your child. You could start by asking your child about his performance in school and then bring up the subject of home schooling. See how your child reacts to the idea. Explain its advantages. Say that computer learning will be easier. It's better if you and your child both agree to home schooling, since you have to work closely together. It might not be easy to persuade your child to give up traditional schooling, where he has all his friends, so you will have to spend time with your kid and know his/her interests. Explain that computer programs in home schooling can help a lot. Tell your child that they can learn more about their particular interest, if they know how to use the computer.

So why not start looking for the most suitable home schooling computer program now? You could talk to your friends, ask at the library or / and go online and do your research. There are lots of home schooling programs to choose from and it could take several weeks before you can find the right one.

If you are into home schooling then please visit our site at http://home-schooling.the-real-way.com

Speed Reading - The Early Stages

November 6th, 2009

No one really knows when speed reading was first used, but it might have been a long while in the past. For hundreds of years, reading was the privilege of a minority of the most highly-educated people in the world, the overwhelming majority of whom were monks and priests. This small, select group of men protected their privilege and were loathe to coach the general populace to read. Furthermore, during those hundreds of years there were relatively few books to read compared with today. Books were also very costly as they all had to be copied out by hand. Possibly the only fact that has not altered is that the Bible was the most common book in existence and even now the Bible is the most prevalent book.

The world is quickly becoming a place where individuals are slowly but surely giving up on books and becoming fixed in front of monitors or television screens. In such a world, parents must not ignore the importance of developing a zeal for reading in themselves and their children. Reading is a habit that should be established when the child is fairly young, so what can you do to engender this habit?

Well, there are a number of strategies you can employ, although one of the best to lead by example. Read with your child every day, even if its only for 10-15 minutes. Permit your child to see you reading. By this I mean, don't only read in bed before you go to sleep, but in place of watching television from time to time and read your children a bed-time story. Encourage them to read too. You could also:

Enroll your child for reading classes, if you really don't have any time or your child is a little slow at reading. There are many well-structured after school reading classes that endeavor to make books more appealing to children. They help children with enunciation, idioms and metaphors. These lessons can be pleasurable with animated characters and pictures, especially for young children,. They often use picture books, rhymes, comical songs and short stories to fire up the imagination of younger children.

You will have to find out how to kindle your child's interest. If your child has a favorite character, pick a series of books that include this character. Attempt to encourage your children to read real books not comics. The language in comics frequently leaves a great deal to be desired with its slapdash English and street slang. As an alternative, go for series of books like Harry Potter or Tarzan.

You should build yourself a library of your own books. This may sound a little impressive, but after all, a library is only a collection of books. Begin with a good-looking bookshelf that you can easily build on. A skill like reading cannot be learned in only one place, so you cannot afford to leave all the difficult work to the day-school or even the after school curricula. You have to collect books that you believe your child will enjoy too. Use the Internet as a source for learning about the modern reading games that will attract little children to the superior and ancient art of reading,

When you child is interested in reading for its own sake, you might read up on speed reading. Speed reading is best suited for informative learning and background reading. It's immensely suited to cramming or studying for examinations. It is ideal for school and university. However, the first job, before you can think about speed reading, is to get your child reading in the first place.

Are you interested in speed reading for yourself or a loved one? If so, please pop along to our website called Speed Reading.

categories: speed reading,reading,books,articles,hobbies,career,entertainment,education,school,college,self help,self improvement,homeschooling,other

Home Schooling and Children

August 6th, 2009

In the last decade, home schooling has become extremely popular especially among the middle and upper-middle class families. There have been lots of arguments before about home schooling. Experts claim that there are pros and cons in home schooling but it seems that the former outweigh the latter and so, a lot of families are now selecting home schooling over the traditional schools.

Cultures vary enormously and relationships within the family are affected by culture too. In some cultures, family bonds are fairly strong, but there are also those who don't have very good relationships with other family members at all. However, through home schooling, family relationships can be improved. Parents have to spend more time with their kids because of the home schooling program and the children will have to listen to their parents as well. Communication is much improved and both parties have to learn about the importance of both speaking and listening.

A lot of families prefer home schooling because of its flexibility. However, since the cost of home education is a bit higher than normal schools, the financial standing of the family is very important. However, even without considering money, many parents will still go for home schooling, because it can guarantee their children's safety. Public schools often have dangerous situations that can influence children terribly, but if they are in a home schooling program, they can avoid these predicaments and their parents will be there to guide them.

Instead of enrolling the kids at a public school, many parents would prefer home schooling because the learning environment in public schools is not that conducive. In public schools, very young pupils can experience problems that can affect them socially, mentally, and academically for a long time. Experts that have conducted studies, claim that children learn better in a safe environment surrounded by loved ones. Another advantage of home schooling is that children can learn according to their ability. You can't just deliver a new lesson, if the previous one hasn't been learned yet. It may take longer, but the results are better.

As mentioned previously, home schooling is a tad more expensive. However, if you think that you might be able to cut down on your child's educational expenses, you're almost certainly wrong. Home schooling costs are almost the equal to those of traditional schools. However, if you participate in the forums of the parents of home-schoolers, you will find that there are ways to cut down costs. Of course, you will need to spend on the resource materials, computer, and internet, but you can also use outside resources like cultural do's, public libraries, etc..

You will get even more cost-saving ideas, if you contact other parents. The Internet provides numerable possibilities and with a bit of research, you can definitely discover ways to ease the costs. If you don't want to pay for teachers, then you will have to learn the lessons too. You have already studied the various subjects in your kids' educational program, so you only need to review them. You can get further learning material online or the bookshop and later on, teach your kids.

Therefore, it is obvious, that home schooling is far and away the best option, particularly if your child is still rather young. So, it all depends on you and your kid, whether they continue this kind of schooling until they graduate for college.

About the Author:

Learning History at Home Schooling

July 5th, 2009

Do you consider that spending time in traditional classrooms is a waste? For some people, that is true. For example, an exam is due and the pupils are asked to memorize a list of dates and names. However, after sitting the test, they will probably forget 75% of those dates and names. That's what most students do every time they have tests. If you are one of these people, you will find traditional history lessons boring, so home schooling, which concentrates more on the history of the world, will surely be of more interest to you.

Just simple memorization is not enough to realize the importance of historical, famous people and fateful events. Through home schooling in history, you can learn about the different cultures of the past in a unique, but interesting way - that is your own way! Through the study of history, you will also realize the current situation of the world.

If you think that home schooling is the best option for your child's learning, you should also be prepared to take on some responsibilities. Since there will be no teacher physically present, you will have to supervise your child's educational progress yourself.

Let's just suppose that your child is interested in a particular sport. Through combining history and home schooling, you can start by simply putting a map on the wall of your child's bedroom and mark the location of his favourite sports team. Make sure that you track all the team's activities and schedules. Then, you could go back to history lessons by reading biographies of the different athletes, who had been popular in the particular sport that your child likes. Apart from that, you can also examine the history of that particular sport and discover where it started, its inventor, and the other things happening at that particular time in history.

For example, let's say your child follows baseball, you could teach your child about the history baseball, government hearings on the use of drugs and other favourite sports at that period of time. But remember that you can adapt this method to any interest like dancing, flight, cars or any invention. You can also have conversations with your child about current affairs or read interesting historical documents and other books. Aside from that, you can also watch documentaries together with the rest of the family. There are various resources that your child can use in home schooling, like TV, maps, newspapers, books, a globe, an atlas, and encyclopedias. Because of the enthralling adventures that you and your child will read about and see on film, he/she will find it easier to remember the names and dates of the history lessons. After all, education is better when it is done in an interesting way.

These methods are recommended if the child is still young, but once your child is older, you must choose an appropriate home schooling program that is suitable to his/her age group. The programs are available at the elementary, high school, and even college levels. You simply have to search the Internet for these various programs. A good thing about these programs is that you can tailor them to suit the requirements of your child. However, you must ensure that all the lessons are followed by your child.

After you and your child decide to try home schooling, you will have to be prepared to make some changes to your life. The educational environment will now be in your home not at a school and through the various resources that you think best, such as a computer and the Internet.

About the Author:

Home Schooling and its Effects on the Family

June 17th, 2009

If a survey by the National Center For Education Statistics is to be believed, roughly 1.1 million children underwent home schooling in 2005 alone. That's a great deal of children. Once upon a time, homeschooling used to be an extreme statement - something like a declaration of independence.

It was the (right-wing|conservative Christians who pushed for homeschooling in the '80s and legalized it in every State. But the typical homeschooler of today is not religiously motivated.

More recent surveys indicate that parents are really fed up with the public school system where much of the learning is superficial and compulsory. They are also concerned about the negative environment in school, ranging from drugs and abuse to negative peer pressure.

Because of this, we have a surprising mix of people who form the homeschooling world of today. They cut across all religious creeds and all regional borders. Their main aim is providing meaningful and productive education through a method that strengthens the bond between the various members of the family.

All these families have one main thing in common - a long enduring commitment to the sanctity of childhood. The children in these families are accorded a primary position. Many believe, and, I think, rightly so, that home schooling allows parents to bring up their kids in a more natural and caring environment.

Public schools can make a child nervous, diffident and downright mean. Children who get their education at home are protected from these damaging, negative influences until they attain an age where they can deal with them.

Home-schooling draws the whole family into the almost religious task of teaching. Everyone has a role to play. The parents together form a bond with the children. Any experience can be turned into an educational experience. Both the parents are aware of exactly what is going into their child's head.

Parents also have a greater say over the kind of religious and moral values that the child is learning. Even watching a film together can become an educational experience. Trips to the libraries, zoos, museums and other places become educational as well as recreational.

A home-schooling family is usually dependent on the income of one earning member. That means that often spending has to be curtailed and proper planning of expenditure is a must. This helps to bring the family members together and everybody becomes involved in the task of saving money.

Just having a parent at home to supervise, to nurture and to care for the children brings with it a lot of love and caring. Even the husband chips in and there just is no room for boredom.

All right, problems do crop up, and there will be many misgivings in your mind, but when you know that your kids can always count on you, and your kids know it too, then homeschooling becomes a richly rewarding experience.

About the Author: