By Julie Diamond, OCT

The COVID pandemic forced many reluctant students and teachers to use online as the only means for learning together. However, with the pandemic came drastic improvements to online platforms, including the platform our tutors use called The LessonSpace, and online tutoring offers numerous benefits that can enhance students' education over traditional in-person tutoring. 

Online tutoring allows students to learn from anywhere with Wi-Fi, giving them the flexibility to access lessons and resources at any time. It eliminates the need for lengthy travel times, providing an easier way to access instruction regardless of location. This allows students to maximize their study time while still getting the personalized support they need to reach their learning goals.
 
Additionally, online tutors can provide personalized instruction tailored to each student’s individual learning style. With a variety of tools and resources, it allows students to develop their knowledge in innovative ways through engaging instruction that is tailored to their individual needs.  Online tutors can utilize technology like interactive whiteboards and other digital educational tools that can enhance the learning experience and help students develop the necessary skills they need to excel in today's digital world.
 
By allowing students to take charge of their own learning, online tutoring provides them with a greater sense of agency and control over their educational development. It also provides students with access to a larger pool of qualified tutors who specialize in different topics and subject areas. Whether it’s math, history, science or language-learning, online tutoring allows students to find the perfect match for their needs and goals regardless of location.
 
Overall, online tutoring offers countless benefits that can make a real difference in students’ academic lives. It is convenient, resourceful, engaging and provides unparalleled access to qualified tutors from all around the world. For parents and students alike, the advantages of online tutoring are simply too good to pass up.

Are you still not sure if online tutoring is right for your child? Book a free Meet 'n Greet with one of our tutors here and give it a try!

By Julie Diamond, OCT

Do you ever need a good activity to give your child or student a fun break? I’ve compiled some activities for those few moments to help minimize anxieties and (secretly) maximize learning. My kind of way to use an extra few minutes!
1.The Creativity Bag: I always like to keep a bag handy of various items that you would find in a junk drawer (markers, elastics, shoelaces, bottle opener, batteries, etc). Ask your child/student to pick an item from the bag and brainstorm how this object could be reinvented for another use. They can write or draw out their idea. As an extension ask them to think of two ways.
2. Storytelling: Sit in a circle together. Using a ball, start a story with a couple of sentences then toss the ball to your child/student. They then continue the story with another sentence and throw the ball to another who continues with adding a sentence and so on. You can have someone writing down the sentences and type it up as a funny book.
3. Squiggle Story: Draw a line and challenge your child/student, using their non-dominant hand, to make the line into a character for their story. You can time them or, if they don’t respond well to the pressure of a timer, opt to let them complete the drawing at their own pace. Ask them to then create a story and tell it to your orally.
4. Compliment Game: Write each person’s name of a piece of paper. Everyone chooses a piece of paper so they are partnered up with another. Have them sit together in pairs and give one compliment to the person whose name they drew.
5. Multiples of 7: Sit in a circle and start at the #1 then go around the circle counting forward in sequence. When a person lands on a multiple of 7 (7, 14, 21, 28, etc) they have to make another sound and not say the word. For a challenge, you can also add any numbers containing 7 (7, 17, 27, etc).
6. Body Brain Teasers: Have you tried tapping your head and rubbing your stomach before? Not so easy, right? Try blinking your right eye and snapping the fingers on your left hand at the same time. Or blinking your left eye and snapping with your right hand. Have your child/student create another body brain teaser.
7. Rock, Scissors, Paper & Math Game: Have your children/students play the RSP game and on the last ‘shoot’ movement they both lay down 1-5 fingers. The first one to say the sum (or product if you want to practice multiplication tables) wins the round.  
8. Languages: Take this opportunity to learn a new language together or get creative and create your own language together. Your children/students can take turns speaking and translating with each other.
 
Try out one of these activities and let me know how it went by commenting below. 😊

By Julie Diamond, OCT

Gamification is a strategy that enhances learning through integrating elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards. It makes learning more interactive, fun and in many ways, addictive. Like the video games you continuously pry your child away from, these apps marry video game-like features with curriculum-based learning objectives to ignite excitement while providing them (and you) with real-time feedback about their progress. Thankfully the technology of gamification software makes it simple for parents and tutors to offer a game-based learning experience at home.

Below are a few gamification websites and apps that are simple-to-use tools to create a fun learning experience for your child/student:
1. Quizlet: A free tool to create your own or user-generated flashcards and play different games (gravity is a favourite of mine!) to help study or review material in an engaging way.
2. GimKit: Create your own multiple-choice questions, or use their library of curated content, to learn. This website was designed by a student and has so many different types of video games so your child/student will never be bored.  
3. ST Math: This website is for preK-grade 8 and teaches the foundational concepts for math using visuals to help your child/student connect the concepts to symbols and language. This is a great tool for all math learners especially those who struggle with the language components of math.
4. TypingClub: A tool to help your child/student practice their typing skills with over 650 games and videos.
5. Prodigy: An online game to build math skills using badges and rewards to incentivize your child/student to keep learning. Free for parents – and be warned that your child will be begging you to play it!

There are so many more websites and apps so drop us a line in the comments below to share the gamification tools you use with your child/student.  

By Julie Diamond

March 8 is International Women’s Day. Today is an opportunity to reflect on women’s achievements and raise awareness against bias. It’s a day to act for equality in the hopes of a world free of bias and discrimination. Depending on your child(ren)’s age, it may be challenging to know how to teach them about today. Here are some age-appropriate ways to approach this topic that you can choose from:

Refrain From Using Gender Stereotypes
Tell your son it’s okay to show emotions. Encourage your daughter to make her own choices and give her the opportunity to express opinions. As parents we may not realize our own gender biases so take a moment to reflect and make changes. Instead of commenting on your daughter's appearance, try praising her on not giving up or finishing something challenging. ​

Start with a Discussion
Depending on your child’s age and/or interest level, they may have questions about International Women’s Day. You may want to focus on a particular issue such as healthcare, employment, the women’s suffrage movement, equality, or education. Start by explaining that things used to be different in Canada and women and girls still face inequality issues everyday.
A great way to introduce your child to the barriers girls face with education is the story of Malala Yousafzai. She has several children’s books available for all ages that illustrate her story about standing up for education at the risk of being shot by the Taliban. She is a children and women’s rights activist and the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Or if your child is interested in learning about the women’s suffrage movement, here’s a website that gives an interactive map about the timeline of the movement across Canada.
Let their interests guide you. Or use a book or movie..

Introduce a Book or Movie
Regardless of age, I find a book or movie is the best way to introduce a topic to a child. Kids learn best from what they see so the best way to teach them is with strong and confident female characters your child can learn from. Disney’s Frozen and Mulan have become mainstream favourite movies. There’s also Anne of Green Gables, Little Women (both are also in book form for 10+) that are classics. Some fiction books I would recommend are: The Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires or Kelly for President by Kelly DiPucchio. A non-fiction book that's great for all ages is Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky. 
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Spend Time with the Women in Your Lives
Your child will learn by the examples set by women in their lives as well. Whether it be your female neighbour, relative or family friend, take this day to spend time with them and make it special, whether it’s in-person or video. Encourage your child to write them a letter (see our IG post last Friday as an example) or cook them a meal to show the women in their lives how they inspire them.

Help Your Daughter Find Her Voice
Encourage your daughter to build her confidence through journaling, singing, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) activity, or playing a sport. With the Paralympics on now, cheer on a female athlete either on the tv or at a local sporting event. PBS has a great article with tips on how to raise a confident girl here.
 
How are you celebrating the day with your child? Comment below. 

By Julie Diamond, OCT

The Honourable Jean Augustine introduced a motion to make February, Black History Month in Canada in 1996. Many Black Canadians, including Augustine, have played a crucial part in shaping our country’s history while facing discrimination and racism. This month, take the time with your child to celebrate Black Canadians’ contributions and reflect on the long history of systemic racism in Canada, which is often overshadowed by American history. Not sure where to start? Here are some resources to help you get started (but by no means is this a complete list):
1. Start with a story about a woman forced into slavery, Marie-Joseph Angelique, who may or may not have set Montreal on fire in 1734. The Canadiana video is here. 
2. In the early 1900s, many Black families in the mid-western U.S. wanted a new start in Canada’s western provinces. However, the Canadian government began a campaign of spreading misinformation that will serve as a good example to teach your child about how to read the media today. Here’s the Historica Canada video.
3. "To be black and female in a society which is both racist and sexist is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up.” Rosemary Brown
Brown was the first Black female member of a provincial legislature in Canada. Black women have encountered discrimination in Canada throughout history and today. Click here to learn about a few of the many courageous black women in Canada who fought for equality and refused to settle for less.
4. Check out the CBC podcast The Secret Life of Canada which I highly recommend. They talk about secret things about our country that you don’t know. I learn something new every episode. This episode ‘The province of Jamaica’ talks about the early history of Caribbean migration to Canada and how Jamaica and Barbados almost became provinces of Canada. A must listen!
5. Check out Unilearnal here to watch 28 Moments of Black Canadian History where they feature a Black Canadian youth every day of February for Black History Month. The speakers talk about their experiences in Canadian society as a Black person, their passions, what they would like to change, etc. They also give a history lesson of an historical figure or moment in Black Canadian History. This YouTube page is trying to flip the script on Canadian education which has been heavily based on African American History. 
6. Expand your family’s library to include Black authors. Check out our tutor, Angeline, on Instagram here for her recommendations and read alouds from a diverse range of authors. She also provides a Google document with links to the books she features to make it easy for you to find and purchase them online.

How are you commemorating Black History Month? Share with us any videos, podcasts, books or other resources you'd like to share. 

By Julie Diamond

With the announcements of more COVID closures across many provinces, this new year doesn’t seem like it’ll be very different from the last two. Nevertheless, a new year can bring about excitement, opportunity, and create some much-needed positivity. Setting goals can be a great way to teach your child about persistence, self-discipline, and planning. As adults we know how rewarding it can feel to achieve a goal so it can be a fun thing to do together as a family to motivate one another. Here are some tips to keep in mind when making resolutions together:

1. Lead by Example: Your child is always watching so lead by example and create resolutions with them in mind. If you find yourself checking your phone when you’re spending time with them, consider making it a goal to turn off your phone during family time. Or create a goal with health in mind like you’ll learn a new sport or do home workouts with your family. Ask your child to remind you of these goals and you can remind them of theirs to keep each other accountable.

2. Create Individual & Family Goals: You could create resolutions as a family such as, spending one evening a week together playing board games, going on a family hike every Sunday, or not eating unhealthy food on weeknights. Discuss this past year and what each of you have learned. Maybe they learned how to ride a bicycle or play a challenging song on the piano or completed a big puzzle on their own. Maybe you made a new friend at work or tried something new. Then have everyone think about some things they’d like to be able to learn or do by the end of this year. You can suggest some but it’s best not to dictate goals for them. It’s important that they create these goals themselves so they are motivated to achieve them.

3. Different Resolutions for Different Ages: Guide your child in creating goals that are specific and tangible. Goals such as ‘I want to go to Antarctica’ or ‘I want to have a million dollars’ isn’t really feasible for a 9-year-old who doesn’t have a job or a bank account. Here are some examples of goals for different age groups:
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For ages 3-7:

• I’m going to learn how to sing.
• I will learn how to ride a bike.
• I’m going to learn how to skate.
• I want to learn how to read.
• I will try new foods (this is where you could suggest they be more specific – such as adding they will try new fruits and vegetables).

 
For ages 8-12:

• I will read for pleasure for 15 min every night.
• I will learn how to bake cookies.
• I will learn how to play a new sport.

For teens:

• I will get 8+ hours of sleep a night
• I will read for 15 minutes before bed every night.
• I will volunteer for at least one day a month.
• I will get a job and save x amount of money each month.

 
3. Monthly Check ins: Don’t fixate on lapses – they will happen for you and them. To avoid nagging each other, put the resolutions up on the wall as a gentle reminder for everyone and do a monthly check in. If you or your child isn’t making progress, explain how hard it is to stick to a goal then discuss how to get motivated again. Discuss what may be standing in your or their way and adjust the goal if need be.
 
Did you create 2022 goals with your child? Share in the comments below.

By Julie Diamond, OCT

To piggyback on the last blog post on fluency in numeracy, this post is about building fluency in literacy. Reading fluently is when the reader is able to read with accuracy, speed and the proper expression. When readers stumble over words, or rush through the words withouttakingabreathlikethis, they aren’t able to understand the text they are reading. Building better fluency means better comprehension.

Here are some things you can do at home with your child to help:

1. Find an Easy Text: Fluency will be impossible if the text is too difficult. Your child needs to be able to read the words automatically so find a book that is easy. This will take the stress off your child to read the individual words and instead on fluency and understanding the text.

2. Reader’s Theatre: This is a great idea for all learners but especially if your child’s attention span is limited. You and your child take turns reading parts of a script to bring to life a play or movie using your expressive voices. Check out some examples of scripts here to get you started. If your child has a favourite movie or show all you’ll need to do is type a scene into speaking parts.

3. Practice Sight Words and Play: The Dolch sight word list is divided by grade to give you an idea of the sight words your child should know. Using this as a guide, you can play fun games like Snakes ‘n Ladders, Memory, Go Fish, or even Bingo. Check out this website for the Dolch list by grade and activity ideas.

4. Model Fluent Reading: A read aloud with your child should be a daily occurence in your household regardless of your child’s age. Reading and discussing books together above their reading level helps develop their vocabulary and comprehension levels.

5. Re-Read Favourite Books: Some teachers and parents discourage children from re-reading the same books over and over. However, I’m not one of them. I have found that reading new material doesn’t help reading fluency. Rather the more a child re-reads a book, the more fluent they become. Instead of focusing on reading each word, they focus on bringing the story to life with different voices and expressions only further developing their comprehension as well.

6. Do Choral Reading: This is when you read a passage aloud first then ask your child to join in and read it again together at the same pace. It’s another way to show your child what fluent reading should sound like. Choose a book at your child’s level (or better yet below) to make it easier for them to keep up with you.
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As mentioned with building your child’s fluency in math, practice is key. Please comment below and let me know an activity you do with your child to build their fluency skills. 

 By Julie Diamond, OCT 

When a child is fluent with math facts, they can efficiently and accurately recall the answers to basic math equations.  With fluency, students may feel less anxious and more confident when performing more complex questions. Fluency helps students become more flexible thinkers and problem solvers. Here are some ways you can build your child/student’s fluency skills in numeracy:

1. For children in kindergarten & grade 1: Students at this age should be efficiently recalling facts within 5 (for kindergarten) and within 10 (for the end of grade 1). It is important to note that while grade 1 students are introduced to facts up to 20, and should be successful with strategies to solve them, the expectation is fluency up to 10. 
While timed tests have generally been the way to test for fluency, I would suggest waiting until the end of grade 2 to use this to assess students’ fluency. Students in the early grades need time to build and practice their automaticity.
An example of an activity you could use with this age group is to use flashcards (or this fun video) to help young learners develop their subitizing skills. “Subitizing” is an important math skill which is the ability to identify the number of things in a set without counting.

2. For children in grade 2: Students at this age should know how to fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By the end of grade 2, they should also know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory. However, before moving on to any timed or memorization activities, students must first learn and know the strategies such as doubles & doubles +1, adding 0, making ten, adding 1 and adding 2, etc.  
To practice, grab a deck of cards (take out the J, Q, K and make the Ace represent the number 1) and lay two cards down. Ask your child to add them together. If they want an extra challenge, you could expand that into a timed activity, addition/subtraction war (same as the card game War but instead it’s the first one to add or subtract the two cards first wins the round). Or you could even get your child to add three cards together. If you don't have a deck of cards, you can play this game with dice instead which will build on their subitizing skills as well.

3. For children is grade 3: At this age, multiplication and division are introduced. By the end of grade 3, your child should have their multiplication and division facts (up to 100) memorized.
Start with one multiplication number to practice (let’s say 2) and write the numbers 1 to 12 on pieces of folded paper then put them in a pile. To make it less stressful, play a song for about 45-50 seconds to give your child/student time pick up those papers at random and complete all twelve questions (1x2, 2x4, etc). When the time is up, stop the music and they put their pencil down. When they are able to complete this group of numbers with 90%+ accuracy for two days, then move on to the next number (3x tables). Do not forget to include 0x tables.
Another game you could play to practice multiplication or addition of one-digit numbers is called Drill Donuts. See the video here for details.

Practice, practice, practice. Once you start practicing, you should have an idea of which areas are stumping your child. You can then zero in on those numbers and find different activities to help them become more fluent. Make it a daily or nightly routine. Ask math questions when you’re at the grocery store, cooking at home, or playing games as a family.  Most importantly, keep the conversations about math positive and fun!

Do you have a math activity for this age group? Please share with us below!

By Julie Diamond 

Our Teachers to Go blog was recently voted by a group of panelists as one of the Top 30 Canadian Teacher blogs. Our blog is among some great blogs like Reading Power Gear, Musing Mathematically, and Madly Learning to name a few. Check out #24 on Feedspot here to see us featured. Thank you to all who voted for us. 

New blog post to come this week!