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Parenting TipsStudy Skills

Using Visualization for Better Reading Comprehension

Visualization—it is not just for Tibetan monks, elite athletes, and Fortune 500 CEOs. These ancient, imagination-stimulating techniques can be a powerful academic tool for decoding and reading comprehension. What is visualization, and how does it work? Courtesy of Unsplash Simply put, visualization, also called mental imagery, is the forming of images within the mind. Research indicates that competent readers are always creating “mini-movies” while they read, picturing the events, characters, and information in their mind’s eye (Bell, 2007). These visualizers readily grasp and retain concepts. Conversely, learners who visualize less…
Jamie Katzenstein
September 10, 2023
Events/OfferingsNewsStudy Skills

Building Literacy Skills through the Science of Reading

It is hardly a secret that student literacy is tied to higher academic achievement across all subjects. And yet, unlike spoken language, humans are not neurologically primed to decipher the written word.  The "reading brain" has to create its own circuits, cobbling together preexisting parts related to vision, language, affect, and cognition. Direct instruction is needed to build this complex circuitry, and unsurprisingly, a large number of students experience reading difficulties. Over the last few decades, the educational community has begun embracing empirically-derived teaching methods, or the "science of reading,"…
Jamie Katzenstein
July 21, 2023
how students can use summer productively
Parenting TipsStudy Skills

How Students Can Use Summer Productively

The end of the school year is almost here, and students are pushing through finals to reach summer break. While summer provides a much-needed break at the end of a long school year, it also brings with it summer learning loss. A May 2020 study published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University examined the NWEA’s Map Growth data for first through eighth grade students. This study, entitled “School’s out: The role of summers in understanding achievement disparities,” reported two major findings. First, that “the average student lost 17–34% of…
Mundo Academy
May 25, 2022
students working to build better study habits for middle school
Parenting TipsStudy Skills

Essential Study Habits for Middle School

The sooner you form habits, the more ingrained they will be as you get older. Middle school is the perfect time for students to figure out what works best for them and build good routines before they hit high school. The following are our recommendations for essential study habits for middle school: Establish Your Workspace and Workflow You may have already established a set workspace during the pandemic, especially since we were all learning and working from home, but make sure that space is a productive one for you. Check:…
Mundo Academy
January 26, 2022
Picture of a red pen correcting an essay for a blog post about how to write better essays for high school.
NewsStudy Skills

How To Write Better Essays for High School

What Do You Want to Say? When you write, you’re talking to someone, whether that’s your teacher, your classmates, your friends, or even strangers. This is why so many people recommend reading your written work aloud when you edit: you can hear if your sentences sound right and whether your argument or statement makes sense. There aren’t usually right or wrong answers when you write (unless you’re writing a summary or describing something); it all depends on your opinion and perspective. Getting to know yourself and your stances on different…
Monica Ruz
May 13, 2021
tutor and girl
Parenting TipsStudy Skills

Why invest in a tutor? Four Reasons Why

Invest in a tutor for a variety of reasons. Tutors can help your child in specific areas where they are struggling. Tutors can also help your child excel past the rest of the class. A tutor is also an excellent way to meet your child's specific needs.  Reason One to invest in a tutor: To help excel past what is given in class Is your child excelling way past their grade level peers? The curriculum in class may be too easy. Bored students may end up distracted/unmotivated to challenge themselves…
Monica Ruz
March 27, 2021
Parenting TipsStudy Skills

Help your child study effectively

Online learning isn’t the most ideal form of education, but there are several ways you can help your child make the most of their “at-home” experience. These steps will improve your child’s learning and allow you to be more involved in their education! Help your child make a list of weekly, daily, or test prep. goals to study Teaching your child how to plan out work is an excellent way to teach responsibility and goal-setting. Take some time to sit down with your child and plan out daily, weekly, or…
Monica Ruz
March 5, 2021
College Entrance ExamsStudy Skills

How to Stay Focused: Tips for Testing

Continuing our series about tips for Test Taking and Test Anxiety, we will be discussing how to Refocus and Stay Focused! In our last blog, we discussed 3 ways to help combat test anxiety:  CALM our bodies, be CONFIDENT in our minds, and FOCUS.  Before we outline 3 Steps to Help you Stay Focused, we need to examine disconnection. Disconnection is a way we cope with stress, as we disconnect or move away from our work or our goals. It can manifest in our mind, body, and spirit. Disconnection... Of…
Mundo Academy
June 18, 2020
Time Management During Quarantine Photo
Study Skills

Time Management Schedules for the Quarantine

Due to the safer-at-home measures, students all around the world are struggling to maintain a schedule at home that incorporates both work and relaxation. Effective time management is crucial for the next few weeks. In this blog, you will find strategies to keep a good balance and get your work done.  When you think of time management, you must think in terms of long-term goals, middle, and short-term.  Long Term Time Management Long-term schedules are for a longer period of time, something like a semester or a month. Since this…
Mundo Academy
May 14, 2020
Study Skills

Study Skills Every Student Should Know

Study Skills to Study Smarter, Not Harder Our Study Skills Course teaches evidence-based strategies students need to know to study more effectively. There are several strategies that experts have linked to academic success along with key characteristics of highly effective students. In our last Study Skills Blog, we discussed the difference between studying for short-term and long-term use. In this blog series, we will go over one of the most effective study habits all students should integrate into their study routine.  High school students do a lot of studying during…
Mundo Academy
March 17, 2020