Over
the past 37 years, my staff and I have worked with over 15,000 students,
thousands of parents, and hundreds of teachers. As a learning consultant, I
am constantly troubleshooting to find solutions for the issues and concerns
that are brought to my attention. The following parent/student tips are some
of the suggestions and answers I have discovered through the years that have
held up to both research and experience. I trust they will help you in
making any important changes to your lifestyle or demonstrate helpful ways
to improve your learning environment.
1.
If you must watch TV or play video games, limit them
to no more than one hour on average of wholesome, supervised family
entertainment each day. This supports better learning.
2.
With food, moderation is key. Forget diets. Instead,
minimize your portions and eat at least 3 wholesome meals each day
(including foods such as nuts, eggs, fruits and vegetables). Consistent,
healthful eating throughout the day gives the brain substance with which to
work – unlike junk foods, fast foods and foods with an abundance of
additives or white flour, which are deficient in nutrients and do not
promote good health or learning.
3.
Processed sugar is designated as a drug by some
authorities. Candy, most gum, all soft drinks and most juices contain some
form of processed sugar. These sugars quickly raise blood sugar levels,
often causing hyperactivity, then immediately lower it, producing negative
emotions, lack of energy, drowsiness and depression. In comparison, honey
has at least 14 mineral nutrients and offers a gradual energy increase if
taken sparingly.
4.
Meals together as a family provide opportunities for
healthy communication, building security and fostering family solidarity.
These times can even help children build stronger vocabularies.
5.
Exercise daily. Brain alertness depends partly upon at
least an hour each day of sunshine and some form of exercise. Good examples
include walking, swimming, riding bikes, hiking, playing outside, using a
trampoline, or playing any sports.
6.
Depending on body weight, drink anywhere from 8-10
glasses of good water each day. This helps prevent sickness and
allergies from developing and keeps the brain alert.
7.
As much as possible, select the same hour and place to
study. Have pencils, erasers and lesson materials ready at all times.
Eliminate distractions as best as you can (i.e. no television, video games,
radio, vocal music, etc.). It is also advised to do lessons in the presence
of someone who can monitor progress.
8.
Periodically, stand and stretch, drink some water or
do a simple exercise to refresh the brain and increase functionality. When
studying lessons from Stilwell’s
Learning
Center
, set a goal to finish at least 1 lesson each day, 5 days per week. Strive for total understanding at high speeds with loud and clear
speech. For best progress, always check for mistakes and share something
you have learned that day with someone else. Brief review a few minutes
before going to sleep is also beneficial.
9.
Don’t take short cuts or the easy way out. Instead,
encourage
integrity, perseverance, and strong work ethics.
10.
Recent studies indicate a national crisis in sleep
deprivation causing learning problems, work absenteeism and communication
problems. For optimal learning, 7-8 hours of good sleep is expected.
Sleeping in the dark is also helpful.
11.
Despite their popularity, entertainment such as Dungeons
& Dragons, Harry Potter or
Pokemon,
does not encourage a positive worldview or responsible behaviors. Rather,
they allow users to role-play through the character heroes who repetitively
use magical powers to kill, poison, attack or disregard rules – actions we
would not encourage or teach in reality. Unfortunately, prominent
researchers have discovered that role-playing desensitizes and conditions
users to think and behave in certain ways (even violent or cultic), and
blurs the “line” between fantasy and reality in dangerous areas. They
have also found that such entertainment can lessen the priority of family
and relationships and can hinder learning.
We encourage families to engage in outdoor activities with their
children, helping them find excitement in real life experiences and more
benign imaginative games.
12.
National research has also demonstrated many negative
effects of rap, rock, and heavy metal music on young listeners’ behaviors.
These genres’ lyrical content has grown increasingly explicit, violent,
and sexual in recent years, and has shown to hinder learning and increase
angry behaviors, disrespect, and negative worldviews among children and
teens especially. In addition, the musical intensity can exhaust the body,
mind and/or emotions. We encourage our students to listen to music with a
positive message. Classical music is an especially helpful resource as it
can enhance intellect, – improving the brain mathematically – stimulate
development, and alleviate frustration or anger.
13.
Read good biographies, classic stories,
character-training fictional books or even the Bible on a daily basis. This
promotes a positive worldview and provides good examples and inspiration for children.
For some ideas, ask the library for ‘reading level appropriate’
biographies of famous Americans or Classics Illustrated books.
The Bible also contains some of the greatest literature in the world with
valid history and character development content. There are some excellent
children’s Bibles and inspirational books or The Message for
teens and adults.
14.
On days when your children do not receive school
homework, use their current school studies to plan at least 15 minutes of
homework anyway. Soon, you will find that homework does not take them as
long to complete, and their grades will improve. Working more than an hour
on school homework is often self-defeating.
Whether
you are a child, teenager or adult, our Expressways
To Learning® systems will greatly enhance your skills and build
self-confidence. Those who have used the systems have accelerated in life
and in school (from basic levels to second year college levels and beyond).
Furthermore, you will find that even greater progress can be made if the
above tips are followed. From diminishing Dyslexia, ADHD and Autism
tendencies to strengthening vocabulary and focusing skills, Expressways to Learning® has the tools you will need to earn more,
excel in school, or simply enjoy life more as a student or working adult.
Thank you for the opportunity to be of help to you and
your family.
Sincerely,
