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By admin, September 30, 2009 4:37 pm

Back to Basics, the largest privately-owned, full-service educational facility in the tri-state area, is currently interviewing applicants for several key positions including K-6 Certified Elementary and Middle School Education Teacher and Certified Reading Specialist for daytime, small group reading and/or math instruction in schools. Applicants must possess a minimum of 2 years relevant teaching or tutoring experience.

Since 1985, the tutors at Back to Basics have been helping students reach their full academic potential. The firm works with remedial, special education, and enrichment students and offers instruction in more than 60 subjects. Back to Basics employs 90 tutors, all of whom are experienced professionals holding Bachelor, Master or Doctorate degrees. In addition, the firm partners with major corporations and small businesses for interpretation/translation, English as a Second Language (E.S.L.), time management, writing, foreign languages, and other skills vital in today’s business world.

Back to Basics offers a competitive salary and benefits for both part-time and full-time employees, the ability to create an individualized schedule as well as other location and scheduling options, plus the joy of making a serious contribution to the academic and personal life of another.

The Back to Basics’ employment application and filing instructions can be found at www.backtobasicslearning.com.

For more information call 302.594.0754 or visit www.backtobasicslearning.com

Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Delaware private school for all grades. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

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By admin,

Back to Basics, the largest privately-owned, full-service educational facility in the tri-state area, is currently interviewing applicants for High School Integrated Math tutors for after school programs. Applicants must possess a minimum of 2 years relevant teaching or tutoring experience.

Since 1985, the tutors at Back to Basics have been helping students reach their full academic potential. The firm works with remedial, special education, and enrichment students and offers instruction in more than 60 subjects. Back to Basics employs 90 tutors, all of whom are experienced professionals holding Bachelor, Master or Doctorate degrees. In addition, the firm partners with major corporations and small businesses for interpretation/translation, English as a Second Language (E.S.L.), time management, writing, foreign languages, and other skills vital in today’s business world.

Back to Basics offers a competitive salary and benefits for both part-time and full-time employees, the ability to create an individualized schedule as well as other location and scheduling options, plus the joy of making a serious contribution to the academic and personal life of another.

The Back to Basics’ employment application and filing instructions can be found at www.backtobasicslearning.com.

For more information call 302.594.0754 or visit www.backtobasicslearning.com

Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Delaware private school for all grades. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

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By admin,

by Beverly Stewart

This article was first published in the Hockessin Community News, September 2009.

In today’s economy, the thought of adding college tuition to an increasingly tight budget is a daunting one. A quick peek at some of the nation’s most venerated colleges reveals that tuition costs have rapidly outpaced earnings.

For example, Yale’s published tuition cost is over $33,000, with room and board over $10,000 and additional expenses like books and supplies adding another $2,500 — for a total well over $45,000 per year. But my child isn’t looking for an Ivy League school, you think hopefully – maybe we’ll try a state university? Hold on a minute — the University of Delaware’s published tuition rates show that room and board, plus fees top $17,000 for an in-state student and a whopping $29,000 for out-of-state. Oh no.

With an unemployment rate hovering at 9.8% according to the U.S. Civilian Unemployment Rate Forecast and predicted to rise closer to 11% by the end of 2009, how can the average family afford college? In a word: Scholarships.

But my child isn’t a violin prodigy, math genius or a sports superstar, you may groan. The good news is that there are literally thousands of scholarships available for students of every ethic background, from every level of scholastic success, and for special talents like sports, music, community service and more. The trick is finding the right match.

In any scholarship search, organization is the key. From the thousands of scholarships available, you must be able to pare down those that apply to your student. And, fortunately, there are many online resources available to help do just that. A few of my favorites are:

http://www.scholarships.com

http://www.fastweb.com

http://www.collegeboard.com

These sites ask you to create a student profile based on grades, activities, athletics, interests, and personal data like age, sex, ethnicity — so be prepared to spend some time on this prep phase. The more detailed your responses, the more matches you’ll find. I strongly suggest using multiple resources, because not every scholarship is listed on every site.

Finished? So, now you have a file folder stuffed to overflowing with information sheets, dates, requirements and more. Get organized! I highly recommend creating an Excel spreadsheet, organized by due date, to keep you on track. Filling out a scholarship form is a moot point if you miss the deadline, so keeping on top of the process is the key. Also, many scholarships require advance work – from reading a book and then writing an essay based on the work, to procuring letters of reference (sometimes several) to writing stand-alone essays on such topics as “If you had a superpower, what would it be?” (Yes, this is a real scholarship.) But again, advance planning is necessary, so a detailed list by date is crucial.

You can also use the spreadsheet to track your progress is securing scholarships. What is your return rate and how can you improve it? I have found that the “secret” to winning scholarships is no secret at all. Most applications require personal data, often transcripts, letters of recommendation or proof of involvement in a project, but the key to getting your application to the top of the pile, is unquestionably the quality of the essay.

So, how can your student make their essay stand out? Revise, revise, revise! This is where the advance planning comes in handy. If essay is written on the day before it is due, there is no time to edit. Have your student ask a trusted teacher, mentor, parent, or tutor to read and critique. Remember, they can’t write the essay, but can certainly give constructive comments regarding word choice, grammar, and suggest important points that may have been missed.

A final word about scholarships. Beware of scams! Anyone who says that they can guarantee you a scholarship is not telling the truth. With help, you can increase your students’ chances of success by being organized, by meeting deadlines, by checking and rechecking that each element required is enclosed in the application packet, and of course, by submitting the best essay possible. But, no one can guarantee a scholarship. If any group or organization asks for a fee to submit a “guaranteed scholarship” – run!

For more information, please visit Back to Basics website at http://www.BacktoBasicsLearning.com

Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Delaware private school for all grades. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

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By admin,

by Beverly Stewart, Founder of Back to Basics Learning Dynamics

This article was first published in the Hockessin Community News in August 2009.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s almost time for the kids to return to school! Amid the frantic scramble to purchase notebooks and pens, gym uniforms, and of course, the coolest pair of sneakers, it’s also the perfect time to address an often misunderstood topic: learning styles.

Far too often I hear from parents that their child is doing poorly in school, even though he seems to spend an inordinate amount of time studying. The truth is that many schools still rely heavily on classroom and book-based teaching, lecturing, and rote memorization. The result is an environment that strongly favors students whose learning style meshes with these instructional methods, but hampers a student who simply learns differently.

This is a vicious cycle for everyone! The teacher is frustrated. The child is labeled a poor student. And the parents are left to wonder, “What do we do now?” If this describes your child’s situation, take heart. There is hope and help!

The first thing that you can do, in conjunction with your child’s teachers, is to identify his “perceptual learning style.” Perceptual learning styles are the means by which learners extract information from their surroundings through the use of their five senses. According to The Institute for Learning Styles Research (ILSR), the perceptual styles theory is based on learning research conducted by Drs. Russell French, Daryl Gilley, and Ed Cherry that began back in 1975.

The seven learning styles are:

Print

This refers to the type of student who learns best when he can “see” the material. Often a note-taker, this student can remember what he has read and may even be labeled a bookworm. Seeing materials or data, and more importantly writing notes down, are the keys to success for this student.

Aural

The aural learner is one who learns best by listening. He responds well to the spoken word and can often repeat material verbatim after hearing it in a lecture hall setting. This learner also takes directions well. The use of recorded materials or recording lessons themselves is usually very successful for this learner.

Interactive

The interactive student learns through verbalization. Basically, this student is a talker (and often a hummer, self talker, and just generally vocal)! Actually speaking the material aloud is a great memory booster for the interactive learner as are verbal Q&A sessions.

Visual

This student often has a vivid imagination and can visualize written words as a series of pictures or a movie in his head. A student with a strong “mind’s eye,” this learning style is reinforced through the liberal use of all sorts of visual aids such as pictures, illustrations, graphs, and charts. The lecture hall is a torture chamber for this student.

Haptic

This learner is literally “hands-on.” Creative types are often haptic learners – from painters to welders — if they can touch it, manipulate it, and grasp it, they can understand it. The use of manipulatives in mathematics, word and sentence “construction” with moveable letters and words in language arts, and other hand-on activities spell success for the haptic learner.

Kinesthetic

The kinesthetic student learns by doing. This student is often labeled a fidgeter and is generally not successful when long stretches of quiet time or listening are required. Center-based learning and plenty of movement in the classroom help keep this learner interested.

Olfactory

Students with a strong sense of smell and taste find that smells can add significantly to learning. Certain smells can evoke strong memories which can be used to advantage when a student is studying for an exam. Repeating scents during studying and test time can actually evoke memories of the subject matter.

It is important to note is that everyone has some mixture of these learning styles, but one will generally predominate. By recognizing and understanding your child’s dominant learning style, you can implement the strategies that will truly help him learn faster, retain more information, and generally feel more confident about school.

Here’s to a successful school year!

For more information, please visit Back to Basics website at http://www.BacktoBasicsLearning.com

Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Delaware private school for all grades. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

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By admin,

Beverly Stewart, a Delaware-based educational entrepreneur and founder of Back to Basics Learning Dynamics, Inc. was recently asked to speak at the 2009 EDventures Conference in New Orleans. EDventures is the annual education conference held by the Education Industry Association (EIA), an organization comprised of providers of private education services, charter schools, investors, and others who are stakeholders in private education.

“I was incredibly honored to be asked to speak at the annual event,” says Beverly Stewart. “This is the 9^th year I have addressed a group of my peers from around the globe and each year I marvel at the level of dedication and commitment that is exhibited to improving the quality of education. By sharing our best practices, tips, and specialized knowledge, I know that students all over the country benefit.”

At the event, Stewart gave four individual talks including topics such as “Best Practices for Learning Centers” and “Business Opportunities in These Economic Times.” In addition to these and other relevant presentations, round table discussions were conducted on such diverse subjects as “Strategic Planning for Schools,” “The Privatization of Alternative Ed,” and “Private Sector Alternatives to Increase High School Graduation Rates.” The EIA-sponsored event also hosted keynote speakers from the U.S. Department of Education; Tom Vander Ark, former Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and special guests from the Recovery School District of Louisiana.

EIA, formerly the Association of Educators in Private Practice (AEPP), was founded in 1990 for the purpose of peer support, networking, professional development and advocacy in the education industry. Members represent every area of the diverse industry including school improvement and management services, charter schools, alternative education and special education services, professional development for teachers and administrators, educational content providers and suppliers, private providers of undergraduate and graduate education, as well as tutoring and state-approved private schools like Back to Basics Learning Dynamics.

For more information, please visit Back to Basics website at http://www.BacktoBasicsLearning.com

Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Delaware private school for all grades. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

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By admin,

The Back to Basics Learning Dynamics state-approved K-12 private school is now accepting applications for the 2009-2010 school year. The mission of this unique private school is to help children and teens through the many transitions of life, while providing a customized, one-on-one education. “We accept a maximum of 20 students for any school year, and we are quickly approaching that maximum now,” Back to Basics Founder and Director Beverly Stewart explains.

Parents realize that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to traditional schooling and one of Back to Basics’ primary goals is to partner with parents for each child’s success. Back to Basics’ experienced, degreed instructors work as a team to customize and tailor an integrated curriculum to the needs and abilities of each child. The teaching staff is dedicated to the growth and development of students academically, socially, and emotionally. Courses are held at the Back to Basics state-of-the-art learning center in Wilmington, Delaware and all students are taught one-on-one.

“For many students, academic preparation requires close, hands-on interaction, leading toincreased skills and confidence – a situation simply not available in most schools,” says Stewart.  “At Back to Basics, we provide experiences along with positive reinforcement that will allow students to move on to the next challenge, while offering a wide range of educational services tailored to meet the specific needs of each child.”

Back to Basics provides a full-time school day, offering four core curriculum courses of math, English/language arts, social studies and science. Electives include such foreign languages as Japanese, German, Spanish, French, art, business, sociology, psychology, study skills, computer literacy and many other subjects.

For more information, please visit Back to Basics website at http://www.BacktoBasicsLearning.com

Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Delaware private school for all grades. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.