Help your child build concentration

Some children find it very hard to focus especially between the ages of 6 and 13. One of the fallouts of this is that the child tends to do poorly in school. This can bring down the self-confidence of the child. One of the most common causes of lack of concentration is distraction. It really isn’t their fault. They sit down, meaning well enough to finish their work and then something catches their fancy. It could be your dog walking in, a bird outside the window, the telephone or anything. Very few children have total concentration. One way to help your child is to make sure that they are in an environment that has minimal distractions. It can also help if you do your work in the same room so that you can constantly remind them to refocus.

For many parents this is just not possible. They just do not have the time to sit with their child hours on end. A good alternative is a tutoring center. Pinecone Learning Center is a tutoring center in Los Gatos. They have wonderful learning programs for Math and English. Pinecone Learning Center can be a good option for your child to insure that studying becomes a routine which, in turn helps build up concentration. The learning programs involve working on many worksheets, and you will find your child’s focus improving gradually. Mastery of foundation skills is critical and requires practice – LOTS of it. Pinecone Learning Center provides the sequential programs, the expert guidance with caring tutor assistants and a learning-friendly environment with daily work that is tailored to your child.
Tuition rates at Pinecone Learning Center

Monthly tuition fees at this tutoring center are: $140 for Math, $160 for Reading and $280 for both. Sibling discounts are $15 per subject. Our registration fees are $65 for first child, $35 for siblings signed up concurrently. Registration includes a Pinecone clip case. Visit our website at http://www.pineconelearning.com/ to learn more about Pinecone Learning Center. Call (408) 358-1292 to make an appointment.

Importance of worksheets

Worksheets are an important part of learning. Worksheets need planning and creativity. A worksheet should not only pique a child’s interest but maintain it. You can get worksheets free online which you can download and use. There are many online worksheets that can be done on the computer and are interactive. But just googling worksheets and downloading whatever pops up is usualoly not the right way to find what you need. You need to figure out what you are looking for. Once you know that, you should go through several sites and find one that will achieve its purpose, making learning fun for your child and helping him comprehend what he is learning.

Creative worksheets help maintain a child’s interest

This is exactly what Ms.Vivian Hobbs of Pinecone Learning Center has achieved with her well designed Math and English programs. Ms. Hobbs realized the need for creative worksheets, and her learning programs are designed in a graded way by which both the tutor and the parent can keep track of the child’s progress. It is little wonder that she received “The best private teacher award for 2010”. Pinecone Learning Center offers consistency and repetition to insure that students understand each concept thoroughly. This is what one of her pupil’s parents had to say about the tutoring center’s influence on her children’s education: "The consistency and repetition make a huge difference in doing their school work. The regular timed tests are really helping Caroline to go faster and be more accurate. Walker is now motivated and competitive with kids in his class. He has passed almost his entire class and is now on division."


You can get more information on their Math program at http://www.pineconelearning.com/math_program.html and English program at http://www.pineconelearning.com/reading_program.html . If you would like to check out this tutoring center call (408) 358-1292 and schedule an appointment. They have learning centers in Los Gatos and in San Jose.

Children with special needs

Parents of children with special needs are special themselves. The amount of patience and time that they give their children is indeed laudable. The education process for children with special needs has grown by leaps and bounds and you should make the most of it. Parents of children with special needs can get overwhelmed when it comes to the education of the child. You understand your child better than anyone else, so you need to be constantly involved in your child’s education even if it means frequent meetings with the teacher. You should make sure that you are kept updated on the progress (or non-progress) of your child. If the school asks you to get external help do so. It could help your child and that is what is important here.


Extra help for your child

Assess your child on a regular basis to keep track of his progress. There are many learning centers which provide extra help for your child. Pinecone Learning Center is one such tutoring center that helps children with learning problems. They have a learning center in Los Gatos and a learning center in San Jose. The owner and facilitator Ms. Vivian Hobbs has designed a program to help in tutoring children with special needs. This may be exactly what your child needs. You can call (408) 358-1292 to schecule an appointment with Ms. Hobbs and visit her tutoring center to check out for yourself what they offer. You can pick whichever center is closest to you.

You can check out their website at http://www.pineconelearning.com/math_program.html. They offer Free Placement testing and orientation. Once you get there, allow about 30 minutes for the meeting including registration if you wish to start immediately. While you preview the learning programs, your child will take a simple "test" to determine an appropriate starting point. Help boost your child’s confidence.

Help your children reach their goals

One of the most important things you can do to help your children in improving their grades is to keep them motivated. The reward does not have to be something substantial, in fact it shouldn’t be. It should not be treats or television time etc. Instead make the reward for doing well a learning experience. Take them to the zoo or the museum, so they can have fun as well as learn something new. You should also encourage your child to set goals for themselves and reach those goals. They should not be your goals and they should not be set by you. You can guide them if they are not sure for the first few times but after that they should set their own goals. The satisfaction that they get from achieving those goals will spur them to do better. Don’t let them make unreachable goals. The goals should be practical and attainable. There is no point in setting them up for failure.


A learner friendly environment

Studying in a group is always a good idea as it is a good aid in understanding different subjects. The atmosphere where the studying is done should be conducive. If the child is not comfortable there will be no studying happening. If you are unable to provide a consistent and conducive environment at home then consider a tutoring center. Pinecone Learning Center is a very good learning center in Los Gatos. They also have another tutoring center in San Jose. So you can pick whichever is closest to you. A tutoring center can provide the necessary consistency to a child’s studying habits.

Pinecone Learning Center has a very good Math Program and an English Program. It is designed in a graded way so that a child will move on to the next level only after mastering the previous level. Visit their website at http://www.pineconelearning.com/ to check out their learning programs. You can visit the tutoring center by calling (408) 358-1292 and scheduling an appointment.

Pinecone Learning

I had the Los Gatos Kumon Center for 15 years and had about 240 students at my peak. Many of them stayed with me for 8-10 years (from 4 through high school). I thought the calculation skills in the math program were excellent and my students all scored at the highest in this area. However, I felt we were not addressing other very important needs, so I worked with other educators (including Kumon instructors who had moved on) to develop the current progam I have.

In Pinecone Math, we spend as much time on word problems and reasoning skills as we do on straight calculations. This is a critical piece missing from Kumon and one the kids are not learning very well in school. It will become increasingly important as our global economy emerges.

Pinecone Reading includes reading comprehension, vocabulary development, Test Taking skills and -- my favorite -- English Grammar! Every aspect of English grammar is included in the program and this helps the kids put sentences together accurately to form the basis of good writing.

The programs consist of over 700 booklets that are sequential, step-by-step so each student can be at just the right level and move at his or her own speed. I monitor each student carefully and work one-on-one when necessary, although we try to develop independence too.

Contact:
Vivian Hobbs, Director
Pinecone Active Learning
www.pineconelearning.com
vivian@pineconelearning.com
408 270-4548

Get help for your child

Not everyone is born with the same ability or intelligence. Some children may need extra help to grasp what is being taught. Very often parents for various reasons are not able to provide this additional help. It does not mean that the child cannot receive it. It is totally acceptable and very often helpful to arrange private tutoring or supplemental program help for your child if you find that your child could use it. Many things taught in school are quite difficult to follow if a child has not understood the basics in Math or English. These two subjects are the stepping stone and fundamentals to every other subject and a good knowledge of both will go a long way in helping children do well in most subjects that follow.

These are the two areas in which Pinecone Learning Center provides help at their tutoring center in San Jose. The Math program is designed to achieve mastery of computational skills. Mastery equals confidence, speed, and accuracy. The reading program includes an early comprehension series designed to promote reading for meaning. They have now opened a new tutoring center in Los Gatos.

You can find out more about the Math Program and English Program by visit their websites at http://www.pineconelearning.com/ and http://www.mathtutorsbayarea.com/ . You can also call Ms. Vivian Hobbs owner and receiver of Best Private Teacher for 2010 in Silver Creek in the Reader’s Choice Awards of the Evergreen Times at (408) 270-4548 to arrange an appointment. Get timely help for your child to open great potential and possibilities.

Prepare your children for exams

Most school systems are exam based, and it is therefore important to help your child learn how to prepare for the tests that they will face. At the end of the day, results do matter. When children are selected for further studies results are compared. How many units you have achieved helps decide which course you get into and at which university. Yes, extra curricular activities do help in the all around development of a child, but an ability to do well in examinations is also important. Sending your child to a tuition center could go a long way in helping them get ready where studies are concerned. A good tuition center has qualified teachers and provides holistic training. They give attention to every child’s unique needs. The teaching at a good tutoring center should be consistent and graded. Pinecone Learning Center, a tutoring center in San Jose has all these excellent qualities and has helped many children in San José. They are now planning to extend their expertise to the children in Los Gatos where they have opened their new learning center. It is located at 987 University Ave., #20, Los Gatos, CA 95032 Call (408) 270-4548 for more details on the programs that Pinecone Learning Center has created. You can visit their websites at http://www.pineconelearning.com/ and http://www.pineconelearning.com/reading_program.html .