A BIT ABOUT OUR METHODOLOGY
At THINK&Co. Advanced Learning and Tutoring Center, we do not operate by societal business norms. Our main goal is to achieve a generation of learners who can find their own interests in education with the help and guidance of our tutors to help develop and enhance these interests with each student individually. No two children are the same, so why should their academic programming be the same as that of every other child?
With our tutors, your child will learn that education can be engaging, that math doesn’t have to be so hard, and that reading and writing are easy to master with our super-easy-to-follow system!
We aim to see the joy and excitement of our students as we direct them to new learning experiences, and we aim to see the pride in your eyes, as you watch your child succeed and can focus on the most essential part of their academic path, being proud of their achievements.
With us, you receive a unique approach not found in most other tutoring companies. You receive a personalized tutor, a personalized curriculum and program, and personalized materials to ensure that your child looks forward to and enjoys their lessons. Your lessons will be centered around specific goals, interactive projects, and educational games. Trust is built between your family and ours, and that is and will remain step number one!
Let us tell you a bit about our program!
While tutors individualize and customize lessons and activities to your child’s interests specifically, we work off of a program that includes several approaches that serve as the foundation of our methodology. Your tutor will have been trained in our methods and approaches, as well as with the psychological reasoning which makes up our unique background.
Individualization
For decades, the school system approach has not changed. The structure of a classroom remains and students are expected to learn at the same level as those around them. Not only does this slow the progression line, and the ability for your child to fully understand all new material, but it depersonalizes and takes away individually. Not all children learn at the same rate or the same way; not every child finds interest and focuses on varying topics just as the child next to them. With us, your tutor will incorporate supplies, games, and activities throughout the lessons that are tailored for your child, and your child only. No two THINK&Co. students have the exact same curriculum and this individualization is what drives all of our approaches and brings results for your child and family.
Storytelling
This simple approach allows children to engage with the material they are learning from a story-like perspective, with sequencing, characters, main ideas, and more. This process piques their interest and allows for focus. Storytelling also allows students to practice recapping what they have learned by creating storyboards, where they lay out a structure explaining their newfound knowledge. This approach aids in advancing and enhancing storytelling skills, reading and retelling, writing and planning, coordination of features within a story, and more!
Reassurance and Reward
No matter what age a person is, a child or even an adult, it is always nice to feel that your hard work and effort is appreciated and commended. Your tutor will establish a system of praise to show your child that their efforts are valued. Your child will then see this commendation appreciated through our rewards system. Children are given a particular goal to accumulate a certain number of stars, or stickers, or A+s, whatever your child responds to most, and once achieved, they receive a prize from us. These prizes serve as a reward, as motivation, and even as educational, as most times, the prize will be used as part of the next lesson or over a period of time to help your child apply what they have learned and are learning to practical things like reading instructions to games.
Visual Aids
At varying elementary leveled ages, and even those of younger students, children tend to respond best to a visual aid. By incorporating colorful materials, personalized supplies, and playful lessons, your tutor will draw out your child’s focus and interests in their lessons. Rather than seeing numbers and letters in plain text, your child will see colors and shapes and pictures, which will aid in memory, and creativity, and also establish a sense of comfort for new material when your child is learning it for the first time, and reviewing it to become proficient.
A BIT ABOUT OUR APPROACH
Our methodology of teaching, as a whole, is built on and implements academic, psychological, and developmental reasoning.
By individualizing our approaches to each child, we create a new level of learning that is not too common, the personalized approach.
Below are breakdowns of our approaches and methodology for our two most common subjects, arithmetic, and our specialty, ELA: Reading/Writing.
We specialize specifically in elementary leveled students because we believe in building academically successful students right from the beginning.
ELA: Reading/Writing
Our approach to teaching children to read, write, and use proper grammatical rules with the English language is grounded in the linguistic concepts that make up the ELA curriculum we know and use today, and the general use of language arts that make up our daily communication. Language tends to be systemic and, with many elements, prescriptive. Reading, especially at the beginning stages, is made easier when children learn the mechanisms of and correlation between letters and their phonological representation. We teach our students a set of rules by which they learn to decode words. When you begin seeing this approach, as a parent, you will be able to understand how we are teaching your child and be able to see your child’s reading level progress at an incredible rate. This approach involves teaching your child which letters make which sounds when combined and found in certain places within a word. We also integrate learning parts of speech and features of grammar such as possessives, contractions, and tenses at an early age. This is due entirely to our belief that children are capable of far more than what is being taught through the New York State curriculum. By understanding the various features of language, children are better able to identify them within their reading and can decode words with more ease, as well as step up comprehension learning. When a child understands what they are reading because they understand the grammar, it enhances their ability to work on reading comprehension, which is something that rings throughout the year in all grade levels starting in first grade. It is an essential part of reading and writing well, and also a big portion of upcoming state exams.
Integration of Projects and Activities
By deviating from the typical lecture format of a tutor coming into a lesson, sitting down, and lecturing for an hour, we have instead adjusted our methodology to assure that we tailor our lessons t your child’s interests and specific process of learning. While we do integrate traditional teaching throughout our lessons, we also integrate unique and hands-on projects as well as interesting activities that intertwine what your child has been learning. Projects can include creating presentations about reading materials and activities can include a virtual shopping trip to calculate the money spent. These projects and activities help keep children focused and entertained, understanding that learning can be fun, while also integrating what they have learned in a real-world manner, as well as creating projects they can keep and reference for years to come!
Arithmetic
Our approach to teaching arithmetic stems from understanding the “why” of the various concepts and topics that are within the NYS curriculum and more. Numbers mean more than their symbol, geometry is more than just the images of the shapes, and algebra is more than 2x=10, where x=5. Our tutors teach your child to understand why a particular equation or formula is as it is and this knowledge will aid in solving any arithmetic problem they are faced with in or out of school. Our program also integrates visual aids, as it is of immense help to students to be able to visualize what they are calculating, counting, and solving. From foam blocks to shapes throughout their environment, we use simple yet effective tools to help your child see the value of what they are learning and working on and be able to relate it to real-world situations and scenarios. While we do not teach mental math at the level of programs such as Abacus, we do help your child to use mental math at the natural level, with the ability to calculate simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fraction, decimal, and percentage problems in their mind. We test your child rigorously on the material we teach, as well as their ability to dominate the NYS curriculum and standardized exams. Your child will develop to think critically with our system, which is conducive not only to their ability to do well in school, but also to their Ability to apply logical reasoning outside of school, and even outside of pure arithmetic. We help your child learn a new way of thinking that will stay with them and help develop their academic habits for years to come. Knowing how to analyze any data will be a tool your child can build on as the levels of work increase and advance.
Our Rewards System
A large part of our approach and methodology is rooted in our reassurance and reward system. By setting the stage with achievable goals, your child is motivated to achieve milestones in their lessons and put effort into learning the new material they are presented with. Your tutor will help to encourage your child's success and efforts in order to keep him/her excited and motivated. Dependent on your child's interests, your tutor will establish a system to show reassurance, in form of either stars, stickers, or any other symbol, such as A+s. Once your child is familiar with this process, he/she will work towards achieving their stars for good effort and successful results. By accumulating a specific number of symbols, they get closer to achieving their reward. Each time a reward is achieved, your tutor will bring a gift, specifically tailored to your child’s interests, that will serve as both a learning tool as well as a bit of fun!