Biltmore’s Study Skills Program
Biltmore Tutoring’s Reading and Study Skills Program is designed for students in grades 3-12. Our program is completely customized around the needs of your student, using relevant materials and resources to improve their grades while learning how to effectively answer critical thinking questions, take notes in class and from text, condense notes to facilitate more efficient studying, and give your child confidence to master even the most difficult content material. This tutoring is always one-on-one because the program’s success relies on the ability to adapt the skills to the strengths of each student.
Active Reading Strategies
Passive reading is common among students, contributing to weak critical thinking skills. As we know, decoding and comprehending are two different skill sets. Too many students get all the way through middle school without really understanding the difference between passive and active reading, and they hit a wall when they try to passively read dense content material. Biltmore’s instructors are experts at helping students become active readers – and the results correlate to higher grades.
Organization and Time Management Skills
When grades are low, it is usually due to poor time-management skills and lack of organization. At Biltmore, our tutors teach your child how to create deadlines, using either physical calendars or electronic devices, depending on your student’s preference. We help them learn how to budget their time, understand the amount of time they need for each assignment, project, etc., and most importantly follow-up with your child to make sure they are completing these tasks when promised. Typically, our program takes about twenty hours to teach your child how to do this on their own, since our goal is to have them be self-sufficient in their studies from this point forward.
Homework Management
As part of this program, we teach your student how to organize their homework around their busy after school schedules. By getting to know each student’s strengths and weaknesses, we help them decide which assignments should be done when. If math is a child’s most difficult class, we want them doing this homework first, when it is fresh in their memories and energy is at its peak. If reading comes easily to your student, this should be done last, etc.
Building Confidence
Students sometimes come to us when they are dangling with poor grades and feeling hassled by teachers and parents about poor study habits. In fairness, we are not born knowing how to study and budget our time. This is a skill, like learning how to play tennis or golf. Students need a professional to teach them skills to make their lives easier. Amazingly, these are skills they will take with them into any academic and career situation. Let our tutors give your child the confidence to be successful throughout their lives and feel empowered by having these skills.