How To Avoid The Summer Education Gap

It is almost inevitable.
Students are dismissed on the last day of school,
with the hope that they will continue their educational development,
yet when students return from their Summer break,
there is no continuity of education.
In place of a continued education development,
a gap has began to form over the Summer,
that, with every back-to-school season,
must be bridged over and filled.

Students can avoid caving into the Summer Education Gap (SEG) by doing activities which can help prevent, and even develop, those education skills that will be so fundamental to student success in the upcoming school year.

OBSERVATIONS
Be aware of your surroundings and study how you, and others, interact with them on a day to day basis.  A scientist is always making observations and connecting those observations to other knowledge, experiences, and the reactions that are anticipated.  Observe the effect of your interactions with others and how others react to your interactions with them.  Make adjustments between different situations and analyze how those adjustments affect the results.

READING
The primary source of gathering information is reading.  Reading is tactile (Hold a book, tablet, paper), is auditory (Reading out loud to ourselves, with others), is visual (We see the images, give form to abstract ideas).  Visit your local library and borrow some books, browse the various sections, download a reading app on your device and add reading material that is of interest to you. Read, read, and then read some more.

WRITING
Create a record of events throughout the Summer.  Write a daily diary or create a personal blog.  Writing helps with organization and structural development of thought.  It can also add clarity to what may have looked like a chaotic sequence of events that take place over a period of time.  Writing is a great educational skill to develop and maintain as it can be referenced at a later time.

THINKING
The brain is always active, even when we are day-dreaming.  It is actually during this state that the brain is at is most active though we may not be aware of it.  Neurons connecting to relays sending electrical pulses, demanding oxygen rich blood and sugars for energy.  Activate the various parts of the brain taking on tasks that demand different mental magnitude.

ASSESSING
Set your own standards and assess how you do in meeting them.  What do you do if you do not meet such standards?  What prevents you from meeting or exceeding the standards you set?  What adjustments can you make to become more efficient at reaching such standards?  Set measurable goals at various timed intervals (ie. By the end of the day I should have accomplish... By the end of the week I should have accomplish...  By the end of Summer I should have accomplish...)



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2017.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

June 2017

Alas! June has arrived.

A journey that began in the late days of August,

comes to a conclusion in the early days of June.

It is time for the class of 2017 to be recognized.

Their journey,

one that began at the turn of the 3rd Millennia,

now forges ahead into the 21st Century.

To all the graduates of the class of 2017,

Congratulations!!!

Rejoice in your achievements,

Reflect on your accomplishments,

Remember where you began,

Reminisce those memories you've made,

Recalculate the route ahead of you new journey.

Finally,

Reach out to one another,

as classmates,

teammates,

and friends,

until the end.

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2017.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.