It is me again — your number one source from Ashley Tutors for fun on the Internet!

A tutor from our team discovered a great tool on the Internet: www.onemorestory.com. It is great for younger students just learning how to read as the site reads books “aloud” so your student can follow along. Our tutors encourage the students to use this tool on their own because it will help improve reading fluency (words per minute) as well as enunciation of words.

www.onemorestory.com

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 15, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Colleen Lerro

Director of Communications

240.780.3233

colleen@ashleytutors.com

ASHLEY TUTORS TEAMS UP STUDENTS WITH POSITIVE ROLE MODELS

Innovative and experienced tutors make learning entertaining

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – Ashley Tutors (http://www.ashleytutors.com) has hired an energetic and diverse team from six countries to put into practice the Ashley Tutors’ motto: LIVE! Learning Is Very Entertaining. The fresh tutoring team has been assembled to make learning entertaining, to improve students’ self-esteem and to connect each student with a positive role model. Ashley Tutors offers one-on-one in-home academic help in any subject to students in grades Kindergarten through 12.

“The goal of Ashley Tutors is to develop a unique, individualized and very interactive strategy to meet the needs of each student,” said Josh Chernikoff, the Ashley Tutors team member who interviews, investigates and selects each individual tutor. “Because the teaching method is so interactive, it is important to have well educated and extremely energetic instructors. So, it is no accident that our team is as diverse as the students we tutor all over the Washington, D.C. area.”

The Ashley Tutors team consists of 12 instructors who offer their students knowledge from their exceptional college and graduate educations, and also come from differing backgrounds with intriguing personal stories or jobs. Every tutor works with Ashley Fagel, who is Maryland certified and teaches in Montgomery County, on how to create an individualized plan for each student’s success, and speaks with Fagel each Sunday to review their last tutoring session. Any member of Ashley Tutors can make everything from homework to an abstract subject entertaining in their one-on-one sessions.

“One of the keys to increasing comfort level and learning ability is being with the student in the comfort of their own home,” said Alejandro Alegria, a native of Guatemala, who tutors Spanish and is producing his first album to be released in mid 2008. “It is great for the parents because they do not have to fight the traffic, and it is awesome for the tutors because we can be as active and interactive as we want. Things get very entertaining with my students when we perform Spanish songs and play our own version of ‘American Idol.’”

Sometimes even the tutoring can be a learning experience for the tutors. Math tutor Michelle Silva, who graduated with a degree in mathematics from Washington College, uses the Washington Redskins statistics as a teaching tool when she tutors.

“I never thought I would know so much about the Redskins,” said Silva. “I am so happy to do whatever it takes to relate the subject to the students and make the learning fun and the subject relevant.”

Ashley Tutors prides itself on not just making students’ grades better, but giving them a mentor as well. “A positive role model can improve a student’s attitude toward learning helping them achieve even higher levels of success, self-esteem and confidence,” said Chernikoff.

Ashley Tutors is already making a difference in its students’ lives. “Spanish never came easy for my student and she was beginning to get overwhelmed, said Olga Rush, a parent of a student at Winston Churchill High School. “Ashley Tutors was able to match her with Alex, and the two of them have been working weekly on building a solid foundation for her Spanish skills. With Alex’s help, her confidence is up, and she is now enjoying the class!”

Other parents are experiencing the same success for their students. “My daughter had completely lost confidence and was beginning to hate all subjects in school,” said a parent of a middle school student in Washington, D.C. “Ashley Tutors made learning fun again for my daughter! Now she is willing to try to learn new things and doesn’t resist as she did before.”

Before Alegria, Silva and the other team members have the privilege of teaching the Ashley Tutors’ motto, L.I.V.E. Learning Is Very Entertaining; they must pass a strict background check by Intelius, a nationally recognized security company that is endorsed by the National Child Safety Foundation.

“Our tutors are not only trusted with the success of a student at school, they are also trusted to be in the student’s home,” said Chernikoff. “Therefore, even before we discuss working with any tutor, we do a background check.”

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Hello folks:

Many of our instructors for Ashley Tutors have been playing this awesome game all over Montgomery County, Md. and the Washington, D.C. area with our students called, “Text Twist.” The rules are easy to understand and it really works your brain as you try to find as many words as you can with the letters you are given — and there is a clock timing you! Our tutors use it as a way to get your students brain in motion or a nice way to wrap up a hard study session! One tutor has seen his students English comprehension shoot-up since making test twist a staple of their work together.

This is a great game for anybody — not just students of Ashley Tutors! I have to say I play a few games a night after a great day of school and tutoring. Enjoy!

http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=texttwist

Our instructor Joe Pacelli sure knows how to make a first impression! Check out these testimonials:

I just wanted to take the time to let you know that Joe is a great tutor. Even though it’s only been two sessions, it’s very clear that he is engaging and well prepared. He is a great choice for Daniel and we think this will work out quite well!

- Lisa Wolf

Parent of a student at Rockville High School (Rockville, MD)

I know it has only been one visit, but I already like what I see with our son. He has had a tough couple of years and turning things around is critical at this point. He deserves it. Thanks so much!

- Wendy Albertini

Parent of a student at Wooton High School (Rockville, MD)

Joe’s success does not stop there – parents continue to rave about how he has helped raise their student’s confidence and grades! Joe is just one of our team members people are talking about — we are so very proud of all of the members of Ashley Tutors. Every tutor works hard to connect with their student and constantly practices our motto – L.I.V.E. – Learning Is Entertaining. A pretty nice way to start a Wednesday!

Hey folks — this article really got my attention. I have read my share of science textbooks and have never been very interested. Different strokes for different folks, but it just never got my juices flowing!

Now, there is a creative new approach to teaching science, and these text books use stories rather than formulas to teach students. These books include background knowledge explaining how a scientist came to a final conclusion about a theory. As we learn more from teaching our students, it is clear that we all learn differently. Why not try something new and see if it helps students succeed! Science books made fun for more than just the scientist- sounds great – and it sounds like Ashley Tutors all the way!!!!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/27/AR2008012702032.html?wpisrc=_rsseducation

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 15, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Colleen Lerro

Director of Communications

240.780.3233

colleen@ashleytutors.com

ASHLEY TUTORS TEAM FOCUSES ON KINESTHETIC TEACHING

Innovative tutors use physical activity to make learning entertaining

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – Ashley Tutors (http://www.ashleytutors.com) has hired an energetic and diverse team from six countries to put into practice the Ashley Tutors motto: LIVE! Learning Is Very Entertaining. The fresh tutoring team was assembled to make learning entertaining through the use of kinesthetic learning, a style that takes place when a student carries out a physical activity. Based on the kinesthetic teaching methods of Ashley Fagel, a Maryland certified teacher working in Montgomery County, Md., Ashley Tutors offers in-home, one-on-one academic help in any subject to students in kindergarten through 12^th grade.

“The goal of Ashley Tutors is to develop a unique, individualized and very interactive strategy to meet the needs of each student,” said Josh Chernikoff, the Ashley Tutors team member who personally interviews, investigates and selects each individual tutor. “Because the teaching method is so interactive, it is important to have highly educated and highly energetic instructors. So, it is no accident that our team is as diverse as the subjects we tutor all over the Washington, D.C. area.”

Every tutor on the Ashley Tutors team works with Fagel on how to best utilize kinesthetic learning and speaks with Fagel each Sunday to review their last tutoring session. Any member of Ashley Tutors can make everything from homework help to an abstract subject entertaining in their one-on-one sessions with the use of kinesthetic methods.

Kinesthetic learners account for 45 percent of the population, according to Muneera Spence, Oregon State University professor. “It is important to remember that we all learn differently,” said Chernikoff. “Many students are kinesthetic learners who benefit from this philosophy which encourages students to move physically in order to focus their energy on the academic task.”

The Ashley Tutors team focuses on a kinesthetic method that allows a student a two-minute motor break to move around for every eight minutes of learning. “An elementary school student I tutor had a very tough time focusing on her lessons,” said Joe Pacelli, a senior at Georgetown University excelling in the McDonough School of Business. “After taking two-minute breaks to stretch or play Simon Says she comes back completely focused and excited to learn.”

Many students find learning while sitting quietly at a desk so restricting that all their energy is focused on keeping still. “My student is an athlete so we take push-up and jumping jack breaks, which gets his energy up and increases his ability to focus,” said Vanessa Anderson, an American University graduate with a dual degree in international studies and economics. “We integrate sports stories and metaphors into his school work to make him more interested in learning.”

“The kinesthetic methods inspire confidence in our students,” said Chernikoff. An important aspect of the Ashley Tutors philosophy is making sure our students know that we believe in them. Demonstrating this belief lets students increase their self-esteem and develop confidence as a learner.

The breaks taken when using kinesthetic learning styles provide our tutors a chance to get to know each student better. This creates a strong foundation for a successful working and learning relationship.

The results speak for themselves. “Ashley Tutors worked wonders with my child who is learning disabled,” said a parent of a Bethesda Chevy Chase High School student. “Our tutors used new individualized strategies to build on my son’s strengths and give him a boost of confidence.”

Other parents have been impressed by all the work Ashley Tutors does to create a strategy specifically for their student. “Not only is the Ashley Tutors team familiar with the Montgomery County Public Schools curriculum, they also met with my daughter’s teacher at school,” said a parent of a Rachel Carson Elementary School student. “After meeting her teacher, our tutor knew exactly how to help my daughter succeed in her class.

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Do you know what type of learner you are? Well, it is important to remember that we all learn differently – that we learn material in different ways, at different times, from different people. We do not all learn by listening to a teacher lecture, actually many of us do not learn this way. This type of learner is an auditory learner. A visual learner is a person who learns from reading text/information, writing and reviewing notes, etc. Some people are able to take notes once and never need to review them as they have learned the material by simply writing it down after reading it. Others must take meticulous notes to review and outline in order to learn the material. Yet, others are kinesthetic learners.

You are probably asking, what is kinesthetic learning? Kinesiology is the study of the movement of the body. Kinesthetic learning involves encouraging our students at Ashley Tutors to move around the room in order to help them focus their mental energy on the academic task. Some examples include using a sensory ball or molding clay for a student to hold, squeeze, etc. When their nervous energy is channeled appropriately, students are more able to concentrate on the academic task at hand in a safe environment. When this occurs, we as teachers are able to push our students to achieve their academic goals.

Other examples are allowing our students during tutoring to take motor breaks, to get up and physically move around. Play “Simon Says” or “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” for a few minutes, or do some yoga stretches together. For every eight minutes (approximate) of learning, a student needs at least two minutes to process this material/information.

So, now you might not know what type of learner you or your child are – right? Before we team a new student up with a tutor, we always sit down with the family and the student. Our goal is to get to know the family, set goals, and determine how our new student learns best. After all, our team will tailor the 1-1 tutoring to the specific learning style of the student to make learning even more fun!

Fun stuff right? Let me know what you think about kinesthetic learning – just respond to my journal.

In my first post, you learned a bit about me and I told you the basics about Ashley Tutors. I hope you want to hear more — Ashley Tutors is a dedicated team of innovative and inspired tutors who are eager to accomodate your student’s learning style in a 1-to-1 setting in your home. Our instructors promise to connect with your student and tailor to their specific learning styles, including my favorite – kinesthetic learning (more on that soon).

That connection with a student is so important to me and every tutor on our team. From the very first session we try to make a connection with each student, take time to get to know our students, and begin to build a strong relationship. Communication is key and it is also imperative that all our students at Ashley Tutors know we believe in them as many students do not believe in themselves. Every instructor on our team believes in all of our students and demonstrates this belief every session for the student to develop self-confidence as a learner.

Our instructors also believe in kinesthetic learning which encourages physical movement, like a game of “Simon Says,” and really makes learning fun! Brush up on “Simon Says” before you read my next entry!

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 15, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Colleen Lerro

Director of Communications

240.780.3233

colleen@ashleytutors.com

ASHLEY TUTORS EDUCATES AND ENTERTAINS

Ashley Tutors has an energetic team using innovative teaching techniques  

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – Ashley Tutors (http://www.ashleytutors.com) launched in October 2007, offers one-on-one in-home academic tutoring to Washington, D.C. area students in grades kindergarten through 12. While other tutoring centers use their own curriculum and parents must travel to their location, Ashley Tutors develops unique, individualized strategies to meet the needs of each of its students in the comfort of their own home. From a fourth grader raising his reading level in three months to a Spanish II student improving her grade from a D to a B, parents are already seeing results generated by the energetic and experienced team of dedicated tutors who put to practice the Ashley Tutors motto: LIVE! Learning Is Very Entertaining.

Franchised tutoring centers generally have a 1-4 student ratio and do not pair the same tutor with the same student every session. Ashley Tutors, which strives for open communication and continuity between the student, parent and tutor, offers one-on-one consistent help with the same knowledgeable tutor. The fact that the parent does not have to travel with their child to another location allows for the tutor and parent to discuss the progress and set goals after each session. After every meeting, the instructor sends an e-mail “report card” to the parent discussing the student’s outlook, energy, and offers teaching tools so the student can carry the momentum from the session into the classroom. In addition to facilitating constant communication between the tutor and parent, Ashley Tutors frequently speaks with their student’s teachers to determine the teacher’s goals, their experience with the student in the classroom, and assure them that Ashley Tutors wants to support the teacher in anyway they can.

Based on the teaching methods of Ashley Fagel, a passionate instructor with a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland, Ashley Tutors encourages the use of kinesthetic learning, a method of teaching in which a student carries out a physical activity, rather than listening to a teacher talk. According to Oregon State University professor Muneera Spence, an estimated 45% of students are kinesthetic learners who thrive in learning situations when they role play, build dioramas or even perform historical re-enactments.

“I became interested in this teaching style and saw Ashley’s tutoring sessions that are filled with entertaining and physical activities to help her students learn,” said Josh Chernikoff, a life long Montgomery County resident and the Ashley Tutors team member in charge of finding the most qualified educators. “I have a meeting with each student and parent in their home before we start the tutoring, and the majority of the students I interview learn more when they do and discover, as opposed to just listening. Kinesthetic learning is a great and successful tool to make learning entertaining.”

Another key to the Ashley Tutors difference is the desire of the team of tutors to relate to their students. Chernikoff has seen it firsthand; when students trust and communicate with their instructor, the teacher is able to motivate the student and achieve academic success faster.

“Our tutors are able to have a lot more interaction and freedom when teaching as opposed to regular school teachers or retired teachers who tutor,” said Chernikoff, who does an extensive criminal background check on each tutor and provides each tutor with information about the Ashley Tutors’ unique instructional methods. “The team that represents Ashley Tutors is fresh faced, innovative and always looking to get their students energy level flowing.”

This unique approach to tutoring already has supporters from Bethesda to Gaithersburg. “Ashley Tutors really identifies the strengths and needs of each student,” said a Great Seneca Creek Elementary School parent.

“I watched Ashley Tutors work wonders for my son,” said a Bethesda Chevy Chase High School parent. “His grades are up and so is his confidence in and out of the classroom.”

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Hello, I’m Ashley! I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am to be a part of Ashley Tutors. Working with student’s 1-1 as a tutor has been so fulfilling. Now we have a team of tutors who get to have the same interaction and fun with students I have had the last few years. What a dream come true!

A bit of background on me — I’m a proud resident of Montgomery County, MD and graduated from Wootton High School — GO PATRIOTS! I went from Wooton down the road to the University of Maryland where I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and a Masters degree in education. The program I attended focused on the diversity of cultures and learning styles. I earned my teaching certification in the state of Maryland and I am knowledgeable of the Montgomery County Public School’s curriculum. Through my work, I have gained experience working with a variety of children including special needs, learning disabilities and other health impairments.

I have taken all of that knowledge and I have developed an intensive, individualized approach to teaching and learning where learning is entertaining!

We have lots more information about Ashley Tutors on the way — please check my journal everyday — we are going to have more of my thoughts, tips from our tutors and parents on how to help your student and interesting articles about learning. Talk soon!