College Ready

Sharing strategies for student success, college readiness and academic coaching

Tag Archives: higher ed


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How to be a Scholar. 6 Steps to Encourage Critical Thinking

As promised, encore presentations of some of our most popular posts. This post “How to be a Scholar. 6 Steps to Encourage Critical Thinking.” is a reader’s favorite over on our Pinterest page, where it has been “repinned” many times. I like the visual appeal of the infographic and will once again use it this Fall in my Freshman Composition classes. The #1 most important skill for any college student in any discipline or major, is critical thinking.
Always Question! xo~Lisa, aka “The Happy Teacher” 🙂

Psst: Yep, we’re on Pinterest. We feature high quality, visually appealing content for teachers from K-12 to College, including free resources ready to print and use in the classroom. Check out our boards and if you do, leave a comment so we can say Hello!

College Ready

As we get to the end of the semester and school year, we are expecting our students to demonstrate higher order thinking skills, or Critical Thinking. I like this infographic from Learning Commons at the University of British Columbia.

Critical Thinking ToolkitThanks to its simple flow chart style, students can use it to clearly reflect on their own thinking. Students need to constantly question their own process, and those of others. They need to ask questions about the text they read, test possibilities, and allow for new discoveries.

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) push our students beyond simple responses and elevate them to scholars and critics in their own right. Part of what’s vital in education is for students to learn to trust their own voice, while still questioning their thinking. What strategies do you use in your classroom to encourage critical thinking?

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It’s Our Anniversary!! One Year Old Today!

Happy Blogaversary!  It’s been exactly one year since I started College Ready Coach. What a year it has been! I’ve learned so much, and met so many great bloggers, writers, students and educators along the way! The one common denominator we all share: a passion for learning.

Gift in celebration

I could not have anticipated what the year would hold, but decided to take that leap, jump in and get started. It’s meant a lot of writing, amazing opportunities, more writing, and new adventures, as the message of College Ready has been shared & spread around the globe. Now, 12 months later, with over 6700 visitors from 93 countries, I am grateful, humbled, and excited to embrace the next step!

Thank you so much for making this blog a place for students, parents, and educators to have a conversation, share ideas, and support one another. We need opportunity, access, and mentors to make sure every student has a chance to be college ready. For more on helping first-generation college students succeed, check out this article.

Making smart college choices means not being buried in debt when you graduate. Here's why students are rejecting America's top college: ROI

I truly believe that “Education is the movement from darkness to light,” (Allan Bloom). Reach out to me if you have any questions, or need help shedding some light on the process of getting from high school to college.

I am happy to feature guest bloggers, especially international students , college freshmen, and parents of college students. Feel free to message me if you have ideas or suggestions.

Happy #Teachers: Changing the World in Three Easy Steps: education, confidence, hope equals #peace visiting collegereadycoach for more teaching inspiration

For more on why I started the blog, and the importance of being a mentor in a student’s life, you can read this post: 1 Easy Way to be a Hero.

To find out more about CollegeReadyCoach, check out our About page.

Many thanks~~~Lisa

aka, The Happy Teacher

A Love Letter to Teachers…or…What a Teacher Does

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Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of you amazing educators. Thank you for guiding, mentoring and inspiring students every single day. For the smiles you share. The hugs you give. The belief you have that every single child needs just one caring adult who believes in them. Thank you for being the change. You make all the difference.
With love and admiration~~Lisa
#ThankATeacher

College Ready

What a Teacher Does

Encourage, Influence, Guide, Inspire…and so much more.

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How to be a Scholar. 6 Steps to Encourage Critical Thinking

As we get to the end of the semester and school year, we are expecting our students to demonstrate higher order thinking skills, or Critical Thinking. I like this infographic from Learning Commons at the University of British Columbia.

Critical Thinking Toolkit

Thanks to its simple flow chart style, students can use it to clearly reflect on their own thinking. Students need to constantly question their own process, and those of others. They need to ask questions about the text they read, test possibilities, and allow for new discoveries.

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) push our students beyond simple responses and elevate them to scholars and critics in their own right. Part of what’s vital in education is for students to learn to trust their own voice, while still questioning their thinking. What strategies do you use in your classroom to encourage critical thinking?

 


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No Net Around the Future. Simple Ways to Help Students Soar to Their Potential

Students Need the Power of Belief to Soar to Their Potential

Teachers. It’s hard. We ask a lot of you. We ask you to keep getting up in the morning and showing up in that classroom and bringing your A Game.

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We ask you to notice the students who need the extra help and notice the students who need the extra challenge. And to do it with a smile and a magical “Mary Poppins” like presence in a classroom. Do all that but do it with fairly little community support and for not that much financial compensation, either. But do it all the same

because

Every

Student

Needs a Hero.

Keep helping our students realize that their potential is unlimited. They can soar and achieve any dream as long as they have someone in their lives that supports them. Our goal at College Ready is simply to let all students know, regardless of socio-economic background, there’s no net around their future.

They can soar to unlimited heights.


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Trends | Preparing Students for 21st Century Success

Preparing Students for 21st century Success. These are the “skills necessary for students to be able to learn effectively and live productively in our increasingly digital world,” according to learning.com. We all need to help prepare students to succeed in college and/or career.

EdTech Digest

Preparing Students for 21st Century Success - aLearning.com Infographic

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Collaboration Is King of the Classroom

Such Simple Truth, but so powerful.

Collaborative learning leads to amazing discoveries.

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Thanks Venspired for the image & the important reminder.


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Live Dangerously. Read!

 Celebrate Banned Books-read one of these 40 books that have been banned or otherwise challenged.

Biggest surprise? Charlotte’s Web. But maybe an even bigger surprise…the #1 Most Banned Book of 2012. Think you know what it is? Post your guess in the comments and I will let you know on Thursday.

For now, I’ll give you a hint–it *is a children’s book. Ok, I’ll give you two hints–it is not pictured here. Good luck!

Please consider becoming a CollegeReadyCoach follower. Help us spread the word about student success & happy teachers!! You can follow us on facebook. You know the drill, just click that little blue “like” button up there on the top right. Easy Peasy. Or, you can follow the blog as a subscriber. Just enter your info in the box and join the over 400+ other amazing folks in the tribe! Please and thank you. 🙂

xoxo,

Lisa (aka, The Happy Teacher)

Teaching with Soul

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Teaching with Soul

I Learn Everyday. I Teach.

Every teacher knows this. We are Always Learning. In fact, we learn from our students each and every day.

We know that teaching is not about the teacher, it is about the students. The students are the focus of the classroom, and the students are why we are there. Each one of them comes to us with dreams and it is really a gift that we are given to be there to help them find their path to pursue those dreams.

Teachers–you are truly golden.

xo, Lisa


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7 Ways to Retain College Transfer Students

This post is a re-print from Jo Hilman of Noel Levits. For the full post, click Campus officials rate retention programs for college transfer students less effective than first-year student retention programs

7-point checklist for retaining college transfer students, by Jo Hilman

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Understanding transfer students’ attitudes, receptivity, motivations, and level of satisfaction with services is important in supporting their needs. The key is to tailor student success programs to these needs. Below are ideas to consider.

Does your institution offer:

1.  Orientation programs tailored specifically for transfer students, including segments that address concerns such as transfer of credit, finances, major-related internships, and meaningful work experiences?

2.  Programs beyond the usual classroom and advising services that connect transfer students to faculty, staff, and native students within academic or co-curricular interest areas?

3.  Peer mentors for transfer students?

4.  Assignment of students to an advisor within the student’s major/area of interest with an early focus on confirming or further refining a written academic plan?

5.  An advising center devoted to transfer students?

6.  Career fairs for students who are undecided about a major?

7.  Academic support services based on areas of student need and receptivity?

All of these areas are solid ways to support transfer students and increase transfer student retention.

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