Life skills are described as “problem-solving behaviours used appropriately and responsibly in the management of personal affairs”.  But, this definition sounds confusing. Simply described, a life skill is a piece of fun practical knowledge that will shape the rest of your life. The more you learn, the better life skills you’ll have, and the more prosperous your life will become.

Key life skills are ones like decision making and critical thinking. It is easy to be decisive in particular situation if you are confident, and confidence comes from knowledge. It is wrong to think that you must know everything. In fact, as the saying goes, often “the more you learn, the less you know”. However, if you learn how to pick the right information from the bulk, you will be able to evaluate any situation quickly and resourcefully solve whatever the problem is.

Don’t be fooled and get false confidence that good problem solving skills can solve every problem out there. You also need creativity, and that comes from brainstorming and team work. As Robert Sternberg says: “And in order to succeed in later life, you need creative skills because look at how fast the world is changing.”

There is a good reason why creativity and communication are the key factors in what makes the human a superior animal. People share ideas, build and overthrow them, because that’s how people are – they listen, talk, talk more and work together to achieve higher goals. If you accept that simple truth, and open to other people’s ideas, you’ll find out that talking with your teammates and friends can give you the brightest solutions.

Here is the list of some the most important life skills by UNICEF:

• Verbal communication
• Active listening
• Giving feedback without blaming others and receiving feedback without being insulted
• Refusal skills
• Negotiation skills
• Information gathering skills
• Finding alternative solutions to problems
• Time management
• Positive thinking
• Relaxation techniques
• …

Which life skill will you aim to develop today?

Trust us, we know better than anyone that exams can often be very stressful, no matter how prepared you are and no matter how hard you’ve studied. Because of that, we would like to share with you a few tips on how to best prepare for an exam and how to go through it as easily and breezily as possible.

First of all, before an exam, make sure you get enough sleep, and eat healthy food so that you can wake up on time and get to the exam feeling fresh and focused. This will ensure that you won’t get stressed over minor things, and instead you’ll be able to concentrate on the matter that’s most important – passing the test with the highest possible grade.

Your result on the test depends on how well you’ve prepared for the exam, how much time you’ve spent studying, and, most importantly, how concentrated on the subject matters you’ve been.

With that in mind – start preparing early! Try to make learning fun and interesting. Create interactive activities and find connections between what you’re studying and what you know best. Visualize what you are learning. Use any technique that helps you memorize, comprehend, and contain the knowledge.

For example, if you’re preparing for a chemistry exam, use some candy to recreate the structure of the molecule. If you’re studying physics, try to remake the experiments, if you have the resources, or think about each step of the experiment that you made in class. If the subject is literature, write the names of the protagonists in flashcards, connect them by their relationships, or by similarities with people you know.

Your preparation may depend on the teacher, or the mentor you work with, so make sure you know what can you expect of your tutor.

Remember to organize yourself and set exact times for studying on a daily basis. Adjusting your daily activities so you have enough time for both studying and relaxing, will enable you to concentrate better when concentration is crucial. Don’t break your studying routine, and work hard to stay focused each and every day – the end result will matter more then that additional hour you’ve spent playing video games.

Lastly – outline your goals, and determine exactly what you want to achieve. Always aim for the highest possible result and remember that, if you give yourself enough time and if you put in the right kind of effort, you can achieve anything you want!

You’re now ready for you exam! Be relaxed and calm. After all, you’ve prepared well!

Technology gives us the possibility to search for answers and educate ourselves on various topics, with as little as a  few clicks and a few typed words. Furthermore, technology gives us the power to create an infinite amount of informational resources that contain answers to all of our questions. Among those resources are various videos that, not only answer our questions, but demonstrate the practical use of the knowledge.

We searched the Web, and found a few interesting free video sites that have vast libraries of educational videos. The sites’ services vary – some allow you to search for quick answers to random everyday questions and problems, while others give you the opportunity to watch all sorts of long lectures from established universities.

Feel free to check them out, and find a great amount of useful educational content that you can use on a daily basis for personal curiosities, or as a source for school projects:

- 5min.com is a “videopedia” where you can find practical knowledge and advice on various topics, from video games to arts, business, health, parenting and technology.

- Academicearth.com is a page where you can find thousands of video lectures from world’s top scholars from Berkeley, Columbia University, MIT, UCLA, Yale, and more.

- MathTv.com is a cool site with a lot of video examples of how to solve various math problems.

- InternetArchive.org is a huge library of movies, short films and videos that can provide you unique insight on different issues.

- iTunes U is the place for every iOS user to find cool educational podcasts and videos.

Enjoy, watch, learn and thrive!

Tutoring should not only be about passing knowledge, but it should be about being a student’s mentor, improving their studying abilities in any way possible, enhancing their self-confidence, and helping them build valuable life skills.

The student’s personal development is the most important job for the tutors. Knowledge can be learned, but applying it requires thorough thinking, or as the famous Greek thinker Socrates would put it: “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.”

A good tutor is someone who is available, who can maintain a steady and quality communication with the student, and who is the point of contact for academic support.

Tutoring is a personal communication, and a one-on-one connection, developed so that the tutor would understand the rhythm of learning and give the student enough confidence to explore the subject and do research on their own. Researching is a neat skill that should be maintained throughout the whole life, and not just during the school years, because it leads to an even deeper knowledge, experience, and self-growth.

Despite the fact that the tutor should develop a friendly relationship with the student, he or she should also be a qualified professional. A tutor does not necessarily have to be a college professor, but he or she should be experienced and extremely well educated in the subject, and be able to transfer his or her knowledge in simple, yet effective terms.

To sum it up – a student should expect the very best from their tutor: the best knowledge of the particular subject and other related areas; the right attitude and motivation towards teaching and mentoring, and a friendly professional communication.

Choose the right tutor for you from the list of 75+ BrainStorm’s SUPER-CHAMP mentors!

druthers  \DRUHTH-erz\ , noun;
1. One’s own way, choice, or preference.

Quotes:
“You mean if I had my druthers? Why, if I had my druthers I’d druther eat speckledly gravy,” Dove assured him.
– Nelson Algren, A Walk on the Wild Side

“Like I say, I think George would go right on living in the house if he had his druthers,” Judy Diment said.
– Stephen King, Everything’s Eventual

Origin: Druthers comes from a jocular American English formation of the phrase “I’d ruther” meaning “I’d rather.”

Bandersnatch \BAN-der-snach\ , noun;
1. An imaginary wild animal of fierce disposition.
2. A person of uncouth or unconventional habits, attitudes, etc., especially one considered a menace, nuisance, or the like.

Learn more about Bandersnatch – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandersnatch

BrainStorm is proud to announce that it is opening the doors of its first-ever Learning & Arts Center this August!  Our location is the Market Basket/Urban Farms shopping center in Franklin Lakes, NJ, where we have carved out 9 rooms & more than 2,000 square feet of space in order to offer WORLD CLASS offerings in a variety of subjects:

• After-school enrichment and homework help for grades K-12;
• Classes ranging from standardized test prep to essay writing to foreign languages; and
• An arts program, including music & voice lessons, visual, graphic & design arts classes, etc.

Be the first among your friends to jump on the opportunity to access our high-demand tutors for a FRACTION of the one-on-one price!  To learn more about our center, or to offer suggestions or make requests, please call Sean Faulkner at 973.931.9323.

For prospective college students, the college admissions process does not begin the moment students begin to fill out their applications. College admission councils are looking for students who have excelled throughout high school, performed well on standardized testing, and participated in activities and programs that have made a difference in their own lives. This establishes that the student is capable of not only excelling at schoolwork and test-taking, but also balancing and managing a full schedule. Therefore, preparing for college begins early in a High School student’s career.

Though the completed coursework (including grades and the level of difficulty of classes) is the most important aspect of an applicant’s profile, the remaining factors are undoubtedly significant. SAT and ACT scores provide a way for colleges to universally compare students’ abilities. Also, participating in sports, clubs, and service programs allow applicants to distinguish themselves and showcase their leadership skills.

Despite the magnitude of the aforementioned factors, the college application itself is crucial to winning admission. Application essays provide students one of their only opportunities to express to their college of choice why they deserve to attend that institution. Applicants can use the entrance essay as a chance to showcase their writing skills and their personal achievements.

Clearly, students with solid grades, good test scores, and a proven dedication to extracurricular interests can find themselves in a strong position to achieve their goals.

BrainStorm has college coaches who can walk you through as much of the process as you need:  finding relevant schools, preparing essays, honing interview skills, locating and gaining scholarships, and improving resumes. If you are interested, please contact us to find out more about how our college coaching program can help to improve your student’s standing as an applicant.