Blog

Welcome to the official QWERTY Education Services blog – a place where we like to share what we learn from our work with students and our thoughts and insights on topics from the world of education services. This blog acts as a place where “the rubber meets the road” for sharing our thoughts about ways to help our students become confident, independent learners. We invite you to join us here as we ponder new thoughts and insights, and – most importantly – as we share new things we learn from our students. We welcome your recommendations for the latest education related blogs, links, and sites to check out.

Is it ADHD? A Learning Style Difference? Both?
Friday, February 17

A recent opinion piece in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, entitled,  “Looking Before Leaping in Diagnosing ADHD Kids” (http://bit.ly/gNZEXJ), cautions that the recently documented rise in the rate of diagnosis of ADHD in American children could have its roots in a variety of factors other than an actual increase in the prevalence of the disorder. 

As we are not...

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Thoughts on "Waiting for Superman."
Friday, February 10

A few years ago, I worked at an urban school in South East San Jose. As a fairly new teacher, I found a group of experienced, skilled mentors who were always willing to help. My first year was enjoyable, but challenging. I remember thinking that someone should make a documentary about the public school system to educate parents and taxpayers and to start a real dialogue on the subject. I was hoping that "Waiting for Superman" was...

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Improved Working Memory: Potentially Effective Intervention?
Friday, February 3

Working memory is the part of memory that helps us hold various bits of ‘data’ online – it’s like cache memory in a computer.  A common observation in children who struggle with learning is that they have a hard time holding more than one thing in mind at one time – think of the typical classroom instruction to get out your math book, turn to page 87 and do the odd numbered problems as an example of where...

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Disclosing the Diagnosis to your Child: Harmful or Helpful?
Friday, January 27

After the sometimes emotional and frustrating process that often leads to getting a child a psychoeducational evaluation, many parents are relieved to hear that there is a reason behind their child’s struggles.  That relief, however, may be quickly replaced by the overwhelming question, “What do we tell our child?”

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Boys and Technology
Friday, January 20

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Help for the Reluctant Writer
Friday, January 13

Sorting through the avalanche of software that purports to help students can be overwhelming.   There are two award-winning literacy support products that have been around for a while and actually can help, particularly for students who have a hard time organizing their thoughts and transferring that organization to paper.  Inspiration combined with Read & Write Gold can greatly reduce frustration in...

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Using Calculators
Friday, January 6

One of the most debated decisions that parents, educators and students have to make is just how much and how early a student should rely on the use of a calculator.  Having worked with all sorts of math students through the years, we have been able to observe many of the do’s and don’ts that either help or hinder students in developing confidence in math. Used properly, calculators are terrific tools that can make short work...

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Holiday Skill-Builders
Friday, December 23
Around this time of year parents might worry about how to keep their school-age children engaged in productive activities. Fortunately, the holidays offer many opportunities for growth and enrichment. Here are some skill-building activities that parents can use to help their students improve their thinking, reading, and writing skills. 
 
Following directions/ Sequence
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Monitoring Your Own ADHD
Friday, December 16

Cynthia Hammer, MSW, writes in a Fall 2010 issue of ADDitude Magazine (http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/8030.html) that writing about her ADHD has benefits for her on multiple levels.  She doesn’t write every thought she has about her ADHD, but rather, records only those instances when her ADHD rears its head and impacts her life.  In this way, she has a...

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Structure Without Monotony
Friday, December 9

Countless parents have been told that a key to their child’s success is a more predictable and structured environment.  Research has shown this to be true for students with ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and executive functioning deficits.  In all honesty, everyone could benefit from a predictable and structured environment.  Does this, however, sentence every family to a life devoid of freedom,...

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