Staying Calm During Test Taking and Decision Making Re: Speed Secrets of a Racing Prodigy WSJ

I meant to put this post up on the Kick-Start Self Coaching blog
and talk more about test-taking here. But somehow I may have had my head in two places at once (NOT A GOOD test-taking skill!) and somehow I put it here.

After you read the post try these tips to help your children improve their level of calm during tests which is a crucial component to being a good test-taker.

Coaching Tip: Use the coaching tip mentioned below with practice tests.
* Buy one of those old fashioned egg timers and keep practicing with your children the art of staying cool under pressure.
* Get them used to answering the (practice) test questions as quickly, carefully and calmly as they can.
* Mention Hamilton to your children - he needs practice and help too even to do one of the coolest and stressful sports.

(Here's the post)

I love speed racing (to watch, not participate in, although it was a childhood wish of mine to be a race car driver...ah yes...while most little girls were wishing for ballerina slippers I was wishing for race car helmets but that's all for another day...) where was I? Oh yes, that's one of the things that drew me to the article in the WSJ "Speed Secrets of a Racing Prodigy" about Lewis Hamilton. The article describes his racing with F1 which is Europe's Nascar but with some grueling differences.

What I found fascinating was the description of Hamilton's special skill and nerves of steel to "pass by braking - waiting longer than the other driver to hit the brake before entering a turn". The article by Darren Everson continues on to describe how he learned this special skill through preparation for it by working with Kerry Spackman, a neuroscientist employed by Hamilton's team. "Dr. Spackman tries to help drivers improve decision-making by getting them to feel a greater sense of calm." Fantastic!!! I'll say that again because the concept works in most areas of life.

"Dr. Spackman tries to help drivers improve decision-making by getting them to feel a greater sense of calm."

That's one of the goals of our coaching and one of the skills I work with clients on.
Hysteria, anxiety, stress levels, internal and interpersonal conflicts all impede our ability to make the best possible decisions at any given time.

Yes, there are people who make decisions best when under pressure but even under those circumstances they need (or have already) developed a way of maintaining internal calm that allows them to make the best decisions.

There are many ways and techniques of developing a greater sense of calmness when making decisions. Different people respond in different ways, but the goal remains the same. To stay as calm as possible in order to make the best decision possible.

Quick Tip: I worked with one client who just froze when he had to make on-the-spot decisions which was a BIG problem since his work involved many on-the-spot decisions which were crucial to his work. We worked together using a number of techniques but the one that he enjoyed the most and that worked for him was the old egg-timer technique.

I used one of those old-fangled egg-timers and set it in minute and then second increments. He was given a "problem" and had to come up with the answer/solution in the alloted time. At first even the simplest problems were impossible since it was the pressure that caused him to freeze. Eventually the time constraint wasn't a problem an he enjoyed beating the clock to come up with more and more complicated solutions.

Whatever works!

Enjoy the day your way,
RK
Rebecca Kiki Weingarten M.Sc.Ed, MFA (APA)
Daily Life Consulting

Why We're Powerless to Resist Grazing On Endless Web Data - Wall Street Journal

Terrific article in the Wall Street Journal by Lee Gomes Why We're Powerless to Resist Grazing On Endless Web Data On Endless Web Data
So - we're hardwired to graze for information? And HOW much information are children exposed to nowadays? Oh, that's right - an enormous, overwhelming amount.

One of the challenges we work with parent and educators on is how to assist children in regulating the amount of information they expose themselves to and how they integrate it into their minds, psyches, behaviors and world views. It's not easy for parents assisting their children in managing technology and a world that they had no experience with as children. Brave New World as it were.

Coaching Tips:
Don't be afraid to set limits for your child's technology consumption.
Sit down with your children and get input as to how they think this can be done. (They'll tell you it can't. It can.)
Discuss how you intend to set the limits.
Be clear about the limits.
Be clear about the consequences to not adhering to the limits.
Follow through.

You're doing the children a favor. Imagine if they could stay up as late as they say they wanted to? Eat as much as they say they want to? Run around as much as they say they want to? Yeah - I think you've got the picture.

Not having all that tech time leaves room for lots of other things for them to explore and get used to. It encourages development of different skills and ways to keep themselves occupied.

Good luck!
RK

Rebecca Kiki Weingarten M.Sc.Ed, MFA (APA)
Daily Life Consulting

What Is Daily Life Coaching 4 Kids? + What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart? WSJ + Single Sex Public Education - NYTimes

When it comes to Education I'm a bit "Back To The Future" in my philosophy. Hi-Touch and Hi-Tech. Hi-touch because there's nothing more real than children, especially young children. Hi-tech because it's the present and future.

Combine the old fangled methods that work well with technology that meets the educational, intellectual, emotional and creative needs of children. It sounds very simple, and conceptually it is but...it also implies asking and answering many questions about what the "educational, intellectual, emotional and creative needs of children" are. That is one of our goals here at Daily Life Consulting (4 Kids).

Other goals include applying all the knowledge and using it to create and develop and teach daily life solutions which will enable children to have the most fun and successful childhoods possible. We work with parents, teachers, counselors, therapists, coaches, schools and school administration, government and corporations and anyone else who works and cares about children who would like to acquire the skills, knowledge and techniques that will enable them to encourage healthy growth and success.

To that end, along with the Learning Readiness and Skills modules that I've been working on we are in the midst of creating and developing one of the most exciting coaching and learning modules that it has been my extreme joy and excitement to create. I don't want to say more until it's been worked through a bit more but it will combine the most basic elements of hi-touch with preparing children for a future in a very hi-tech world.

In answer to your questions about what I think re: the New York Times article about Single Sex Public Education. Yes.

As for what works, check out a great article in the Wall Street Journal about education that works, that is (gasp) somewhat old-fashioned What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?Among other concepts "one explanation for the Finns success is their love of reading".

What I love about the article is the description of the Finnish philosophy, the libraries in the malls, the lack of competing "cool factors" in schools. The focus on learning and allowing for children to be children and growing. Mr. Erma, a teacher at the school put it brilliantly "we just have to accept the fact that they're kids and they're learning how to live."

Let's work together to do that ... help them "learn how to live". Not "how to take tests well" or "how to get a pedicure at 6" or "how to follow pop entertainment role models to the exclusion of everything else" or "how to be the ultimate consumer by age 10" but simply "how to live".

If you have any questions or comments or would like more information on Daily Life Coaching 4 Kids please email me at rebecca at dailylifeconsulting dot com.

Enjoy the day your way,
RK

Rebecca "Kiki" Weingarten M.Sc.Ed, MFA
Daily Life Consulting

What's Gotten Into Kids These Days? Wall Street Journal

Terrific and important article What's Gotten Into Kids These Days? by Sue Shellenberger in today's Wall Street Journal. What's going on? Why is it happening? I do not agree with some of the information in the article but that's too long to go into here.


It is a major issue that we work on with clients here at Daily Life Coaching 4 Kids (http://www.dailylifeconsulting.com) in our Life Skills for Children and one which, if addressed early on doesn't have to escalate to the point where it interferes with children's learning and education.

I very much agree that "teachers also benefit from access to mental-health or behavioral consultants" and we do work with schools and programs, and individual teachers who come on their own for educator coaching. I believe that teachers should have some background in psychology and have access to mental health and behavioral consultants.

Having been there myself, I will tell you that I truly believe that teaching young children is one of the toughest, toughest jobs in the world. It is also amazingly rewarding.

Coaching Tips on this topic will follow next week. If you'd like more information on our Life Skills for Children coaching, workshops, seminars (and online classes which are coming soon) please contact me rebecca at dailylifeconsulting dot com or jill at gtkgroup dot com.

Enjoy the day,
RK

The First-Grader's First PC from WSJ

Some good information and resources for technology for the early childhood set.

The First-Grader's First PC Simpler, Cheaper Machines Find an Audience With Kids; Filtering Out the 'Crazy Stuff'By CHRISTOPHER LAWTON November 1, 2007; Page D1