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Youth
Bone up for PSAT, SAT tests at New Vistas Life-long learning skills taught to 4th, 6th graders
High school sophomores, juniors and seniors throughout the SanTan Sun area can bone up on their test-taking skills through a one-week class offered several times throughout the year at the Eleanor A. Jordan (EAJ) Academic Assessment and Instructional Services Institute, a division of New Vistas Center For Education in Chandler.
The class prepares students for the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) exams, offered as preparation for the National Merit Scholar competitions and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), also known as the College Entrance Exam. The PSAT test contains fi ve sections which measures a student’s critical reading, math problem-solving and writing skills, explains New Vistas Director of Public Relations Judy Cresanta. Cresanta says it “opens the competitive door” to college entrance, scholarships and the National Merit Scholar Program which qualifi es and honors students having extraordinary academic capabilities.
“There is such a thing as test-taking anxiety,” says Dr. Eleanor Jordan, director and founder of EAJ Institute. “The only way to overcome this is show students what to expect and equip them with reasoning strategies and tactics to arrive at the correct answers. When students take this fi ve-session class, they will be equipped, confi dent and prepared to perform at the pinnacle of their capabilities.” Jordan says they have entrusted this class to some “very talented teachers,” including Jim Barnette in math
Jim Barnette
and Stacey Trepanier in language arts. Barnette, a 34-year veteran teacher, offers components of reasoning to give students the competitive edge in everything from simple math to data analysis, statistics and probability. Trepanier, a Shakespearean coach and teacher of 18 years, gives students tools to critically analyze reading passages, discern Greek and Latin root words to assess unfamiliar vocabulary and offers tips for constructing powerful essays.
Stacey Trepanier Registration is
required, as class sizes are limited. Specifi c schedules will be announced in September. EAJ Institute offers specialized classes and testing services to the Valley area including academic and diagnostic testing, reasoning ability testing, gifted enrichment classes and workshops and a summer day school for pre-K through second grade. The Institute is located on the New Vistas campus at 670 N. Arizona Ave., Suite 35 in Chandler. For information, visit
www.newvistasaz.com/eajinstitute. html or call 480-963-2313 Monday through Friday.
Teaching problem solving, critical thinking
Meanwhile, most agree that critical thinking and problem-solving skills are important for students to excell in the world of standardized test-taking, advanced coursework, attaining higher education
Submitted photo
THINKER: Hannah Tsay, a fourth-grader at New Vistas Center For Education, works on a tangram, an ancient Chinese puzzle composed of seven pieces, as part of her critical thinking challenge.
goals and fi nding a successful career. So Jim Barnette, a gifted resource teacher for New Vistas Center For Education Summer Program, designed a comprehensive course aimed at fourth- to sixth-graders that zeroes in on these analytical techniques. His course, entitled “Thinking Outside the Box,” focuses on verbal and visual reasoning techniques, as well as quantitative reasoning and processing abilities.
“Critical thinking
makes a huge difference in how students approach everything, from a challenging class to a challenge in life,” says Barnette, who has 34 years of experience teaching gifted students. “Individual students process information differently. Some are strong processing information auditorily. Some learn better visually, and some are very strong with quantitative reasoning.” Barnette’s class goals seek to equip students in all of these process areas by honing in fi rst on observation skills; second, equipping students with analyzing skills; and fi nally, developing competence in attaining logical conclusions.
See New Vistas Page 62
August 6 - 19, 2011
61
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