3 . On Mondays, two of my children get ready for school in an unusual way. Each packs plenty of food and water, a pair of rubber boots and sometimes a cup of hot chocolate. Then, I drop them off at a nearby park where they spend the entire day outside at a certified forest school.

When I first signed them up for forest school program, I loved the idea, but as a mum, I was concerned about a few things: Would they be comfortable outside for that long? Would they stay engaged for that many hours? Then I asked them if time ever seemed to move slowly, they stared at me in confusion. They didn’t understand my question, which fittingly removed it.

In this program, kids direct their own play, climbing tall trees or testing ice on the frozen lake. They are never told their play is too high or too sharp, but are rather trusted to self- adjust. Something else my sons appreciate about forest school is not being told to move on to the next activity, but being left to stay in a particular spot for as long as their curiosity allows. :

“What about all the things they’re missing in real school?” concerned parents have asked me. Neither of their classroom teachers thinks it’s a problem, but most significantly, my kids are learning new and different skills that a classroom cannot teach. They are learning to sit silently and observe nature up close-a skill that’s virtually impossible to develop in a noisy and overcrowded classroom setting. They are making social connections across a broader range of age groups. They cooperate together, using their different sizes and strengths to fulfill various roles within their games.

I appreciate it that forest school is shaping my boys’ relationship with the outdoors. They’re learning how to spend extended periods of time in nature, what to do to pass the time, and developing knowledge that will get them much closer to nature in the coming decades.

4 . It is never too late to develop great study habits. However, starting making some changes is hard. Even if you want to do well enough in school and improve your grades, you’re probably having trouble getting started in the first place!     1    .

Plan your time carefully. Make a list of your weekly tasks. Make a schedule of your time. Then decide on good, regular time for studying.     2    , but it will make you more aware of how you spend your time.

Find a good place to study. Choose one place for your study area. It may be a desk or a chair at home or in the school library, but it should be comfortable and quiet. When you begin to work, you should be able to concentrate on the subject.

Skim before you read.     3    . As you preview the material, you get some idea of the passage and how it is organized.

    4    . Listening to what the teacher says in class means less work later. Taking notes helps you remember what the teacher says.

Develop a good attitude to tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject.     5    . Tests provide grades, but they also let you know that you need to spend more time studying.

There are other skills that might help you with your study. Share with your classmates some of the skills you have found to be helpful.

6 . I have frequently taught Research Methods and Design to college students at several institutions. I love teaching this course. One reason, of course, is that I enjoy thinking about research methodology (方法学) and sharing it with others. The other reason, however, is the obvious impact that it has on students. Every term, one (if not more) student tells me how taking this course has affected him/her: “I used to just read articles and believe what they said, but now I find myself asking ‘Is this true? How do they know? Is this a well designed study?” That is what I want the students to achieve in this course.

This brings to mind something written by Dorothy L. Sayers in 1948. One of her books, The Lost Tools of Learning speaks to Sayers’ thoughts on education. “By teaching our young men and women to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed words. By the invention of the film and the radio,we have made certain that no dislike for reading shall protect them from the constant battery of words, words, words. They do not know what the words mean: they are victims to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intelligence.”

We are well past the 1940s, but her observation is still relevant. Sayers’ point is well taken. In the world of 24-hour news and social media that often resembles (类似) the Wild West, the ability to carry out evaluations has never been more important. In order to resist the distortions with which we are constantly bombed in the media, as well as be able to present a persuasive argument, we must be able to reason well, and think and give a judgement carefully.

When my students begin the Research Methods and Design course, they are generally not content to read all those research article I give. However, by the end of the course, they are excited about their newly obtained abilities.

7 . The Feynman Technique(费曼学习法)is a powerful method that you can use to learn anything faster because it forces you to actively think about the problem instead of passively reading or listening to someone else talk about it. You can take the following five simple steps to study better.

·Find out the topic you want to learn.     1     Otherwise, you'll end up jumping between topics without developing a deeper understanding of any of them.

·Explain the topic as if teaching a sixth-grader. This step is the heart of the FeynmanTechnique—    2    .This requires you to meet the child at their level of understanding by using the simplest way.

.Identify areas of improvement in your explanation. You’ll need to critically(批判性地)review the explanation you cane up with in Step Two     3    . Try to find any knowledge gaps, together with any areas where you felt that you couldn't explain the topic simply.

·Improve and optimiez(优化) your explanation. Think about all the knowledge gaps and other areas of improvement you found before.     4    

· Repeat the steps until you’ve achieved mastery of the topic. Keep going through each step you're fully satisfied with your explanation.    5    , and that is why going through all the prior steps just once is usually not enough to achieve topic mastery.

8 . Tips for online learning

Online learning has the same basic elements as face-to-face learning. The major difference is that instruction is delivered online. Many of the strategies for effective face-to-face learning also apply to online learning.     1    Here are some strategies we recommend.

Create space to learn. Invest some time to understand your needs and preferences as a learner, and what an effective study environment looks like for you. For example, you might need a quiet place to study or you might need to listen to classical music. Consider what equipment you might need. Wherever you study, try to minimize distractions.     2    

Manage your time effectively. Spend some time getting familiar with your online courses, understanding what is expected of you, mapping out key due dates, and planning study time.    3    Research shows that learners gain more information if they spread their study over multiple days or sessions. Make sure your routine works with your other commitments so you’re more likely to stick to it.

    4    Just as with face-to-face learning, mental energy counts: take time to reflect on whether you have understood the materials, try to remember and sort the information you have learned to aid memory test your understanding, mix different concepts and skills into the same study session to build connections and fluencies, ask questions, participate in class discussions, and try teaching concepts to others.

Ask for assistance! In an online learning environment, you may need to ask lots of questions and take ownership over shaping the learning experience so that it meets your needs.    5    

Finally, if you’re facing specific challenges such as illness, mental health, accessibility, balancing childcare responsibilities, etc., it’s important for you to reach out to your instructors or the relevant student support services for discussion and creative problem-solving.

9 . I knew that my first day of senior high school would be challenging. I was _______ that I would spend my first day in senior high school.

On Monday I was _______ for my first day of senior high school. My backpack was _______ with materials I needed, such as pencils, notebooks and so on. I hoped the first day of senior high school would go _______. Finally the first day of school _______. As I walked into the classroom, I saw my first class was _______. I didn’t do well in math. Doing math at first in the morning could be _______. I was surprised at what the math teacher said, “_______ wherever you’d like. There are no fixed seats in math class.” My math teacher was _______ very nice, and I like her from the start. My next class was English. My English teacher was Ms Popstar. She was so knowledgeable that we ________ her. After lunch I had a biology class, I figured the day was closing out and I didn’t feel too ________ about senior high school.

I knew this year was going to be a ________ because I started to realize that I was growing up to be an adult. I would ________ my classes. There were many fun and unknown things for me to ________ in senior high school. I ________ some new friends and new teachers that were so nice and welcoming on the first day.

10 . Sites for free online education enable you to learn courses in your comfortable place. The courses of these websites are offered by top universities. You can learn a specific subject without much investment. These websites offer many videos, articles, and e-books to increase your knowledge.

Coursera

Coursera is a free learning platform that offers MOOCs courses from well-known universities. All courses contain pre-recorded video lectures that you can watch when it is convenient for you. Coursera has programs together with universities that allow you to get a master’s degree. You can explore various college courses without any trouble.

CodeHS

CodeHS is a learning site that’s specially designed for students to learn computer science. This website provides lesson plans where you can access various resources to learn it. The courses are designed in a way that suits your personal needs. The videos can be viewed online as well as offline.

Khan Academy

This site is useful to match your learning goals. You choose this site to personalize your learning experience. This free platform can be used for learners and teachers. The resources of this site are available online as well as offline. The content of Khan Academy is available in English, French, German, and more.

Connections Academy

Connections Academy is the best online course website that helps students to learn from home. The courses of this platform are designed for elementary school and middle school. The site provides personalized learning experiences and enables you to easily meet teachers and classmates in the virtual classroom.