Newsletter Issue #7,  October 2009
In This Issue:

Classes vs. Tutoring - A letter from the Principal, RSM-Newton

One common question that new RSM parents (very busy parents of very busy kids) have asked me for as long as RSM has existed, is "Why can't we just have a tutor?"  Over the years I gave the same answer many times to probably hundreds of parents, and most of them admitted later that my explanation helped them make the best decision for their kids' education.

Math tutoring is the one service that many suburban families with school age children are currently using. It's not an overstatement to say that it's as commonly used as cleaning ladies. Why is this the case? And what are parents hoping to accomplish by hiring math tutors for their children?

The first question has two answers. People either do not believe that their school's math education will be sufficient for their child or their child is experiencing difficulties with math classes.  The first scenario usually involves children who are simply bored out of their minds during math classes. The second refers to children who have already developed a discomfort with math. "I am not a math person," they will tell you immediately, and their parents will nod in support. In my opinion, this statement is ridiculous. Ridiculous simply because math at this level is within the ability of every child.
So, these two reasons push parents to look for solutions outside of their public or private school math education.  A good tutor is the most common solution and many high school teachers make good money tutoring children after hours.
Math tutoring is an anesthetic; it's a quick pain reliever, but it does nothing for the root of problem. Let's ask ourselves one simple question. Why do our children have to learn math in the first place? Why in all cultures, for centuries, have children been obligated to study mathematics? What is more important, the knowledge one will obtain as the result of such studies or the process of learning itself?
An 18th century Russian scientist, Mikhail Lomonosov, famously said: "one has to study math, because it puts one's mind in order." Another 17th century philosopher, George Berkeley claimed that the understanding of mathematics comes from the use and development of critical thinking, problem solving, and reflective thinking. He continued that the study of mathematics helps with interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information.
Current research constantly shows us that those who've studied math for a long time are very good overall learners; their mind can adopt new information faster than most and can better retrieve and make connections to previous knowledge.
Of course it is still important to be able to pass any test at school, and of course it's important to pass the SAT's with a good score, but learning mathematics in the correct way is equally important. What does it mean to learn math the correct way?
The correct way of learning math is simple; it consists of 3 elements:
1) New ideas are introduced in a continuous logical way;
2) New ideas are not simply shown, they should always be proven based on previous knowledge,
3) Enough exercises are provided to convert this new understanding into a skill.
Let's examine, using the framework above, why tutoring is only an anesthetic, why it's not a solution. First, tutors normally don't introduce new ideas, they work on the particular gap that the child has. Why does the child have this gap? Because the new ideas were originally introduced as unrelated facts and the child was asked to memorize them as a set of rules. The human mind is simply not capable of remembering so many independent rules. It needs to connect them into one logical chain. During the hour that the tutor works with the child, he does not have time to prove anything; he does not have time to derive new knowledge from previous knowledge. He will normally spend his time doing enough exercises to enable the child to remember this new rule at least for next week's test. Will this method help the child improve his school grades? Absolutely! Will it do anything for him in the long run? No, because the school's curriculum is not logical, topics are picked out of order and too many topics are covered in one year. The tutor, while jumping from topic to topic with the student, will ensure only grades, but neither knowledge nor good learning.
Many parents love the tutor-student scenario, because they think that they're paying for the tutor's undivided attention to their child, and that without the distraction of other students, the tutor will be able to teach their child to the fullest. Let's analyze the teacher-class vs tutor-student scenario.
 In every class, even the most homogeneous one, participants are immediately divided into 3 groups: advanced, middle, slow. It's easier for teachers to manage their classes this way. The most advanced students understand everything very quickly and sometimes even assist with proving many different things, but they are usually too quick for their own good. Their mind does not produce that many questions. Slower students usually ask lots of questions, making advanced students stop and think. All this group interaction helps accomplish many things: to keep everyone challenged and intellectually stimulated by each other, to produce enough questions for better comprehension of the new material, and it creates a fun environment of social interaction, which is always beneficial for good learning. In individual tutoring the student is challenged only by the teacher; the student knows that he cannot be better than the teacher and this kills any form of healthy competitive spirit. The student will not be forced to answer other people's questions; he will not learn to think differently by observing others.
Learning is not babysitting; it requires work on both sides. A teacher must be able to clearly explain the material and a student must not be intellectually lazy. In one on one tutoring it is extremely hard to fight intellectual laziness, and in my experience - intellectual laziness is fairly common. From kindergarten children are trained for answers and not for thinking. This causes children to want the quickest way to the solution. They don't want to know why the solution works - because that takes more effort.
My conclusion is simple: One on one tutoring should be reserved solely for really struggling students with unusually low self-esteem and only as a short term program with one clear goal - to assist them to develop enough to be able to join the group that best suits their abilities. Any other use of tutoring, and parents will do a disservice to their children.

Inessa Rifkin
RSM Founder
RSM-Newton Principal


RSM Results 2008-2009

J. Hopkins CTY Test Results:

RSM SAT-I average for 8th graders: 684/ 800
Massachusetts SAT-I average for 11th graders: 516/ 800
California SAT-I average for 11th graders:  494/ 800

AMC 8 Results:
AMC 10 Results:
AMC 12 Results:
 
Parents' Meeting at RSM-Newton

Dear New RSM families!  You are kindly invited for parents meeting at RSM:

Tuesday, October 27, 6:30pm - Kindergarten and New 1st graders
Thursday, October 29, 7:00pm - New 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders
Tuesday, November 3,7:00pm - New 5th, 6th, and 7th graders

Our experience with new students shows that your involvement in your child's homework preparation could bring lots of stress and even trigger your child's dislike for the program. The purpose of this meeting is to present to you our methods of teaching in order to avoid all possible negatives and to make sure your family enjoys RSM experience.All meetings will take place at RSM-Newton (200 Wells Ave, Newton MA) on the second floor.

2009-2010 Math Competitions at RSM

AMC 8
AMC-8 will be conducted at RSM-Newton and RSM-San Jose on November 17- November 23 during regular classes.

The American Math Contest (AMC 8) is a 25 question, 40 minute multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem solving skills. 

If your child is in grade 6-8 (advanced) and he/she wants to participate, please talk to your teacher, or email: Olga Kozlova  at RSM-Newton, or  Alexandra Fomicheva at RSM-San Jose.

MOEMS
Our MOEMS teams meet at RSM-Newton. Admission is based on entrance test. All olympiads will be conducted at RSM-Newton.

Group E: November 22, December 20, January 17, February 21, March 14.
Group M: November 29, December 20, January 24, February 21, March 21.

Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle School students (MOEMS) were established in 1977. Last year 150,000 students from 6,000 teams worldwide participated in the Olympiads. 49 of the 50 states and about 30 other countries were represented. The goals of MOEMS are: To stimulate enthusiasm and a love for Mathematics; To develop Mathematical flexibility in solving problems; To strengthen Mathematical intuition; To foster Mathematical creativity and ingenuity; To provide for the satisfaction, joy, and thrill of meeting challenges. (from MOEMS website).

J. Hopkins SAT Parents Orientation

Parents orientation will be conducted on October 27, 7:30 pm , at RSM-Newton.
RSM students in advanced 8th grades will be taking  Johns Hopkins CTY tests (SAT) on
January 23, 2010.
CTY Application Forms will be available at the meeting. Please make every effort to attend - this test is your child's first step in the college preparation process.
CTY Applications are also available at RSM-SanJose office.

See our 2009 J. Hopkins test results
More information about CTY application

J. Hopkins SAT Preparation Nights

The best way to prepare for J. Hopkins SAT is to attend our Preparation Nights at RSM-Newton. While your child may not be able to attend all 10 nights, even 5 nights will make a difference in his/her score. Schedule:
Fridays, 5pm - 8pm: November 6, 13, 20; December 4, 11;
Sundays, 5pm - 8pm: December 13, 20; January 3, 10, 17.

Cost: $12 per night for RSM student and $45 for non student. Pizza and coke will be provided.
Format: Test - 1hour 15 min, Pizza break - 30 min, Test review - 1hour 15 min.
April SAT Workshop

It has become our tradition to offer an SAT Workshop during April Vacation for our students who are going to take SAT on May 1st.  4 full days of test practice just before the test date may dramatically  improve SAT results.
Workshop Dates: April 19 - April 23, 9:00-12:00

For our SAT, SAT II IC, SAT II IIC and Calculus students 4 days of April Vacation Workshop will replace the last 4 classes of the spring semester. For those who are unable to attend the workshop, and those who will take SAT on June 5, the alternative workshop days will be :
May 15, 16, 22, 23, 9:00-12:00.