Editorial Welcome
Hard Times, Soft Addictions
Common Test Taking ErrErs
Write Them Down
Humor Column
Promoting Self-Esteem
Survey of Student Study Hours
Brainteasers
Catch the Last Issue!

Welcome to the November/December 2006 issue of the new Learning Center Exchange!

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Editorial Welcome

By Mona Pelkey

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the November/December issue of The Learning Center Exchange! I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that Barbara McLay begins a new humor column this month, inspired by true situations with students. If you need a good laugh (and who doesn’t at the end of a long semester), please check it out! And if these stories remind you of some of the hilarity that has occurred in your own classroom, please share with us! Send your funny stories and jokes to Barbara at...
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In the Spotlight: Understanding Millennials: Hard Times, Soft Addictions

By Julianne Scibetta, Albany College of Pharmacy

Common Test Taking ErrErs

By Dennis Congos, University of Central Florida

There are several errors that college students commonly make that lower test scores. Examine the list below to see which errors may be lowering your test scores. See what “A” students do to avoid these errors. …
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Thanks to Benjamin Franklin, we’re all feeling sadder about the end of the day. The Halloween candy has all undoubtedly been consumed by now, leaving us with stomachs growling for more and moods needing an extra elevating boost. This time of year as the weather turns bleaker and trees shed their leaves we all become more susceptible to giving in to our guilty pleasures a little too often. They make us feel better and we need that. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a reward or treat to ourselves, but as Liberace would say, everything in moderation....
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Humor Column

By Barbara McLay, University of South Florida

Write Them Down: Tips for Helping Students Achieve Their Dreams

By Mona Pelkey

Sometimes You Have to Laugh

The new rolls came out, and as I was looking over the list, the name Fritz Garcia, or something similar, caught my eye. I started thinking about how this student might have a Hispanic father and a mother of German descent, not such an unusual situation in the USA. However, when the student came to class, I was surprised to discover...
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Lou Tice of the Pacific Institute describes humans as teleological beings; that is, beings who “think in terms of purpose” and who must have goals in order to thrive and survive. Survival in the academic world certainly requires purposeful goal setting, but many students need assistance in the process of setting goals and achieving them. Here are some tips to help students set and achieve their academic goal...
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Promoting Self-Esteem in Students

By Kimberly O. McManus, Montgomery College

Survey of Student Study Hours or Studying is Optional

By Robin Geery, Schenectady County Community College

I have had the opportunity to work with students on many levels. I have taught students with various disabilities, students who were adjudicated, K-12 level students, and college/university students. What I have gained from my experience is that students tend to work harder and learn more when their self-esteem is promoted...
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Recently I polled students in my developmental Writing 2 class (I work at a mid size urban community college in upstate NY) to find out how much time they spend studying during an average week. I was led to make this inquiry out of a sincere desire to find out why, after students had been drilled in class and assigned numerous exercises to work on outside of class, they seemed unable to remember grammar rules from one class to the next. “You are studying this stuff, right? I mean, there are lots of grammar points ...
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Brainteasers: November/December 2006

Compiled by Julianne Scibetta, Albany College of Pharmacy

There were no entries in last month’s brainteasers challenge. So let’s go back to the old way of doing things.

1. Five pieces of coal, a carrot, and a scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody put them on the lawn, but there is a perfectly logical reason for their being there. What is it?



2. A man in a restaurant complained to the waiter that there was a fly in his cup of coffee. The waiter took the cup away and promised to bring a fresh cup of coffee. He returned a few moments later. The man tasted the coffee and complained that this was his original cup of coffee with the fly removed. He was correct, but how did he know?



3. Cathy’s Thanksgiving Problem: Thanksgiving is a family holiday at our house, and all our relatives show up for dinner. Mother is the peace keeper in the family and she must seat everyone at the huge dining room table so that there are no family fights while carving the turkey. Grandmother does not like either of her sons-in-law so she can not be placed next to Dad or Uncle Bob. Mom doesn’t like sitting next to her sister Alice because she only wants to talk about her perfect son Jason, who will scream if he can’t sit between his grandmother and mother. Uncle Bob had a big fight with Dad last Thanksgiving and Aunt Harriet says they should not sit next to each other at the table. I want to sit between Mom and Dad. Where will everyone sit?
   
   

As always, submit your answers and brainteasers to me at scibettj@acp.edu.

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