Goal Setting – Page 2 – The Independent Learner

Productive Study Strategies for Homeschool Families

Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooler or got your first experience with homeschool through the COVID-19 pandemic, you can always create a more productive home study environment for your family.

At the University of Nebraska High School, we have been developing distance learning curriculum for over 90 years. The academic success of each student is our top priority, and an important part of that success is productive, healthy home study strategies.

Read on to give your study routine a boost before the new school year.

1. Establish a schedule and stick with it.

One of the nice things about homeschooling high school is the flexibility you can have with your child’s schedule. You can build in time for extracurricular activities, rehearsals, and practices beyond the regular curriculum with a lower risk of burnout. UNHS courses can be completed at your student’s pace and at any time of day, so you have plenty of freedom to build the ideal schedule.

Once you find a schedule that works, develop it into a routine for optimal results. A reliable schedule makes it easier to consistently study, and regular, predictable studying habits help students retain information better than occasional bursts of studying.

2. Rely on your teachers and advisers.

Just because your family has chosen to homeschool, doesn’t mean you have to manage your child’s entire education alone. UNHS teachers, advisers and customer support staff can be contacted during weekdays and are happy to help you and your student solve problems.

By the time a student reaches high school, he or she should be equipped to independently study for periods of time. However, during independent study, it can be useful for your student to have an expert resource like a teacher to briefly discuss a problem with. UNHS staff members are friendly and passionate about elevating students to new levels of success.

3. Create concrete goals.

Measurable goals with reasonable benchmarks are a simple and fun way to motivate students to achieve more. You and your child can set an overarching goal for each course, then break down that goal into smaller objectives that he or she can accomplish in each unit or lesson.

Be sure to write down each goal and the steps your student needs to take to achieve them, then display the list in a visible place. A physical reminder of a goal makes it easier to reach. Work with your student to monitor progress and feel free to adjust goals to better fit your student’s learning needs. Developing productive study strategies is an evolving process, so don’t be afraid to change direction and try something else.

UNHS is an accredited online high school that prepares students for college and beyond with a wide variety of challenging courses. Visit our website, browse our courses, or contact us today to learn more!

The Next Ten Years

As the year 2020 begins, you have probably heard the saying that “time flies.” I am not sure of your personal experience, but for me it seems like the past ten years have flown by so quickly!

With the start of a new decade, I’d like to look back and review some notable events in our history at UNHS, across the globe and within my own personal life since the year 2010. Perhaps you may even recall a few of these during the years 2010-2019 (a very haphazard list):

We witnessed two high profile royal weddings (congrats William and Kate; Harry and Meghan)!
In 2010, the 21^st Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver, Canada, and a total of 258 medals were awarded across 26 nations.
The world did not end on December 21, 2012 as some people had predicted it to (according to the Mayan calendar).
In 2013, UNHS joined the University of Nebraska Online Worldwide, now known as University of Nebraska Online, or NU Online for short.
In 2014, many people were doing the Ice Bucket Challenge to promote ALS awareness.
In 2016, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians and won the World Series for the first time in 108 years.
In August of 2017: For the first time since 1918, we experienced a total solar eclipse.
In 2019, UNHS celebrated 90 years of academic excellence!

Personally, I will share three important items that happened in my life during the past ten years:

In 2012, my wife was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and after a year of treatment, she is now seven years cancer free.
All four of my grandchildren were born (the oldest is now six and the youngest is two years old).
I started working at the University of Nebraska High School (UNHS) in 2014.

Now as you look to the future, how do you predict your world will change over the next ten years? Maybe you will graduate from high school and/or college, get a job, travel, start a family, etc. As I have shared above, so much can happen in ten years’ time!

Noted author J.R.R. Tolkien once said this about time, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

I would encourage you to make the best use of your time and the University of Nebraska High School (UNHS) will be here to support you in your academic and personal endeavors! In fact, we have already been here for over nine decades and continue to be an excellent option for many students who desire to learn independently from an accredited, college preparatory high school.

Let’s count on us all having great things to share when 2030 rolls around!

Your Education, Your Pace

Classes, homework, and extracurricular activities can take a toll on high school students, especially teenagers who are yet to master skills like time management – something even adults struggle with. The reality for many is that rehearsals, practices, and even volunteer schedules are among the most demanding parts of a busy teen’s life.

Alanna, a University of Nebraska High School (UNHS) graduate, discovered that pursuing her passion for theater required more dedication than a traditional high school schedule allowed. Likewise, Harrison’s training schedule as a champion skier frequently kept him away from home, but completing his coursework online allowed him to both travel the world for competitions while learning the valuable skills of self-discipline and independence.

Online courses, like those offered by the University of Nebraska High School, allow budding performance artists, student athletes, and other busy students to study at their own pace and set their own schedules. This means that students can study when their concentration levels are high and practice their craft when they aren’t physically or mentally exhausted.

At UNHS, students can enroll year around and complete courses in as few as 5 weeks or as many as 52 weeks. Courses can be used to supplement a traditional high school path or to complete an entire UNHS diploma program online. Learn more about how our school can help students follow their passions without compromising academic goals.

The Future is Bilingual – 5 Reasons to Learn Spanish

If there was ever a time to follow the crowd, this would be it. More than 400 million people speak Spanish. The future lies in knowing at least one language apart from English.

This post has been written by Sumit Jagdale, Social Media and Communications student intern with the University of Nebraska High School. Sumit is an Advertising and Public Relations major at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Being multilingual, he brings a unique and valuable perspective to this article.

If there was ever a time to follow the crowd, this would be it. More than 400 million people speak Spanish. The future lies in knowing at least one language apart from English. Even if you are a native Spanish speaker, being able to converse isn’t enough. True proficiency lies in being able to read and write just well as you can speak. If English is your first language, Spanish is one of the easiest languages you can learn. Stats look great on paper but there are some tangible benefits to being fluent in Spanish as well. Read on.

It Makes You More Marketable

That near-perfect GPA might open some doors for you, as would being president of that popular student organization on campus, but Spanish-language fluency would get you a definite foot in the door. Large companies have an increased global presence and prefer to hire bilingual employees as it simplifies their operations in other countries. So whether you’re pursuing your company’s interests in Guatemala or helping develop relations with businesses in Argentina, you’d be dealing with native Spanish speakers. Chloe, an advertising and public relations major at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln declared Spanish as a minor because Hispanics are one of the largest growing demographics in the United States. Understanding both the language and their culture will definitely work in her favor.

Don’t Settle for Safety Schools

You’ve sacrificed enough in high school to get good grades and clock in all those extra-curricular activities, as have most of your peers. Well-rounded students make universities look better. You need to bring more than just academic potential and your charming personality to the table if you hope to enroll at a prestigious university. Most universities require two or more years of the same world language training for admission. Start your Spanish courses early. The competition’s heating up.

It’s Not a Niche

No, you aren’t going to be restricted to embassy jobs (which are pretty cool, by the way) or work in some stuffy cubicle translating the pile of documents lying on your desk. Learning Spanish is a value-add irrespective of your degree. Taylor, a business major at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln, decided to learn Spanish because it helped her connect with her extended family who are of Mexican descent. Needless to say, a minor in Spanish also complements her business degree and opens up a world of possibilities that otherwise would not have been accessible to her.

Immersion Is a Click Away

While traveling is a great way to expand your horizons, Spanish cultural immersion won’t require you to travel several thousand miles away. Netflix and HBO already have several Spanish language programs and your laptop is your gateway to the world. Your favorite podcast probably has a Spanish option. Broadcasts of most sporting events have an option to switch to Spanish commentary. You won’t just expand your vocabulary, you will end up learning colloquialisms and master the cadence and pronunciations of the native speakers.

Hola! At Me

Language skills are the best ice-breakers. There are at least 21 countries with a majority Spanish-speaking population. You can bring a smile to the face of the person you interact with by just saying “Hello” in their native tongue. Imagine what you could do by conversing entirely in Spanish!

Have we given you enough reasons to add Spanish to your course load next semester? The University of Nebraska High School has four years of comprehensive Spanish-language courses. Students can increase their vocabulary and their understanding of grammatical constructions as well as their knowledge of Hispanic culture.

Confused about where to start? Take the University of Nebraska High School’s Spanish Placement Test and find out what level of courses to apply for.

UNHS advisers are happy to discuss our Spanish courses with you and, if necessary, develop a personalized curriculum plan. Contact our advising team at unhsadviser@nebraska.edu or visit highschool.nebraska.edu for more information.

How UNHS Courses Promote Student Success

All UNHS courses are designed with a gating and sequencing component.

Gating

Gating means only one assignment per course can be submitted per day. If students are enrolled in five courses, they may submit one assignment from each course. Gating ensures that students study at a pace that helps them understand the subject matter before moving forward with the coursework. The purpose of gating is not to delay learning but to allow students to study at a pace that sets them up for academic success and increases content retention.

Students may always move forward and explore the next lesson in a course. Parents should expect their student to complete all reading and activities within a course and textbook assignments. Although some course activities are not graded, they will help students expand their knowledge and ability to answer questions of higher order thinking and problem solving. Doing everything that is offered within a course is important for success.

By monitoring study sessions and assignments, and making certain their student has a dedicated place to study, parents can emphasize that they value education and believe in being proactive in UNHS’ academic expectations. Gating in courses is appreciated by parents as it helps students get a better learning experience while preparing them for college-level coursework.

Steps students can take toward their own success

It is important to invest in note-taking that will support course, unit and lesson objectives. All Unit Evaluation and Progress Test questions are written to the objectives. Students will be better prepared for the Progress Tests if they can discuss their knowledge thoroughly and answer the objectives.
Wise students will read the maps, charts, and diagrams offered throughout a course and look for patterns, variables, rates of increase or decrease, and expand the chart to predict future outcomes. Important information is missed by the scholar when these reading opportunities are skipped.
Students are advised to look up unknown vocabulary that impedes understanding. Flash cards are an important tool so that students gain the ability to accurately apply the learned terms to future assignments.

Sequencing

Sequencing means all Teacher Connect Activities, Unit Evaluations, Projects and Progress Tests within a UNHS course must be completed in the order they are presented. All UNHS courses are presented in a progressive manner (step-by-step) and this helps students with both retention and understanding. Students can achieve a higher level of understanding if they go through a course correctly. Sequencing is like a map for success, and taking shortcuts may hinder the students’ intellectual development.

Gating and sequencing are tools designed to help students be successful and ensure that the love of learning will be sustained throughout their lifetime. At UNHS we believe that success in academic life is a collaborative effort involving parents, teachers, and advisers as well as the support staff who work together to ensure students always have access to a world-class education.