Would you like your child or teen to have improved comprehension and memory skills, better grades and spend less time studying? Would you like to see their self-esteem improve? Beyond Tutoring: Strategies to Improve Reading, Spelling, Comprehension and Memory and Poetry Fun: Training Visualization Skills with Poetry are reading comprehension books that help busy parents learn how to teach easy strategies to their children or teens to improve comprehension skills and academic performance.

Visualization is extremely important in regard to comprehension and memory skills and refers to the ability to see pictures in the mind’s eye. When reading and listening, students should see movies in their imagination. Visualizing is what makes reading and learning fun! It is also how the brain remembers information long-term. Those that have weak visualization skills often suffer academically and/or socially as comprehension and memory are a core ability necessary to become a successful learner.

If a child does not picture naturally, rarely can a parent just tell the child to visualize. It must be taught in specific, clear steps and practiced several times weekly for at least 15 minutes per session, for a student to firmly grasp the concept and be able to visualize independently. Beyond Tutoring teaches parents in an easy step by step manner how to teach this important skill. It generally takes a period of six to nine months for a child to make a habit of visualization. Imagine teaching a skill a few minutes three times a week for several months that may eliminate or reduce years of struggle.

Poetry Fun is a companion book for Beyond Tutoring. It includes fun poetry geared for younger elementary aged children. lt demonstrates how to visualize poetry so parents and children can practice picturing within a fun context. The concept is learned more quickly when presented in an enjoyable manner. These reading comprehension books can aid in unlocking your child or teen’s true potential.

Over the years we have had the opportunity to work in several states and a variety of work settings. We have found the most effective way of improving reading comprehension, as well as listening comprehension, is training visualization skills. We feel visualization is so important we call it one of the keys to academic success.

We have asked many clients that have walked through our door over the years how comprehension skills were addressed by other professionals they have seen. Never have we seen anything more effective than training students in the use of visualization skills. The techniques we have heard about or trained in other than teaching visualization skills, are what we call “band-aid” strategies in regard to improving reading comprehension as well as comprehension skills in general. They are helpful and make a difference for some students, however, they don’t help most students significantly improve academic performance like many clients’ that have successfully learned and implemented visualization techniques. Visualization is the way the brain captures and retains information.

As visualization is the way the brain remembers information long-term, it is an extremely powerful tool and impacts a variety of areas in an individual’s life. For our clients, learning visualization skills has resulted in a variety of improvements including: listening and reading comprehension, memory, test-taking, writing, organization, attention, sports performance (understanding the coaches directions and plays), following directions, social skills and, of course, improved grades. Many people walk through our door and are unaware of the important role visualization plays in the learning process. As a result, we wrote the Beyond Tutoring ebook so we could help spread the word about this vital skill.

Although visualization is addressed in a variety of sources, we were unable to find a version that was simple and written so busy parents could utilize it right away, or one that outlined easy to follow steps for improving reading comprehension, listening comprehension and memory skills. We, as well as our clients, were frustrated that the sources available were so extensive and detailed that the average parent felt overwhelmed trying to navigate through them. In addition, we have learned a variety of tips and tricks that we developed and found helpful while teaching over the years. We have received positive feedback that Beyond Tutoring gets to the core of teaching visualization skills and helps parents to begin implementing the techniques within a relatively short period of time.

We have a passion for teaching visualization as we see significant changes in our clients. High school students that were unable to obtain jobs prior to treatment applied for and held jobs because they were able to understand and remember the directions they were given by their boss. Prior to learning to visualize, they would forget one or two of the directions and be fired, or not even hired initially. We have had many students who felt they would be unable to attend college because they would study for hours and still receive low grades on tests. They could not ever imagine having the skills necessary to succeed in college. However, when they learned to visualize effectively their study time was reduced and they were able to attain good grades and be successful high school AND college students. Others were accepted to better colleges than they expected due to improved SAT scores and grades. Younger children have been able to eliminate or reduce much of the academic struggle they endured, and did not have to suffer with low self-esteem issues as they progressed in school.

Many clients that have weak visualization skills feel they are not intelligent. This is often not the case. Most of our clients range from average to above average intelligence. However, if the brain is not utilized correctly in regard to comprehension and memory, success will be elusive and it may seem as if students have reduced intelligence. Some of our clients are labeled lazy or unmotivated when in fact they simply do not have the tools to succeed. We are pleased to offer parents help in giving their child the tools to succeed through these important ebooks.

The step by step procedures for listening and reading comprehension exercises are outlined in the Beyond Tutoring ebook. Within the context of these exercises an important aspect of visualization training involves specific eye movements and placement. Eye movements correlate with which area of the brain is being accessed for listening and learning. In the spelling technique section of the book I address exactly the best placement for eyes while learning and memorizing information to achieve maximum comprehension and memory for academic success.

Clients that have utilized these eye placement and visualization techniques have received high grades on spelling tests, vocabulary tests, math fact tests, and/or comprehension tests, often for the first time in their lives – and typically, with much less time spent studying. Those that receive good grades on spelling tests but tend to forget the words the following week, typically do not forget the words when utilizing these techniques. These techniques address the most efficient way the brain works for long-term memorization.

Many parents are concerned about helping their children to improve their reading skills. Reading comprehension exercises utilizing visualization skills are a powerful and effective tool for reaching the goal of improved reading skills. Incorporating specific eye placement while teaching visualization skills has helped hundreds of our clients achieve a pathway to academic success faster and more efficiently. Our reading comprehension books will help your child to improve comprehension skills along with a variety of other academic skills. Whether it is increased comprehension, memory, attention, writing skills, or organizational skills that you desire for your child, training visualization skills can be an invaluable tool to a more relaxed, successful and enjoyable academic experience.