SOAR Study Skills was featured in these publications

Oakland Press - February 4, 2003
Detroit News – August , 2004
St. Clair Shores Sentinel – January 15, 2004
Oakland Press – June, 2004

February 4, 2003- Oakland Press
Opening Up to Learning - Workshops help kids with attention deficit make the most of study time / by Tamara Moin

In a quiet corner of the house designated as a study area, Katie Houck, 12 struggles with her homework.  The Grand Blanc Middle School student has spent the entire afternoon on this particular assignment, yet a large chunk of the task looms before her.  She is dismayed as another sleepless night beckons.
         
Susan Woodcock, a Berkley teacher, says lack of study skills is a rising epidemic among students today.  Woodcock, who specializes in teaching study skills and organizational strategies, believes the increase in a typical student’s workload warrants the development of innovative study techniques.  In short, students now need to study smarter, not harder. 
         
“Unfortunately, in an already demanding curriculum, most teachers don’t have the time to teach their students the skills they need for better time-management,” Woodcock says. As a result, an alarming number of students face situations similar to Katie’s,
         
Through her company, Lighthouse Learning and Organizing Services, Woodcock has launched a series of workshops designed to tutor students and parents alike in problem-solving techniques.  The workshops were developed as a response to requests their from chagrined parents. 
         
Her classes, offered at West Bloomfield High School, are designed to teach students how to increase efficiency and free up valuable time.  “I’m not an advocate of all work and now play,” Woodcock says, “and that’s why it’s essential for students to get into a regular routine and learn how to pace themselves.”

One time-saving strategy Woodcock recommends to students, especially those in college, is paying attention to the pictures and graphs in a textbook.  Publishers tend to spend a lot of money on color and detail, so illustrations serve as an effective tool for increasing reading comprehensions. “What’s written in the text really supports the illustrations,” Woodcock says.

Woodcock also offers a workshop that coaches parents in helping their children succeed.  She says parents are essential to a child’s learning process.  In elementary, as well as high school, “the interest and pride parents show in their child’s activities contributes to their success more than anything.”

While the workshops are for everyone, Woodcock takes a particular interest in gearing her work toward people with Attention Deficit Disorder, also known as ADD. “Some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever known suffer from ADD,” she says, “and all they really need is someone to show them how to focus themselves and make the most out of their time.” And that takes strategy she says.

Woodcock has a contract with West Bloomfield Schools to teach at night, and plays to continue her classes in the future.  “I’m always open to new ideas, and my workshops adapt based on the feedback I receive from students and parents,” she says.  “(The classes) are always improving.”

Tonight, in a quiet corner of the house designated “study area,” Katie tackles her homework.  It has been two months since she enrolled in Woodcock’s workshop, and her parents, Laurie and Jeff, have already noticed a dramatic improvement in her grades and study habits.

Katie smiles. Tonight, she will sleep well.

August 16, 2004 - The Detroit News
Camps hone learning skills: Sessions get students in the mood for fall classes / by Amy Kuras
   …A “Girls Get Ready for Middle School” camp was canceled due to lack of participation, but a study skills camp running last week proved popular. 

Taught by Susan (Woodcock) Kruger, a former reading specialist and classroom teacher, the class works around the acronym SOAR, for Set goals, Organize, Ask questions, and Record your progress.

It’s geared to students in sixth grade and up, Woodcock said, because the type of learning that begins in middle school carries over into high school. 

Woodcock gets the most requests to run classes around the time report cards come out, she said.  But running the class before the beginning of the school year is a good way to get kids geared up, she said.

“A lot of parents believe it’s nice to have a course like this to help their kids focus and have a game plan for the a new year,” she said.

Top photo:  Sarah Opdycke, 12, and Victoria LaFrance take part in a study skills class run by Susan (Woodcock) Kruger at the Livonia Community Center.  Kruger is a former reading specialist and classroom teacher.

Bottom photo:  “My goal is not to tell them they have to work harder, but to give them a plan for balancing homework with other things they want to do,” Susan (Woodcock) Kruger says. 

January 15, 2004 – St. Clair Shores Sentinel
Workshop helps with schools frustrations / By Julie Stevens

For many students, as well as for parents, back to class after the holidays signals the return of school and homework frustrations.

For many students, incomplete assignments, relatively simple assignments that take hours to complete, and rushing to finish last-minute projects, are among many of the common complaints that Susan (Woodcock) Kruger hears on a regular basis.

Kruger-Woodcock, the instructor of two educational programs that will be offered in January and February through the St. Clair Shores Adult and Community Education's enrichment program, said such complaints are easily resolved.

As the owner of Lighthouse Learning and Organizing Services, Kruger-Woodcock has designed classes that teach students and parents strategies for making homework time much more efficient and consequently, more enjoyable.

SOAR -which stands for Set goals, Organize, Ask questions, and Record your progress - is an interactive workshop for middle school, high school, and college students. Through this program, which will be held at James Rodgers Elementary beginning Jan. 28, students learn tips to manage homework, projects and extracurricular activities, organize materials, take meaningful notes, effectively prepare for tests, increase reading comprehension, and communicate effectively with parents and teachers.

"As a young student, I used to spend a lot of time on homework, but my grades never seemed to reflect my effort," said Kruger- Woodcock, a certified teacher and reading specialist, specializing in study skills and organizational strategies. As I entered college, I learned many strategies that made my study time so much more effective. I was literally earning better grades in college than in high school and in half the time."

As a high school and elementary teacher, Kruger-Woodcock observed a similar lack of problem-solving and study skills among her students. Kruger-Woodcock fells that these skill are not being taught in most classrooms because of an already overwhelming curriculum.

Kruger-Woodcock says lack of study skills is arising epidemic among student today. Kruger-Woodcock, who specializes in teaching study skills and organization strategies, believes the increase in a typical student's work-load warrants the development of innovative study techniques. In short, students now need to study smarter, not harder. -Her workshops are designed to specifically teach students how to increase efficiency and free up valuable time.

One time-saving strategy Kruger-Woodcock recommends to students, especially those in college, is paying attention to the pictures and paragraphs in a textbook. She said publishers tend to spend a lot of money on color and detail, so illustrations serve as an effective tool for increasing reading comprehension.

"What's written in the text really supports the illustrations," she said. -Kruger-Woodcock also offers a workshop that coaches parents in helping their children succeed. She says parents are essential to a child's learning process. In elementary school, as well as high school, "the interest and pride parents show in their child's activities contributes to their success more than anything.

BEACON is a program for parents that goes over strategies for effectively assisting children with homework, while avoiding unpleasant power struggles. Tips include strategies for scheduling homework, organizing homework space and materials, balancing homework with free-time, and effective communication strategies between parents and students.

According to Enrichment Coordinator Kay Schoof, the workshop that is available to the school children is very important for school success.

"But we like to offer a good variety," says Schoof. "Most students lack study skills and organizational skills. It's a very helpful program."

While the workshops are geared toward all students, it can also assist those students who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder.

And the program has proved successful. - I've had many students tell me that it was very successful for them," Kruger-Woodock said. "It's drastically improved their comprehension."

SOAR, a three-session program, is being offered through St. Clair Shores Adult and Community Education beginning Jan. 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The cost of the program is $70 with a materials feel of $35. Materials include a study course-pack for student's continued reference. BEACON is a two-hour program that will be held on Feb. 5. The cost is $20 with a materials fee of $10. For more information, contact St. Clair Shores Adult and Community Education at 586-285-8880 or Kruger-Woodcock at 248-890-2092. Workshops are held at James Rodgers Elementary located at 21601 L'Anse.

June, 2004 –Young girls encouraged to learn, experiment at summer science camp / By Patrick Dutcher

Susan Woodcock explains some of the items that will be used for girls attending summer camps at Cranbrook Institute of Science. -The Daily Oakland Press / VAUGHN GURGANIAN

A miniature Mars Rover wheels around the learning lab, hunting down little wooden targets and running them over.

The camera-guided, remote-control car is part of a summer program exclusively for girls at the Cranbrook Institute of Science called Science Expedition for Girls.

Susan Woodcock is a former teacher and president of Through the Learning Glass. Her organization put together the Science Expedition for Girls and is in its second year of summer programs at Cranbrook. This year, for the first time, Woodcock is offering a girls-only day camp in an effort to keep young women interested in science.

"Our goal is to inspire scientific interest," Woodcock says. "We want girls to see how exciting science can be."

The Mars Rover is one of the projects Through the Learning Glass will be using to get girls excited about science. They'll learn about landing and navigating a remote vehicle on Mars by building a landing system for the rover, tossing it from the Institute of Science's roof and controlling it by looking at a TV monitor.

The inspiration for the camp came when Woodcock, 28, and her colleagues noticed a trend. Girls were losing interest in science and leaving it to the boys.

In last year's camps, Woodcock noticed that the boys tended to jump right in and take the lead working on camp activities. Girls had a different approach. They would hang back and analyze the situation, sometimes getting left behind by the fast-acting boys.

"This is a natural interaction and certainly is not premeditated by boys," Woodcock says. "But it does tend to gradually push girls out of the process, eventually causing them to lose interest."

Girls tend to tune out science somewhere between the fourth and seventh grade, so Through the Looking Glass targeted those ages for its summer camp.

Woodcock hopes science will interest girls enough to make it a career.

The Science Expedition for Girls is built out of the most exciting projects from other science camps Through the Learning Glass offers this summer at Cranbrook. It covers topics that should excite even children who think science class is a snore.

Everything from the physics of flight to forensics and outdoor survival is covered in a fun and educational way.

"The kids should come away educated, but maybe not know they were educated," says Karl Mayry, vice president of Through the Learning Glass.

He designs most of the experiments for the summer camps, and his model gliders and remote-control vehicles are the building blocks of the programs. Mayry says he handles the fun while Woodcock does the structure.

"We want to excite them, and motivate them towards science," Mayry says. "We want them to see the bells and whistles."

Mayry, 40, plans on putting the girls through a space walk exercise outside a simulated space shuttle and have a day of crime-scene investigation where students will use fingerprints and chemical evidence to try to identify a felonious camp counselor.

There could be a plot twist though: Mayry is thinking about framing someone this year.