Adding math talk to story time at home is a winning factor for children's math achievement, according to a new research from a university. The study from psychologists Sian Beilock and Susan Levine shows a marked increase in math achievement among children whose families used Bedtime Math, an iPad app that delivers engaging math story problems for parents and children to solve together.

    Even children who used the app with their parents as little as once a week saw gains in math achievement by the end of the school year. The app's effect was especially strong for children whose parents tend to be anxious or uncomfortable with math.

    Previous research from this group has demonstrated the importance of adults' attitudes about math for children's math success. For example, a recent study found that math-anxious parents who help their children with math homework actually weaken their children's math achievement.

    The new findings demonstrate that structured, positive interactions around math at home can cut the link between parents' uneasiness about math and children's low math achievement.

     “Many people experience high levels of anxiety when they have to solve a math problem, with a majority of adults feeling at least some worries about math,” said Beilock, professor in Psychology and author of Choke, a book about stress and performance. “These math-anxious parents are probably less likely to talk about math at home, which affects how competent their children are in math. Bedtime Math encourages a dialogue between parents and kids about math, and offers a way to engage in high-quality math interactions in a low-effort, high-impact way.”

    Study participants included 587 first-grade students and their parents. Families were given an iPad installed with a version of the Bedtime Math app, with which parents and their children read stories and answer questions involving math, including topics like counting, shapes and problem-solving. A control group received a reading app that had similar stories without the math content and questions related to reading comprehension instead. Children's math achievement was assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. Parents completed a questionnaire about their nervousness with math.

    The more times parents and children in the math group used the app, the higher children's achievement on a math assessment at the end of the school year. Indeed, children who frequently used the math app with their parents outperformed similar students in the reading group in math achievement at year's end.

    Years ago, students applying to colleges and universities had to have their applications and personal essays printed out and then “snail-mailed”. Flash forward to today's world of Facebook, Instagram and WeChat, where photos, videos and mobile phones rule. Fortunately, several new tools are making it easier for college applicants to use technology to show off their personalities, skills and creativity.

    ZEEMEE

    One of the more popular innovations in college applications is ZeeMee, a free mobile app that allows students to upload personal profiles and videos to create visual resumes. More than 220 colleges and universities offer a ZeeMee option as part of the application process. The video can show the unique creative aspects of the applicants.

THE COALITION LOCKER

    Another relatively new tool comes from the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, now used by more than 110 member colleges and universities. Among the group's stated goals are getting students engaged in college prep early and using technology to create a supportive application process that encourages reflection and self-discovery.

    Students who sign up for the free platform get access to a digital “locker”, which they can use all through high school to save class papers, artwork, newspaper stories, videos and photos to share with colleges when they eventually apply.

    VIDEO — CHAT INTERVIEWS

    At some schools, an interview with an admission officer is an important part of the application process. To make it easier, several virtual interviewing tools have popped up, such as a video-based platform from Kira. More than 140 universities worldwide use Kira's video assessment tool to conduct real-time interviews with prospective students. During the interview, candidates are shown the questions prerecorded by the particular school and must respond in real time by talking into the camera on their laptop or phone. In addition to showing their ability, to speak fluently in English and think on their feet, it helps admission officers determine the “motivation, commitment and drive” of applicants.

    UNIQUE SCHOOL TOOLS

    Some universities have come up with their own ways to allow students to show their skills and personalities. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, encourages applicants to display their technical abilities and creativity by submitting a “Maker Portfolio” —a written or videotaped description of a project that shows creative and problem-solving skills. While a new app would fit the bill, the project could be anything from an origami design to a potato cannon.

    The poverty line is the minimum income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem.

    As the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line does, too. Therefore, even with today's relatively high standard of living, about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs, they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs.

    For one thing, more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people are children. By law, children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old, the normal retirement age.

    Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons: they are sick, they do not have any motivation, they have family problems, or they do not believe that they can find a job.

    Other poor people look for a job, but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills that they can offer.

    At the present time, the government thinks it can reduce poverty in the country in the following ways:

    First, if the national economy grows, businesses and industries hire more workers. Some of the poor who are qualified to look for jobs may find employment. Then they will no longer below the poverty line.

    Second, if society invests in the poor，the poor will become more productive.

    If the government spends money on social programs, education and training for poor people, the poor will have the skills to offer. Then it is more probable that they can find jobs.

    Finally, if the government distributes society's income differently, it raises some poor people above the poverty line. The government collects taxes from the non-poor and gives money to the poor. These payments to the poor are called welfare.

    Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time, many people depend on welfare for a minimally acceptable standard of living.

Volunteer Opportunities

    Ring the bells

    The Salvation Army needs bell ringers for its annual Red Kettle Christmas Campaign. Two hour shifts begin on Nov.12 and run Mondays through Saturdays. Volunteers can contact Jim Evers at jimevers@usc.salvationarmy.org or at 764-0962, or sign up online at ringbels.org.

    Read to children

    Join the United Way and Child Care Aware in supporting the development and learning of young children. Volunteers are needed to spend 30 minutes a week reading to children and guiding related activities using literacy kits（识字工具包）provided by Childcare Aware of Eastern Kansas .A two-hour literacy training will be provided. To ensure continuity for the children in the program, we are asking that volunteers make a six-month commitment. Please contact Shelly at 865-5030, ext.301 or at volunteer@unitedwaydgco.org.

    Garden with a neighbor

    Douglas Country Housing Inc. is looking for volunteers to assist a senior man in need of help with an overgrown garden before winter arrives. One to two hours of your time will make a huge difference in someone's quality of life. No previous gardening experience is required. Please e-mail rsovista@ldcha.org or call 842-1533.

    Feed your friends

    Just food fights hunger in our community. Help Just Food kick off the holiday season by packing. Thanksgiving meal boxes for families in need. Every year Just Food provides Thanksgiving meals to families in Douglas Country that will otherwise go without. Your help is needed for distributing these meals in advance of Thanksgiving. Help is needed on the following days and times:

    9 a. m. –7 p. m. Monday, Nov. 21.

    9 a. m. –7 p. m. Tuesday, Nov. 22.

    The maximum number of volunteers is 15 at a time. To sign up, click here.

    Asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. In American culture, the independent individual is seen as their ideal. As the University of Missouri at St. Louis states on its website under the heading Key American Values, “Americans have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.” The value also makes them think they can do everything themselves, and makes them feel badly about asking for help when they need it.

    And when it comes to work situations, when they think about asking for help there, sometimes they fear that a request for help would make them look inept. While this has always been true for men, many women in the workplace have felt the need to try twice as hard as their male colleagues and do twice as much to get just as far and to prove their worth. Sometimes when we think about asking for help, our inner voices tell us, "See, if you admit you can't do this on your own, they'll see you for the imposter(骗子) you really are."

    But the fact is, even though individualism is on the rise, we can't do everything by ourselves and we shouldn't try.

    Apple founder Steve Jobs once told the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association about the power of asking for help, and how he "never found anybody who didn't want to help me when I asked them for help". He said, at the age of 12, he called Bill Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, on the phone after getting his number from the phone book and asking him for spare parts so he could build a frequency counter(计频器). And Hewlett agreed and offered young Jobs a summer job assembling frequency counters.

    "If you're afraid of failing, you won't get very far," Jobs said.

    On hearing the words "Just do it!", you will know there is a Nike product nearby. If it's “Always Coca-Cola”, you can be sure someone wants to sell you a refreshing drink.

    An advertising slogan(广告标语) is to a brand what eyes are to a person. The slogan helps people understand the brand better by telling them what it wants to sell to its customers. Good slogans leave a message inside people's minds. It's almost certain that every brand has a popular slogan.

    Here are a few examples:

    "Just do it!"-This slogan speaks out to teens. It tells them to do something, but only if they think it's worth it. And if so, why not do it wearing Nike?

    "Always Coca-Cola."-Coke's slogans change every few years, but this one has enjoyed a lasting popularity because it shows the brand's spirit. It seems to say "Coke is the only drink there is; there are no other forms of drinks."

    "Share moments, share life."-This slogan from Kodak connects photos and beauty. It asks people to remember the happy moments in life by taking photos of them-using Kodak film of course!