The Homework Coach: Using Your Brain To Improve Learning (And Grades)

Any student who doesn't pay attention to this program should be checked for vital signs. The brainchild of teacher Sylvia Robinson, The HomeWork Coach is a comprehensive course on study skills for increased academic performance. Using the OC5R system: Organize, Overview, Read, Recite, Review, Relate, and Regulate, students are given both an in-depth tour of how the brain works, and a thorough review of basic study principles that have been accepted and promoted for years. The twist in this program is...well...a program. An AI talking head named Tondor (whose voice bears an uncanny resemblance to Rutger Hauer's) explains all the principles. Tondor wears sunglasses; has an array of changing, colorful screens behind his head; and does not quite synch with lips and voice (Max Headroom style, only with much more content). Low-key background synthesizer music keeps the program moving along in hypnotic fashion. What's really surprising is that none of this comes across as a gimmick. Tondor's voice and presence carries both authority and inspiration--which is precisely what is needed to hold students' attention. In addition to the study guidelines, there is an extensive section on taking notes (with a helpful shorthand notation system), and approaching both essay and objective tests. A final hint about cheating as a "dumb move" is so off-handedly and convincingly delivered, that it would be hard to picture a student watching this tape boasting to fellow class­mates that he/she cheated on a test. An excellent program, with an ingenious method for grabbing student's interest (or anyone's, for that matter), and holding it. Study guide included. Highly recommended for school and larger public libraries. (Available from: Academic Edge, Stratford Plaza One, Suite 79, 127 South Stratford Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104.)