Olivia Tomaeno
Virtual and Personalized Academic Coaching
Learning How To Learn
~ ACADEMIC AND STUDY SKILLS COACHING FOR STUDENTS OF ALL AGES ~
Does your student’s backpack look like a disaster area?
Do your helpful comments result in arguments?
Is your student constantly missing assignments?
Does your student wait to start homework until it is too late?
Has your student’s academic life become unmanageable?
I work with your student to develop a personalized system to succeed in academics and in life. Organization and study skills are critical for academic and career success. These habits are best developed in elementary and middle school, yet our schools do not teach these fundamental skills effectively. Many students are ill-prepared to meet the challenges of high school and college.
My Story
Learning how to learn is one of the most important aspects of an education, yet students often graduate from high school without ever taking ownership of their own learning. The pride, agency, and confidence that comes from taking ownership of a project and successfully completing it is something that every student deserves to experience. This comes not from an innate ability but from honing executive functioning skills and learning how to play to our own strengths and learning styles.
For four years, I worked with preschool students through an early literacy program called Jumpstart, which sparked my passion for education and gave me the opportunity to work with children before they had formed any ideas about themselves as learners. Helping these young students develop a love for learning made me want to return feeling to students of all ages. This led me to the U.S. Department of Education where I learned from educators and policymakers working to revitalize the classroom experience.
I earned my B.A. in Psychology from Pitzer College and my M.S. in Learning Design and Technology (LDT) from Stanford University. The core tenet of LDT is understanding how people learn, and the program gave me a foundation in the learning sciences research and in the design thinking process, which can be leveraged to improve the design of learning experiences.
I am also certified in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is the practice of using principles of motivation and behavior to help students with developmental disabilities learn new and essential skills. Although ABA is traditionally used to treat Autism Spectrum Disorder, the principles can be applied to all learners. My background has given me a foundational understanding of how motivation and personal experience impact learning. I use this understanding to create personalized learning plans for my students and to help them create healthy academic habits.
I have tutored students of all ages, from elementary school through the college application process. Although the content of their workload varies significantly, the approach I take remains remarkably similar: I work with your student to complete their assignments and to take ownership of their academics by strengthening their executive functioning skills – planning, initiating, and completing tasks. Through individual mentorship, I help your student foster accountability. I collaborate with your student to create an effective learning plan and check-in throughout the week to ensure goals are met.
My Approach
Mentorship and accountability
We block out each academic week together and break big assignments into manageable tasks
We develop an accountability plan – our mentor relationship includes texts, calls or emails during the week to make sure your student is staying on track with our plan. As the mentor, I become the focal person that your student must remain accountable to – this is good practice for accountability with multiple teachers, professors, colleagues or mentors in the future. Ultimately, the goal is for your student to develop personal accountability; this takes time.
Teaching “the process”
This includes recognizing the scope of the assignment from the beginning and learning how to pace independent work. We identify the required skills for any given project and focus on chunking big projects into manageable parts.
Individualized learning plans – playing to the skills of the individual
Individualized learning plans evaluate your student’s strengths (every student has them!) to hone important skills and discipline their existing talents. Many students have untapped potential because their learning environment doesn't recognize their gifts.
Setting up for success – sometimes, the most significant barriers to success are logistical.
This includes creating a proper study space, emptying out the backpack every day, writing down every assignment, and communicating with teachers to ensure clarity about expectations.
Specialties
Executive Functioning and Study Skills
What is EF?
Executive functioning is a set of mental skills responsible for working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. Executive functioning can be thought of as an internal system of tools necessary to function well at school, in the home, and out in the world. Some of these skills include: setting goals, paying attention, staying organized, starting tasks, planning and managing time effectively, and regulating emotions.
Why do EF skills matter?
Executive function is not just an academic skill, it is a life skill. Consider the importance of the following skills in a workplace:
Taking initiative with a task
Organizing information
Creating a plan and timeline
Time management - hitting benchmarks and complete tasks in a timely manner
Problem-solving
Managing emotions and challenges
Controlling impulses and working well with others
Outcomes
Building confidence
Improving processing speed
Managing stress
Fostering self-advocacy by taking charge of one’s own responsibilities (and learning to ask for help!)
Disorganization leads to anxiety, frustration, and complacency because students feel a lack of control over their academics. Strengthening executive functioning skills helps students claim agency over their work, foster independence, build confidence, and feel rewarded.
Reading Comprehension
I follow a five-step plan to improve reading comprehension for all ages of readers and for any genre of reading: Nonfiction, fiction, history, social sciences, and sciences.
These steps include: decoding, close reading, summarizing, identifying the audience, recognizing themes, and understanding the purpose of the text.
Writing
I focus on writing initiation and organization. One of the most important aspects of writing is learning how to take ideas and organize them on paper. Outlining is one of the most important parts of writing – I teach your student how to create an outline to successfully complete an essay, research paper, or personal statement.
A NOTE FROM MY MENTOR -
"As an independent college consultant, I work with a broad range of students. Olivia has been my top study skills coach when my students are in need. Some are overwhelmed and have never developed study skills because our schools do not teach this. While tutoring writing, social sciences, English language, history, and Spanish language, she breaks down the process and coaches students in study skills. By the time students enter college, they have a study skills “toolkit” that works for them. Organization, planning, breaking down big assignments into manageable tasks are all necessary for success in school and life. Olivia has my highest recommendation!"
Lisa Brussell
Peak Admissions
Schedule Your Free Consultation
Here I will meet with you via Zoom to determine if I am a good fit for your particular needs, answer any questions you may have, and discuss a plan and methodology for helping your student achieve academic success!