We started day #3 at SuperCamp by learning the “Ownership Key.”

OWNERSHIP – Take responsibility for actions
Be responsible for your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. “Own” the choices you make and the results that follow.

This means not just being responsible for the things we must be (chores, school, etc.) but taking responsibility for those things we don’t. That is making the choice to take ownership of doing what needs to be done. I love a poster they had to go along with this idea. It was just two words but they say it all: Response-Ability!

Then we went into our academic skills sessions, starting with learning Mind-mapping. Mind-mapping was pretty neat and the students really ‘got it’ quickly. It is so interesting to learn more about how our brains work and to learn and study in ways that are easy and natural for us. I hope these kids go back to school this fall feeling more confident in their abilities to be great students.

Next I was in SuperCamp Quantum Strategies with Facilitator Lucy. I loved her intro to this session because it is SO true! She said this class was all about “how to play the game called school [or work or life…] and WIN!”  So, we learned how to use a planner effectively and consistently to keep track of assignments and activities so we know how to be prepared to be successful. The students have the assignment to make sure to get a planner they like and can use consistently when they get home from SuperCamp. I need to do the same!

Then we learned Notes TM. Lucy taught us that we speak in 200-400 words per minute but our brains can process 600-800 words per minute, so if we learn how to take notes effectively, we can rely on our brains and capture tons of great information.

So, here’s the how you take notes with Notes TM:

Start by dividing your paper into halves, with “Notes Taking” (which comes from the Teacher) on the left, and “Making” (which comes from you) on the right. Then you list the corresponding information under each side, like so:

Next we talked about simple ways to make studying more effective, such as:

• Using natural light, not in your face, position room where you study for best effect.
• Sitting up while studying
• Smells help s study, focus and recall: Cinnamon, mint, lemon, basil
• Smells that help us relax: Lavender, vanilla, roses, orange
• If you chew the same flavor gum while studying and while taking test, it will help you recall.
• Baroque music helps our brains stay in alpha state — Can’t listen to music with lyrics.

After dinner, we had a great session called our ‘Trust Sequence’ where we did paired trust falls and the ‘zipper.’ This was part of setting the stage for our SuperCamp Outdoor Adventure Day by learning to communicate and build confidence and trust in their team.

I didn’t realize that summer academic enrichment programs like this even existed! Wish I’d been able to go as a kid. It would have been great college prep indeed…

The post SuperCamp LMU Junior Forum Journal – Day 3 appeared first on SuperCamp.

Like most of the campers yesterday, I arrived to SuperCamp LMU Junior Forum wide-eyed and a bit bewildered. I didn’t know what to pack, where to go or what to do. I was tired when I got here and dreaded being away from home for the whole week. It was my first sleep-away educational summer camp!

Yesterday afternoon I started catching the SuperCamp fever and felt reinvigorated by all the energy, funny campers, and truly amazing Facilitators. I felt way more comfortable just knowing they were in charge and had everything handled.

I knew if I could just go with the flow I would be in good hands.  A hearty dinner didn’t hurt either!

The LMU campus is B-E-A-utiful. Walking through campus was inspiring in and of itself. It lends an old-world feel with its breath-taking Sacred Heart Chapel, Sunken Gardens and Jesuit Community, yet it boasts state-of-the-art classrooms, restaurant-quality dining and inspiring views and architecture. The lawns are manicured, the dorms roomy and clean and the campus quiet and safe-feeling.

There are campers from all walks of life here and it is really nice to see them all getting along, being friendly and inclusive, learning and growing from each other. Before I came to SuperCamp, I was told that the best description for it is “organized chaos” and now I totally get it. We started right out learning a memory strategy without even realizing it! We were listening to a very entertaining story told to some of our favorite songs and before I knew it, I’d learned the first eight U.S. presidents in order! Say what?! SO COOL! This is awesome college prep!

Yesterday afternoon I was eagerly anticipating lights out but, by the time it arrived, I was wide-awake and looking forward to the morning. The Facilitators were so high-energy all day long, I couldn’t believe they could keep going at this pace all week but now I’m seeing how the energy builds upon itself and am feeling all sorts of excited to keep going.

SuperCamp is an incredible summer academic enrichment program.

The post SuperCamp LMU Junior Forum Journal – Day 1 appeared first on SuperCamp.

By Daniel Shedd

The recent movie Warm Bodies is a zombified tale of teenage romance. Early on in the movie, the male antagonist gives us a voice-over introduction to his world. He notes the degradation of language (“This is my best friend. Sometimes we grunt at each other.”) and, at one point, laments for the time before the zombie apocalypse began.

He wishes he could live in that time again, when everyone could express themselves and talk to each other. As he describes it, a dream-like vision appears around him, showing perfectly healthy human beings all chatting on their cell phones, listening to music from their cell phones, or typing furiously on their cell phones and other gadgets. The world before the zombie apocalypse wasn’t too far from the world after.

At SuperCamp, we talk a lot about the key This Is It. It’s our first key of the day and we remind ourselves for all ten days about stepping outside of our comfort zones and living in the moment. Many of us have habits that prevent us from really living in the moment each day. Most of us are permanently “plugged in.” We’re constantly checking Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or Google+ or
Tumblr or Reddit or our text messages or our Snapchats or our Words With Friends games or our Draw Something games or a million other things…

The list is endless! We’re multitasking all the time! Unfortunately, brain research has reinforced the idea that multitasking is, ultimately, counterproductive. Think of our focus as a television. We can switch channels pretty quickly, but we can’t ever have two channels on at the same time. Similarly, our focus can only stay on a single task at any one time. So when we try to switch very quickly between our phone, laptop, television, homework, and driving, we end up missing a lot of important details.

So my challenge to all of us is this: simply start noticing how often we check our phones or Facebook or any of the other things we do to distract us from living the This Is It principle. Once we start noticing how often we do it, we can start to put those distractions aside and truly be in the moment. Besides, have you ever noticed how slowly someone who’s trying to walk and use their phone at the same time often walks really slowly? They sort of shuffle around, bumping into things…almost like zombies…

Visit www.SuperCamp.com or call 1-800-285-3276 NOW to speak with an enrollment counselor and learn how to help your child increase their grades, confidence and motivation.

About the Author:
Daniel Shedd earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Texas Christian University. He loved being a SuperCamp Camper and Team Leader.  Dan has been a Facilitator since 2011 and will be a Facilitator at Brown University during summer 2013. He is also pursuing his Master’s Degree in Education.

About SuperCamp:
SuperCamp offers academic and personal enrichment program summer camps for teens, including specifically designed summer programs for high school students, middle school students, and college students respectively. These educational summer camps provide ideal college prep skills and help instill positive values for life based on The 8 Keys of Excellence by Bobbi DePorter. SuperCamp’s academic summer programs for teens help students increase their grades, confidence and motivation.

The post This Is It – More Than Just a Summer Academic Enrichment Program appeared first on SuperCamp.

By Chase Mielke

A newlywed couple is sitting in a room, about to have an argument. You are in another room, watching them through a one-way mirror.

You’ve been asked to predict, within just a few minutes, the likelihood of this couple getting a divorce. That’s a big prediction to make, my friend. So, what do you look for? The intensity of their death stares? Their potential to be cast on Real Housewives? If only there were a specific measure you could tally to help your predictions . . .

There is! It’s called the Losada Ratio, and it has been found in flourishing companies, couples, and even resilient individuals. And, it centers around one key more than any other: Speak with Good Purpose.

First, let’s see the Losada Ratio in action. Marcial Losada, who gets a sweet, fancy term named after him, studied sixty business teams, watching their every interaction on video. He then tracked these same teams for the year and identified the high and low performing teams based on how much they profited, how good their evaluations were, and how satisfied customers were.

Losada found something great: The highest performing fifteen teams had something in common. They each had a high ratio of positive to negative interactions with one another. High performing teams showed encouragement, support, and appreciation.

Low performing teams showed more cynicism, disapproval, and sarcasm. The results were so clear, in fact, that Losada was able to identify a benchmark ratio of three positives for every one negative (actually 2.9 to 1, but rounding up is what the cool kids do). This ratio of three-to-one is known as the Losada Line, the minimum ratio for a high-performing team. And, it has been found in more than just business.

Let’s return to your divorce predictions. Want to make an accurate prediction? Track a couple’s Losada Ratio. John Gottman is known as a relationship guru. Why? Because after watching just a few minutes of a couple’s interaction he can predict with 90% accuracy the likelihood of their getting a divorce. One of the keys to his prediction success is the Losada Ratio – the amount of positive interactions couples share compared to negatives. Positive couples last. Negative couples don’t.

We have something phenomenal here: We can accurately predict the success of a group or couple by literally counting their ratio of positive to negative interactions. There is a science behind Speaking with Good Purpose. Mounds of research confirm that people do well in a 3:1 environment of positivity. They flourish in 6:1 environments.

Our words can influence the success of business. Our words can change relationships. Our words can change lives. We can put science behind our words and the value of Speak with Good Purpose. So, let’s improve the world’s ratio, one positive word at a time.

SuperCamp teaches curriculum based on the 8 Keys of Excellence, as well as other academic study skills, personal enrichment techniques and more.

Visit www.SuperCamp.com or call 1-800-285-3276 NOW to speak with an Enrollment Counselor and learn how to increase grades, confidence and motivation.

About the Author:
Chase Mielke graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s in English Education and Communications from Western Michigan University. He was born and currently resides in Michigan where he teaches high school Language Arts and Interpersonal Communication at Plainwell Community Schools. Presently, he is working on his Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. Aside from teaching, he loves coaching soccer, fitness and writing/performing music. He has worked with QLN since 2008.

About SuperCamp:
SuperCamp offers academic and personal enrichment summer camps for teens, including specifically designed summer programs for high school students, middle school students, and college students. These educational summer camps provide ideal college prep skills and help instill positive values for life based on The 8 Keys of Excellence by Bobbi DePorter. SuperCamp’s academic summer programs for teens help students increase their grades, confidence and motivation.

The post Speak With Good Purpose – Just One Principle from Summer Academic Enrichment Program appeared first on SuperCamp.