Advantages of a Title One Tutor Apprenticeship Program

Advantages of a Title One Tutor Apprenticeship ProgramA Title One Teacher Apprenticeship is one of the fastest growing methods to earn a college degree. Because there are not enough colleges and universities to fill up all the slots, they are finding an alternate route to fill these classrooms. By going through a Teacher Apprenticeship program, you can get a college degree with your mind and your hands.One of the first things that you have to do when you are applying for this job is to create a resume that will be accepted by the schools you want to attend. Your application will be sent out through the Title One college search engine and it is vital that you use this application so that it gets noticed and is put on the front page for everyone who has been searching.Because you will be working for a Title One company, they have made sure that their own staff will be very friendly to you when you apply. This is one of the best ways to get noticed as a potential teacher candidate.The s tudents need to show that they will be able to teach themselves. They are being asked to do much more than pass a test, but also the job skills that they will need to pass to become a teacher. You will be expected to know how to interact with students and how to do a good job teaching them.Some of the tutors need to work at home to help out during the summer months. These are free jobs, but some people are looking for these because it is possible to take them during the school year. If you have the right attitude, you can get paid to tutor the kids.There are two ways to get paid to tutor work is by getting a part time job while you tutor or earning money by answering phones. However, you will have to make sure that you do a good job with the research you do before you go about finding a job and you need to be willing to learn how to research as well.With all the jobs available in the high school, college and university systems, there is no excuse for not getting a job as a teacher. All it takes is a little bit of hard work and the willingness to learn.

How can I automatically evaluate opinion essays

How can I automatically evaluate opinion essays Do you teach opinion essays? Many teachers do. It is a common practice in English Second Language teaching to ask college level students to write a 4-5 paragraph opinion essay on a range of topics. An opinion essay goes by many names. Often, it is called the hamburger essay, the 1-3-1 essay, the persuasive essay, or the opinion essay. Learning to write an opinion essay is quite straightforward and can be taught step-by-step. It is a lot like an argument essay but without a counterargument-concession-refutation paragraph. The form is quite consistent from one teacher to the next. Usually, an opinion essay begins with an introductory paragraph containing a thesis statement, two or three paragraphs containing supporting arguments, and a conclusion with a reformulation of the thesis. The 5-Paragraph Hamburger Essay Structure Automated Opinion Evaluation System If you assign this kind of essay to your students, you might like to try the Virtual Writing Tutors automated opinion essay evaluation system. This opinion essay checker can evaluate an essay on any topic in two seconds. Use it as a formative evaluation to help student revise their essays before they give it to you for a mark that counts. Its fast, easy, detailed, and free. By automating the provision of formative feedback, you will be able to assign more writing tasks and expect more revisions from your students while reducing your own workload. You will find that you will have more time and energy to for your students. Try this sample opinion essay with the essay evaluation system Download Opinion Essay Evaluation System Opinion Essay Instructions Instructions:Write a four-paragraph, 350+ word opinion essay on any topic.Use the Virtual Writing Tutorsopinion essay outliner. Make sure that your essay includes the following elements. First paragraph: introduction Opening: Begin the essay by engaging your readers interest with a question, a surprising statistic, a famous quote, an anecdote, or expert testimony. Context: Establish the importance of the topic. Use phrases like these: a vital factor in, the leading cause of, widely considered to be, set to become, undergoing a revolution, is responsible for.Thesis: End your introduction with a thesis statement that makes a strong claim about a controversial issue. 2 or 3 Body paragraphs: supporting arguments Topic sentence: Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and supports the claim you made in your thesis statement. Argue: Refer to facts, statistics, logic, what is reasonable, what follows from the evidence, and conclusions one can draw.Evidence: Give evidence from your reading and research using these types of words: according to, to quote from, tells us that, shows us that, referring to, argues that, stated, wrote, argued, discussed, expressed the concern that, as written.Support: Give examples to support your claims using words and phrases such as these: for example, for instance, suppose that, take the case of, that is, to be exact, to explain, to illustrate, to put another way, to show what I mean. Final Paragraph: conclusion Reformulation of the thesis: Restate the thesis in different words from the introduction.Build cohesion: Use expressions such as To sum up, To conclude, In closing, or For these reasons.Recommendation: Make a recommendation. Use one expression such as should, ought to, will, or going to.Prediction: Make a prediction. What will happen if the reader follows your recommendation? Use one expression such as should, ought to, will, or going to, or likely. Please follow and like us:

How can teachers promote achievement using persuasion secrets

How can teachers promote achievement using persuasion secrets We all want our students to succeed, but sometimes we encounter resistance. If we could persuade students to cooperate with us sooner without having to resort to rewards and threats, we might be able to get better results, right? Here are some sneaky persuasion secrets that marketers and advertisers use to influence behaviour. Teachers can learn them too and get better results from their students. As you read below, you will notice that I have inserted images of PowerPoint slides that contain mysteries to solve. The mystery itself is a persuasive technique because it engages the audiences curiosity. Students who are curious about what is coming next will listen carefully to your message. Attentive listening is, after all, a form of cooperation. Create Persuasive Introductions The first thing teachers should learn to do is to introduce themselves in a persuasive way. At the beginning of a semester or a lesson, it is important to get students to listen, trust and commit to cooperating with you. Here is an example of a series of comments intended to get conference goers on-side. An example of a persuasive introduction to a talk Of course, you will have your own script as a teacher, but it is wise to think about structuring your introduction in a way that will make them want to trust you and cooperate with you over the weeks to come. Liking Begin presentations and lessons by complimenting your audience. Compliments build trust. More important that getting your students to like you is demonstrating that you like them. People assume that those that like and admire them always have their best interests at heart. Unity Show support for a universally popular issue to unify with the group. A cohesive group will support its members. Credibility Build credibility by admitting to a weakness before mentioning a strength. Authority Share your credentials to establish your authority. Goals Tell people what you want, and then give them the steps they will need to take to achieve that goal. Commitment and Consistency Get them to commit to something early on to trigger consistency. People will want to remain consistent with prior decisions they made, especially when they make them publicly. Ask students the following. Youll do your homework this week, right? [Pause for confirmation.] Great! Thanks! Participation rates increase from 70% to 82.4% when phone operators wait for confirmation. Social Proof Demonstrate the popularity of your ideas with social proof. Get everyone to raise their hands and then look around the room at the universal support for your ideas or request. Pedagogical Persuasion Tips Ask individual students to let you hold their cell phones. This will elicit an initial commitment to trust you. It will also demonstrate to onlookers that you are trustworthy. You can do this casually as you walk around the class, giving feedback during an activity. Students wont realize that you are helping them associate you with an inclination to trust. It can backfire if you ask someone to look at their phone and they refuse. Onlookers might associate you with distrust. Usually, it works. Asking Do you consider yourself a helpful person? prior to asking him or her for help increased the likelihood of survey respondents to agree to help. Priming the notion of “helpful” before making your request for help can increase compliance. If you want someone to take a risk, plant the idea of adventurousness in their heads prior to asking them to do something risky. Being adventurous is a positive form of risk taking. Thinking about being adventurous will make the risk you want them to take seem positive. Putting the picture of someone winning a race at the top of fundraising script inspired fundraisers to work harder and focus on achievement. You can get your students to focus on achievement by asking students to write down the names of famous bilinguals. They will aspire to be like them. Research shows that girls do better in math when they see pictures of successful female mathematicians in exam rooms or on the cover of their exam booklets. Instead of thinking about heroes to motivate students to achieve, you can get students to describe successful moments in their lives and their academic successes. It, too, will orient them toward future successes. Pavlov could get dogs to salivate at the sound of a bellbut not when there were journalists in the room. The change in the dogs environment blocked associations from having their usual effect on them. Flip the lights to interrupt activities. Changes in the environment trigger an investigatory reflex (a.k.a. an orienting response). Students will stop talking to investigate why the lights are flashing. There are other elements in the environment that can compete for students attention. Avoid decorating your classroom. Highly decorated classrooms interfere with learning and cause students to learn less. Researchers have found that general daily prayers have no effect on fidelity rates among Christians. However, praying for their partner’s welfare every day has a big effect, significantly reducing instances of infidelity and keeping couples together longer. Why? Thinking about your partner’s welfare will make you less likely to do something to undermine it. Get your students to think about their partners’ welfare. Each week ask students to make a list of ways to help their classmates improve their English. Get them to rehearse the following phrases: Please, speak English; you can do it; don’t forget to do your homework. (See Actively Engaged Together.) When we encounter someone with a need, we feel we owe them help. The bigger the need, the bigger the obligation we feel. In other words, we owe help to people in proportion to their need. People interpreted the offer of money to cut in line as an expression of need rather than as a source of profit. They are likely to let you cut in and then refuse to take your money. For language teachers, pretending that you cant speak much of your students first language will trigger this same norm of social responsibility. The bigger your need for an English translation the more students will want to help you out by speaking English. Furthermore, it is worthwhile to sensitize your students to each others needs. Tell them that when their classmates speak French it means that they need encouragement. We owe encouragement and support to students who struggle a lot. Saying how common it is for people to steal inadvertently gives people the idea that it is valid and feasible to steal. Avoid saying that many people failed, plagiarized, or didn’t do their homework. Revealing the magnitude of the problem shows how popular failing, plagiarizing, and not doing homework is, and suggests it is valid and feasible. Remind the group how the majority did their homework, passed, avoided plagiarism, and never the contrary. We are inclined to do what is popular. If many people do it, we have proof of value, validity, and feasibility. Instead of using the magnitude of a problem to spur action, use simple prohibitions: Do not remove wood from the national park so that we can preserve it for future generations. Similarly, if someone claims that you are strict or demanding, say, “Im not the only one.” The multitude is the message. Chiune Sugihara’s parents ran an inn when he was young and living in Korea, feeding and housing many strangers and treating them as family. He disobeyed orders and wrote transit visas for Lithuanian Jews because he had come to see all people as family. Merging your identity with strangers makes you more likely to help them. Teachers can use the power of unity to enhance levels of cooperation in their classrooms. One activity that promotes the merger of identities into a unified whole is the Wedding Game from Actively Engaged Together. Divide the class in 2. Create 2 families with the bride and groom. Marry the couple and have students introduce themselves to members of the other family. This will teach family-related vocabulary and possessive forms (the grooms brother) and will help to unify the group. (See Actively Engaged at College and Actively Engaged on the Job for a job-related version using job titles.) Group cohesion increases the group’s productivity. Promote unity and cooperation with this wedding activityDownload Another great way to promote a sense of unity and group cohesion is to have students take group photos with their cell phones. This will unify the group and teach them polite requests and prepositions: Could you stand between Charles and Mary? Group photos promote the sense of group membership and group cohesion, leading to greater group productivity. Promote further group cohesion with group photosDownload Bluma Zeigarniks waiter forgot the orders immediately after successfully serving them. Why? Our minds quickly forget finished tasks. However, they are programmed to continually interrupt us with reminders to attend to unfinished tasks. One pedagogical implication is to never let your students finish their writing or reading assignments in class. The desire to complete what they have started will plague them until they get it done. These were the sneaky tricks teachers can use to maximize student achievement and cooperation that I talked about at the 2019 Rascals Colloquium in Rimouski, Quebec. There are many others. Additional Persuasion Techniques Here are a few extra persuasion techniques you may like. I would love to know if you enjoyed the talk (notice the single chute) and how you intend to use these techniques with your students (notice the request for a commitment). Use my email in the picture above (Mystery #10) or use the contact page on the Virtual Writing Tutor. Use contrasts Get students to draw a long line, then draw a short line, then write a big number. Next, tell them, “In this course, I will assign 3 hours of homework each week.” Three will seem small in contrast to the big number they wrote. Cognitive fluency Use rhyme to maximize lexical fluency. If its fast, use simple past. When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking and says its own name. Pronounce the final -ed of past forms as an extra syllable when Ted is Ded.Rhyme makes concepts seem easy and therefore true. The tendency to use cognitive fluency to decide if something is true can be used in another way to persuade or dissuade. Ask for one reason to accept a claim if you want the student believe it. Ask for 10 reasons if you want to make the claim seem less believable. It may seem counter-intuitive that more support for a claim makes it less believable, but the more people struggle to come up with additional reasons to accept a claim, the less convinced they will be of the reliability of the claim. In other words, the lack of cognitive fluency casts doubts on the reliability of a proposition. Make it personal People like hear about themselves, and they are attracted to their own name. Make feedback self-relevant use the students name, history, and other personal details, to add attention, interest, and seriousness to feedback on performance. Single chute surveys Use single chute surveys to keep assessments positive and favorable toward your lessons and course. If your goal is to gain your students’ trust and cooperation, single-chute surveys will help to elicit positive attitudes and reassure students that they are doing the right thing by taking your course. For example, do not ask, How interesting or boring did you find the course? Ask instead, How interesting did you find the course? Students will focus their attention on the positive aspects of the course only. Note that single chute surveys are marketing tools not science. Strengthen your relationship Send weekly emails to your students. Strong relationships produce the willingness to help. The effect size of strong teacher-student relationships on achievement is 0.72 (Hattie, 2009). Highly effective teachers maintain strong relationships with students. Act now! Create scarcity. If you dont act now, youll lose out. If you dont finish the online quizzes by week 13, youll miss your chance. A constraint on access increases the worth of what is being offered. Use consistency Connect decisions with prior expressed points of view. You said you wanted to make more money, right? French speakers who use English at work make twenty one percent higher salaries than those who dont. (See Actively Engaged Together.) Choose words with positive connotations If students ask you how much the textbook for your course costs, tell students that they will have to invest $60.00. Dont talk about costs. Talk about investments. The word “cost” suggests a loss rather than a gain. The word “invest” emphasizes the acquisition of something valuable. Download the PowerPoint Sneaky secrets that every teacher should useDownload References If you liked this, you might also like 10 Mind-blowing Research Findings to Supercharge Your ESL Lessons. Please follow and like us:

New Years Challenge Video Pledges

New Years Challenge Video Pledges See Whos Taking this Years Challenge If you are taking this years challenge were  giving away 50 free ITC if you make a video challenge pledge. Life Hacks research  has shown that if you put yourself up to something by doing it in public, you follow through because others are watching.  So use peer pressure to your advantage!  So help out your fellow language learners participating in the challenge!  Leave them words of encouragement on their notebook entries!  And dont forget to sign up for yourself, and get 2015 of to a great start! Cassie  from Australia is learning French She has been learning French for 12 months at University so far, though she has had little opportunity to speak French and practice her listening skills.  So despite facing the concurrent challenge of raising children, she will be taking the New Years challenge to continue to improve her French!  Provide advice and support on her notebook. David Jackson  from the UK is learning Mandarin   After going to Taiwan he became inspired to learn the language.  He would love to spend more time in Taiwan and also hopes to be able to converse with his girlfriend in Chinese.  While speaking a little already, he hopes to make great strides over the coming 2 months!  Help David out by commenting on his notebook. Jay Allen  from the United States is learning Japanese. Jay has been using italki for the past two years to learn Japanese!  Hes planning on going to Japan later this year and is afraid  his Japanese is not good enough to reach his goal: to speak in Japanese 85% of his time in Japan.  We were already very impressed with his Japanese and hope that he can continue to improve during the challenge.  Give Jay words of encouragement on his notebook entry. Jesee Calzalda from Texas is learning Spanish. Jesse has set a solid goal of being able to hold a 15 minute conversation with a native Spanish speaker in Spanish by April 12, 2015.  He is using the italki New Years Challenge to get a start on this task.  We wish him the best.  Give him advice by writing on his notebook. Jen Leigh  from the United States is learning  Spanish. Jens boyfriend is Chilean so not only does she want to be able to converse with him in his native tongue but also be able to speak Spanish when she goes to some weddings in Chile with him this year.  She wants to make sure she can order beverages and converse with her boyfriends family and friends.  Cheer her on here. Derek  from the United States is learning  Portuguese. Dereks wife is from Brazil and so are all of his non-English speaking in laws.  Therefore, Derek has resolved to get to a high level of Portuguese so he can communicate with his Brazilian family members.  We wish and the best and you can to on his notebook entry.  Good luck Derek! Sarah from the United States is learning Spanish Sarah wants to increase the fluidity of her speech this language challenge.  She wants to be able to formulate some of her thoughts in Spanish, without having to mentally translate everything before speaking.  She also hopes to learn more about the nuance of using the subjunctive.  Wish Sarah luck here. Sergio from New York is learning French. Sergio has taken 3 years of French in high school, but unfortunately has lost most of his ability to speak the language.   He  started up lessons 4 months ago and is looking for this language challenge to provide him with the necessary discipline to  get into the right routine.  He would like to be able to interview in French and write an op-ed in French.  Encourage him on his notebook.  Mark  from the United States is learning Spanish!   Mark is taking the challenge as it provides him the motivation he needs to keep improving his Spanish.  He wants to be able to to speak to his in-laws more easily and also hopes to get to the level where he is comfortable teaching a short 5 minute Spanish lesson himself.  Wish Mark the best here! Kevin  from the United States is learning Japanese. Kevin wants to take the challenge because he wants to use a strict time frame to help him study.  He wants to actually use the language as he often doesnt get many opportunities to do so.  Kevin mentioned that he hopes the challenge will bring him closer to the italki community.  Give him words of encouragement! Amy from the United States is learning Japanese, Korean, and Chinese! Amy is not taking just one language this challenge period, but three extremely difficult languages!   She is doing this while starting a new job as well!  This is definitely not an easy feat to pull off but we are sure she can do it!  She hopes to travel to these countries in the future so she would like to be able to speak the languages! Wish her the best on her notebook and be sure to follow her blog. New Years Challenge Video Pledges See Whos Taking this Years Challenge If you are taking this years challenge were  giving away 50 free ITC if you make a video challenge pledge. Life Hacks research  has shown that if you put yourself up to something by doing it in public, you follow through because others are watching.  So use peer pressure to your advantage!  So help out your fellow language learners participating in the challenge!  Leave them words of encouragement on their notebook entries!  And dont forget to sign up for yourself, and get 2015 of to a great start! Cassie  from Australia is learning French She has been learning French for 12 months at University so far, though she has had little opportunity to speak French and practice her listening skills.  So despite facing the concurrent challenge of raising children, she will be taking the New Years challenge to continue to improve her French!  Provide advice and support on her notebook. David Jackson  from the UK is learning Mandarin   After going to Taiwan he became inspired to learn the language.  He would love to spend more time in Taiwan and also hopes to be able to converse with his girlfriend in Chinese.  While speaking a little already, he hopes to make great strides over the coming 2 months!  Help David out by commenting on his notebook. Jay Allen  from the United States is learning Japanese. Jay has been using italki for the past two years to learn Japanese!  Hes planning on going to Japan later this year and is afraid  his Japanese is not good enough to reach his goal: to speak in Japanese 85% of his time in Japan.  We were already very impressed with his Japanese and hope that he can continue to improve during the challenge.  Give Jay words of encouragement on his notebook entry. Jesee Calzalda from Texas is learning Spanish. Jesse has set a solid goal of being able to hold a 15 minute conversation with a native Spanish speaker in Spanish by April 12, 2015.  He is using the italki New Years Challenge to get a start on this task.  We wish him the best.  Give him advice by writing on his notebook. Jen Leigh  from the United States is learning  Spanish. Jens boyfriend is Chilean so not only does she want to be able to converse with him in his native tongue but also be able to speak Spanish when she goes to some weddings in Chile with him this year.  She wants to make sure she can order beverages and converse with her boyfriends family and friends.  Cheer her on here. Derek  from the United States is learning  Portuguese. Dereks wife is from Brazil and so are all of his non-English speaking in laws.  Therefore, Derek has resolved to get to a high level of Portuguese so he can communicate with his Brazilian family members.  We wish and the best and you can to on his notebook entry.  Good luck Derek! Sarah from the United States is learning Spanish Sarah wants to increase the fluidity of her speech this language challenge.  She wants to be able to formulate some of her thoughts in Spanish, without having to mentally translate everything before speaking.  She also hopes to learn more about the nuance of using the subjunctive.  Wish Sarah luck here. Sergio from New York is learning French. Sergio has taken 3 years of French in high school, but unfortunately has lost most of his ability to speak the language.   He  started up lessons 4 months ago and is looking for this language challenge to provide him with the necessary discipline to  get into the right routine.  He would like to be able to interview in French and write an op-ed in French.  Encourage him on his notebook.  Mark  from the United States is learning Spanish!   Mark is taking the challenge as it provides him the motivation he needs to keep improving his Spanish.  He wants to be able to to speak to his in-laws more easily and also hopes to get to the level where he is comfortable teaching a short 5 minute Spanish lesson himself.  Wish Mark the best here! Kevin  from the United States is learning Japanese. Kevin wants to take the challenge because he wants to use a strict time frame to help him study.  He wants to actually use the language as he often doesnt get many opportunities to do so.  Kevin mentioned that he hopes the challenge will bring him closer to the italki community.  Give him words of encouragement! Amy from the United States is learning Japanese, Korean, and Chinese! Amy is not taking just one language this challenge period, but three extremely difficult languages!   She is doing this while starting a new job as well!  This is definitely not an easy feat to pull off but we are sure she can do it!  She hopes to travel to these countries in the future so she would like to be able to speak the languages! Wish her the best on her notebook and be sure to follow her blog.

8 Extensive Reading Activities for Language Learners Teaching Themselves

8 Extensive Reading Activities for Language Learners Teaching Themselves Uh, oh.  That  book just came out.Cancel all meetings. Postpone all  plans with friends. Hire a dog/cat sitter for several days.Do anything important  now, because once  that book is in your  hands  nothing is going to get done.Everyone has one of  those  books, right?Books that you just cannot put downâ€"no matter how much you try. You fall so deeply in love with the world the author has created for you, that you forget the actual world youre living in.This sort of pleasurable adventure is just as possible in a foreign language as in your native one. If youve been hitting wall after wall trying to drag yourself through a book that you hardly understand, give  extensive  reading a try instead.In extensive reading you should know at least 98% of the words on a page. In other words, it should  feel like reading. You should have that wonderful feeling of being wrapped up in a story, unable to set the book down even to eat.Unfortunately many of us have come to associate learning with unn ecessary suffering. All those late night cram sessions seemed to pay off, so why should it be any different with language learning? Well actually, language learning can be enjoyable  and effective. At least some of the time. Why Extensive Reading Is the Key to Your SuccessReading and being able to understand something is good. Reading and being able to understand something quickly is even better. How do you get faster at reading? Read a lot. One study  carried out by St. Lukes International University showed that students in an extensive reading program were able to significantly increase their reading speeds, while those in an intensive programâ€"who read less but harder materialâ€"had zero gain in reading speed.If thats not enough, extensive reading also has just about every other advantage you can imagine.  Research seems to support the idea that extensive reading can lead to better reading comprehension, a larger vocabulary and a higher level of motivation. That last one is by no means the least important, since motivation is one of  the key factors in how fast you develop.Now, you could just pick up a book (at the appropriate level) and go to town on it. But if you really want to maximize your time spent on extensive reading, there are a few activities that are super effective. Lets look at eight of them:8 Extensive Reading Activities for Language Learners Teaching Themselves1. Prime your knowledgeThis is a very basic activity that will make your extensive reading easier and more effective.First, skim through roughly the amount of text you plan on reading. Maybe a chapter or two at a time. Youre looking for any unknown words, but mostly the ones that appear over and over again. These are the words that are going to make it easy  to understand the basic plot elements of the story or the basic argument of the article. Look up a basic definition for each. Then you can add context and feeling to the definition as you read and see the word in a sentence.Next , read over the dust jacket summary and take a good look at the cover illustration if youre reading a book. If youre reading an article, read the headline and the subheadings. From this information alone, make a prediction about what the story or article will be about. This requires you to gather all the relevant vocab and background knowledge you have of the subject, making it easier to contextualize and understand what youre about to read.2. Write book reports and book reviewsThis one is probably self explanatory. When you finish a book, just write out a simple piece about it, including a basic summary and some of your own feelings about the text.Writing something like this will help to  create a personal understanding of the text by making you reread certain sections of the text to confirm that your understanding of the work is correct. Since this also serves as a test of your ability to recall details of the text, itll be much more likely that youll remember new vocab and gramma r in the long-run.To make sure you really put the effort in to comprehend whats going on, try publishing your review on a site like Goodreads or Amazon.3. Do timed readingsExtensive reading is  already a great way to get your reading speed up, but if youre still not as fast as you want to be, heres how to get better.The simplest task is a timed read. Choose a set number of pages and set a stopwatch for a set amount of time. Of course, texts vary a lot. Sometimes theres a lot of dialogue and you can read it quickly without any problem. Other times  its full of difficult descriptions and you have to struggle to make it to the end. So try to pick a time that would be reasonably difficult but possibleâ€"whatever happens in the text.A tweak on this activity is to pick a section, read it and time how long it takes you. Then when youve finished, reread that section, only now try to read it 20% faster. It goes without saying that you should try to read it quickly the first time, or else the second part of the activity wont be much of a challenge.Theres one other activity thats truly excellent for timed reads, but it can be a bit trickier. Youll have to find a partner whos learning the same language as you and is at about the same level of proficiency. Agree to read a set number of pages and race each other to see who finishes first. The person who finishes first should have to give a decent summary of what she or he read to prove that they really read it.4. Join book club discussionsJust like in your native language, book club discussions can provide great motivation to make sure you actually read what you want to. They also allow you to hear other peoples thoughts on the book that might have never occurred to you otherwise. This can be a wonderful way to go over confusing grammar or just make sure youre reading what you think youre reading. Sometimes its easy to have an existential crisis about whats really on the page when youre reading a book in a foreign language all by yourself.Besides the reasons above, book club discussions can be a great way to roll together speaking and reading practice. If you host your discussions in the language youre learning, youll quickly be able hold a decent conversation about literature. And youll probably have to do some quick scanning for passages you want to use. Being able to switch back and forth between different parts of language is always a valuable skill.To find a book club,  Meetup is always a great place to start. However, since most book clubs around seem to be in English, you can either try to read the book in your target language,  or start a new club where everyone reads in the target language. This is probably easier than you think. Are you a member of a language group already? Do you have friends who are studying the same language? All you need to do is convince two or three people to join you, and you have a book club.5. Create chain storiesThis is another activity that requires a partner at a bout the same level of proficiency as you.You and a partner choose two different books. Its probably more fun if theyre on wildly different topics. Begin by reading the first chapter or a set number of pages from one book and have your partner do the same from the other book. When youve finished, you each to have to summarize what youve just read to the other person as clearly and in as much detail as you can.Now switch books and read the next section. Even if your partner made mistakes, hopefully you can figure them out and have some fun correcting them.6. Work on your creative writingHad enough of summarizing the story? Why not try rewriting it? Creative writing based on what youve just finished reading can be a highly effective tool for solidifying those gains in vocab/grammar that youve made.Perhaps the most fun time to do this is when youre faced with a terrible ending to an otherwise good story. Weve all had this happen to us. Were blissfully turning page after page. We see th at the number of pages is slowly dwindling down, but there doesnt seem to be anything in the narrative that suggests so. And then the story just ends, as if the author had never read an ending themselves. Now is your chance to do what needs to be done. Write what they should have written in the first place.An enjoyable alternative to this activity is to take one chapter of a book and rewrite it in a different genre. Think Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or Android Karenina. The result can be hilariously entertaining.And if youve gone through these activities a thousand times, you can always  write a letter to a character in the book about something you agree or disagree with, trying to assume the same tone as the book. Done well, it can give you an entirely new connection to what youre reading.7. Keep vocabulary journalsIn addition to the vocabulary you pulled out from the text in the first activity, you can also keep a vocabulary journal for those words that you inevitably miss whe n youre skimming the text.A vocabulary journal doesnt need to be fancy. When you see a new word or phrase that you think is important, write it down in your journal. If possible, add your own definition based on context clues and an example sentence. That way, when you look it up later you can see it in context again.If youre learning French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese or German, you can also check out the web version of the MosaLingua app, which gives you pre-selected content to learn with, including authentic reading material, and allows you to look up words and phrases instantly with a translator tool. You can also turn vocabulary into flashcards to ensure you dont forget about it.And when youre all finished with what youre reading, go back and try to write a summary that includes all of the words you recorded in your vocabulary journal.8. Skim and scanThese two activities are for those with a dire wish to be able to read as fast as a native speaker.For skimming, pick a chapter and read only the first and last sentence of each paragraph. When youve finished, write out a summary. Then read the text again slowly and see if there are any important details youve missed. If so, what strategies do you think you could use to skim the text more effectively without slowing down? Tinker with how you do your skimming until it seems like you can read anything in no time, and still be able to write the equivalent of a late night school essay.But maybe you dont need to read the whole text. Maybe you just want to be able to find answers to specific questions as quickly as possible. Thats where scanning comes in. For this, its best if you can find readings that come with questions. Often times books that have been marked for book clubs will include questions in the back. Otherwise, you might try generating some of your own questions based on the topic of the book or chapter.You dont have to try every one of these activities. Just grab the ones that stick out to you. Afte r all, theyre to be paired with extensive readingâ€"that wonderfully joyous way to spend a lazy Sunday. Or any other day for that matter. For once, you can let the pressure go and just have fun, knowing that youll be learning all the while. And One More ThingFluentU gives you a chance to practice reading in a foreign language right along with your favorite videos!FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning experiences. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the range of content available:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all t he vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the iTunes store  or Google Play store.

How to Teach Yourself a Language 5 Creative Strategies You Havent Tried Yet

How to Teach Yourself a Language 5 Creative Strategies You Havent Tried Yet How to Teach Yourself a Language: 5 Creative Strategies You Havent Tried Yet Trying to learn a new language, but finding yourself in a rut?Feeling stuck  with that new foreign book you just bought?All out of ideas for ways to expand your lingual palette?Stress no more! We here at FluentU think outside the box because we believe that some of the best ideas are the ones you havent tried.Wondering how to teach yourself a language? Its time to get creative. How to Teach Yourself a Language: 5 Creative Strategies You Havent Tried Yet1. Prioritize  One Phrase a DayBefore you treat your journey to fluency as you would your senior research report, slow it down. What I mean is: Resist the urge to cram! Cramming is not only ineffective in the long run, but its also a poor way to be using your time and energy. (This is exactly why SRS was created for effective learning with flashcards).Instead of trying to memorize the most words and phrases in short amounts of time, try the reverse. Choose one phrase a day and commit to it.Some phrases to consider:Excuse me, where ca n I find the nearest bathroom?What time do you wake up in the morning?My favorite hobbies are  writing and playing  video games.Notice how all of these phrases are jam-packed with useful words, while also being incredibly practical.After youve selected a phrase, devote an entire day to using that phrase as much as you can. Have fun and be creative when trying to implement your daily phrase. By using the phrase repeatedly and focusing your mental energy on it, your brain will have no choice but to let it stick.The next day, choose a new phrase to focus on, and repeat the process. Within a few weeks, you will have a useful portfolio of words and phrases that youll have a hard time forgetting. And if you do happen to have trouble remembering your daily phrases, stick with the same phrase for three days, or for an entire week!If youre stumped on ways to learn such phrases, give these resources a shot:Google Translate is generally a reliable go-to (but be aware the sentence structure may not be 100% accurate).Post your desired translation on an online language learning forum, like Word Reference, so that a native speaker can give you feedback on the proper translation.2. Closed Caption Your Favorite YouTube VideosClosed captioning is becoming an increasingly popular option for YouTube content creators. To make the site more appealing to various culture and demographics, YouTube is encouraging viewers to caption videos in other languages. This is a wonderful chance for the sites content to be more universal, and also a great  opportunity for you to learn new languages!If you have a favorite YouTuber who you religiously watch, go back to some of his/her videos and turn on the captions. You can do this by clicking the CC button alongside the bottom of the video. Then, click the gear icon located next to the CC button to adjust the language. While on this screen, you can also adjust the speed, allowing you to make the video slower so that you can follow along more easi ly.Try this with a video in your target language:  Listen to only the  first sentence and hit pause. From here, see if you know what  was  said, and then check by re-watching with the English captions. Continue listening and pausing the video, going sentence by sentence.You can also try to imitate a native speaker by memorizing part of the YouTube video.  This allows you to match your native language with the language spoken throughout the video. Try to pick out commonly used words or expressions. You never know what youll discover!And if you want to learn a language with videos, but are looking for more than just subtitles, head over to FluentU. FluentU is an online immersion platform that takes  real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.  You can browse videos  by difficulty (beginner to native), topic (arts and entertainment, health and lifestyle, etc.) and  format (video blog, news ,  shows, etc.).With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.3. Turn  Your Phone into  a Language-learning ToolAdmit it. You re already on your phone way more than you should be every day, so why not use the time on your celly to bump up your language learning jelly? Change  your phones language setting to the desired language you would like to learn.Now, the next time  you instinctively check your phone, youll have the added challenge of deciphering your way through different screens and apps. It definitely gets easier over time, which only means one thingâ€"that youre becoming more comfortable in your target language because youve learned new words.But we can take it a step up. If you have a smartphone that has a built-in operator feature (i.e. Siri), try  speaking to the robot  in your  new language. This can  be a really fun way to test  your pronunciation, and an even more fun way to befriend a robot.If youre really adventurous, try using your GPS wherever you go to hear the directions in that language. When I lived in China, being able to navigate myself around the city was crucial. Almost everyday, I found myself either asking for directions or telling a driver directions in Mandarin. By practicing with your phones built-in GPS, or even the one in your car, you can easily create a roadmap to success in your  language learning endeavors.  Thanks  technology!4. Join a Meetup  Group of Other Language LearnersAlthough it may be tempting to learn your new language solo, having a group of like-minded people to support you in your learning can be the make-or-break in your strive for fluency.Meetup.com is the worlds largest network of local groups. By becoming a member, you can easily organize a local group or find one  of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 9,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.Currently, there are over 420,000 monthly meetups occurring in 180 countries. Chances are there are many happening in or around your hometown, so give it a shot. You may be able to find a group of other passionate language learners nearby, or you can be the first to get a group started.With this group, you can share language learning resources, inspire and motivate each other, watch films in your target language, eat at ethnic restaurants where your target language is spokenâ€"and probably gain a few new friends along the way!5. Stop Trying to Motivate Yourself and Instead Just Go for ItHeres the thing: We have the concept motivation totally wrong. We tend to believe that first we have to motivate ourself in order to accomplish or do anything. Before we know it, we sit around all day trying to think of ways to motivate ourselves, and in the process we get nothing done!Its time we flip the script on how motivation really works. Rather than motivating yourself until you take action, take  action until you are motivated.  Just the act of doing  something  towards your goal  eventually fosters motivationâ€"its incredible how well it works.Imagine both motivation and a ction as representations of the wings on a bird. In order for the bird to fly, both wings must work together. When one wing flaps, the other wing flips as well. The two wings work together in order to keep the bird moving.To put this into context, rather than devoting your energy to motivating yourself to learn a new language, just dive in and get started! The motivation will eventually catch up, but only after you take those first few steps.Here are some ideas to get you started right now:Pick a daily phrase from #1 and say it 10 times todayFind a popular song in your desired language on FluentU or YouTube and listen to it 5  times in a rowSign up for polyglot Olly Richards Language Learning Foundations video course, which is designed specifically to help you get set up and started with the ins and outs of learning a new languageYou may also be interested in his Grammar Hero or Conversations courses, which are designed to help you set up workable, step-by-step systems for learning your target language.Pick up your phone and change the device languageAnd there you go! These ideas for how to teach yourself a language may sound crazy at first glance, but sometimes crazy can be exactly what we need to move forward.You have nothing to lose in giving these techniques  a shot, so good luck!Frank Macri is a Professional Life Coach who supports  those  who want to replace  their monotonous  lifestyles with an off the beaten path adventure. For more tips on achieving your personal and financial goals, visit www.TheFrankLife.com.

Dar es Salaam International Academy

Dar es Salaam International Academy Dar es Salaam International Academy DIA opened its doors in 2003 with only four students, and has been growing since then. Every academic year DIA has evolved, and currently is an IB World School (authorised to deliver the IB MYP since 2010 IB PYP since 2014). DIA has 35+ nationalities within our learning community, inclusive of students and staff and currently has approximately 245 students enrolled. We value our family-like feel and our links to our host country. DIA is a relatively small school and we put great empahsis on differentiation as well as small classroom sizes. DIAs parent/guardian community is a vital part of the school. Parental involvement is encouraged, and regular workshops are conducted by the PYP and MYP Departments to ensure that parents/guardians feel part of the school and their childs learning process. It is extremely important that communication and cooperation is regular between school and home. DIAs teaching team and staff are the heart of the school. Hailing from all over the world, they bring with them a multitude of knowledge and skills. With over 40 teaching staff and 15 administrative and support staff, DIA is always abuzz with activity. With our open door policy DIAs staff is always available to answer and concerns or questions. The Arts at DIA is an essential part of our community, and a focus throughout the school, both within the classrooms as well as our external environment. As the world becomes more and more linked, DIA students are encouraged to utilize technology in ways that not only help them academically, but also to stay tuned to what is going on in the world around them. Teachers use technology within their classrooms to support teaching and assessing. Within the MYP students are regularly utlising the computer labs, as well as their personal computers, they have access to various online resources and many of their assessments, teaching and learning is directly linked to technology that they use in their daily lives. Teaching responsible digital citizenship is a vital skill for todays students. View our Brochure

How to Find a Private Tutor Without Paying For it

How to Find a Private Tutor Without Paying For itWith the economy in the toilet, many parents are looking for ways to save money on tuition and it is one of the best ways to do this is to find a school that offers private tutoring. You may not have known that all private schools are required to offer this service if they want to keep their accreditation. What you don't know is that you can also qualify for this private tutor without having to pay for it.The first step in finding a private school that will give you a discount on their private tuition is to go online and search for companies that offer tutoring for K-12. You can also do an internet search for independent, private schools. Many times, these companies will give you a list of schools and will let you determine which one you like best. You will have to find a list of private schools with current accreditation.Once you have this list of accredited private schools, you can start to research them to see if they will give you a tuition discount. Usually, when you enroll in a private school, you will be required to pay their tuition or their program fee. While many schools require tuition payment, most will allow you to pay a student loan.You will need to make sure that the school is certified by the National Council for Accreditation of Educations (NCAE) or by other state and federal organizations. Since most private schools are not accredited, they must meet certain standards to keep their accreditation and you can rest assured that the school will help you get your education without any hassles.Private tutors will work with your child to teach him or her specific academic lessons and work with him or her in the areas of reading, writing, and math. They will teach your child proper behavior, social and emotional growth, and a holistic approach to learning. If you want to receive the best education, then you need to enroll your child in a private school.You can do your own research online. You can look a t individual websites to learn more about each private school. You will have to make sure that the school is accredited, if it is, and that the school will give you a tuition discount if you want to be a part of their program.The only way to know if your child needs private tutoring is to speak to your child and find out. If you know that your child has a learning disability or has an attitude problem, then it is wise to enroll him or her in a private school and have the school handle the private tuition part. After all, you will be saving money!

Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry 3rd Edition Solutions - Review

Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry 3rd Edition Solutions - ReviewThe third edition of this popular book has a lot to offer the organic chemistry student. It is essential for students who have not tried it and those who have been through the first two editions, but are now considering it again. The third edition offers a lot of new things to learn and brings out the best of the material from the previous editions.This is the third edition and it continues the original theme of keeping the title simple. All of the chapters in the book are numbered by name and are referred to as 'short titles'. A short title is basically a one-line description that will appear at the front of the book. It gives the reader a taste of what to expect and helps them get through the book quickly.The titles in the third edition are also updated in order to keep up with the changes in the field. For example, Oxygen 'Oxy' was changed to 'Oxygen' in the first edition, but this is still in the book as 'Oxygen molecu les'. The main story, with all the chapters, is generally referred to as the 'Main Story', while other topics are listed as 'Supplementary Stories'. Other than this, there are usually notes at the back of the book about the things discussed in the chapter, along with an index.Since the text is basically written in a straightforward manner, there is no place for pedantry. Just the facts are enough. The descriptive text in this edition includes chapters on acids, bases, alkylating and reducing reactions, catalysis, oxidation and reduction reactions, oxidation products, reductive substitution reactions, elimination reactions, reduction reactions, solubility, and solubility coefficients. There are also some sections about atomic models and theories, and there are also sections on solubility in water, solubility in acids, solubility in bases, solubility in alkalis, solubility inalcohols, and solubility in many other materials. The other chapters cover a few important topics such as the c atalytic mechanism of an oxidizing agent, the method of making the catalyst, the separation and purification of products, and also the treatment of sulfates, iodides, and nitrates.One of the most interesting parts of the book, aside from all the equations of properties, is the description of many problems in organic chemistry problems. This is where the fun comes in. From problems about the acid lye and its reactions to the endothermic reaction between sulfuric acid and boron compounds, the problems in the book are written in an easy to read manner. For many, especially those who have not had much experience with the field, it will be a good way to practice their skills and gain more knowledge about organic chemistry.The descriptions of the problems are usually a good introduction to the ideas. The solution steps for each problem, and the corresponding answers are usually included with the description. Another bonus of these problems is that they are usually useful, and the answers can be useful too, especially when used in combination with the equations in the book.If you are a first time student of organic chemistry and have tried the first two editions of the book, this book should definitely be one of your references. It continues the tradition of keeping the title simple and presenting the material in a clear manner. Not only that, the information is presented clearly and concisely, and the problems give both the reader and the student a chance to understand how the system works.