How to Choose an Online Education Institution

How to Choose an Online Education InstitutionIf you are searching for an online education, a World History Tutor near me might be able to help you out. However, you need to take certain things into consideration before applying. Some of the things that you should check when you are making an application is whether or not the course you are taking has been validated by the Education Authority of Singapore.It is true that it may be difficult to come across these requirements when applying to online institutions, but if you apply through a site like Elance, you will find out in detail about this and how you can verify it. In addition, you will also know how to look out for other details on the validity of the education being offered by the tutor.There are a lot of questions to ask yourself when you are looking for World History Tutor near me. This includes questions such as what does the tutor do?Is the tutor qualified to teach your specific subject matter in history? Do they have a ver y clear understanding of the process of learning in the field of history?When you apply for an online education, you want to ensure that the information is absolutely authentic and you can trust the provider. Be sure to visit the website of the tutors and be sure that it shows all the required qualifications mentioned above and if there are any disclaimers then you should be aware of it.You will also want to make sure that the tutor's signature is in full face on the website and that the website matches what you see in your email account. Finally, you will want to check whether or not they have a feedback form to submit your feedback about the tutor. You can look up the feedback from other users on the sites and make sure that it is genuine.Tutors are people just like you and me and deserve respect. Make sure that the education you are getting is truly authentic and is giving you a good education. All these things can help you understand how to decide which World History Tutor near me is the best choice for you.

Reasons to Do Crochet

Reasons to Do Crochet Why Start Doing Crochet? ChaptersCrochet is EasyCrochet is CoolWhy Learn Crochet? It’s Fun!You Can Make a Lot with CrochetCrochet is PracticalCrocheting Reduces StressCrochet is Good for a Healthy BrainCrochet Can Improve Your DexterityImproving Your Self-Confidence with CrochetCrochet is Social“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” - Albert EinsteinCatherine Bouenard holds the world record for speed knitting. She can do 264 stitches in three minutes. Of course, you don’t need to be that quick to do crochet correctly. The important thing is to enjoy doing crochet whether you’re making crochet hats, a tapestry, coasters, or dishcloths.So are you ready to get started with crochet?In this article, we're looking at the many reasons why you should start doing crochet and why it's good for you!You can also make lovely toys with crochet. (Source: andreame)There are also tutori als for everything and for all levels. So forget Jacquard jumpers and start creating a cuddly owl or other soft toys.There are plenty of different things you can make:a crochet baby blanketscarvesa granny squarea ponchoan infinity scarfAfghansbaby bootiesmittens RaySewing Teacher 5.00 (6) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PrincessSewing Teacher 5.00 (2) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnaSewing Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArianwenSewing Teacher 5.00 (2) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ShaziaSewing Teacher 5.00 (2) £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ZanetaSewing Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GianmariaSewing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JacquelineSewing Teacher £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsCrochet is PracticalYou don’t need to get lots of expensive crochet equipment to get started with crochet. A crochet needle, a ball of wool, a free crochet pattern and you’re ready to go! Crocheters can take their crochet projects everywhere with them and won’t need a huge bag to do it. A crochet hook is about 15cm long and barely weighs anything so you can carry it around in a handbag.Students have even been seeing crocheting in lecture halls. That said, your lecturers mightn’t like it so you might want to check with them first!Crocheting Reduces StressStudies have shown that crocheting and knitting can reduce your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase the levels of dopamine and serotonin, the happiness hormones. By reducing stress, your body will relax, your heart rate will decrease, and you’ll feel better.Since you don't need much stuff, you can crochet anywhere. (Source: MabelAmber)Betsan Corkhill, a British therapist, has conducted research on the effects of knitting and crochet. A survey of over 3,000 knitters showed that knitting made them happier. Many even stated that the activity helps them relax, reduce stress, and improve creativity.This same study showed a relationship with how often you knit and how happy you were. Those who knitted or crocheted three times a week were calmer, happier, less anxious, and more self-confident. Corkhill concluded that knitting provides significant psychological and social benefits.Focusing on knitting allows you to enter into a meditative state because you need to count the stitches. Crochet allows you to take care of your mental health.“Knitting has significant psychological and social benefits, which can contribute to wellbeing and quality of life. As a skilled and creative occupation, it has therapeutic potential â€" an area requiring further research.”Given that you can easily find a free pattern and free beginner crochet resources, there's less to worry about financially, too!Find amazing sewing courses all over the country.Crochet is Good for a Healthy BrainIn addition to reducing, stress, crochet and other creati ve activities allow you to keep your brain healthy. Completing a crochet project can improve your cerebral abilities.You can overcome mental challenges.You can do mindful crocheting.You can improve your hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.You’ll constantly learn new skills and can pass these onto others.You’ll improve your concentration.You’ll become more patient and persistent.You just need to follow a crochet pattern and you’ll improve your memory and mental arithmetic skills.Even Albert Einstein was known to have crocheted between projects to clear his mind.Crochet Can Improve Your DexterityWhile crochet, knitting, and sewing are usually thought of as grannies’ hobbies, they’re great for improving your dexterity.  Crochet can reduce the risk of arthritis in the young and improve fine motor skills. These precise movements require a mastery of your hands. Additionally, you’ll get increasingly better with your hands.Crochet can develop your sense of touch, too. Sitting in an armchair with a cup of tea, your crochet, and a ball of wool all sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?Crochet is so hygge! This Danish lifestyle trend perfectly sums up crochet.Improving Your Self-Confidence with CrochetBy doing crochet, you’ll be able to create unique pieces and impress people with your custom wardrobe. You can tell your friends, “I made that!” when they ask you where you got that cardigan or top.Crochet brings you a sense of accomplishment and pride. By overcoming certain difficulties, you’ll improve your problem-solving skills and self-confidence.Crochet is SocialCrochet is coming back! You mightn’t know it, but there’s probably a crochet club in your town. Fans of crochet can get together, have coffee and cake, and chat away while crocheting.Doing crochet can also be very social. (Source: lolareyes)Having a shared passion is a way to create an instant bond with people. With social networks, you can even talk about crochet online in Faceboo k groups. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice if you’re struggling or show off your latest projects to get feedback.So are you ready to start doing crochet? When are you going to start?If you need help with crochet, visit sites like Red Heart, Ravelry, and Lion Brand Yarn and start looking for free patterns, a crochet tutorial on techniques like the slip stitch, Tunisian crochet, etc.There are also private tutors available to help you pick out the right yarns, an easy crochet pattern to get you started, and run you through the techniques you'll need to learn. There are three types of tutorial available on Superprof: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. Each has its pros and cons and the best one for you really depends on your situation.Face-to-face tutorials are the most personal and have you and your tutor working together for the whole session. Of course, this bespoke service comes at a cost, making it the most costly type of tutorial available. However, it's also the most cost-effective as every minute of the tutor's time is spent helping you.In group tutorials, there are several students and just one tutor. With all the students sharing the cost of the tutor's time, these tutorials are usually the cheapest per person per hour but each student won't get the bespoke tutoring or one-on-one time that they would in the other types of tutorials.Online tutorials are similar to face-to-face tutorials with the main difference being that the tutor isn't physically in the room with you. Thanks to services like Skype, a tutor can teach you remotely using a webcam and an internet connection. Since the tutor isn't in the room with you, this can make hands-on skills like crochet a little trickier. However, without travel costs, the tutor can charge their student less per hour.

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 the Science of Language Learning Can Help You Acquire a Language in Record Time

How the Science of Language Learning Can Help You Acquire a Language in Record Time How the Science of Language Learning Can Help You Acquire a Language in Record Time Science and discovery go hand in hand.And it all starts with Curiosity.Not, not NASAs Mars Roverâ€"though that  Curiosity  is pretty cool tooâ€"but the raw curiosity that compels us to study things and seek out answers.What if I told you that science has discovered the very keys to unlock that target language youre studying?Curious yet?Well, stay tuned for some amazing discoveries that will benefit you greatly on your language learning journey.Researchers have found some cool stuff that can make studying a language easy, fun and effective.The implications of this research will help you view the process of learning a foreign language in a new light and speed up the process.Better buckle up, because these ideas will make you want to jump right out of your seat!But first, lets talk about what we now know about the brain and some of the challenges that are typically thought to hold back the typical foreign language learner. What We Should Know About the Brain and Learning a LanguageAre you saddled with the thought, “Ugh, I’m twenty years too late for this language learning party?” Think of yourself too old to learn new tricks? Maybe you’ve heard about the “critical period” (from early childhood to adolescence), during which language is said to be soaked up like a sponge. Proponents of this theory would say if youre not in this age range, learning a new tongue becomes an uphill battle.Well I’ve got news for you, the hill is not as steep as people think.  Neuroscientists are finding out just how plastic the brain is. Its built for lifelong learning. Meaning, it doesn’t just fossilize after a certain age. It retains the ability to create, mend or restructure neural connections throughout lifeâ€"which is what learning a new language, on a physical level, essentially is.Your noggin is not staticâ€"its awesomely dynamic. It can change, reorganize and form new connections all throughout adulthood as a result of learning in general, not just language.Scie ntists administered MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and electrophysiology tests on new recruits at the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy  (folks beyond the so-called “critical period”) before commencing their language studies. They also administered tests on a control group that also studied, but not languages. After just three short months of language learning, the tests were once again conducted. Scientists were able to see pronounced changes in areas of the brain related to learning new material in the group that studied language. Areas like the superior temporal gyrus grew significantly larger, while that of the control group remained the same.Studies like this attest to the brain’s astounding absorptive power, and that the all too-common difficulties encountered by adult language learners arent actually about its limited bandwidth, but about different things altogether. Yes, the brain does prune itself and stabilize those neural connections, but that doesn’t dul l the ability to  learn a new language.This means that it doesnt matter whether youre 20, 40 or 60 years old. Your brain is perfectly capable of learning a whole new language.What this tells us about learning a language is that our age doesnt put us at a disadvantage, so lets dive a little deeper into the challenges that might affect an older language learner.Age isnt an issueIn a published quantitative and qualitative study titled “Affect trumps age: A person-in-context relational view of age and motivation in SLA,” researchers wanted to find out if early language classroom instruction is more beneficial than late onset language instruction.One would guess that early language acquisition would yield better language achievements. It’s better to start ‘em young, right? Well, the study got some interesting results, pointing to late onset learners outperforming those with early language instruction on a variety of skills. When the researchers dug deeper as to why, their qualita tive analyses uncovered how individual motivation is actually a stronger predictor of linguistic achievement.There was something inside the better performing students that pushed and coaxed them to better language performance. They were more forward looking, more goal-oriented, more determined to succeed. Acquiring a language is simply not dependent on age and a young brain.You know, there are plenty of young students in classrooms, forced to learn a language day in and day out for years and never actually go beyond “ ¡Hola!” These students are supposed to be right smack in the middle of the “critical period,” but they never progress beyond what can be learned in the first two minutes.I know a lot of these individuals. I was once in their shoes myself. Two decades ago, compelled by well-meaning parents, I was studying Mandarin, long before China was a burgeoning superpower. I was at it for six grueling years. I’m proud to say that I have nothing to show for it today. (Sorr y, Mom and Dad.) Had I known its future utility, I wouldve paid more attention to my kind and generous teachers.In another study, it was found that the age in which a person starts their language study isnt a predictor of language achievement. Instead, input was highlighted as a better indicator of language outcomes. High quality input, such as contact with native speakers, consistently speaking the target language and using authentic materials , results in high performance and faster language acquisition.What these two studies point out is that its not age, per se, that explains the learning challenges experienced by adult language learners. Rather, it’s the things that come with age, like the attitudes and expectations of adult learners that hobble language acquisition.Were our own worst enemyThe language journey is a mental game as much as it is biological, and over the years, most adults have taken on a lot of limiting beliefs (one of which is the belief in the “critical per iod”) that puts them at a disadvantage, rather than a brain that just won’t learn a new language.Language learning is a risk-taking enterprise. You’re voluntarily putting yourself in potentially embarrassing situationsâ€"whether in front of the class, or in front of native speakers who eat, sleep and dream in the target language. Learners are in a cauldron of mispronunciations, misunderstandings, awkward usage and non sequiturs. Language learners go blank, get tongue-tied or end up blurting a kind of gibberish that doesnt resemble any known human language.Language learning is being in situations where you’re not absolutely certain about things. Its admitting that you don’t know this stuff and are still getting the hang of it. You’re bound to make embarrassing boo-boo’s along the way. All of language learning, at its very core, is risk-taking.Unfortunately, adults have pretty much mastered the art of being safe.“Don’t talk to strangers! Don’t open your mouth unles s you’re absolutely certain you’re making perfect sense. Talk properly, or else they’ll think something is wrong with you. Don’t talk to yourselfâ€"for the same reasons.” These thoughts are crippling to those in the beginning stages of learning a foreign language.On the other hand, young language learners seem to pick up a new language just like that and are not bothered by such mental baggage. Have you ever seen a child get embarrassed because she used the wrong tense of the word or the improper plural form? You wouldnt see a child wait to get all the grammar rules right before carelessly blurting out, “I waits here!” Children get tongue-tied, end up blurting something that nobody in the room understands and we laugh it off as cute.We arent as forgiving to other adults or to ourselves. When we see an adult with headphones muttering to himself, we think it’s the effect of some kind of medication he’s taking. Then we walk a few paces away, you know, just to be sure. And those are some of the more important reasons why a kid can outshine an adult in terms of picking up a language. There’s just not so much mental noise. And I havent even begun talking about the family, work and school responsibilities adults have that children simply arent burdened with. It’s all child’s play to them. And they’re at it 24/7.And on that note, we ask the all-important question: what can adult language learners do in order to effectively learn a new language?Lets look at some of the newest research and how we can apply that to our own studies.How the Science of Language Learning Can Help You Acquire a Language in Record TimeLearn from the Best Language LearnersYour brain, with its awesome processing power, can handle any language you throw its way. The potential is there. There’s just some things hindering you from harnessing that full potential.Thankfully, there’s a set of language learners that are leading the way, showing us how to effectively learn a language.The researchStudies have compared the coping and learning strategies of extroverts and introverts and have found that extroverts are inherently risk-takers who put themselves in much better learning positions than their peers. An extrovert, for example, will go out and talk to a complete stranger, some native speaker, and come out of the conversation with their ego unbruised, in spite of making a linguistic error every three seconds.Meanwhile, an introvert is sitting in a cozy coffee shop somewhere (where it’s safe), intently reading a textbook, writing some grammar notes and pining for the day when he can fluently talk to a native speaker. And oh, look! The extrovert is about to approach another native speaker again. It’s a tall gentleman this time.Theyre child-like that way, not easily embarrassed. Or they get over it fast. They’re not afraid to try saying new words and phrases they’ve just learned, even when they know the pronunciation’s far from perfect.In a classroom setting, extroverts raise their hands more. They participate in class and ask the question that’s on everybody’s mind.Because of that, extroverts are able to more effectively and efficiently learn to speak  their target language. (Introverts on the other hand, are often better when it comes to reading and writing in the target language.)One of the most linguistically extroverted people I have ever seen would be Benny Lewis of the blog “Fluent in 3 Months.” He goes to different countries, immersing himself in the language and culture, talking to native speakers.People who start off as complete strangers eventually become his friends. He’s the guy whose learning philosophy is to make the most mistakes as often as possible. He’ll tell you to start talking in the target language on the very first day of training.He’s been able to make himself fluent in seven languages because he puts himself at risk, embarrassing himself in front of others. It’s not the traveli ng. We all know that even if you live in Japan for a couple of years, if you’ve never ventured outside those English speaking enclaves, then the change in geography won’t do you any good.You’d have to clash with the culture head on, spend time in the public markets, for example, and interact with the locals, even if you often have to resort to sign language to get your point across.Practical implicationsTake a page from the best language learners and put yourself out there. Remember when I told you earlier that adults have become masters of making themselves safe? This becomes mirrored in the way they choose to learn the language. Often, they use methods and materials that are too passive and too safe. They just read and re-read textbooks, not once opening their mouths. But speaking is different from reading and learning the grammar rules, you need to speak it as often and as many times as possible, no matter how awkward you look and feel.And please don’t get me wrong on thi s, because textbooks, listening and the passive consumption of materials are needed to learn the language (you need both a passive and active mix), but it shouldn’t just stop there. Often, people give up before they even get their first word out, because theyre too afraid to look stupid in front of somebody who knows more than they do.Put yourself out there. Seek out native speakers whether online or in person. Book a teacher or a tutor who you pay to actually listen to your booboo’s and patiently lead you to the correct pronunciation and usage. Verbling and Verbal Planet have rosters of tutors and teachers you can search and sort according to rates, reviews and availability.If you don’t want that, there are language exchange sites like My Language Exchange and Conversation Exchange. Or you can try a language exchange app like Bilingua and Hello Talk where you can trade language tips with users who are seeking to learn your language and help learn each other out. It’s free!G et talking as often as possible during your day. If the audio program you’re listening to says, “Repeat after me.” Please repeat. Talk to yourself in your room, in the subway, in a Starbucks queue. Gesture away (it helps with your pronunciation). Record yourself and let somebody listen to it.Take risks, because thats at the core of learning a new language. Be a child again, all the naysayers be damned.Practice the Magic of Spaced RepetitionYou know you’ve really learned something when the skill is embedded in your long-term memory.To be able to say you really learned a language, you have to be able to summon it at will. And you know that’s the case when you’re having lively dinner conversation with an Italian native speaker and there’s no smartphone under the table with Google Translate pulled up.We’re not just talking about knowing a language just enough to pass the Chinese midterms, then forgetting it a week later.So how do we do that exactly? You know, learn a lan guage and have it stay with us for the long term?The answer: spaced repetition.It’s often been said that “repetition is the mother of all learning.” But spaced repetition is not your run-of-the-mill kind. Repeated exposure of the same content can actually backfire and become dull and boring, demotivating language learners so they close their minds to it.The researchSpaced repetition is the result of over a centurys study and research, from the forgetting curve hypothesized by Ebbinghaus in 1885 to H.F. Spitzers retention experiments (1939) to Hintzmans  studies on the spacing effect (1969)â€"which practically came together in Wozniaks algorithm (1994) for  optimal timing of exposureâ€"which calculated the time and number of repetitions that make for effective learning.Its not just repetition that creates learningâ€"its retrieval, the active recall of what one has learned, thats been shown to bolster learning.Active retrieval is different from passively looking at some words on a page. Active retrieval is closing that book, perhaps closing your eyes, and mentally going through what youve learned or memorized from the book. Its been shown that active retrieval leads to better recall.Students were asked to study foreign language word pairs. One group was asked to simply look and read the word pairs over and over. The other test group was told to study by actively recalling (thinking about) the other word in the word pair, instead of just looking at them again and again. Researchers found that students who studied under active recall conditions performed better when the groups were later tested.The same researchers looked into the effectiveness of massed repetition/massed retrieval versus spaced repetition/spaced retrieval. Mass repetition is commonly referred to as cramming, which hordes of students swear by. Unfortunately the study doesnt support them on this one. The study showed that students in the massed repetition condition, where they were asked to a ctively retrieve a piece of information three times, were outperformed by students in the spaced repetition condition where active retrieval was spaced throughout the session.In short, cramming might get you by, but for excellent results go for spaced repetition. That is, rather than studying six hours straight, you will do better by doing three two-hour sessions.Here are more things you can do to bolster your language learning. . .Practical implicationsThe body of research really gives new life to an old toolâ€"the good old flashcards. These are a pretty typical staple of studying new vocabulary (for good reason!). Because translations are written on opposite sides of the card, learners are given the chance and the time to perform active retrieval processes. They can try to recall, even guess whats written on the other side, before finally looking.Today, technology has been applied to the regular flashcards and theyve now become learning materials on steroids. Now you  don’t have to manually take out your deck and choose which cards to study.This is what used to happen: you have a deck of 30 flashcards of Korean vocabulary to study. You look at the English side of the card and try to give the Korean translation on the other. Some you guess correctly, others you don’t. You group your hits into a pile and your misses into another. So you now have two piles. The more important one would be your misses. So you take them again and try to learn them a second time. Again you have your hits and misses. So you take those misses and try to nail them a third time (and so on and so forth).Today, flashcard applications do that for you automatically so you can focus on the learning part.  Flashcard apps have been imbued with spaced repetition algorithms designed to exactly pinpoint the optimum timing of exposure to certain cards. That is, the word pairs you know are shown less, while the word pairs you struggle with are more frequently revisited. And, with spaced repet ition technology, you get to avoid massed repetition or cramming as well.Talking of flashcards applications, what if instead of just words written on the card’s faces, you have pictures that go along with them? And what if instead of just the words’ translation written on the other side, you have a complete information packet that tells you everything you need to know about the word, like how to pronounce it and an example of how the word is used? Sound good? Now, let’s really blow this out of the water. What if instead of just words and pictures, you actually have a whole video to teach you?Loving it already? Then you’ll love FluentU. Yes, not only will you find excellent flashcard apps, youll see the web’s most potent language learning videosâ€"authentic materials like concerts, interviews and music videos. With the use of spaced repetition and interactive transcription technology, youll find a resources that ensures the most effective and efficient use of your study tim e.And speaking of music, let’s look at how music gives you the needed leg up to learn a language.Combine Music and LanguageMusic and language are kindred spirits. Think of music as language with tap dancing shoes. Music is language with a beatâ€"skipping, hopping and twirling on melodic cue.The researchResearch over the years points to the intrinsic connection between the two. Before, we used to think of music and linguistic functions as residing in different hemispheres of the brain, with music engaging the right hemisphere and language localized on the left. Advances in brain imaging technology has shown scientists how the two functions actually share many common neural underpinnings.In that same study, researchers found that phonological awareness, a linguistic skill most useful in reading and writing, is actually related to pitch awareness and musical skill. Furthermore, researchers have also discovered that people who speak a tonal language as their first tongue (like Mandari n speakers) have enhanced sensitivity to pitch changes.But beyond that, a study has unveiled something about the convergence of music and language that’s really quite interesting. They discovered that musicians actually have a heightened ability to pick up language. People who spend a lot of time working with music have inadvertently honed their linguistic skills. Meaning that banging your drum, strumming your guitar or tickling the keys of the piano can have language learning payoffs!What does this mean to you? Well, if that’s not an invitation to start banging those drums, I don’t know what is. Perhaps it’s better to put down that textbook for a minute and pick up those drum sticks.Here are other things you can do with music.Practical implicationsThe growing body of research supporting the connection between language and music can mean only one thingâ€"you can use music to boost your language-learning. There’s just something about it that sticks and facilitates long-term embedding of the language in the working memory.Mine songs for language gems. For example, you can learn vocabulary, catchy turn of phrases and whole sentences from lyrics of songs. Songs have a lot going for them, since they provide a solid context and an engaging story that ties all the words and phrases together. This is one of those things in language learning that is often underutilized and underappreciated. But when you really think about it, songs are really just an example of language spoken with a heightened melody. And there’s a repeating pattern that your mind can easily latch on to.You can work with music videos and add another layer of stimulation to the senses. The visuals in music videos work with the lines, making them more meaningful and memorable. (You can find a considerable number of music-videos-turned-into-language-lessons in FluentU.)Children’s songs work best for beginners. They’re short, they’re catchy and the language involved is simple.You can als o do the reverse of this technique, which means that instead of repeating that grammar rule over and over, sing it to the tune of a familiar melody.  It can be a pop song close to your heart, or the latest hit (“Despacito”, anyone?).Youll find that learning through music will make it easier to commit new words, phrases and grammar rules to memory since you’ll have real-world examples of how it’s put into practice.And while were talking about hearing language in contextGet in the Mix of the Context and Language ComboLanguage can be learned more effectively when placed in a vivid context, like a story, a movie or a song. Because in reality, language doesnt exist in a vacuum. The words gain their meaning through a specific context.And there’s no better provider of context than content. In this case, content refers to subjects or topics taught in the classroom. Lets see what the research tells us.The researchTheres a teaching approach thats been making the rounds in the langua ge classrooms in Europe. Its called CLIL, or Content and Language Integrated Learning. The idea behind it is that instead of teaching language itself, teachers discuss a whole different subject, like history, but use the target language as a medium of instruction. So instead of teaching French, youll get classes like World History taught in French. Or Philosophy taught in German. So youre really hitting two birds with one stone on this one. Youre learning a subject and a language at the same time. (Granted, teaching a subject using a language not mastered by ones students is an eminent challenge, but skilled teachers have been able to meet this challenge.)CLIL students benefit from this setup because instead of using traditional language materials like textbooks, theyre shown the language in live, real world situations. The language experience becomes more authentic.A study compared linguistic achievements by CLIL and non-CLIL classes in Hungary. In the CLIL classes, English was use d as the medium of instruction for different high school subjects. The study found that students from these classes displayed better functional English proficiency than those from the traditional language learning classes. CLIL students displayed more comprehensive vocabulary, more nuanced grammar, more comprehension and conversational skills. More and more institutions are encouraged by the benefits of CLIL and are adapting their classrooms to this design.Practical implicationsBut what does all this talk about CLIL mean to language learners who dont plan on spending any time in the classroom?Well, you should pick up the lessons from CLIL by finding content of your own.The key is combining the language with something that you’re interested in. If you love technology and enjoy reading about the newest smart phone, then put that passion to good use and read about phone-related stuff in your target language. Listen to gadget reviews and explore websites. Read the comments section at the bottom of websites written by native speakers regarding a specific model. Do this in the guise of learning more about smartphones. Lo and behold, you’ll pick up vocabulary and phrases that youre more likely to use on a daily basis.Love gardening? I’m sure you can find a gardening guide book in Japanese. Are jokes and funny stories your thing? Give a German collection of jokes a try.If you’re going to apply this to your studies, the key is to start with materials so easy that  you can’t be possibly be overwhelmed. So choose short videos, or pick up book titles geared towards children. Otherwise, the 600-page treatise on German Philosophy would just go over your head. Start instead with a poster that points to the different car parts in Italian and you’re on a far better footing.Do the content and language combo and youll be learning a new language and engage in two of your passions at the same time. It’s a win-win-win!These are just some of the research-backed insight s that can help you pick up a language in record time. Apply them to your language learning journey and youll immediately reap their benefits. I wish you the best! And One More ThingWhew! If youve made it this far, youre obviously serious about language learning. And with that being the case, youre likely to seriously love FluentU.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, including movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here: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 over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive Transcripts You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or r ight 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.

Not All Tutors Are the Same

Not All Tutors Are the Same Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by Professor Abe Korn. Professor Abe is an expert at tutoring and teaching. He has been a professor at various universities for the past 30 years. Enjoy reading the article and let me know your thoughts in the comments section: Not All Tutors Are the Same By Professor Abe Korn Tutoring is not a product but a service. Each tutor is unique in the manner in which they present the subject material to the client. If you tried one tutor and are not pleased with his or her services, do not give up hope. Your best bet is to keep trying other tutors until you find the right one. You might get lucky on your first try or it might take a few tries with different tutors to finally find the right one. However, you might be thinking that trying many tutors might cost you a small fortunate until you find the right one. My suggestion in finding that right tutor is to work with tutors who offer some type of money back guarantee. I always tell the customer that if he or she is not happy with my services, I will gladly refund the money back to them. Lucky, in over twenty-five years of tutoring, I never had to refund anyone back. However, I am more than willing to refund the tutoring fee if a client is unhappy with my services. Thus, you should always look for a tutor that offers this type of guarantee. This way, if the first tutor you work with is not right for you, you do not end up wasting your money. A good tutor will be more than happy to refund the money if the client did not receive any value from the tutoring. Another suggestion is to ask the tutor if he or she will be willing to provide a free 10 to 15 minute trial run. This way you can actually try out the services for free and make a decision afterwards. Once again, a good tutor should have no problem in providing a potential client with a free trial of his or her services. So, try to pick a tutor that offers either a free trial or a money back guarantee if possible. Not All Tutors Are the Same Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by Professor Abe Korn. Professor Abe is an expert at tutoring and teaching. He has been a professor at various universities for the past 30 years. Enjoy reading the article and let me know your thoughts in the comments section: Not All Tutors Are the Same By Professor Abe Korn Tutoring is not a product but a service. Each tutor is unique in the manner in which they present the subject material to the client. If you tried one tutor and are not pleased with his or her services, do not give up hope. Your best bet is to keep trying other tutors until you find the right one. You might get lucky on your first try or it might take a few tries with different tutors to finally find the right one. However, you might be thinking that trying many tutors might cost you a small fortunate until you find the right one. My suggestion in finding that right tutor is to work with tutors who offer some type of money back guarantee. I always tell the customer that if he or she is not happy with my services, I will gladly refund the money back to them. Lucky, in over twenty-five years of tutoring, I never had to refund anyone back. However, I am more than willing to refund the tutoring fee if a client is unhappy with my services. Thus, you should always look for a tutor that offers this type of guarantee. This way, if the first tutor you work with is not right for you, you do not end up wasting your money. A good tutor will be more than happy to refund the money if the client did not receive any value from the tutoring. Another suggestion is to ask the tutor if he or she will be willing to provide a free 10 to 15 minute trial run. This way you can actually try out the services for free and make a decision afterwards. Once again, a good tutor should have no problem in providing a potential client with a free trial of his or her services. So, try to pick a tutor that offers either a free trial or a money back guarantee if possible.

Looking For a Chemistry Tutor in Orlando, Florida?

Looking For a Chemistry Tutor in Orlando, Florida?When you are looking for a chemistry tutor in Orlando, Florida you should choose the right tutor. You want someone who will really get you going and keep you learning even after class is over. Choosing the right person will mean the difference between keeping your mind sharp and staying awake at night.Make sure the tutor you choose is certified and ready to take you through your first chemical reaction. This is the foundation that will help you tackle many complex questions. It is the foundation of chemistry, and without it there is no real chemistry.The best option when looking for a chemistry tutor in Orlando is to choose a woman. When you meet a chemistry student, she will already have the confidence to answer all your questions. She will not be intimidated or shy. She will have the attitude of a confident woman ready to take on any challenge.Chemistry tutors will also be able to give you advice when you need it. This is one of the main reasons why you are looking for a tutor. A chemistry teacher will be an expert on the subject. They will know the correct answers to any question that you may have.The best advice that you can get from a tutor is to make sure you make the most of your class time. Some tutors cannot seem to find the right time to give you the answers that you need. It may not be in class time, but a tutor can always come up with a way to schedule a class in your schedule that will give you the time you need.No matter how well you do in your chemistry class, you need to find a tutor that can get you through your test. Test-taking is important in high school. It is an exam that sets you up for college. If you get a good tutor, you can get through the test just fine.Just remember that chemistry is about understanding and this is how you will improve and get better. Choose a tutor that has your best interests in mind.

John Boyd Tutoring Amherst - Helping Students Improve Their Education

John Boyd Tutoring Amherst - Helping Students Improve Their EducationIf you're an educator or are a parent, you should know about John Boyd Tutoring Amherst. John Boyd is a tutor who specializes in performing various tutoring tasks and works with different types of students. He often conducts lessons and lectures in the homes of his students.John Boyd Tutoring Amherst offers a variety of tutoring services including: Transcribing, Spelling, Vocabulary, Grammar, And Antonyms, Listening, Speaking & Reading. In order to serve his clients well, John Boyd works on various kinds of courses, which include ESL classes, college preparatory classes, tutoring for individuals and families, home-based and business-oriented classes, online classes, and even corporate seminars.What's so great about John Boyd Tutoring Amherst? For one, he is a certified teacher and he offers tutoring services to a variety of different groups, such as:High School Students: John Boyd specializes in tutoring for stu dents in high school and college preparatory classes. John also offers courses like Math, English and Science, all of which will help his students improve their academic performance. He also teaches the kids to play musical instruments and speak intelligently.Elementary School Students: John Boyd tutors students in pre-college grades. The students' interests range from math, science, music, languages, and speaking. These tutors are certified by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the American Council of the Teaching of English as a Second Language.College Preparatory Classes: John Boyd has a specialized, multi-tiered course that helps college students in preparing for college courses. Students are given lots of choices to select from such as:While this might sound like a lot, I have to give special mention to John Boyd's ESL tutoring. John has done a remarkable job with his tutoring methods, which was created after careful observation and feedback from his previous students, which are presented in his DVD's.

Finding the Right Tutor Time Pay Rate

Finding the Right Tutor Time Pay RateTutor time pay rate depends largely on the skills and experience of the tutor. This is because if you have a good instructor then he or she will be able to help you with a job well done.In order to make sure that your pay rate is not only suitable but the best it is advisable to consult a tutor, they can not only offer their time but they can also offer their expertise. Most students will use a tutor to improve their English skills for a specific language course.If you are looking for an intensive English course, then make sure that you consult a tutor before applying for formal interviews. Once you have selected the tutor, his or her contact details can be found by visiting the Teaching Excellence Directory website. This site offers a very detailed list of both experienced and certified tutors.A good tutor will be able to offer advice on various subjects such as grammar, composition, and spelling to give you a strong foundation in these areas. Th ey will also teach you how to write and speak fluently in different languages.When looking for a tutor to teach you English, make sure that he or she has enough experience to show in the syllabus that he or she is teaching. In addition, make sure that they are certified and licensed. There are a number of accreditations available which can be obtained from the Teaching Excellence Directory website.It is not compulsory for a tutor to be licensed. However, by using one you are helping yourself as well as your tutor. The better the teacher, the better your chances of passing the course are, if you want to become proficient in your target language.Once you have found a tutor you feel is suitable, make sure that you keep in touch with them and schedule your sessions regularly. It is not always easy to find a suitable tutor, particularly when you are preparing for a test. Some tutors specialize in specific subjects such as English, math, and science.