Friday, March 27, 2020

Finding A Tutor That Best Suits Your Needs

Finding A Tutor That Best Suits Your NeedsIf you are looking for a Thunderpunch Tutor in your area, it may be the ideal time to consider this career choice. Whether you are looking for a personal tutor or a business tutor, they may be able to provide you with the assistance you need to succeed in your career. Here are some key points to keep in mind when choosing the right one for you.Some personal tutors will charge an hourly rate. They will also offer on the spot instruction and study time. If you would like to learn a specific skill such as English grammar, they may also offer to tutor you on a consistent basis. In a business setting, the option of on the spot tutoring may not be available, so they will charge you an hourly rate.The business tutor is usually charging a flat fee. It is important to know that the course you are learning may vary from person to person. For instance, if you are looking for an education-focused career, they may offer a higher tuition rate than someone who just wants to pick up a few extra skills.Professional tutors also offer other options. For example, some are skilled in teaching career management or help to develop job skills such as resume writing and interviewing. If you are interested in additional skills, they may be able to teach you these.The services offered by tutors are dependent on the field they work in. For example, in a home business, you may want to find a tutor that focuses on a specific niche. If you are only interested in learning about web design or selling products, you would want to find a tutor that focuses on one area. This can make learning more fun and less frustrating.If you are thinking about a particular career, find a trainer who knows that niche well. This will give you the knowledge you need to successfully progress. You may want to find a trainer that has experience in that area, as well.When choosing a tutor, consider the offerings that are available to you. If you are interested in online tutor ing, find a service that offers this to its clients. When you are learning a new skill, this can make the experience easier.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Listening Exercise Two kinds of travelers

Listening Exercise Two kinds of travelers In our unit four of our 4Skills courses we explore the ideas of two different types of travelers. This listening exercise is about Robyn Davidson who travelled across the desert of Australia, alone with just her camels and dog. What kind of traveller are you?Answer the questions below in comments and we will respond.1. Why was his father so unsupportive of him being a photographer?2. What went wrong when he first arrived in Australia? Is he good with directions?3. What was the rule Robyn had in her house?4. What did Robyns friends think were going to happen to her?5. Why was Robyn embarrassed to ask him for a favor?6. What does he speculate draws people, specifically Robyn to adventure?7. How did she get her dog, Diggity?8. How far did Robyn walk and how far did Diggity walk a day?9. What was it like to have a conversation with Robyn? What did she think about American friendship?What kind of traveller are you? Would you make a journey like this? Is a journey like this suicidal? What do you think is the attraction to this type of travel?

The PSAT Tips and Tricks for Success - Private Tutoring

The PSAT Tips and Tricks for Success Amy W Sep 14, 2018 Find a Top Rated PSAT Near You! It's Simple and Secure - Get Real Results Fast. Find Expert Private Tutors at Reasonable Rates Today! InPerson or Online Online InPerson Looking for some PSAT tips and tricks to ace the PSAT this year? The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, or PSAT, is usually taken in your freshman or sophomore year and while it doesn’t have any impact on your college applications, developing some of the best PSAT tips to help develop your confidence and improve your test results. Why Should I Take the PSAT? The most important thing about the PSAT is that it is used for many scholarship applications, including the National Merit Scholarship.   However, beyond that, the main reason to take the PSAT is to better prepare yourself for the SAT test that is looming on the horizon. Structure of the PSAT The PSAT underwent re-structuring in 2015 and is now a longer test, requiring 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete. The other significant change is that there are no longer five answer options, there are only four. There are three sections in the test: Reading, Writing and language, and Math The number of questions on each section are fairly evenly distributed, but the time allocated to each section varies. The bulk of your time is spent on reading and math, and just 35 minutes spent on writing and language. Now with this information you can adequately prepare for each section and adjust your study schedule based on your personal strengths and weaknesses. PSAT Tips and Tricks Now, if you dont know it by now (and you ought to) then listen carefully..any test that you are going to take requires preparation.   Do I need to repeat that? ??   Good! So now lets get into PSAT tips that can help you move the needle and increase that score! Be prepared Yes, that means reading this, reviewing what the test is like, topics covered and determining your strengths and weaknesses prior to taking the test. Get help whether thats in a study group or working with someone that can help with PSAT prep, its going to make a difference in your results.   Plus it will require you to take the time to prepare. Take a practice test Before you start actual studying, take a full test so that you know where you stand at the outset.   This will help with knowing your strengths and weaknesses before moving forward. Set goals we all do better if we have goals and objectives that were working towards.   Achievable goals of 20 30% better than when you first took the test isnt unreasonable (assuming you arent trying to prep for the PSAT in three days). When taking PSAT tests, make sure that you do it just like it would be done in the actual exam.   There are several reasons for this. First, you get more comfortable with the test taking environment. Secondly, youre results will be more on target with what you might actually do in the real exam. Review results This is critical!   With each test that you take, check and see where your results are improving and where you still might want to spend more time. As it gets closer to the actual date, increase the amount of time spent in areas where you are still weak. Prepare with SAT or PSAT books Since there is less available resources for the PSAT as compared to the SAT, incorporate some of the questions and review using SAT questions and resources.   The types of questions and information required will be very similar and can help you. To guess or not to guess That has been the question for years!   Now, guessing is better.   Theres no longer any penalty for guessing on the PSAT exam. Unknown answers Like we said above, guessing is better than blanks!   One tip to help, if its a total guess, guess the same letter for every question if you really have no idea on any answer.   This doesnt mean if you are down to 2 answers to guess D if you think it might be B or A.   But if you have no idea at all, choose one letter and every question that you find yourself in like that, always answer that letter. Statistically it will increase your chances of a few of those guessed answers being right. Spend time on question you can answer If a question isnt clear or youve got doubts, pick your default answer as we said in #9 and move on!   Got time at the end?   Come back to those that have default answers and see what you can do.   But nothing is worse than getting to the end of a test and having several unanswered questions because you ran out of time. Eliminate obvious answers Now, we kinda mentioned this above but lets be super clearcross out all wrong answers to see whats left.   Youll be amazed how many questions youll then be able to answer. Read, read, read, read, read If you like to read and practice reading youre going to be ahead of many students.   These tests require reading and the better, faster and more observant reader you are the better youre going to do.   Is that incentive enough to stop the video games and pick up a book? Review take a little time and review basic grammar with a teacher or online.   In addition, make sure to take a little time and review and memorize the basic math formulas that youve covered to date.   Practice a few problems on your calculator so that theres no struggle with it during the exam. How to Cram for the PSAT Yes, you can do that! Its just going to be an extremely concentrated review using the various tips we recommended above. Start?   Begin by taking a PSAT prep test.   Thats going to give you your basics and let you know where you stand.   Next, determine what resources youre going to use to prepare for the exam? You can find one of our PSAT tutors easily enough to help you cram and get tips that will make a difference or you can use review guides like these in the time youve got available. Allocate time no matter how many days youve got.   Every little bit does count and will make a difference. Incorporate any and all of our tips above into your study time leading up to the exam.   The more time, better focus you have, the better your results! Ok, weve come up with 13 PSAT Tips and Tricks to help you prepare for one of your first, of many, major test taking adventures.   By starting off on this path well prepared, youre setting yourself up for success not only on this test but on your future SAT test and other exams as well.   So spend some time, sleep, eat and get some exercise and you just might blow by the score results that you set for yourself!   Weve seen it happen before. We can help you find the best private tutor near you! It’s simple and secure â€" Get real results fast. Your first hour with any tutor is protected by our Good Fit Guarantee: You don't pay for tutoring unless you find a good fit. Choose Your Subject â€" Add Your Zip Code â€" Find Top Rated Tutors Starting Today! InPerson or Online Online InPerson

Thursday, March 5, 2020

The Indirect Effects of Independent Reading

The Indirect Effects of Independent Reading Improving Academic Performance “The amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to growth in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information. Students who read independently become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who do not. -Research Journal of the American Association of School Librarians The indirect effects of independent reading are well documented and, in some ways, almost obvious. You can split the effects into two categories: direct and indirect. The direct effects are perhaps the most obvious. The more you read, the more information you’ll accumulate about a variety of topics. If you read about finance, you’ll learn finance. If you read history, you’ll learn more history. If you aren’t a great public speaker, obviously reading a public speaking book can help you improve. In addition, your vocabulary naturally expands, regardless of what you’re reading. Even if you are only reading fiction, you’ll still learn about people, places, concepts, ideas, etc. that apply in the real world. The indirect effects of increased reading are less obvious, but perhaps more important. By reading more, even more fiction, you naturally will improve your command of the English language (spelling, grammar, usage, etc.), reading comprehension skills, ability to apply logic, understanding of cause and effect, and more. In fact, the benefits of reading independently can be downright surprising. According to the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, there is a strong correlation between independent reading and mathematics achievement. Studies show reading and writing skills not only lead to general academic success, but are also directly valued by colleges and employers as high as almost any other factor. At the same time, we see the average 12th grade reading scores declining in the U.S. between 1992 and 2005. The most surprising study I’ve found was conducted by Dr Alice Sullivan and Matt Brown, who analyzed the reading behavior of approximately 6,000 young people being followed by the 1970 British Cohort Study, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. According to the Institute of Education University of London’s review of that report, “reading for pleasure was found to be more important for children's cognitive development between ages 10 and 16 than their parents' level of education. The combined effect on children's progress of reading books often, going to the library regularly and reading newspapers at 16 was four times greater than the advantage children gained from having a parent with a degree.” Interesting, and luckily or unluckily depending on your situation, the reading comprehension skills can be much more difficult to build quickly. At MyGuru, when we’re helping students prepare for standardized tests, we tend to find that, paradoxically, the most stressed out students are those that are really struggling with the math section of the ACT, SAT, GRE, or GMAT, but those that are truly lacking basic math skills can be the easiest students to help. “We can teach you how to solve quadratic equations by “completing the square” if you’ve forgotten most of the algebra you learned in high school. We can teach you any math that you once learned and have now forgotten. We can even teach you a lot of math that you never learned in the first place. Unfortunately, we cannot re-teach you how to read and comprehend…improving your reading comprehension skills takes time, persistence, and focused practice.” John Easter - Senior GMAT, GRE, ACT, and SAT tutor for MyGuru (John holds a B.A. in English and B.A. in Mathematics, Indiana University-Bloomington, and M.A. in Mathematics) What does it mean to read intentionally? You’ll get the most benefit out of reading more if you do so intentionally. There are actually two contexts in which to interpret what this means, and it goes back to the direct vs. indirect distinction we made above. First, you are reading intentionally if you know you aren’t great at managing your schedule and being organized, and so you buy a book about personal productivity, making to-do lists, using calendar tools, etc. However, you are also reading intentionally if you know that, in 3, 6, 12, 24, or 48 months you’ll be taking a standardized test with a “verbal” component. So, with that in mind, you stop yourself while reading and ask questions like: What was the author’s main point? What evidence does his use to support that point? What type of evidence could be used to challenge the point? Etc. Or, on an even simpler level, I know that a magazine like the Economist is not always easy reading. Even when I try to read it, I sometimes find myself losing the point, but continuing with the article, just trying to pick up whatever info I can, to say that I read it. To read intentionally would always be to challenge yourself to stop, think critically about what you’ve read to ensure you understand the logic, and move on only once you’ve truly understood the paragraph, article, or chapter. You can do this while sitting in a room with your parents, friends, girlfriend, or spouse. They don’t need to know that you’re not just reading, you’re reading intentionally to build your comprehension and critical thinking skills. How to learn more? I’d recommend reading the New York Times, Economist, or Wall Street Journal, anything non-fiction, that you’re interested in, and in particular, historical fiction. Historical fiction is set in contexts which are real, but which involved characters and plots that are fictional. So, they are the best of both worlds in a sense. You can learn a lot of real information, while also being highly entertained. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, 'f08a3c58-464f-4164-a82e-313b7951bbb2', {});

The Price of Peace Documentary to Air in April

The Price of Peace Documentary to Air in April via Pixabay.com This documentary is largely focused on war: how do we prevent it? What are we willing to pay for peace? Can this peace continue into the future through the lessons we’ve learned throughout history? Johan Norberg, Free To Choose Media Executive Editor, poses that penultimate question: What is the price society is willing to pay for peace? Norberg, an international commentator, author, presenter and editor, focuses on globalization, entrepreneurship and individual liberty. He continuously commentates/contributes on television and radio worldwide as well. The documentary is one-hour long as focuses on historical events that served as turning-points, focusing largely on the lessons we took away from these events. According to a recent press release, these events include: an examination of the present day situation in Korea not only through the lens of North Korea’s current nuclear capabilities and cross-border saber-rattling, but also with a cautionary tale of 1976 Korea Tree Incident from Brian Bishop, Major General, U.S. Air Force (RET) and former Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Command and U.S. Forces Korea and others who were there; delving into the human side of the equation, including a vivid interview with the son of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, the Russian commander widely credited with averting World War III in 1983; interviews with Falkland citizens and Sir Max Hastings, author and journalist about Argentina’s ill-conceived invasion of the Falkland Islands; linking together such diverse topics as pre-World War II Europe, where British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly declares to a cheering crowd in 1938 that the Munich Agreement meant ‘peace for our time,’ to the Masai tribe of East Africa and their use of deterrence to protect cattle, and thus their society.” The documentary also includes a historical analyst, Victor Davis Hanson, who details conditions necessary to maintain peace. In addition, highly respected military, history and foreign policy experts lend their voices to the documentary as well, providing a depth of knowledge and experience necessary to such a discussion. The Price of Peace is a production of Free To Choose Media, which tells powerful stories that advocate for individual well-being and fresh perspectives both globally and nationally. Such an endeavor was funded by Robert and Marion Oster and L.E. Phillips Family Foundation, as well as by Sarah Scaife Foundation and The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc. According to the  press release, the documentary is produced and co-directed by Kip Perry, Ellen Bentov serves as writer, co-director and camera while Thomas Skinner and Bob Chitester serve as executive producers. The full trailer for the documentary can be seen here.

How best to judge ability at GCSE and A-level

How best to judge ability at GCSE and A-level It's summer, and in the UK that means only one thing for many of our young people: the nervous wait for GCSE and A-level results. Their teachers and private tutors are arguably just as tense: those of us who have spent the last year coaching children in the techniques of the Maths GCSE or the English A-level are unlikely to get a good night's sleep until we know whether our efforts have paid off. But are exams really the fairest way to grade our teenagers? Certainly as private tutors a lot of the work we do (especially in the last term of school) is centred on exam techniques, yet every year the 'exam culture' debate rages on. Some suggest that exam techniques should be taught in schools to a much higher degree. On the one hand, this would provide a strong basis for all students facing the rigours of exams, but on the other it could easily take time away from teaching core subjects. So, what alternatives are there? One option is an emphasis on coursework. This can give students the chance to shine without the pressure of a three-hour window to demonstrate their ability. A flexible system can allow pupils to choose their own topics and style, providing a more enjoyable learning experience. But does it penalise those students who thrive in exam conditions? A second possibility is the eradication of testing altogether, instead providing certificates of achievement based on students' continuous performance throughout the year, as assessed by their teachers. This sounds like a fair system, but it could be vulnerable to the subjectivity of the teacher, as well as the risk of human error. As this year's GCSE and A-level grades are eagerly awaited, the debate continues. What is the fairest way to judge the ability of our young people? An overarching focus on one evaluative method can lead to an unfair advantage for some, so is a mixture of both the answer? Or do you think your tutees would thrive if exams and coursework were to be removed altogether?

How to Handle a Stressful Work Environment

How to Handle a Stressful Work Environment Photo by Pedro Figueras from Pexels Find Healthy Outlets If you are finding yourself feeling stressed at work, you need to find ways to blow off steam. That way you can avoid having a breakdown of any sort, whether that be physical, mental, or emotional. You never want to let yourself get to the point that you feel like you cannot do or take anymore. You do not want to give up on a project you are working on, or yell at a co-worker, or even feel like you need to leave work and just get up and go. Instead, find healthy outlets to help you de-stress periodically throughout the day so that your frustration and stress do not build up to a breaking point. They can be small tasks so that you do not get in trouble for not doing your work. Maybe once an hour, you spend one minute doing deep breathing exercises. Every other hour, you take a pause and drink a cup of water. Every couple of hours, you get up and walk around the building for five minutes just to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping. Set yourself a goalâ€"if you meet this deadline, you can watch a three-minute video of puppies rolling around. Take the moments that you need so that you do not end up needing a long recovery time instead. Really Take Your Lunch Break One key strategy to help you handle a stressful work environment is to make sure you have clear breaks between when you are working and when you are not working. Some people like to have a working lunch. They will sit and munch on some food as they go through their work tasks and sort of stretch out their eating. Do not do this. When you have a lunch break, actually take your lunch break. Do not do work during it. If you do not feel like you cannot take the full amount of time you are allotted to eat (whether that be half an hour, an hour, etc.), then you can shorten it, though it is recommended that you take the full time. The law has set that time aside for you to have a break for a reason. But if you cannot, you can take whatever time you want or need instead. Just make sure that you are not doing work during it. This is applicable to breaks other than lunch breaks as well. Do Not Take It Home Continuing on with this idea, do not take your work home with you either. You are not getting paid to work on it at home, or even to stress or worry about it outside of work. So don’t! Do not take work-related calls, do not check your email after 9 p.m., whatever rules you need in order to keep yourself grounded. In fact, a truly great way to help yourself avoid stress is to avoid having your work email on your phone. That way, you cannot be bombarded constantly. When you are at work and on your work email, then you will see it. And there is never a work emergency that is worth your own health. Photo by energepic.com from Pexels No matter what your work throws at you to stress you out, you want to be able to stay on top of your own health and manage it, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional health. You need to put yourself and your health first, over any job. If you are not doing this in the first jobs that you take, even as a college student, then you may never do so. Set the precedent and make handling a stressful work environment in a healthy way a habit now so that you do not have to struggle as much in each new job you take.