What instrument should you buy for your budding pianist

What instrument should you buy for your budding pianist Piano for children - which model should you buy? ChaptersWhy the piano is right for your childThe importance of your child’s music teacher when they learn to play the pianoProtecting the sense of joy your child gains from playing the pianoPiano for children, learning about their new instrument!Buying a piano for the houseAdvice for buying a piano for your childMany artists who began playing the piano from a young age (think Nina Simone, Ray Charles or even Mozart) become piano virtuosos by the time they reached adolescence.Just like the lion has been dubbed ‘king of the jungle,’ the piano could easily be considered king of all instruments. And its often a secret relief for parents to see their children gravitate towards the piano instead of other musical instruments like the violin.Often, a wish to see your child playing the piano is just considered a ‘nice to have’ for many parents, but for others it’s a major goal.The piano is a great first instrument for children, and by learning to play the piano they’re able to b egin learning a whole repertoire of different genres of piano music including jazz, classical - even rap!What model, and what type of piano is right for your child?“Are these pianos right for my child?Is there a better piano to play at home?What’s the difference between an acoustic piano, electric piano and an electronic keyboard?Are there other piano companies I should look at?”Rent a piano before you buyChildren have a well deserved reputation for picking up and dropping hobbies frequently.So if you aren’t sure your child will make it past learning octaves to their first recital and really becoming a piano player, it might be a good idea to rent a piano, or maybe rent-to-buy if you can find it, either a digital or acoustic piano.For about $50-100/month you can often find piano models that will let your child practice their piano playing at home without making a long term (and very expensive) commitment. It’s worth spending that little bit more to get a piano instead of a keyboard, but you definitely don’t need a baby grand piano in your living room either.Your rental agreement will specify a fixed monthly payment for the rental until it is returned, often with a clause to verify the condition of the piano at the end.Avoid the ‘pianos for young children’ modelsWhile they may seem more appropriate for little hands, and short arms and legs, we wouldn’t recommend considering pianos made specifically for children.In contrast to the smaller versions you can find of violins, drums, or guitars,  pianos for children, even though they have smaller keys, are often more of a gadget than an instrument.Which brands of piano are good for children?There’s a wide range of different piano brands and they all have different advantages and disadvantages, making it difficult to choose the right piano for children (even for the customer service associates trying to help you). With names like Steinway, Kawai, Clavinova, Korg and Casio floating around your head, we’ve picked out a few of the best piano brands.Popular acoustic piano brands include:ChoiseulYamahaRameauGood digital brands include:YamahaRolandGemGiven all the different brands that are available and the new ones constantly entering the market, it’s best not to consider our list the be all and end all, and have a chat with your child’s piano teacher too. You never know what new brands and models might enter the market next year.Digital pianos - a good choice for childrenHow much should you spend to get a good quality piano?The digital piano often seems like a good choice for a child’s first piano. The built in metronome, ability to plug in headphones, and volume control are all an advantage - for parents as well as children.What’s more, it’s lacking a lot of the disadvantages of an acoustic piano, such as:The difficulty in moving the piano from one room, or even one corner of the room, to another.The volume - you can’t control the sound on acoustic pianosThe price - generally more expensive, even if you find an acoustic piano with a similar price tag to a digital piano, you won’t be getting as much for your money.They may lack a bit of style, but thanks to their weighted keys, digital pianos can often easily serve the needs of a piano student as they work on their notes, music reading, and playing their first melodies.Choosing a portable digital piano for an affordable costThanks to the profusion of portable keyboards, this segment of the market often offers a much more affordable selection, even for buying a new model.If you’re considering buying a portable digital piano for your child, you should expect to spend about $400-600 for an instrument that will serve your child well for several years.Considering the keys and sound quality of your prospective pianoWhen shopping for a digital piano, it’s key to consider the keys and sound quality on offer. These are the criteria that will help you find the right piano for your child.It’s a g ood idea to prepare a piece of music in advance - something with an interesting tempo - and try out the piece on different pianos to see how they perform.You can also play some scales on the piano to try it out, but you won’t get as good a sense of the digital piano’s musical abilities as a musical instrument.If you’re still a very fresh beginner and working on playing your first few notes, it’s worth bringing a musician friend along to help you buy your piano.If you’re really set on your child becoming a future professional pianist, it might make sense to make the leap and buy an acoustic piano. For them, technique will be paramount, and they’ll have a slight advantage on an acoustic piano, especially over learning on a piano keyboard. An upright piano is probably still more appropriate than a baby grand though!If you’re shopping for an acoustic piano, it’s a good idea to see if any piano makers are offering factory discounts for new pianos, or if you can find a gen tly used acoustic piano for sale.

Top Questions Parents Should (and Shouldnt) Ask Private Schools

Top Questions Parents Should (and Shouldn't) Ask Private Schools The following piece was written by Liz Perelstein. Liz has been featured in ourAdmissions Expert seriesand is the Founder of School Choice International. Its hard to believe. The school year has just begun and its time to start applying to private schools that youre considering for 2014. School tours and interviews are happening already, so here are some tips about asking questions when youre visiting. 1.Do your homework. Schools do not want to waste their time or yours with answers to questions that you can find on the internet. 2.Your school visits are a time to find out whether it is right for your child. Rather than thinking about an interview as a test, think of it as a conversation you learn about the school and they learn about your child in a collaborative effort to determine whether there is a good fit. 3.Reflect on your child before you visit a school. You will undoubtedly be asked to describe him or her in terms of personality, academic attitudes, and performance, as well as topics that you cant anticipate. Think in advance about what you want to get across. Show them in addition to telling them. Examples that illustrate your points will bring your child to life. 4.Ask questions to which you genuinely want answers. Dont be concerned that particular questions may jeopardize his or her chances of admission; if your child needs support that the school doesnt provide, you dont want him/her there. 5.Dont try to impress the admissions office. NY area schools are inundated with families who try to impress them. Communicate about your child authentically. Admissions officers are very savvy and can pick up on platitudes a mile away. Schools are looking for families who genuinely care about placing their child in the right environment and who will be a positive addition to the school. 6.Ask for examples. If you want to know how the first grade handles children who are behind or ahead in reading, ask for examples of how children at both ends of the spectrum have been handled so you can get a sense of their ability to meet individual needs. If you want to know how a painfully shy child will be accommodated, dont hesitate to share your concern and ask how they have worked with children like yours in the past. 7.Drill down. If your child is an athlete, dont just ask about the content of the schools athletic program and its facilities. Find out whether the intent of the coach is to win at all costs or whether every child can play on the team. Which matches your child and your philosophy? 8.Limit your questions about college acceptances. You have no way of knowing what determined prior students acceptances. Were parents legacies or donors? Did the class include a large number of student athletes? Previous acceptances reflect more than you see on the surface and will not necessarily apply to your child. Instead, ask about the kind of support you and your child will receive when going through the college process. Besides providing you with information that is more likely to be relevant, it will be refreshing to the admissions team. Think about your childs education as an end in itself rather than a means to an end. If your child is happy at school, does well, and participates fully, s/he will get into a good college. Your childs school years are a once in a lifetime opportunity. Choose a school that will teach him or her to be all s/he can be and the rest will fall into place. VisitSchool Choice Internationalfor more information. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

How to Become a Self Taught Spanish Teacher

How to Become a Self Taught Spanish Teacher Can you teach Spanish without a college degree? ChaptersDo Spanish language tutors have to have a bachelors degree?Become a freelancer or consultant for companiesWhat are the rules for non-qualified Spanish teachers?What’s the typical background of a Spanish tutor who isn’t a qualified teacher?Know how to make the most of your Spanish skills and become a private tutorThe internet, an easy way to win some businessAre you lacking your states teacher certification exam?Maybe you never went to college, and can’t even try to take the certification exam.Nonetheless, whether you’re a student or someone older who’s learned on their own, you’re passionate about the Spanish language and dream of sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm with others.There are several ways for you to teach Spanish, and the easiest is - become a private Spanish tutor! CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool suppor t Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2 ) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDo Spanish language tutors have to have a bachelors degree?Private tutoring services are not regulated by the government, so in order to become a tutor, there’s no strict qualification or formation necessary.Of course, whatever your background, you’ll need to be able to respond to the needs of your students. You’ll need to have definitely mastered written and oral Spanish, and have experience and some skill for teaching in order to effectively help your students achieve their learning goals.Find out what level of Spanish language ability you should have to teach Spanish...No need for a degree or teacher qualification to become a private teacher!Depending on your own experience and expertise, you can decide what level and age or students you are able to help as they try to learn Spanish. You could focus on:Beginners Spanish for young childrenPrivate Spanish tutoring for high school studentsTest prep to help high school students prepare for exams like AP SpanishBeginners Spanish classes for adults interested in learning the language as a hobbySpecific subject focused classes - to improve oral expression, learn to write a letter in Spanish, or work on translation skills…There are plenty of possibilities!In every case, you will need the discipline to prepare your learning skills and program carefully for each students’ needs and goals.Defining set objectives, such as working on vocabulary, pronunciation, or grammar, is an essential step for a tutor to help your students succeed.This is also true for any other foreign language classes you might offer - Chinese, French, German, English as a Second Language (ESL), Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Turkish…If you’re feeling uncertain about giving classes without a degree, here's the best pro gram of study to prepare you for a career as a Spanish teacher…Become a freelancer or consultant for companiesHave you always hoped to become a consultant? It’s a very popular career right now.In order to become a consultant however, it’s essential to be an expert in your subject, in this case Spanish, in order to gain business, but there’s no required degree or training in order to start pitching yourself out. It is possible to start teaching Spanish no matter what your education background.You can create your own training company, or offer your services on a freelance basis. In order to work freelance, it is necessary to develop custom training programs that respond to the needs of your clients, and you’ll probably define the company’s goals when first taking on the contract.Many multinational businesses need their employees to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of foreign languages. You could choose to offer courses in Spanish to professionals looking to move to th e next level in their career, with a focus on business and formal language.If you’re bilingual or grew up speaking Spanish at home, you can offer your services to teach business level Spanish skillsIn this case, you’ll need to adapt your lessons to the needs of the business, and test employees to assess their current Spanish vocabulary and ability against the goals of their employer.Have you already worked for a Spanish or Latin American business for several years, and now want to make a sideways career move to teaching Spanish in the US?If you are bilingual in Spanish, you can offer a multitude of Spanish for business courses, to teach about Latin American business culture and practices, as well as the vocabulary and skills necessary to negotiate business deals in Spanish!But if you aren’t bilingual yet, it might be a good idea to sign up for a few Spanish classes online before you start hiring yourself out! You could even consider online teaching jobs as preferable to at hom e classes.Learn how to incorporate technology into your Spanish lessons... CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imole Maths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat are the rules for non-qualified Spanish teachers?Are there any laws or legislation you need to adhere to if you’re a Spanish teacher, but don’t have a degree or teacher certification?  There are several options for you, all of which are easier to obtain then going back to school.Entrepreneur running your own business…The status of entrepreneur and incorporating your own business is one of the easiest ways to go about registering yourself as self employed.Once you’ve registered yourself, you can keep track of all y our expenses, and everything will be nice and clean for your taxes and administrative registration.The advantage is that you’ll be completely independent and able to set the prices for your Spanish courses yourself. You can also run your new business at your own pace and choose to organise your teaching and classes in total freedom.The key bit of admin will be registering yourself as a independent business for tax purposes. You can check the IRS for more details on how to do this and what it makes.Being employed by a private householdIf you’re working with one family at their home exclusively, than you’re actually technically employed by that family.It’s a pretty simple status, your employers will just be needing to deduct social security and medicaid from each paycheck they give you, and declaring and making their own contributions on their taxes at the end of the year.Even if you don’t have a formal work contract which ties you to the family you’re a tutor for, once yo u earn over a certain threshold each year from one employer (usually 2000-4000, but the IRS revises is slightly each year) social security contributions are required for both you and your employer, regardless of the legal status of your work.Find out all you need to know to become a Spanish tutor with this complete guide...Become employed with a tutoring or training companyYou could also apply for a job with some of the many learning centres or training companies that offer tutoring jobs and Spanish language courses.It can be a more secure option because you don’t need to bid for work or advertise your services, just teach the students who are provided to you!You’ll have a formal labour contract, and this type of business will also normally offer professional development and further training in order for you to improve your teaching skills.Different learning centers and tutoring companies will have different employment models, and it’s worth working out what the different opti ons are in your area before signing a contract. Companies will charge different commissions, sometimes as much as 50%, so it’s worth checking to make sure you’re getting the most competitive offer for your language skills.Discover how studying Spanish abroad can help you become a Spanish teacher...It’s worth checking out the possibility of working for a local tutoring or language center as a Spanish teacher.The tutors and teachers employed by these centers often varies widely. Some may be certified teachers with advanced degrees, while others might just be individuals with a passion for sharing their Spanish knowledge, like you!What’s the typical background of a Spanish tutor who isn’t a qualified teacher?Being a Spanish teacher without a professional qualification in no way means that you lack the expertise for the job…On the contrary, you have additional experience to offer your students in addition to teaching them Spanish. You’ll have additional skills to teach Spa nish that others won’t have…Whether you’re offering private tutoring at home or language classes in a tutoring center, every teacher has their own unique background, experiences, and knowledge to share, with one point in common: a perfect mastery of Spanish.College studentsCollege students with a major in Spanish or another language often have an excellent knowledge of the language and can offer a range of tutoring services. Some of these students probably always have the intention of eventually qualifying as teachers and completing a Masters in Education.Taking private courses with students is a good experience that can benefit everyone. Their tutees will benefit from students advanced knowledge of Spanish, and the students will be able to work on their teaching skills, psychology, and pedagogy.Passionate about languages, they know how to motivate their clients to take them on a journey and enjoy their Spanish lessons.Are you a Spanish student? You could give private tutoring lessons before you graduate! Why not try your chance?Student teachersStudents studying to become teachers but who haven’t yet passed their state’s licensing exam or finished a Masters in education may also decide to tutor while completing their studies.These individuals are often motivated by the idea of sharing knowledge and have a lot of the skills and qualities necessary to be an excellent tutor:listening skillspatiencepedagogyThese skills are all a great way to develop a bond with their tutees.They know how to address students’ challenges and can propose different learning methods that correspond to the needs and learning styles of their students, so they can master both written and spoken Spanish.Native Spanish speakerWho better to teach Spanish than a native of Barcelona? It’s not only their native language, but they also have the accent to match…A Spanish professor should do more than just teach Spanish vocabulary and grammar. They should also share their passion f or their country, culture, and history. Having a native Spanish tutor is a great way to learn more about Spain or another Hispanic country.Students hoping to learn to carry on a conversation in Spanish before they go on a trip can boost their conversational Spanish and receive practical advice and knowledge which gives makes them feel like the journey never ends!Many language students in college also offer tutoring services to earn a bit of extra money out of class.The fact that they're a native Spanish speaker can easily do away with any need for them to pass the teacher certification exam in order to become a private tutor.Bilingual Spanish speakersHave you completely mastered the Spanish language after several periods of time in different Hispanic countries?Time spent using Spanish abroad, combined with your professional skills can be a real advantage when you begin offering your services as a Spanish tutor.As well as linguistic skills, you can also offer expertise in another pro fessional domain linked to the use of the Spanish language.Join the discussion: what qualities should a Spanish teacher possess?Know how to make the most of your Spanish skills and become a private tutorIf you don’t have the required degrees and certification to become a Spanish teacher in the public school system, there’s still nothing to stop you from becoming a Spanish tutor. However, it will be necessary for you to find your own students.If order to reassure parents and companies regarding your language skills, learn to make the most of your own background and really sell yourselves.A few backgrounds all give you the necessary experience to teach Spanish:Some kind of school certificate reflecting Spanish language study (a minor in college, the standardized DELE test)A presentation of your personal and professional experiencesA period spent studying or working abroad in a Spanish speaking countryTeaching experienceEach detail counts. If you’ve developed your own teaching me thods and expertise, share them!Also think about explaining the reasons you’ve decided to teach Spanish, and your own skills as a teacher (listening, pedagogy, learning methods, ability to adapt lessons, patience…)You can also find many short courses in order to develop your teaching skills and work on developing your lesson plans.The internet, an easy way to win some businessDo you want to begin pitching yourself out as a private Spanish tutor?You’ll need to do some communications work to find your tutees!Improve your visibility using the internet. There are many different websites like Superprof which offer tutors from a wide range of backgrounds the opportunity to match with students searching for private lessons.If you don’t have a college degree, you may need to adjust your fees to reflect this, but this will only help you be more competitive. The cost of courses is often an important factor for parents when selecting a tutor for their students. And word of mouth will t ake care of the rest!

5 Primary Reasons Students Should Prefer A Virtual Classroom

5 Primary Reasons Students Should Prefer A Virtual Classroom Take into account the kids experience when they first enter a virtual classroom. They have to explore through the classroom, locate the obliged materials, and turn out to be exceptionally energetic. This is to stay aware of the discourses and assignments help. They should have the capacity to feel joined with the class, trust the course will meet their particular scholarly and/or vocation needs, get help when required, and create important associations with their educators. What can obstruct this procedure and decrease the potential for learning is the dependence on composed words as the essential type of correspondence. The classroom can then turn out to be verging on mechanical in nature for students. They debilitate them from being completely drawn in and working towards top execution. 5 Vedic #Math Secrets for Every Student to be a Math Genius http://t.co/MMgHewbMkX pic.twitter.com/RcUK3vAsmf â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 21, 2015 5 strategies to help virtual online tutoring to be effective 25% of the teachers perform well beyond the negligible prerequisites, pretty much as I have constantly attempted to as an online tutors. So to surpass the base necessities and make a connection with the environment. While it may appear that these techniques ought to be utilized by all educators. Some like to finish just what is obliged keeping in mind that is worthy it doesnt prompt an ideal learning knowledge. Create virtual Engaging Discussion Posts Most online classes have some type of talks, regularly every week of the class. The necessities for educators for the most part include their response to students and the nature of those posts could conceivably be particularly expressed in their agreement. What an educators exchange reaction can do is to develop what kids have composed. Brief discriminating speculation and a more profound comprehension of the course subjects, and assist kids with interfacing the themes to true circumstances and issues. The test is setting aside an ideal opportunity to specialty reactions that achieve these objectives. It presupposes having the capacity to post something more than a brisk receptive reaction. It is useful to recognize something that every child has composed, and close with a question that prompts their scholarly interest. At the point when a post is substantive and drawing in the dialog with students is liable to proceed. How To Prepare For Your #Math Final #Exam Without Losing Your Sleep http://t.co/DjJbnRge9D pic.twitter.com/lJk9MkY9LA â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 16, 2015 3 in 1 role of Teacher, Educator, Facilitator The work of an online teacher has been alluded to by numerous names, including facilitator, instructor, and educator. While some online tutoring lean toward the word facilitator, the work that a teacher performs includes significantly more than encouraging a procedure. An instructor is somebody who can assist students with gaining the important scholarly aptitudes and have the persistence important to manage and guide them. As they work towards change of their formative needs. An online tutor is somebody who comprehends the rudiments of grown-up learning and knows speculations portion that can advise their work. As teachers, the concerns regarding grown-up instructions turn them into an instructor. Some students are contracted as a result of their topic ability. However that not consequently ensure they can be powerful as an educator. At the point when an educator has the capacity to encourage, instruct, and educate, their viability in the classroom gets to be obvious in all parts of their work. Give Feedback That Prompts Reflection Tutors realize that children require more than an evaluation to provoke their advancement and this adjusts to the reason of self-guided grown-up learners. Learners who need to be included in the learning procedure. They need to know why they earned the evaluation. In the event that they utilize grades as their essential wellspring of inspiration. It gets to be critical to show them to concentrate on more than their evaluations. And rather comprehend the significance of those evaluations and what can be found out from it. To this the criticism needs to address the substance of what was composed. Alongside the mechanics, and be done in a way that supports their advancement. What a few educators depend upon, regularly when there is little time accessible, is canned remarks or immediately composed discourse. Input is best when it causes students to wind up further inspired by the points and all the more critically. When they reflect upon their work and scholastic advancement. At the poin t when students are occupied with the input process they will probably be receptive to what their educator gives and gain from it. Top 5 Reasons Why An Online #Math Tutor Is Your Key To Scoring Straight A http://t.co/yaYmGfur3B pic.twitter.com/LrofyWHJCT â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 15, 2015 Be Actively Present and Engaged There is a misinterpretation that a teacher cant help students on the off chance that they cant see them. In any case, a teacher can connect the separation crevice and make conditions that are helpful for learning. What Ive realized through my internet showing knowledge, and foundation working with staff, is that students can without much of a stretch separate from the class and in the event that it isnt saw immediately it might be past the point where it is possible to re-draw in them. There are numerous reasons why students separate and it may not be anything but difficult to know precisely why when working in a virtual classroom For instance, when students get to be baffled or lose inspiration they may start to gradually pull back and if a teacher is effectively present they will see the nonattendance of those students. What Ive likewise watched is that understudy execution is frequently straightforwardly affected by the level of engagement of the educator. An educators place is l ikewise social vicinity that constructs a feeling of group among students that serves to keep them drew in and intrigued by the class. Tutor Pace Offering #HighSchool #Math #Tutoring In Just $299.99, 20% #OFF To 1st 50 #Students http://t.co/Nd0pgaMK1l pic.twitter.com/2fSOZd24Y1 â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) August 6, 2015 Create Effective Communication Techniques The essential type of correspondence in an online classroom comprises of composed posts and messages. Associations and connections in a virtual class are additionally based upon composed words. A test that this presents is that messages and presents are then subject on elucidation, alongside an apparent tone and aim of the message posted. While composed words are not the best system for correspondence it is still feasible for students to add to an observation about the teachers attitude towards helping them.

The Art of Reviewing Three Steps for Studying Meaningfully

The Art of Reviewing Three Steps for Studying Meaningfully Improving Academic Performance The most typical way people study for a standardized test â€" be that the SAT in high school or the GMAT long after â€" consists of solving practice problems, solving more practice problems, and then taking a practice test. That kind of practice is a great way to get experience with how the test asks questions and utilizes a variety of concepts. In a best case scenario, this style of practice can also help you track progress as you work towards your target test score. But many people find that they hit a wall just completing practice problem after practice problem. Especially for students working by themselves using test prep books they found at the top of Amazon’s search results, simply re-reading strategies and trying new problems can lead to a lot of frustration. Maybe rate problems still aren’t making sense, or you’re still missing those misplaced modifiers in grammar questions time and time again. The truth is that a lot of people who think they are studying are actually just completing drills. Studying meaningfully doesn’t just mean taking 7 practice tests in a row and hoping for the best. A huge component of studying, and perhaps the most important one, is going over the work you’ve completed. This means that if you took an hour to, say, complete some Quantitative questions in your official GRE prep book, you probably want to take another hour to review. This article will describe an efficient and effective process for a stellar reviewing process that will help you meaningfully improve from practice test to practice test. 1. Start By Circling This step is probably obvious! After you have completed a round of practice problems (or a full practice test), you are probably already checking your answers and circling anything you missed. But if you’re only highlighting the questions you got wrong, you’re ignoring the questions you got right but didn’t feel 100% confident while solving. Go ahead and circle any question you may have gotten correct but didn’t fully understand, or that employed a concept you aren’t totally comfortable with, or that you felt took too long for you to complete. Don’t forget to select questions that you got right by guessing. When reviewing your correct answers, always ask yourself, “Am I confident I would have gotten something similar to this correct on test day?” If the answer is a maybe, a maybe not, or an outright no, then you’ll want to add it to your review pile. 2. Explain Every Answer Choice To Yourself This is the important part. As you are well aware, when you review a question you missed you’ll want to understand why the correct answer is correct. On reading, critical reasoning, and language questions, this means finding the text that supports the correct answer, as well as understanding why a given correct answer choice is better than all of the other ones. But remember that the majority of answer choices you see on a test are incorrect. Just focusing on the right answer for every single question you missed is the equivalent of trying to train yourself to spot a needle in a haystack when you already failed to see that needle once. Use reviewing as an opportunity to identify what in that haystack is hay. Take the time to understand why every wrong answer choice is wrong. You will start to develop a sense for common bad answer choices, as well as for the finer points that can often separate your best answer from one that is deceptively appealing. On Math, you’ll notice, more and more, incorrect answer choices that are tempting because they are the result of common miscalculations. On Verbal sections, you’ll see a lot of answer choices that are half right, unsupported by the test, or too extreme. 3. Practice Any Concepts You’re Still Not Understanding The last part of your reviewing strategy should be to make a list of concepts that appeared in questions you got wrong, even if it only appeared in one question you got wrong. If you aren’t getting a certain concept correct every single time, you will want to review it. When it comes time to review Math concepts, generate custom worksheets on math-aids.com. Math-aids is a great resource for practicing specific content areas, covering everything from grade school fundamentals to trigonometry. With Reading and Critical Reasoning passages, reviewing why wrong answer choices are wrong is actually the best form of practice. There are, additionally, some great review resources on the web, such as uworld.com, which has a massive amount of practice questions for a variety of tests with a number of answer explanations. About the Author Mike S. is one of our most experienced test prep tutors. For more information on our test prep packages, see below: SAT ACT GRE GMAT LSAT MCAT CPA CFA NCLEX

Getting Motivated Through Goal Setting - Private Tutoring

Getting Motivated Through Goal Setting BobbiM Mar 31, 2014 Goals are great. Amen. In order to set goals that can be achieved, your goals should be: -Realistic: Can the goal be achieved? If not, how can the goal be divided into smaller goals? You should try to have short-term, intermediate, and long-term academic goals. A short-term goal is one that you will achieve within the next few days. Intermediate goals are ones that you will achieve within the next few weeks or months. A long-term goal is one that will take longer still, perhaps a fee months or even years. Most people make the mistake of making only intermediate and long-term goals, but short-term goals are also important because they help you follow the progress you are making and they help you stay on track. -Believable: Do you feel that you will be able to achieve your goal? Being confident about your ability to learn is crucial to your motivation. If you feel that a task is too difficult for you to achieve, your motivation will decrease and you might give up before you even try. Some students believe that they can succeed only in certain topics. If you find yourself believing this, take a minute to reflect on how that negatively affects your motivation to learn in those courses. -Desirable: How much do you want to reach your goal? In order to succeed in reaching your goals, they should be goals that you really desire. Then, learning will be particularly rewarding or enjoyable to you and it will be easier to achieve. Your goal may be to graduate from college within four years and to land a good job in your field, but you must have the desire for success to reach that type of goal. -Measurable: How will you know whether or when your goal has been met? Some goals are easy to measure. If your goal is to lose 10 pounds, you will know whether your goal has been met when you weigh yourself. However, sometimes learning goals are not so easy toes sure, so you need to set some standards to help you measure your progress. This may be as simple as taking a few minutes to think about what you have learned after each study session or it may include a more in-depth assessment. In general, you will need more checks of your progress for long-term goals than for short-term goals. Excerpt from  College Success Strategies  by Sherrie L. Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh.

Shanghai SMIC Private School

Shanghai SMIC Private School Shanghai SMIC Private School The Shanghai SMIC Private School is an independent, non-profit school committed to nurturing students lifelong learning, compassion, and understanding. SMIC offers PreK to Grade 12 education with two academic tracks - an English track that follows an American based curriculum and a Chinese track that follows a local curriculum guided by the Shanghai Education Council. A sense of community is important to SMIC, with giving back to the local community and society instilled as an important aspect of student life. Students are also given access to multiple extracurriculars and academic programs to nurture their creativity and innovation. Shanghai SMIC Private School Shanghai SMIC Private School Originally founded in 2001, the SMIC Private School was created to serve families employed by the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Company (SMIC), one of the most advanced semiconductor companies in China. Over the years, the schools reputation grew along with enrollment demands as we expanded to include students from outside the company as well. Today, our staff of almost 340 (of whom almost half are foreigners) serves over 2800 students in grades K-12 in both English and Chinese tracks. SMIC is a highly academic international school-style private school, which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and is recognized by the Shanghai Education Bureau. The English Track division offers an American-style curriculum (in English) based on US standards. Among our distinguishing features, we provide a phenomenally successful and diverse AP program (95% of our students score 3 or higher on average) and a uniquely successful Chinese language program that has fantastic student achievement results. With 462 graduates since 2006, 100% of our high school graduates since 2010 have been accepted to international colleges and universities or have gone to compulsory military service in their countries. The colleges and universities included 34 of the top 100 elite institutions in the world such as Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth, Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Brown, New York University, Rice, University College London, McGill, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Johns Hopkins. Were not only about academics, though, as we have many extra-curricular program options as well including 9 different award-winning sports programs and 51 after-sc hool clubs for students to join. Whether SMIC Private School students pursue academics, sports, or other extra-curricular activities, our staff and active school community encourages their efforts to aim for excellence, while retaining a sense of honor, community, and joy. View our Brochure