Cross-Over Biology

Cross-Over BiologyWhen considering crossing over biology, consider your particular field of study. There are many areas in biology that offer a broad or specific focus. Some areas of biology, such as psychology and sociology, will help to explain biological differences between humans and other mammals, but others, such as molecular biology, will show how those differences are manifested biologically.If you have been studying one of the many different biological sciences, there is likely a more narrow focus for the chosen career. A number of biologists who studied zoology have moved on to careers in forensics. These specialized jobs often are not compatible with cross-over studies in biology. However, if you are studying a field in biology that you love, consider changing courses to a more social science course to further study the genetic variations between animals and humans.If you are a biologist with a more generalized interest in the world around us, you might want to consider cr oss-over biology as an area of interest. Many biological scientists today combine their interest in biology with the related study of other fields of study. As an example, those who study the world and nature could combine their interests in earth science with behavioral ecology to discover a new meaning for the term 'ecology.'The field of study varies depending on the biological sciences. For example, molecular biology deals with life itself, but chemistry deals with molecules and atoms. Although chemical processes can be linked to biochemistry, they are not equivalent. There are some fields of biology that deal exclusively with one area, such as molecular genetics, while others, such as plant ecology, look at a combination of chemistry and biology to explain the function of living organisms.It is likely that your decision of biology and biological sciences will also depend on your personal interests. If you are interested in communicating with others, including helping others, the n you might want to study one of the various professions in biology. If you have a love for animals, then perhaps you would enjoy training to become a zoologist. If you love being outdoors, then the area of study you choose can greatly affect the type of job you choose.Whatever your interests, remember that biology is much more than just a physical branch of biology. Biology is about a great deal more than what goes on inside the body. Biology is also concerned with the environment and the care of those living in it. Therefore, your choice of specialization will also vary. Whether you choose to study something from a philosophical perspective or a different one entirely, one thing remains: you are taking a step forward in your journey towards the fulfillment of your personal dreams and interests.There are a variety of different fields in biology that can lead to a career in nature. Some of these include zoology, botany, ecology, conservation, medicine, marine biology, and environmen tal science. These fields are very diverse and each one has specific responsibilities and benefits. If you choose to study one of these fields, cross-over biology may be a natural choice for you.

Mollusca Examples Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace

Mollusca Examples Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace In general molluscs or mollusks are invertebrates that has hard external shells on their outer body.The various examples of Mollusca are Pila globosa, Unio, Mytilus, Pinctada, Teredo, Loligo, Octopus etc. Pila globosa: It is common fresh water.In water they respire with the help of gills and on land with pulmonary sacs or lungs. The body is divided into head, visceral hump and foot. Head has a pair of stalked eyes and two pairs of tentacles.The body is enclosed by protective shell. Unio or fresh water mussel: It is a common bivalve .The outer surface of the shell is marked by numerous concentric linescalled lines of growth. Head is absent. Foot is the locomotory organ. The respiratory organs are the gills. Mytilus or sea mussel: It is the common edible mussel. It is a sedentary form and remains attached to rocks and other solid objects with the help of bunch of adhesive threads called Byssus threads. Pinctada or pearl oyster: They are pearl producing bivalves commonly found in the seas. The valves of the shell are unequal and their free margins are characterized by finger like processes. The foot is reduced. Terredo: It has an elongated soft body covered by a tough mantle. At the anterior end is pair off reduced shells with which the mollusk bores into the wood, turning it into saw dust. Respiration through gills. Loligo: it is a marine edible mollusc.The body is narrow elongated showing two regions the head and the trunk. Octopus: It is a marine bottom dwelling mollusc.The mouth is surrounded by 8 long arms bearing two rows of suckers. Tentacles are absent.

Interview with an Educational Psychologist

Interview with an Educational Psychologist At Tutorfair, we aim to give people a really valuable experience in tutoring. We were introduced to Stephanie, an educational psychologist, and felt what she does would definitely be of interest to our readers. Here, Stephanie answers some questions for us about what she does, which we hope you enjoy. Please be in touch at sam@tutorfair.com if you’d like to hear more. So, Stephanie what do you do in your job? As an Educational and Child Psychologist I aim to understand the cognitive and educational development of children and young people within the context of their home, school and community. Through my in-depth knowledge of learning and teaching, I enhance understanding of how children and young people think, learn and behave. I aim to bridge the gap between theory/research and practice, so as to maximise learning for all pupils! Different modes of teaching and learning are most effective for different people. Working with you, your child and your child’s tutor, I aim to gain a clearer understanding of your child’s strengths and abilities, which will help us understand the teaching and learning strategies that are most effective for them. Using positive psychology, we will build upon your child’s strengths to maximise their learning and help them reach their full potential. When might I want to use one? You may want to use an Ed Psych in a number of different instances When you would like to learn more about your child’s learning style and how the environment (and their tutoring experience) can be adapted to maximise outcomes. When you have concerns about your child’s development and you would like to explore these concerns further so as to understand how to help them and adapt their environment to maximise their development. This could be related to their learning, cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural development. When your child has a specific difficulty and you would like to learn strategies to help them progress further, such as dyslexia, AD/HD or dyscalculia. How does the process work? Following an initial meeting, I will carry out an assessment of your child’s abilities and the current learning environment. This will in turn enhance our understanding of how your child learns best; what they can do to maximise their achievement, and what you and their tutor can do to support them. The above may take place within one meeting or may involve a more in-depth assessment, which would be tailored according to the situation. What is the cost of hiring an educational psychologist? All maintained schools in the UK have a link EP that works directly with schools; you may be able to request that your child sees their school EP. However, this can sometimes prove difficult, as schools may have different priorities. Tutorfair have tried to make this service more accessible to you so as to make the most of your child’s tutoring experience. You access my service through any of the following forms: What has been the proudest moment in your job? That is a tough one! I don’t have one particular moment… but I feel its the moments where I’ve realised that my involvement has had a positive impact on a young person’s life. It may be on their learning, behaviour or their wellbeing and enjoyment school, and/or learning. However I do feel a sudden surge of happiness and pride when a parent has turned to me and said “thank you” - thank you for a change that may be insignificant to the whole world but means the world to that family. Ultimately its when I’ve realised that through my involvement (in part or fully) the world of learning has come alive for that young person! Do you have an amazing hidden talents? I do! Its an amazing hidden talent of being able to sing off tune â€" unfortunately for my poor friends and family its not always that hidden! Stephanie is a D.Ed.Psy, Cpsychol HCPC registered.  To view her profile - please click here

Improve Your GPA by Training Your Brain

Improve Your GPA by Training Your Brain Improving Academic Performance Have you ever caught yourself being too critical of your abilities in a given area? Students in particular can be their own worst enemies. They don’t realize how powerful an influence mindset can be on day-to-day actions. In reality, what we think about ourselves and our abilities will determine what we can achieve, especially academically. In fact, there’s evidence that, if you believe you aren’t good at standardized tests, or aren’t very good at math, your brain is actually looking for ways to reinforce that belief, so that it can put the belief on autopilot, and spend more of its energy figuring things out that it’s not sure of. So, let’s talk about the power of thinking differently to improve your performance in class, standardized exams, or undergraduate and graduate institutions. We call this phenomenon the cycle of perpetual same-ness, which is a term and concept we borrowed from Dana Wilde, creator of the Mind-Aware brand. So-called facts and ideas that you think about yourself might very well be holding you back in ways that you don’t realize. Your thoughts may be reinforcing unsupported, mostly negative assumptions regarding your abilities that, paradoxically, your brain naturally wants to keep reinforcing, even though they negatively affect your performance. This occurs in a sequence of reinforcing steps over the course of months or years. Step 1: It begins with an event in the actual world. At some point, some specific event causes you to react and begin to believe something about yourself. For example, in second grade, you do a math exercise in class and get it wrong. Immediately, you wonder if you’re “bad” at math. You look around and notice that all of your friends in class are smirking, and you have trouble following your teacher’s explanation of why your answer is wrong. Step 2: This is followed by a reaction, and a conscious belief in your mind. You consciously think about the situation, and conclude that you must not be good at math. Not only did you get the question wrong, the teacher tried to explain it to you, and still you couldn’t understand. It seemed clear that everyone else understood. It seems apparent that the other students had an easier time with the question. They are better at math than you. Step 3: Eventually this belief enters your unconscious mind, and becomes part of the lens through which you view the world, affecting how you behave and reaffirming the belief. That initial run-in with math may happen a few more times. Perhaps by chance, or perhaps because your confidence with math has eroded a bit. Eventually, you decide that yes, you aren’t good at math, and that belief slips into your unconscious mind. It is just part of who you are. Being bad at math is a little frustrating, and uncomfortable to think about at first. But, you resign yourself to not being a math person. After all, you’ve been told we all have different talents, and people that are good at math may not be good at things in which you excel. After you come to believe that you’re just generally not good at math, your brain may try to fit its internal subconscious belief into the external world around you. So you’re going to find yourself automatically reaffirming your belief that you are bad at math again and again through behaving in a way that will endorse it (i.e., by not studying very hard or much, by avoiding difficult math problems that build math skills, etc.). The brain is trying to make sense of the world efficiently and effectively. Why would the brain work like this? Imagine the first time you rode a bike. Your mind was intently focused on every step of the process, putting your feet on the pedals, moving one foot forward, then the other, keeping your balance, grasping the handle bars. If you had to consciously go through all of that every time you rode a bike, it would get pretty overwhelming and you’d have trouble productively thinking about other things while riding that bike. The way our brains work, we have to constantly take a lot of information and put it into our subconscious to make room to bring in new observations. That’s why you can easily ride a bike or drive somewhere you’ve been a million times without thinking about it. Your brain has already catalogued it into your subconscious so that you don’t have to actively think about it to make room for new things. Why is this relevant to you or your child’s academic success? Let’s say, once again, you get a bad grade on that math test. We have the tendency to then say to ourselves, “I’m bad at math”, especially after witnessing other kids excelling. That opinion sticks with you until it becomes a fact. You do poorly on another test because of your already existing low confidence, and the cycle perpetuates itself. You need to break that cycle. Just as you stop thinking about how to ride a bike after the first few times, you stop thinking about how badly you believe you are at math and it becomes a part of who you are. From now on, your brain rejects any thoughts that you would rather be good at math or the possibility that you could be a natural with numbers. Your brain rejects these ideas in an attempt to make your daily life easier and go about it with as little stress as possible. You continue believing that you are lousy at math because it’s effortless. You form these beliefs early on in life, they influence your personality, your personality influences your behavior, and you grow old always ‘knowing’ you were never a math person. And, surprisingly, you’re completely comfortable with that because your brain automatically accepts it as fact due to your early experience and observations of others’ experiences around you. However, in reality, you can train your brain to behave differently by breaking that cycle. How can you do this? There are a variety of ways to go about breaking this cycle. Here are some options: Actively question your own assumptions about your abilities. Use positive “self-talk” in place of negative self-talk. If you catch yourself saying “I’m horrible at math” consciously stop yourself and just say “I have the potential to become much better at math than I currently think I am” Choose one academic area that you don’t consider a strength, and devote an extra hour per week to practicing in that area. All you need to do is apply practice - the right kind of practice - to a new belief that you can improve your math skills, or English skills, or creative skills, or whatever it may be that you seem to lack natural talent in. It is up to you to decide whether you are going to be a math person or not. It is up to each of us to decide where we place our passion and our focus and our hard work; don’t let your brain’s attempt at efficiency stop you from becoming great at something, or just getting generally better grades in school and higher scores on standardized tests.

Thinking in a Foreign Language Made Easy

Thinking in a Foreign Language Made Easy Thinking in a Foreign Language Made Easy We’ve all heard that thinking in a foreign language is a sign of  real fluency.But I bet you havent heard that its the  fifth key language skill  that all learners must developâ€"falling right in line with speaking, listening, reading and writing.But is thinking really a skill?Yes, yes it is.After all, thinking is a constant and intimate process. If you can think in a language, surely you must have assimilated the language to such an extent that it’s now a part of you.You’re no longer translating from your native language to the new one. Thats why someone who thinks in their target language will speak faster  and more smoothly, and they won’t have any lag when they’re trying to understand something.Sure, all of that is true, but what people don’t often realize is that thinking in a foreign language can be its very own path to fluency, not just a result of fluency.What does this mean for you?It means that thinking in your target language is absolutely learnable. Its someth ing that you canâ€"and shouldâ€"start working on  right now. All it takes is some practice! Just like speaking, listening, reading and writing. And the best part? Thinking is naturally the root of all those other skills, so you’ll see them all improve drastically in turn.Here, were going to show you how to make this happen. Thinking in a Foreign Language Made Easy1. Translate Your ThoughtsYou could have thought of this one, right? Sure, it seems like the most obvious step to take, but not everyone does it. Some people are very visual or quantitative, meaning they dont have streams of words constantly going through their brains.If you don’t already narrate your life in your head, then start doing it consciously! This kind of active exercise is where you’ll get the most practice.When you remember conversations, translate. When you think about your daily schedule, translate. When you’re cursing the weather, your neighbors, the long line at the grocery store… translate!Pract ical StepsIs this easier said than done? Here are some mini-steps you can take to start working toward narrating your life in your target language.If you’re a beginner, try simply taking some time out of the day to describe what’s around you. When you see a tree, you could think “tree” in your target language. If the correct word for tree isnt coming to you, think “green,” “wood” or anything else that can describe it. Same goes for buildings, animals, clothing, whatever. If you’re really limited in terms of vocab, you could even count people, animals or objects in your head. Anything helps!Soon enough, though, you’ll graduate to wanting to translate two-word phrases and beyond. When you’re able to start doing this, you’ll want to double check everything you’re translating, either with a native speaker or by googling the phrase with quotation marks to see if lots of native speakers are phrasing it just like you are. (Hint: If you get less than 1000 hits or h its that include only learners’ dictionaries and forums, you probably have something funky going on.)If you can’t figure out how to say what you’re thinking, make up an approximation that you’re still absolutely sure is 100 percent correct. Because you’re thinking much, much more than youre speaking or writing, it can be easy to fall into bad habitsâ€"thats why double checking your language usage is still key. Concrete nouns, verbs and adjectives are quite easy to translate, but idiomatic phrases get trickier, so youll want to  be especially sure that you’re using the correct idioms and expressions all the time.2. Start Using Monolingual DictionariesNow we’re getting to less direct but oh-so-essential steps to making the language yours.A monolingual dictionary is just what it sounds likeâ€"instead of translating your target language into your native language and  vice versa, you’re looking up a target-language word and getting a target-language definition, just like when you pick up a dictionary to check a word in your native language.Using a monolingual dictionary can mark an important step in your language learning journey because it means that you’re using the language itself to learn.A small caveat, however: Monolingual dictionaries are most useful if you try them out at the mid- to high-intermediate stage when you can already understand a mainstream novel or follow formal news radio. Otherwise, youll spend a lot of time looking up words in the definitions of other wordsâ€"though that can be a valuable exercise, too.You’ll be pretty amazed at how monolingual dictionaries help you think in the language. While studying, you’ll no longer be translating back and forth. Consciously using a monolingual dictionary while filling out SRS flashcards,  reading novels or working through a textbook will pay off in all your other skill areas. Youll even start to think in terms of the language itself, rather than  only within the framework of your n ative language.Practical StepsFirst of all, find a good monolingual dictionary! WordReference has a great online Spanish-Spanish dictionary (plus monolingual options in many other languages).  I’ve personally used Larousse for French. Guoxuedashi is a good example for Chinese. Searching “dictionary” in your target language will land you with something, but quality is pretty important, so try asking other learners on sites like Quora or Language Learners’ Forum.Now what? Monolingual dictionaries work great when paired with sentence flashcards on SRS. Thats rightâ€"each flashcard will have a whole sentence on the front, and then you can use  your monolingual dictionary to define words you don’t know on the backs of your cards. You can embed definitions if there are words you don’t know in the original definitions.  Check out the blog  All Japanese All the Time  for a  complete explanation  (and a great post on monolingual dictionaries!).  This unconventional approach to fl ashcards  is a great way to learn vocabulary and grammar in context.If the definition is impossible to understand (think: definition for “oak” or “ladder”… simple concepts with confusing, convoluted definitions), paste in an image so that you get the meaning without any interference from English!3. Write in a JournalBecause journaling is writing down your thoughts, it gets you into the habit  of thinking in your target language, especially if youre finding thinking itself to be difficult at first.Basically, it’s just another way to practice Step #1, but it’s slower and you’re in one spot so you can look things up. Its also a good option if youre busy most of the time and dont have the freedom to glaze over and think purposefully in your target language. It doubles as writing practice, too!I discovered this myself when practicing writing in Spanishâ€"I found myself thinking in Spanish for some time after I completed a quick writing session and put down my pen. Spendin g some time deliberately formulating thoughts in Spanish definitely got me into that “zone” of thinking in my target language.Practical StepsTry writing a daily monologue. This can include whatever’s on your mind! Stuff about your work, about your familyâ€"it doesn’t matter. Opinions work well, too, because you might have a lot to say about them. You can just keep a diary in your target language!Get corrections and feedback from natives and learners on  services like italki. On italki, you can even hire a private tutor to work with you one on one, to get the best feedback possible. No matter how you get them, corrections will help you avoid writing things down wrong and cementing bad habits in your mind.Despite the importance of staying away from bad habits, I recommend keeping a private, hard copy journal on good stationery. It’s a great break away from Internet-heavy language learning, and the privacy gives you free reign to write about whatever you want!4. Read More Fir st Person LiteratureReading is so important when it comes to learning a language. If you read books written in the first person, you’ll see direct benefits when it comes to thinking in the language.Obviously, first person books give you the main character’s thoughtsâ€"you get to read someone else’s thoughts so that you can think your own! How cool is that?For all those hard-to-translate idioms and phrases from Step #1, you’ll get solutions from books. You’ll learn how native speakers express abstract concepts, which vocab they use and how they use it.Practical StepsGet some young adult fiction, stat!  Why young adult? Because fiction aimed at that age group loves first person perspective right now, and the language is casual and very realistic. Even if you’re not into reading in that age group normally, I highly recommend you check it out for this purpose (and you might find some new favorite books while you’re at it).As always, translations of books you’ve already r ead work wonderfully because you already have that crucial context that makes understanding a target language so much easier. But if you’re at a loss for what to find, I recommend translations of the Percy Jackson  books or The Hunger Games.  Both are popular (and thus widely translated) and both have fun stories that will keep you engaged.To find the translated titles of these books, simply translate the Wikipedia page into your target language. Then you can search for the title on Amazon!Commit to reading 20 minutes a day to get into the habit of thinking in your target language. It won’t be long before you start remembering phrases you see over and over, but to speed things up, dust off that SRS once again. Enter the sentences or phrases you think you might want to use in your own thoughts, and over time, you won’t forget them!And that’s that! With these four steps, you’ll get past all that clunky translating you’ve been doing in your head.You’ll be well on your way to thinking in your target language and making it your own.Once you’ve gotten the hang of thinking in your language, the rest is smooth sailing!

One for the Road! A Comprehensive Language Study Guide

One for the Road! A Comprehensive Language Study Guide Plotting Your Way to Fluency: A Flexible Language Study Guide Hindsight is 20/20.Looking back, well always see that it was at the beginning where we went wrong.Its when we set out on a journey of some kind that we can benefit the most from preparing ourselves for whats to come.But it may only be later that we understand just what we were missing at the start.When I started teaching myself French, I had no idea what I was doing.I bounced between different resources and techniques for more than a year, just picking up a few words and phrases here and there.Sometimes Id study like crazy. Sometimes Id put the language out of my head for a week.I finally enrolled in a great French class at school and realized that I could barely speak French.On top of that, Id been making some very ridiculous grammar mistakes.If Id had a study guide or a study plan to show me the way, I could have aced that class the minute I walked in.So now, Id like to give you the advantage I didnt have and show you a complete map for learning a language that you can adapt to you r own individual preferences.Ill show you what to study at each stage of learning and  how to keep your study time balanced over days and weeks where you might have a lot of other things going on.The key to learning success is consistency. As long as you keep at your studies and keep moving ahead, everything else will fall into place.And in this post, well look at how to ensure that things fall into place as quickly as possible. How Long Does It Take to Learn a Language, and How Can a Language Guide Help?But how long do you need to keep at those studies? Thats a question thats been asked many, many times over.It depends on a few main factors:The frequency of your study sessions.The familiarity of the language.The interest you have in the language.If you only study once a week, youll barely get anywhere. You need to give your brain a chance to absorb the material by frequently thinking in or about the language. More frequent and more consistent study means faster learning.A languag e that’s closely related to others you might know, or that shares a lot of vocabulary, will fit easier in your mind because you can guess how to apply your previous knowledge.Finally, if youre fascinated by it and the people who speak it, any language can become childs play, because youre intrinsically motivated to understand and communicate using it.You may not have as much control over the last two factors, but you do have some control over the first. Additionally, if youre disorganized in your learning, youre likely to retread old ground or run up against walls. Youve got to have something to help you along and show you what you should be focusing onâ€"like a language learning guide!A dedicated, motivated self-learner following a good guide should be able to achieve a comfortable intermediate level in about 300-500 study hours, spread over a period of roughly 10-14 months.That means averaging around an hour, or at least 40 minutes, of learning time every day. Its hard for most people to set aside that kind of time, but cut it into two or three chunks of 20 minutes and suddenly it seems far more doable. You might even spend 20 minutes reading posts or articles like this one today.An audio course in the car, a book in the bus, a video before bedâ€"thats how you fit those study hours into a busy day.You want to get in the habit of never really letting the language out of your sight.So youve got the time, but what should you do with it?Plotting Your Way to Fluency: A Flexible Language Study GuideBeginning: Pronunciation, First Words PhrasesPronunciationOne thing polyglots tend to do differently from the average learner is starting with pronunciation.Because practice doesnt make perfectâ€"practice makes permanent.If you get the wrong patterns in your head, youll have a devil of a time getting them out later on.Youre going to want to do some research on the sounds of the language youre learning and make sure you know how to make them and distinguish them.Wikip edia has articles on the sound systemâ€"called the phonologyâ€"of virtually every language out there, big and small. The articles are a bit technical, but in my opinion its some of the best technical knowledge you can pick up when it comes to language learning.If the Wikipedia articles are beyond you still, then go to YouTube and look for videos about the pronunciation of your target language. Try looking for more targeted, academic videos instead of just quick two- or three-minute overviews.If youre learning French, for instance, search for specific features like French R or French vowels.Once youre confident about the individual sounds, move on to words.Words PhrasesYoull need to practice listening and repeating words in isolation and in the context of an example sentence to understand the rhythm of the language.Rhythm is one of the most important parts of accent, and it really cant be ignored. Think of a toddlers speechâ€"they might have trouble with some consonants, but nobody would ever say they have a foreign accent. Thats because theyve already mastered the rhythm. They were hearing it even before birth, every time their mom spoke aloud!And so most dedicated learners will look high and low for courses with audio or good audiobooksâ€"they want to get as much exposure as possible to the sounds of the language and really soak the rhythm into their heads.A lot of these course books or guides will tell you to avoid memorization as if its something that might hurt your learning.At the true beginner stage, though, youre going to have to memorize something if you want to start understanding this language.The advice should really be something like dont memorize lists of words without context. Youve got to connect what youre learning to feelings or memories.So start with a simple game of pretending: Imagine the very first things most people will say to you.That means greetings, certainly.Lets assume youre using the language for travel. Youll want to know how to say hello, how to get someones attention, how to politely step past people in a crowded space, how to say thank you. If you still dont know exactly where to begin, these words and phrases are a good bet.After you pick these things up, you should branch out and learn some verbs, nouns and adjectives from dictionaries, phrasebooks or vocabulary lists.At this very early stage, its a great psychological boost to be able to recognize and understandâ€"so dont stress out if you cant produce very much in the language.High Beginning: Constructing Sentences, Listening to DialoguesConstructing SentencesPretty soon, youre going to want to move beyond the phrases youve learned and begin to express yourself.For that, youre going to need to know how to construct sentences.In many languages, you can start picking up these rules intuitively just by looking at a handful of examples.If your phrasebook tells you that What is your name and What is his name are identical except for the pronoun, theres a good chance that What is her name follows a similar pattern. Keeping your eyes open for these patterns is going to boost your learning significantly.But when its not clear from context what the next word should be, youre going to have to move beyond the phrasebook and begin with a grammar resource.The very concept makes a lot of people cringe. But these days, you can sample many simple, free online courses with an emphasis on sentences.Your local library may also have well-known coursebooks in its collection. Try books in the Teach Yourself  or Dummies series for a solid intro to the grammar.An extra-easy alternative is to start learning with FluentU, as it starts you off putting words and phrases into grammatical context immediately. FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons. Youll find content on FluentU for complete beginners, but itll continue to fit right in with your learnin g as you make your way all through the rest of this guide and beyond, starting withListening to DialoguesAt the same time, youre going to want to begin your long listening journey around this point. Listening is incredibly important for learning languages at really any level, for all kinds of reasonsâ€"from getting used to different accents to improving your reaction time with new vocabulary.Use FluentU, search through YouTube to find beginner lessons or dialogues in your target language, or look for a textbook with companion audio that you can get at a low cost (or from a library!).Listen to these dialogues again and again over a period of a few days.You want to be giving your mind two simultaneous tracks to learning the language: naturally, through examples and dialogues, and systematically, through overt explanations of grammar rules.Low Intermediate: Improving Vocabulary, Listening, Speaking WritingAs you progress through the stages, youre naturally going to become a better and better self-learner.Because of that, you probably dont need this guide to tell you, Repeat after your dialogues. Keep an eye on your pronunciation. Of course, youre going to continue doing the things that make you progress onward.So take these next several steps as additional suggestions rather than all-encompassing instructions. Stay well-rounded in your learning, and even go back and review older material for as long as you want.Improving VocabularyNow that youve got some of the basics down, the whole wide world of vocabulary out there is yours to conquer. The only question is, where to start?Again, one of the best ways to learn vocabulary is to really connect with what youre trying to memorize. If you watch an interesting video or read an interesting article in your native language, look up some of the main vocabulary points and youll remember much better than if you learned those same words from a list.Continue to follow the guidance of whatever grammar resource youre usingâ€"i deally, your resource should challenge you enough as you move on that you dont grow bored and try to jump ahead too fast. If you bite off more than you can chew, youll likely lose motivation.ListeningAt this point, you should be looking for as many listening resources as you can.Its difficult at this point to pick up new words from listening aloneâ€"so dont shirk on the vocabularyâ€"but unless you plan to mostly read and write your target language, listening is the core skill.And it takes a lot of time to develop.That means enjoyment is the key to progress. Dont waste your time watching things you don’t like. If youre into photography, watch camera reviews. If you like makeup, there are makeup tutorials in hundreds of languages on YouTube.One of the most valuable resources at this point in your learning is audio with transcripts, such as videos with subtitles.Again, this is something you can turn to the trusty learning tools on FluentU for.Outside (and occasionally inside) of Flue ntU, the YouTube project Easy Languages is an outstanding collection of street interviews with subtitles in both the target language and English.Watching short, entertaining videos is a great way to keep yourself focused and on task during this important study activity.Speaking WritingIts tough to speak when you dont have much you can say.Thats why we havent mentioned speaking too much until now.Some language acquisition experts believe that you learn most effectively if youre not pushed to speak or write until you can understand a lot of what you read and hear.And that makes senseâ€"its demoralizing to enter a conversation and constantly be lost as to what your partner is saying.At this stage in your learning, however,  you should be itching for some speaking practice.The single best free place for speaking practice online is a language exchange site called Hellolingo. Its got a huge community of people from all over the world, waiting to help you with their native languages.If yo ure willing to spend a little money, though,  iTalki cant be beat for finding tutors. The selection of professional teachers and skilled enthusiasts is truly unparalleledâ€"plus theres a large community that will help you with writing practice as well.Writing is daunting, especially in languages with lots of grammatical forms to memorize. But writing practice always has a positive effect,  even if nobody corrects your mistakes.  Just the act of writing on its own helps you recall words better. As you continue reading, youll develop more and more of an intuition for the grammar as well, and before long youll even be able to correct your own mistakes.Scheduling your output practice is something youll have to do on your own depending on how comfortable you are with it and how important it is for your purposes. If you enjoy it, try to work in some speaking and writing at least twice a week so you dont get too rusty.Intermediate: Grammar and ReadingGrammarAt this point, youre going to ne ed to shore up any remaining leaks in your grammar knowledge.Your general online courses and book guides may not cut it here. Luckily, for commonly studied languages like French, Russian, Japanese and German, the internet is awash with free and in-depth grammar guides.Heres where I actually wont recommend YouTube, though there are of course some gems to be found, as the best resources tend to be single-purpose grammar overviews like Dartmouths German grammar page or JGram for Japanese.Beyond that, the publisher Routledge has a whole line of Modern Grammars  for ten major languages. Theyre some of the best reference grammars and workbooks around, and can really help you figure out what youve been missing. If your language isnt on that list, try their Essential Grammar line or looking around for a reference grammar at a library or online bookstore.Grammar is so important at this stage because youre likely to start internalizing mistakes soon. If you dont nip these in the bud, your gra mmar mistakes will become bad habits later on that are harder to break.ReadingNow you can slowly but surely work your way through simple native texts.I really like the NHK World news site for its no-frills daily news reporting (in 18 languages). The articles are written for natives, not learners, but theyre short and digestible enough to be very helpful reading practice.Every major city around the world has newspapers or other media outlets in their own language as well. For just one of scores of examples, check out Público,  a popular news source from Portugal.Now, its likely that the feature articles and opinion pieces on these websites will still be too hard for you at this point.But thats just fineâ€"most have all kinds of lighter content like recipes, entertainment news, sports scores and lifestyle tips. Usually with video included, too!Check out the topics that most interest you. Its fine if you end up only looking at pictures and their captions. The most important part is th at youre immersed in the language wherever you go on that site.Offline, you should look for translated books from your native language. If theres a best-seller youve read cover to cover tons of times, thats a perfect tool for diving into literature.Translated books are easier to start out with because the plot and characters are likely going to be more familiar to you, culturally speaking. With a more accessible story-line, you can focus on absorbing the language through your extensive reading.High Intermediate and Beyond: Expressing Yourself and Understanding OthersExpressing YourselfThe more you read, the more you listen, the more you expose yourself to, the more youre going to learn.Understanding complicated, authentic native speech is not an easy task. And at the high-intermediate stage, it really can seem like youve plateaued because the gains are harder to see.Going from a vocabulary of 100 to 500 words feels amazing, but from 4000 to 4400, the effect barely registers, since y ou can already understand most of what you encounter.The key is to keep going and to branch out. Challenge yourself with material you might not normally think of, such as cooking shows or comedy routines. When you come back to material you saw earlier, it wont seem nearly as hard.Understanding OthersRepeating after dialogues, writing on your own and reading aloud are all excellent learning strategies, but if your goal is fluent communication, theres no better way to get there than communicating.Whether its with a tutor, a friend or even strangers on the street, you should take whatever opportunities you can to have conversations.Ask your speaking partners to strike a balance between correcting your mistakes and allowing you to speak freely. Schedule some sessions as tutor sessions and some as conversations.You need a mix of these two practice styles to get into the flow of a natural interaction while also continuing to work on your mistakes.After that… its up to you.The intermedia te-advanced stage of language learning sometimes seems like itll never end.Even if youre continuing to study, it might not seem like youre making progress until you really challenge yourself.But then all of a sudden, you look back at an old piece of writing you did or a book that was giving you troubleâ€"and you see how far youve come.Consistency is the single most important part of any personal improvement.When you put in the time and effort on a regular basis, you simply cant fail to see results. And One More ThingLooking for engaging material for developing your language skills? Then youre going to love learning with FluentU!FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.  Its all stuff that native speakers  actually watch.  With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU A pp 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 the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs Quiz Mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU has quizzes for every videoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.

This Math Program Completer is Driven by Perseverance

This Math Program Completer is Driven by Perseverance This Math Program Completer is Driven by Perseverance Pragun, 15-years-old, Math Program Completer 15-year-old Pragun is far from your average freshman high school student. He has already grasped advanced math concepts, like differential calculus, due to his successful completion of the Kumon Math Program. Pragun has been enrolled in Kumon since he was 8-years-old and has gained valuable skills and knowledge that’s molded him into the accomplished student he is today. Perseverance has been the number one key to his success and will be a driving force in achieving his future aspiration of becoming a doctor. “Kumon has helped me to not give up and persevere through difficult challenges,” said Pragun. “The more difficult a challenge is, the greater the reward. Kumon has taught me to not be afraid of any challenges, but rather enjoy working through them because I know I can overcome anything.” In the 7th grade, Pragun competed in the VEX Robotics Competition, and walked away with the VEX Team Award. Teams are tasked with the challenge of building and designing a robot, while using various components of STEM. Pragun also put his math skills to the test in a Math League Competition and received 4th place in the target round. This round of the competition challenges students to solve four pairs of problems, with only six minutes to complete. While he’s extremely proud of his many accomplishments, he knows that that none of it could’ve been achieved without hard work. “Kumon has taught me about the importance of focusing and hard work,” said Pragun. “Great accomplishments don’t come naturally. More hard work is equal to greater success in Kumon and life.” Outside of the classroom, Pragun enjoys playing table tennis with his father, spending time with friends, and reading. Pragun’s hard work and discipline didn’t go unnoticed, as he was one of 55 students selected to attend the 2018 Kumon Student Conference in Calgary, Canada. We had the opportunity to speak to Pragun about his Kumon journey. What do you enjoy most about Kumon? I really enjoy learning new techniques on how to solve problems that might be in my school work or on tests. How has Kumon helped you inside of the classroom? Kumon has significantly improved my pace in math, and it has helped me maintain an academic edge in being successful in school. How has Kumon helped you outside of the classroom? Kumon has helped me with my time management. It has especially helped me with balancing my school work, extracurricular activities, and completing the Kumon Math Program. If you could sum up your Kumon experience in one word, what would it be? Beneficial. What did it mean to you attending the Student Conference? It was such a huge honor being selected as one of the attendees for the Student Conference. It was an amazing experience traveling to a place I’ve never been before. What advice do you have for other Kumon Students? Kumon can be overwhelming and challenging at times. It takes patience and time to adjust. In the long run, it will always prove to be beneficial. Discover even more student success stories. You might also be interested in: This Young Kumon Reading Program Completer is an Aspiring Computer Engineer Finding the motivation to continue learning during the summer can be a challenge. 13-year-old Kumon dual program completer shares advice on perseverance. This Black Belt in Karate is Driven by Perseverance This Kumon Math Program Completer Wants to Save Lives This Math Program Completer is Driven by Perseverance This Math Program Completer is Driven by Perseverance Pragun, 15-years-old, Math Program Completer 15-year-old Pragun is far from your average freshman high school student. He has already grasped advanced math concepts, like differential calculus, due to his successful completion of the Kumon Math Program. Pragun has been enrolled in Kumon since he was 8-years-old and has gained valuable skills and knowledge that’s molded him into the accomplished student he is today. Perseverance has been the number one key to his success and will be a driving force in achieving his future aspiration of becoming a doctor. “Kumon has helped me to not give up and persevere through difficult challenges,” said Pragun. “The more difficult a challenge is, the greater the reward. Kumon has taught me to not be afraid of any challenges, but rather enjoy working through them because I know I can overcome anything.” In the 7th grade, Pragun competed in the VEX Robotics Competition, and walked away with the VEX Team Award. Teams are tasked with the challenge of building and designing a robot, while using various components of STEM. Pragun also put his math skills to the test in a Math League Competition and received 4th place in the target round. This round of the competition challenges students to solve four pairs of problems, with only six minutes to complete. While he’s extremely proud of his many accomplishments, he knows that that none of it could’ve been achieved without hard work. “Kumon has taught me about the importance of focusing and hard work,” said Pragun. “Great accomplishments don’t come naturally. More hard work is equal to greater success in Kumon and life.” Outside of the classroom, Pragun enjoys playing table tennis with his father, spending time with friends, and reading. Pragun’s hard work and discipline didn’t go unnoticed, as he was one of 55 students selected to attend the 2018 Kumon Student Conference in Calgary, Canada. We had the opportunity to speak to Pragun about his Kumon journey. What do you enjoy most about Kumon? I really enjoy learning new techniques on how to solve problems that might be in my school work or on tests. How has Kumon helped you inside of the classroom? Kumon has significantly improved my pace in math, and it has helped me maintain an academic edge in being successful in school. How has Kumon helped you outside of the classroom? Kumon has helped me with my time management. It has especially helped me with balancing my school work, extracurricular activities, and completing the Kumon Math Program. If you could sum up your Kumon experience in one word, what would it be? Beneficial. What did it mean to you attending the Student Conference? It was such a huge honor being selected as one of the attendees for the Student Conference. It was an amazing experience traveling to a place I’ve never been before. What advice do you have for other Kumon Students? Kumon can be overwhelming and challenging at times. It takes patience and time to adjust. In the long run, it will always prove to be beneficial. Discover even more student success stories. You might also be interested in: This Young Kumon Reading Program Completer is an Aspiring Computer Engineer Finding the motivation to continue learning during the summer can be a challenge. 13-year-old Kumon dual program completer shares advice on perseverance. This Black Belt in Karate is Driven by Perseverance This Kumon Math Program Completer Wants to Save Lives

Epic Fail to Fluent 5 Ways Funny Language Mistakes Can Help You Learn

Epic Fail to Fluent 5 Ways Funny Language Mistakes Can Help You Learn 5 Ways Your Funny Language Mistakes Can Help You Learn Oh no, theyre laughing at you!Having your friends laugh at your mistakes when you’re learning a new language may feel like the end of the world.But your mistakes could actually give you a huge learning advantage that’ll shock your friends like deer in headlights!Did you know getting laughed at can help you learn a new language?If you want to have fun with your language mistakes and use them to help you learn your target language faster, stay tuned.I’ve got some funny and embarrassing stories that’ll change the way you think about learning a new language.Ill also show you how to transform your own language mistakes into gems that you can laugh about and learn from. How My Epic Fail Moments Taught Me SpanishGoogle Translate Can Make Things Awkward QuicklyWhen I was living in Spain earlier this year doing humanitarian work with refugees, I thought I would say something funny in Spanish to my friend Maria.Since I watched The Power Rangers when I was a kid, I decided to ask her in Spanish if she likes that show. So, with the help of Google Translate, I said to Maria, “Te gustan los guardabosques?”No sé (I don’t know) she awkwardly replied.After the other refugees heard what I said in Spanish, they started laughing uncontrollably!I was confused by Maria’s response, so I double-checked the meaning of what Id just said. I found out that “Te gustan los guardabosques” means, “Do you like forest rangers?”From that day forward, I’ve learned to never rely blindly on Google Translate!Winging It Wont Always WorkOne day while I was taking a Spanish class at a community college, my teacher asked me to stand up and share a sentence I learned in Spanish with the entire class. I quickly stood up and said, Mis abuelos son muy simpáticos, pero no son bonitos.  (My grandparents are very nice, but they’re not pretty.)After I said that, the entire class, along with my teacher, started laughing nonstop, but I had no idea why they were laughing so hard.Sho rtly afterward, my teacher smiled while trying not to laugh and said, “Ernesto, good job, but that’s not very nice.” I realized that I hadnt really thought about what I was saying until after I said itâ€"I was just focused on completing the assignment. When everyone started laughing, I then realized what a terrible thing Id just said.One big thing I learned that day was to not practice my Spanish with my grandparents until I learn how to think before I speak!Learning a Variety of Foreign Phrases Is a Good IdeaAnother time while I was living in Spain with the humanitarian workers and the refugees, the hot water stopped working and we all decided to have a meeting to figure out what we should do. At that time, one of my favorite phrases in Spanish whenever I thought something was odd was, esto es muy extraño (this is very strange).I’d become so comfortable with this phrase that I pretty much started using it for everything.So once everyone started discussing the issue with th e hot water not working, I said, Hmm, esto es muy extraño. (Hmm, this is very strange.) Almost immediately, everyone busted out in uncontrollable laughter!I didn’t really understand what Id said wrong, so I asked one of the humanitarian workers. She told me that I didn’t say anything wrong, but it just sounded funny that I’m so simple-minded in terms of choosing that specific Spanish phrase over and over again.For this reason, it’s important to learn a variety of phrases in a foreign language so that you can have a normal conversation with people. If you say, “this is very strange” for everything that seems a little odd, people will start to think that you’re very strange.Why Making Language Mistakes Can Work in Your FavorOne advantage to making mistakes when you’re learning a new language is that it’ll help you to discover your weak spots. Knowing your weak spots, as long as you’re open to learning, will help you to focus on the specific areas you need to impro ve.As I’ve already mentioned briefly by sharing my own language learning mistakes, another way making mistakes can work in your favor is that you’ll learn new vocabulary. While it’s really embarrassing to make mistakes and you probably don’t want anybody to laugh at you, learning what words or phrases to not say will give you a better idea of what you need to say next time.When Thomas Edison was asked how it felt to fail 1,000 times, he said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” If you can think the way Edison did, you’ll have a lot more fun learning your target language by tracking your progress along the way!5 Ways Your Funny Language Mistakes Can Help You Learn1. Reveal (and Overcome) Your Common Mistakes by TextingTexting your foreign friends in the language you want to learn certainly won’t make you a genius overnight, but itll help you identify your common mistakes and bad linguistic habits.The first step is to ask you r friends to correct you during your text conversations, if theyre not already doing so. This can be a lot less overwhelming or frustrating than getting interrupted with corrections in the middle of an in-person conversation. Plus, if youre using language exchange apps like Tandem or HelloTalk, there are super-simple correction features already built in.Its not all about spelling and grammar, either! Using text-to-speech features in your mobile keyboard to speak the language you’re learning will also help to improve your pronunciation of new words. (Just hit the microphone icon in the message box on an iPhone, or follow these steps for an Android.)Again, your friends can help with corrections, but youll also simply identify poorly-pronounced words if the phone cant understand what youre saying.Texting is something most of us do every day, so why not text your foreign friends, have fun with your mistakes and learn a new language all at the same time?2. Pay Attention to Spell CheckS pell check is especially useful if you want to go to school in your target language or pursue writing or teaching careersâ€"and laughing at your writing mistakes as spell check autocorrects them will help you have a little fun while you work.Since  Microsoft Word can correct spelling in many different languages, it’s a great way to catch funny mistakes and learn from them along the way.If youre an English learner (or if youre a native speaker who might as well brush up on your writing skills), you could also check out Grammarly. Its a powerful spell- and grammar-checking toolâ€"and best of all, it provides thorough explanations of your mistakes so you know how to correct them next time.Of course, remember that spell checkers arent always perfect, so you can always double-check any points of confusion with a dictionary  or a native speaker.3. Use Language Tools with SRS and Progress TrackersWhile its important to see the humor in language mistakes, its true that once enough of them pile up, it can be hard to find the motivation to keep learning. Thats why its important to see the big picture beyond your mistakes. Language apps with Spaced Repetition Software (SRS) technology and progress tracking features are the best way to accomplish this.Consider how FluentU works. This innovative app provides real-world foreign language videos, like movie trailers, music videos, YouTube clips and more, with interactive captions and exercises to help you pick up new words. You can then master the words you struggled with in a way that maximizes retention, thanks to FluentUs SRS algorithm, which ensures that youre reviewing words at the optimal pace.That means every time you make a mistake, theres less of a chance youll make it again the next time.Plus, FluentUs progress trackers will help you keep track of what youve learned and what youve accomplished. So even if it feels like youve been making a ton of mistakes, youre likely to see that there are areas where youre growin g. FluentU will also suggest new content based on what youve already watched, so it always keeps you moving forward.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.4. Translate Figures of Speech into the Language You’re LearningIf you really want to have fun learning a new language, make mistakes on purpose by translating English figures of speech into the language you’re learning. Since idioms and expressions rarely translate properly into another language, you’ll have people laughing in no time! This is also a great way to lighten the mood and even make some new friends.One cool thing about doing this is that, after you translate your figure of speech and explain what its supposed to mean, ask the people who speak your target language how the figure of speech would be phrased in their language. You can take notes on this and learn figures of speech in their language.5. Laugh at Your Own Mistakes to Learn FasterWhen you don’t take yourself too seriously, you’ll make a lot of friends wholl be willing to help you learn your target language faster. Believe it or not, even people you don’t know are more inclined to help you if you’re fun and teachable.Another benefit of laughing at your mistakes is that itll release dopamine into your brain, and thatll enhance your memory to help you learn the language faster. When you’re in a good mood, you’ll actually be able to remember what you’ve learned much easier!Learning a language by making funny mistakes is one of the most natural ways to learn a new language.While it’s not often something that happens on purpose, learning from your embarrassing mistakes is exactly what you need to help you get fluent.Ernesto  is an author, blogger and freelancer writer, and hes?passionate about helping refugees and the poor. If you would like to?connect with him, you can find?him at  ErnestoAragon.com.

What Qualifications Do I Need To Become A Private Tutor?

What Qualifications Do I Need To Become A Private Tutor?Many people would like to become a private tutor to earn an extra income, but may not know what the qualification is for. It really is very simple; a teacher's qualification is a good basis for becoming a private tutor. There are many private tutors who simply do not have any qualifications, and the only qualification they will need is that of being a regular person and having the ability to communicate well.Parents need to be aware of this fact. We all know how this type of course is quite popular, but there are many teaching qualifications you will need if you wish to become a private tutor. If you are asked to take a test and do the practice test, you will need to show evidence of academic attainment, as well as the ability to teach and understand the needs of your students. The goal for anyone wishing to become a private tutor is to find out which is the best method to find employment and become financially secure.To start w ith, you will need to find out whether you have a teacher's qualification or not. Usually, all teachers will require to undertake a course on specific subjects, and generally include subjects such as English, Maths, Science, Psychology and Spanish. However, teachers may also include Humanities, History, Art, History of Art, Teaching History of Art, etc. It all depends on the teaching profession.On top of that, if you want to go to school or university, it will be required that you take an education exam. You will usually be required to meet a lot of criteria and are able to pass a teacher's examination to become a teacher.In addition to that, you will also need to find out if you are able to learn to speak fluent Spanish. A course in Spanish language could qualify you to work in some Spanish speaking countries, where the job of a private tutor requires that you know the language. The course includes the lessons of learning the language, as well as the various spelling and grammar ru les, and accent recognition.Of course, once you have obtained your education and have your teaching qualification, you will be qualified to offer a business opportunity to your current employer. And this is where you will find that most employers will feel that you can be of assistance, especially as they will be familiar with your teaching qualifications.When you think about becoming a private tutor, there are no qualifications that you will need. However, by gaining a teacher's qualification, you will be ready to provide a range of jobs, including being employed as a private tutor.