Friday, March 6, 2020

What Are The Best Apps To Learn Dutch

What Are The Best Apps To Learn Dutch Learn Dutch Online Through Dutch Apps ChaptersWhat Are The Best Apps To Learn Dutch?The Benefits Of Using Apps To Learn DutchLearning a language can be a difficult process. This is because it takes a lot of time and dedication to truly become fluent in a language if you are a non-native speaker and a complete beginner.One of the many reasons why learning a language can be so hard is the fact that there’s just so much to learn, regardless of which foreign language you choose to study. When you consider all the verbs, tenses, nouns, syntax, adjectives, conjugators, as well as expressions and turns of phrase that you would ultimately have to master to become fluent, it seems like learning a new language is an almost impossible task.Thankfully, it really doesn’t need to be, and almost anyone can improve their understanding and ability in a foreign language if they set themselves manageable learning goals that aren’t overwhelming.One of the ways millions of people have taken to improve their understanding of a new langu age is through the use of online apps. There are plenty of reasons why these language learning apps are popular:In the digital age, our phones or tablets are almost always near us, meaning that language learning apps are within easy access;Many apps don’t require a huge time commitment, which means people can learn at their own pace without pressure; andThey act almost as a personal language tutor, as they often teach you the fundamentals and more advanced aspects of a new language â€" whether that’s grammar, verb conjugation, or pronunciation tips.As a result, it makes sense to consider using an app if you’re thinking about learning Dutch as a language. There are plenty of different reasons why you might want to learn Dutch as a foreign language.For example, Dutch actually comes from the same language tree as English and German, meaning that native English speakers will have a much easier time learning Dutch compared to other languages, such as romance languages like Spanish or Italian.Have a look at the best translation apps.Equally, once you’ve learnt Dutch, you should also find it much easier to learn Afrikaans, so essentially you can easily learn an additional language without a lot of extra effort required, which is always nice to hear!Below we outline some of the best apps you may want to research if you’re looking to take a Dutch language course by making the most of what technology has to offer.You can find different apps to learn Dutch using your phone. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, stevepb, Pixabay)It’s usually a cheaper way of learning a new language compared to hiring a tutor or paying to attend group language classes; andIt's  accessible for both total beginners as well as intermediate or advanced level speakers, as often there are tests and course materials available for more experienced learners that allow the learner to bypass the initial language lessons that cover the basics.What’s more, the vast majority of language learning apps of fer lessons in more than one language. So if you’ve decided that you would like to learn another language besides Dutch, either at the same time or once you’ve reached a certain proficiency level in Dutch, then it’s very easy to learn a new language with the same app.If you don't like the idea of using Dutch apps to improve your level of Dutch, there are other ways to learn the language. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, Pexels, Pixabay)What If I Don’t Like The Idea Of Using An App?There are many different ways that you can learn a language, and not everyone will find that learning a language through an app works for them.For example, if you need to learn Dutch in a very short space of time, it might be easier to get tangible results by signing up for an intensive Dutch language course, rather than progressing quickly through the lessons that are on offer with most apps.Equally, if you need to learn Dutch for business purposes, then it may also be worthwhile to find a Dutch language c ourse that specifically teaches you this information, rather than learning more conversational Dutch through an app.Finally, some people just prefer a more personal touch when it comes to learning languages. For instance, some people may feel more comfortable learning Dutch if they are able to see someone regularly and work with them to improve their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, rather than rely on an online-only app.If you think that you would benefit from learning Dutch with the help of a tutor, then you can always turn to a Superprof tutor for help. Superprof has a large network of tutors across a variety of subjects and languages, including Dutch. This means that you just need to enter your postcode to find Dutch tutors in your local area or tutors that are happy to provide lessons on a remote basis.

For Vocal Performers - The Art of Practicing

For Vocal Performers - The Art of Practicing Suzy S. Warning: file_get_contents(file:///Volumes/corp/design/00%20-%20Library/iStock%20Photos/On%20stage%20rocking%20out.jpg): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/csmith/svn/cfl/batch/util/get-blog-images.php on line 59 How many times have we watched a vocalist stand frozen and expressionless on a stage and been bored by their performance, regardless of how beautifully it was sung? Have you ever watched a singer and felt uncomfortable because you could see how uncomfortable they were? Vocal students commonly forget one important aspect in their practicing; they forget to practice performing.   While technique such as breathing, resonance, pronunciation and vowel placement are all important aspects of practicing for vocal students, performing or acting their repertoire is just as important. Once a song is learned, it needs to be analyzed.   What is the mood of the music? What do the lyrics say?   Measure by measure, map out a script for yourself.   What expression will you have on your face?   Where will you look?   How will you stand; or will you sit?   What kinds of gestures will you use and where will you use them? Once you have a game plan, it should be incorporated into your practicing.   So many times I’ve heard singers say they were just going to wait until their performance and let it be an organic experience.   Unfortunately, we all have nerves and 99% of the time this will backfire on us.   By the time you put your song up in front of an audience, the acting or performing should be second nature to you.   You don’t want to have to think about it in the moment. Practicing your performing will make you a better performer.   When you are a good performer, the audience will hear what you are singing.   They will enjoy your performance without being distracted by your awkward or uncomfortable presentation. Even the youngest of students can benefit from this.   Would you send a young violinist up on stage without teaching them how to use their instrument?   Probably not!   The singer’s instrument is their body.   It is the entire body, not just the vocal chords.   Teaching them to perform and use their body in an effective way helps them to feel prepared for their moment on stage. Being prepared builds confidence.   Confident singers are effective communicators of music. By Guest Contributor and TakeLessons Instructor, Christie Lynn Devoe. Along with being an instructor for TakeLessons.com, Christie has an impressive performance resume, as well.   She spent 7 years as a working actor and singer in New York City. During her time in New York, Christie performed in many Off Broadway musicals, several operas, on television and in film.   She has performed at Madison Square Garden, at the Original Improv Comedy Club, and was seen at the NJPAC performing “The Lord of the Rings Symphony” with the New Jersey Symphony.   She studied vocal music performance at Montclair State University under world-famous counter tenor Jeffrey Gall and music education at Asbury College.   She also had the great privilege to study acting in New York under the amazing Gene Frankel. Christie now resides in Howard County adives singing lessons in Baltimore and the surrounding area.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

How to Get into St. Pauls Girls School

How to Get into St. Paul's Girls' School How to get into St. Paul's Girls' School? Madeleine is one of Tutorfair's top tutors, specialising in school entrance.  She discusses in detail the admissions process for St. Paul's Girls' School. St. Paul’s Girls’ School is one of the most academically competitive schools in the nation. Their most recent A-level results boast 94% of students received an A or A*.  This Hammersmith-based school also offers top quality sport and extra-curricular opportunities despite its highly academic focus. A significant amount of ‘Paulinas’ go on to Oxbridge or Edinburgh, as well as top U.S. universities (the school offers SATs and has a U.S. school counsellor). So what you should do first? Develop a genuine interest in the school. Explore the website with your daughter, identify opportunities she would like to pursue (academic offers, music, sport, societies, pastoral etc.), attend an open day, and decide if St. Paul’s is a genuinely good fit for you. Entry at 11 Entry at 11+ involves an initial, computer-based reasoning test, further exams and an interview. Girls will be invited to the further exams based on their reasoning test results, and to the interview based on these exam results. To get a fuller picture of applicants, St. Paul’s will ask schools for reports on candidates who successfully make it past the reasoning test. Being on good terms with your daughter’s current school will certainly help, as will making sure her teachers know her and her ability. Exam Tips: The reasoning test is likely to be something the girls haven’t seen in school before. This can make it intimidating and many girls, while capable, are thrown by the unfamiliar format. Reasoning ability tends to stay stable in the short-term. What will make a difference in a girl’s score on the exam is her familiarity and comfort with the questions. Confidence and a willingness to try something new are key. There are many 11+ Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning books widely available which will have the exact type of questions asked on the St. Paul’s exam. The difference: St. Paul’s is computer-based, so girls need to be generally comfortable using a computer. Students are encouraged to work quickly and finish as many questions as they can in the time allowed- they shouldn’t expect to ‘finish’ the test. The school offers sample papers for English, Maths, and Comprehension. These are a good guide for the level of difficulty to expect. What St. Paul’s is really interested in is a girl’s overall ability to think and reason independently. As such, simply memorising math and comprehension procedures won’t do. Girls need to be able to apply their math/reading knowledge to new problems and situations. An admissions tutor can also be useful to get extra support. Find a tutor for St. Paul's Girls' School Admissions  on Tutorfair. The Maths exam: The math exam tests this by using word problems rather than straight math questions. Learning about ‘how’ and ‘why’ math procedures work will help your daughter gain this thorough understanding. The Reading exam: The reading exam really tries to get at girls’ understanding of a passage as well as writing techniques. There’s a big focus on how and why the author writes in certain ways. In other words, girls should be able to identify and use a metaphor, as well as describe how and why a metaphor is an effective literary device. The Comprehension exam: St. Paul’s Girls’ School’s most unique entrance procedure is the ‘comprehension’ exam. It is not a reading comprehension paper. The comprehension paper is meant to identify girls who have been ‘over prepared’ for exams and may not actually be able to keep up once they’re admitted. As such, it’s not meant to be ‘prepared for’. The comprehension will present a wide range of ‘stimuli’ (articles, graphs, worksheets, anything really) and ask girls to understand the material and then draw conclusions and inferences from it. To prepare for this, girls should develop a healthy desire to learn, sense of curiosity, and overcome any ‘fear of the unknown’. Exploring non-traditional educational material is a great way to do this (for example, educational magazines). Interview Tips:This is where a girl’s genuine interest in St. Paul’s will really show. Generic answers to questions like “Why do you want to go to St. Paul’s” will be easy to spot. If your daughter has something special, for example wanting to pursue the senior scholarship, join the medical club, or participate in the Model UN, it will demonstrate to the school that she really knows what St. Paul’s is about, she’s considered it thoroughly, and has specific reasons to support her desire to attend.   Girls should be informed of current events (read the news often for a few months leading up to the interview) and feel comfortable discussing them. They should converse easily with adults and show off their intellectual side. The interview is not a time to be shy! Entry at 16 St. Paul’s also offers entry at 16. This round of entry is significantly more subject based. Applicants will sit exams in the subjects they wish to pursue at A-level. From this exam, successful girls will be chosen for interviews. These interviews focus on both academic and wider interests. Applicants with well-developed special interests (e.g. music) should showcase it here. As St. Paul’s has 91.3% A or A* results, girls should expect to have a solid foundation for any subjects they wish to take at A-level. Find a tutor for St. Paul's Girls' School Admissions. You can also search  Tutorfair and our fantastic selection of Admissions tutors. We also have  experienced 11 plus tutors. Looking for tuition in London for other subjects? At Tutorfair we have many different specialised tutors who are educational professionals. Simply search for the subject you need help with. Don't forget to enter your postcode so you can find the tutors located closest to you. Checkout out more Tutorfair  blogs here: Top 15 Books for 11 Plus students

Encouraging Your Teen to Read

Encouraging Your Teen to Read Is your teen struggling to pick up a book lately? With a teens busy schedule it becomes hard to find time to read. Finding the right books can be discouraging for a teen as well. Reading is a wonderful pastime for children of all ages, and one of our goals at Huntington is to help students become the best readers they can be so that reading becomes an activity of choice, says Eileen Huntington, co-founder of Huntington Learning Center. Parents can promote reading among teens by teaming up with educators and librarians to find ways to transform teens into lifelong readers. Huntington reminds parents that reading for fun has an ulterior effect: it strengthens this foundational skill for effective learning. The more students read, the more proficient at it they become, which typically results in stronger school performance overall, Huntington explains. We find that children and teens who enjoy reading are also better able to employ reading as a tool for learning new information. Huntington Learning Center encourages parents to nurture reading as a part of their teens life. Huntington offers a few tips to promote reading at home: Introduce your teen to your favorites. As your teen moves toward young adulthood, he or she might yearn for books with more captivating plotsmaybe even some of the books you have enjoyed as an adult. Suggest a favorite or two with appropriate subject matter. Let your teen see you reading. Its hard to convince a teen that reading is worthwhile if he or she rarely sees you doing it. Incorporate reading into your own daily routine, perhaps at the same time of day that you encourage your teen to read. Try books related to interests. A busy teen might easily brush aside reading for other activities, but you might have luck finding books that are related to his or her budding interests. Check out autobiographies of athletes, musicians or celebrities that your teen admires, or get ideas from your librarian of books related to high-interest topics for teens. Suggest movie books. If your teen is a movie buff, theres a plethora of novels-turned-films that might pique his or her interest. If you learn of a movie coming out that is based on a book, try reading the book together and planning an outing on premiere night. Dont skip that regular library trip. Even as your teens schedule becomes busier, continue to make going to the library once every week or two a regular outing. Create a home library. If you have space for a bookshelf in your teens room (or even in your living room or study) put your books on display. This ensures that no matter what, your teen always has access to reading materialand it sends the important message that reading matters to your family and good books should be cherished. Help your teen start a book club. Have your child organize a group of his or her friends getting together monthly or weekly to talk about books. Teens value the input of their peers. Discussions about books being read, whether in school or at home, can inspire members of the group to want to dive into that book. Huntington Learning Center offers individualized tutoring programs in reading, phonics and many other subjects. To learn more about how Huntington helps children and teens become stronger readers and students, visit www.huntingtonhelps.com.

Learning Language Through Music 3 Keys to Unlock Any Language

Learning Language Through Music 3 Keys to Unlock Any Language Learning Language Through Music: 3 Keys to Unlock Any Language What do Macarena, Gangnam Style and Lambada have in common?Besides being humongous hits, practically enshrining their artists in the hall of fame, each song just might be one of the most effective ambassadors of the language it represents.There’s just something about music, isn’t there?  Music’s not only universal, but it’s also ubiquitous and no one can escape it.Interestingly, just about the same things can be said for language.It follows naturally, then,  that music can be used as a key to  become fluent in a foreign language.How? Well look at the connection between the two entities, plus share three effective ways to use music as a  killer language learning strategy. So lets start with this special relationship between the two that makes learning language through music possible. The Connections Between Language and MusicIt was previously thought that language and music involved two distinct brain mechanisms. Speech functions were localized in the left brain hemisphere a nd language in the right. But advances in brain imaging technology have challenged that idea.It’s becoming clear that there’s a whole lot of overlap between the two. Studies have shown, for example, that musical training can improve the brain’s language learning abilities and vice versa. (Mozart himself spoke several tongues, including German, French and Italian.)Language and music are kindred spirits. Both have rhythm, tone, melody, pitch, volume and pauses.Just as one can differentiate music through these elements, a language can be defined by the same. They can both be learned through repeated exposure. They are so closely related that many scholars have begun considering the possibility that language is actually a subset of music.A language then can be considered, in essence, a group of people bellowing the same song. As language learners, we can definitely use this strong music-language connection to our benefit. Here are three ways to learn a language using music:Learnin g Language Through Music: 3 Keys to Unlock Any Language1. Music as a Memory Technique for Learning a New LanguageIf you were asked, “Hey, which letter comes before ‘R’?,” chances are youd find yourself singing the alphabet song just to make sure you didnt give the wrong answer and embarrass yourself to pieces.And you probably have memorized the multiplication tables with the help of a catchy jingle or beat, or perhaps used a tune to learn the phone number of your favorite fast food delivery joint.It’s long been known that music makes things memorable. Ask any kindergartener.Certain songs trigger a flood of memories, good or bad. It can make vivid the events that happened a long, long time ago. You hear “That’s What Friends Are For,” and suddenly it’s 1986.Because of music, we can memorize ungodly amounts of information without real effort. We just sing the data away. There’s just something about melody that burn information into our headsâ€"so much so that it get s annoying sometimes. You may still be singing your grocery list to the tune of “Call Me Maybe” weeks after you’ve done the shopping.Can you imagine how easy it would be to memorize a foreign sentence using a beloved nursery rhyme?Let’s say you need to memorize a sentence. How about the useful Spanish phrase “Un momento, por favor” (One moment, please). How do we exploit the memory-enhancing effect of music in this case?Easy. We code the target sentence to a catchy song or beat. A beloved nursery rhyme will often do the trick.Here are the steps:Count the number of syllables of your sentence.  In this case, Un momento, por favor has seven syllables.Find a song or a nursery rhyme with the same number of syllables. This step is the crucial one, so be sure to choose songs you’re really familiar with. For our example, the first line of the chorus from Do-Re-Mi fits perfectly: Doe a deer, a female deerNow swap the target phrase in place of the original lyrics, maintaining th e melody. So this time, you sing “Un mo-men-to por fa-vor” to the tune of “Do-Re-Mi.”Repeat as often as possible. This last step is another important one.  Youll find that it can sound a bit awkward at first. Don’t be discouraged and stick with it. Keep on singing until it stops being awkward. And when it stops being awkward, sing it around 30 more times.You will soon notice that the melody will lead you to the words. With enough repetitions, youll have burned the lyrics into your head for a lifetime.2. Music as a Mining Technique for Learning a New LanguageWe can also use music to mine foreign songs for their vocabulary.There are two advantages to this. First, as mentioned previously, the melody will serve as a memory hook. And second, using the songs of your target language presents you with vocabulary used in a specific context.Songs present a particular environment, a particular theme and a platform for learning the language. A love song, for example, will often contai n words that express longing, admiration, fondness, love, forbidden love, stars, eternity, etc. Its a whole vocabulary subset that deals with a certain field, a certain slice of life. (It’s like watching a cooking show in a foreign language. You know that the words streaming from the host’s mouth are food-related.)The Portuguese song Lambada, for example, is a song about past love. It talks about loss, pain and memory. True enough, youll find the words perder (lose), chorar (cry), dor (pain) and lembrar (remember) in the lyrics.One of the most common mistakes people make in learning a new language is memorizing vocabulary in a vacuum. That is, as a list, without examples, without context and without application. They spend countless sessions staring at a piece of paper containing two word columns: the English translation and the foreign words.This is not a good way to learn vocabulary. You might gloat and think youve memorized the words, but the problem is that theyre stored pre cariously in your short term memory, meaning the words won’t last very long. (A cold shower would easily wash the data away.)Here’s why: The brain is an “association machine.” It remembers new information by connecting it with items that are already in there. So the memories or facts you most easily remember are those connected to the greatest number of other bits of information. Still follow?Just remember that for you to retain the vocabulary and store it in your long-term memory, you have to creatively connect them with something else. For example, if you were trying to remember the Portuguese word “dor” (pain), imagine your hand getting banged by the door. What do you feel? Pain, right? That’s it.Here’s the pathway/connection:  Dor = hand getting slammed by the door = gut wrenching painI bet you’ll remember that!Songs create these kinds of opportunities for making connections, which is why theyre so memorable. People who cant remember their childrens birthdays c an easily memorize the lyrics to hundreds of songs.Aside from their memorable melodies, many songs have memorable stories in them as well. You simply have to follow the story and learn the vocabulary along the way.A perfect tool for learning languages in context with songs is FluentU.  FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning lessons.Every video is transcribed and translated by hand, and every word comes with an in-context definition, image and multiple example sentences. You can even click on a word to see how its used in other videos across the site.Using FluentU to learn songs via music videos will lift your language learning abilities through the roof!And if youre looking for some song recommendations or a place to start, we have awesome music guides and song suggestions for you here:Chinese: Modern karaoke classics  | Mandopop love songsFrench: Music guide  | Famous French singersGerman: M odern classics  | Classic songs  | German artistsJapanese: Modern karaoke classicsSpanish: Music guide3. Music as a Motivating and Mood-enhancing Technique for Learning a New LanguageGloria Estefan got it right.Soon enough, “The rhythm’s gonna get cha.”Music has this almost transcendental effect on the human body. It moves us and it can make us move. We nod along and tap our fingers and feet to the beat, and sometimes we even let out a dance or two.We close our eyes and we are transported to a different place. The pleasure centers in the brain light up while the music could be fostering positivity, lifting the spirit, lowering anxiety and releasing tension. Music invigorates, relaxes and calms. And when one is calm, ideas flow easily and greater learning is achieved.Music sets the tone in the room. Try this when you’re studying in your room: If you’re learning Italian, have Italian music blast in your ears. If you’re taking French, then have French in the background. If you’re studying Korean, well, maybe have something else besides Gangnam Style.You could also try putting on some instrumental music in the background; let the music take you to that place where creativity meets flow.Studies have shown that music can enhance the creativity of test subjects, even improving their reading and writing skills. With upbeat music, people are able to do things more efficiently. They stay on a task longer, they see it throughâ€"which is exactly the type of focus we need when learning a new language.Because here’s a basic truth about taming a language: It’s not easy.It’s not always fun and games, and can definitely be frustrating at times. Especially when you’re experiencing a plateau and you feel like your best efforts are leading nowhere.When your vocabulary’s out of whack and you realize that after three months of studying the language, you still don’t know the Chinese words for “How are you?, dont give up.Instead, try to get your bearings r ight.  Listen to music.Use music in any (or all) of these three waysâ€"to help you memorize, to learn vocabulary in context and to create a motivating study moodâ€"and you will see results.Learning a new language is one of the best items on a person’s bucket list. So when you feel short on motivation, when you feel like nobody really cares that you know the Japanese translation for “continuous improvement” (Keizoku-teki kaizen), I want you to hit that “Play” button.Listen to music.Let it heal your soul.Soon enough, the rhythm’s gonna get cha. Gloria had it right all along. And One More ThingIf you like learning through music, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.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 App Browse Screen.Flue ntU 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 learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.

Tips From an Irvine English Tutor The Value of Writing a Rough Draft

Tips From an Irvine English Tutor The Value of Writing a Rough Draft Tips From an Irvine English Tutor: The Value of Writing a Rough Draft Tips From an Irvine English Tutor: The Value of Writing a Rough Draft Many students feel it’s not important to write a high-quality rough draft, especially if they simply get a check or credit from their teacher for completing a certain number of paragraphs. If a teacher happens to grade primarily on the final draft, students may view the rough draft as unimportant. Additionally, students who don’t particularly enjoy research and writing may be tempted to think of the rough draft as something they can skip over and fix later on. However, the rough draft serves a higher purpose than simply to receive a credit for completion, rather it teaches valuable writing, research, and time management skills that will help younger students now and later on in high school and college struggling in English? Summer is the perfect time to work with an Irvine English tutor to improve writing skills. 1. One step at a time The point of a rough draft is to teach students that high quality writing takes more than one try. All professional writers and college level English majors write at least one, if not several, rough drafts before handing in a final version. Writing multiple drafts also teaches younger students that writing is a step by step process. First, they need to do research and gather content in the form of an outline. Second they need to get their thoughts down on paper and formulate content in a well organized manner. Third, they need to edit and proofread for common grammar and punctuation errors. Students who understand that they are not able to complete a well written English assignment in one step tend to receive higher grades all the way from elementary school through the end of college (READ: Five Tips for Success in English Class). 2. Time management Teachers will often make the rough draft due a few days before the final draft is due to help students learn to manage their time effectively. Students often avoid an assignment theyre not excited about, forcing them to stay up well past midnight to finish the assignment due the next morning. This nearly always results in a bad grade, a poorly written essay, and virtually no learning on the part of the student. However, students who take the rough draft seriously will be in a position where they only have to fix minor content or grammar changes before the final draft is due. Although some students may disagree, the teacher is doing them a huge favor by allowing them to hand in a rough draft ahead of time. 3. Preparation Writing a rough draft will help younger children learn how to manage long term assignments when they get into their college prep years and study at university. Students who are taking AP classes or who are living full-time on a college campus, will have to cope with long-range due dates (meaning they have three weeks to complete large amounts of work as opposed to one afternoon to finish a short-term assignment). The completion of a rough draft is preparation for these types of long-term assignments that become the bulk of an older student’s education (READ: Literature 101: Surviving Character Analysis). 4. Practicalities The rough draft also has a practical purpose. The English language is complicated. Many English grammar and punctuation rules have exceptions that need to be memorized and there are various vocab words that need to be learned. Writing a rough draft allows students to focus on the content, reading, or research required and get their thoughts down on paper before they attempt heavy editing and proofreading. If necessary, students can work with their tutor to develop better flow, transition, grammar, and sentence structure. If asked, many teachers are willing to provide suggestions as to where a transition sentence should appear, how many grammar edits are needed, or if the length of the current draft is appropriate. However, students need to take the initiative to write a rough draft and ask their teacher about what they can improve upon (READ: 5 Reasons Students Should Blog). Bottom line? Although it’s tempting to write a subpar first draft, students are only cheating themselves out of valuable feedback from their teacher. The rough draft is the student’s opportunity to learn more about the English language, manage their time, and fix any mistakes needed in order to get their best effort grade. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

5 online resources for Arabic tutors

5 online resources for Arabic tutors Arabic is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world. It's also one of the most important languages for commerce, especially in banking and finance. More and more students in the UK are getting to grips with the subject with the help of private tutors and two weeks ago the Government announced that primary school children would soon be able to learn Arabic and Mandarin. Here are 5 great online resources to help home tutors teach their pupils Arabic: 1. Happy Child has a real wealth of free resources such an impressive range of subjects. As well as worksheets focusing on Arabic verbs, there are wider vocabulary worksheets to download. http://www.happychild.org.uk/freeway/arabic/index.htm 2. Arabic-Language.org brings together historical and linguistic resources and is a great starting point for those new to the language, especially with their common phrases page. http://www.arabic-language.org/arabic/phrases.asp 3. Test your knowledge in a fun and interactive way with these English-Arabic vocabulary quizzes. http://iteslj.org/v/a/ 4. Exam Papers online has an eclectic mix of Arabic language and Arabic related past papers to work with. http://exams.st-and.ac.uk/exams/viewByModule?schoolID=50Submit=Select+Subject 5. First Tutors recommends a range of resources for Arabic learners. We also have many talented home tutors to help with the subject. https://www.firsttutors.com/uk/learning-resources.php