5 Essential Tools for Receiving Online Tutoring

5 Essential Tools for Receiving Online Tutoring 0SHARESShare If you have decided to augment your school learning with online tutoring then you will need some basic equipment. Many students are lucky to have all this equipment already present in their homes. Other students who might not have these tools need not despair. Here are the five essential things you need for logging on to online tutoring. The first thing you need is a good computer. If you can manage to buy a laptop it is all the better because you can carry it around conveniently. The configurations of the laptop should be such that it should be able to operate with the latest browsers. It should have enough memory and speed to work efficiently with any modern web site. You can take the help of one of your computer savvy friends in getting the right computer or laptop. Make sure that the equipment is not older than one year. If you can buy a new one then that is perfect. You have your own room and you have your study table. Make sure your room has a plain and pleasant environment for undisturbed interaction with your online tutoring site. The quiet room is thus an integral part of your online tutoring experience. The third thing you need is a good internet connection. You can call up your local phone company and get all the information regarding charges per month and speed. Go for an unlimited package which is reasonable and allows you to surf the net without worrying about the bill. The fourth thing you need is a web camera. The best online tutoring is possible only when tutor and student can see each other. This gives a real classroom experience. The fifth piece of equipment is a good pair of headsets with a microphone. This way you can also listen to your tutor and talk to him. You can add speakers to get a better sound experience. Now you are all set for online tutoring. [starbox id=admin]

Easy Baking Recipes For Getting Started!

Easy Baking Recipes For Getting Started! Step By Step Baking Recipes For Beginners ChaptersBenefits Of BakingHow To Understand A Baking RecipeA Recipe For Complete BeginnersAn Easy Vegan Baking RecipeEasy And Fancy RecipeBaking for beginners isn’t as hard as it may initially appear. When you walk past your local pastry shop, it can seem very intimidating to think about how to bake such delights. But like everything in life, we must crawl before we can walk. Starting with easy recipes can build your confidence and enliven your passion for the important skill of baking.The most important thing is to be willing to try. But if you can follow a recipe, work with your hands and turn on your oven. Then you have all it takes to become a baker. If you can become a good baker will depend on how good you are at following instructions in the recipes, using baking and kitchen tools and learning from any mistakes that you make.In this article, we have 3 lovely recipes for you to try, read on to go from baking novice to proud baker of delicious treats. I encourage you to give e ach of these recipes a try! You will thank me later.Baking is healthy; While eating cakes and biscuits isn’t the best for a person looking to get into shape. Baking is not limited to sweet items, you can bake savoury items too. When compared to frying, baking is a healthier alternative.Baking is quite cheap; If you are running low on cash baking can help you save money. With very few ingredients, you can create delicious and cost-effective dishes. Good for your pocket and good for your health.Baking can be great for your social life; If you are happy to share your baked good with others, then you will become popular fast. Who doesn’t love homemade chocolate chip cookies or an apple pie?Baking can give you almost instant gratification; creating something with our own hands as humans is something that gives us a great sense of pride. It’s an instant injection of confidence and also gives us a sense of achievement? Baking doesn’t take a long time, so you get to celebrate your r esults in the fastest way possible. By eating them, and even if they don’t turn out as you expected. Which can often be the case for beginners, they will taste amazing as long as you didn’t confuse the sugar with the salt.The best fragrance for the home; Baking anything in the oven fills your home with a yummy fragrance that also functions as an alarm for everyone in the house to go to the kitchen. At the same time, it also serves to inform you the baked goods are ready. Baking is unique in its way of uniting all of your senses to take part in the process.To dust something is to lightly cover the surface, normally with flour. Photo Source: UnsplashHow To Understand A Baking RecipeWhile following a regular recipe may be straight forward, baking has its own terminology which may be harder to understand, especially if you are new to baking. For the very best results in your baking, it is important to follow the recipe and the techniques offered, to create your most delicious dishes .Top 5 Essential Baking TermsSifting - To sift something in baking is to guide dry ingredients through a fine mesh sieve to keep lumps out of your ingredients. It also serves to add extra air into the ingredients to create lighter fluffier dishes. Commonly used for ingredients that tend to clump like sugar, flour, and other dry ingredients.Cream - To cream something together in baking, normally means to mix together sugar and a fat, normally butter to create a creamy and fluffy batter. Commonly used for cakes, cookies, biscuits, and icing.Drizzle - No this is not talking about the weather, to drizzle in baking refers to lightly pouring a very thin stream of liquid on to something. Commonly used on cakes or pastries to drizzle honey or icing on the top.Dust - In baking to dust, something is to lightly cover the surface of a work surface or food. Commonly cakes can be dusted with icing sugar, or you can dust flour on the counter before rolling out your biscuit or cookie dough.Fold - T o fold something in baking is to mix ingredients together gently and delicately. The process should be done carefully to avoid losing air or deflating batters. Commonly used for meringues, whipped cream or batters.Bake for 7 to a maximum of 10 minutes. They should be lightly brown at the edges and appear a little undercooked in the middle. If you think they need more time, you can turn off the oven and leave them in the heat of the oven to finish cooking but overbaking will give you tough cookies and not crispy soft ones.Tip: They may look a bit soft when taken out but need time to cool before they hardenCreating something with our own hands gives us a great sense of pride. Photo Source: UnsplashAn Easy Vegan Baking RecipeIf you are a vegan, you don't have to feel left out there are lots of yummy desserts that you can try. These vegan bakes substitute dairy for plant-based alternatives. Not only making them a bit healthier but also great for vegans and non vegans alike.Find the best cookery courses London on Superprof.Recipe For Mini Blueberry Muffins500 grams (g) of flour of your choice250 - 400 grams of blueberries depending on your taste2 teaspoons (tsp) of baking powder ½ tsp of salt60 ml of agave nectar120 ml of vegetable oil120 ml of soy milk120 ml of maple syrupPrep Time: 10 minutesCooking Time: 20 minutesCooking Instructions For  Mini Blueberry MuffinsPreheat the oven to 375 F.Line a cupcake tin with paper cups.Mix all wet ingredients together in a large bowl until blended.Stir in dry ingredients and add the blueberries.Blend together.Using 2 tablespoons scoop up the batter and add to the cupcake paper cups.Add to the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes.Bake until Golden Brown.Remove from the oven and serve when cool.The biggest benefit of baking is that you get to eat delicious baked goods like cakes. Photo Source: UnsplashEasy And Fancy RecipeIf you are a beginner at baking but want to do something a bit more advanced to impress your friends and family. Why not try this recipe! It is easy to make, bake, serve, and eat. The hardest thing about this French fruit dessert is how to pronounce it.Recipe For Raspberry Clafoutis (Cla-Foo-Tea)125 g of ground almonds65 g of granulated sugar65 g of brown sugar2 tablespoons of cornstarch2 large eggs2 large egg yolks240 ml whipping cream250 g fresh raspberriesOptional: icing sugar for dustingCooking Time: 35 minutesServes 8 peopleCooking Instructions For Raspberry ClafoutisPreheat the oven to 375 F.Grease a 9-inch baking dish and place on a baking tray.Stir the ground almonds, both sugars, and corn starch together.Slowly add the eggs, egg yolks, and cream.Whisk by hand until blended evenly.Pour mixture into the pie dish.Sprinkle the raspberries into the mixture.Bake for 35 minutes until Brown.Remove from the oven and serve.Optional: Top with icing sugar or frosting and serve hot with some vanilla ice cream.So what's next? Do you want to learn how to make a layer cake, banana bread, a pu mpkin pie, or artisan bread? Then why not check out our blog on baking, or contact one of our tutors to have a baking class. Happy Baking!

How Easy Is It to Learn Japanese

How Easy Is It to Learn Japanese If You Want to Learn Japanese, Will It Be Difficult? Chapters Japan’s Relationship with English Words There’s No Gender in Japanese! What About Conjugations in Japanese? You Don’t Always Need to Use the Subject and the Object There Are Very Few Ways to Pronounce Syllables in Japanese Pronouncing “R” in Japanese Unlike Chinese, the Intonation Doesn't Change the Meaning of a Word  How to Learn Japanese: A Logical LanguageWith very little in common with English, learning Japanese can often be seen as an insurmountable challenge.  Just like Arabic, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese, Japanese doesn't use the Latin alphabet. It uses its own writing system made up of kana, Japanese Kanji, and romaji. These complex differences when compared to English often put people off learning Nihongo.However, there’s an increasing number of students wanting to rise to this challenge. And luckily for them, there are now a number of ways to learn Japanese.More and more people are becoming interested in Japanese culture and the popularity of the langu age is subsequently increasing. Japanese classes are getting fuller.Thus, despite being a “difficult” language to learn, gaining a deeper understanding of Japan’s fascinating history and culture is worth the work you’ll have to put in.Are you interested? If so, let’s have a look at why Japanese isn’t actually as difficult as it’s often made out to be. NanaJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YukoJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EllyJapanese Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoJapanese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MelanieJapanese Teacher £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JamesJapanese Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PippaJapanese Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarikoJapanese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Japan’s Relationship with English WordsUnl ike what people often thing, Japanese actually uses plenty of English words!  This is something that you’ll learn when you start taking Japanese classes in high school, or if you learn Japanese with a private tutor.You don't need to remember as many conjugations in the Land of the Rising Sun. (Source: negativespace.co)As you already understand English, you’ve got an ace up your sleeve when it comes to learning the Japanese language!Not only do we use many Japanese words in English, you’ll soon see just how many English words have been borrowed by the Japanese. Just like Japanese culture is popular in many English-speaking cultures, English-speaking cultures are also very popular among  young Japanese people.These foreign words, known as gairaigo (???) will give you a huge advantage over other learners who can’t speak English. Make the most of it! Before you’ve even seen any of the grammar or kanji (the characters used in the Japanese writing system), you’ll be familiar w ith the vocabulary for a large number of topics.How do you say “Isn’t that just swell?” in Japanese?  Let’s have a look at a few of the words that Japanese has borrowed from the English language:“ending” ? endingu“soccer” ? sakkaa“half-time” ? haafu taimu“referee” ? refurii“mic” ? maiku“table” ? teeburu“Internet” ? intaanetto“romantic” ? romanchikku“driveshaft” ? doraibushafutoOf course, every student should make sure that they adopt the Japanese pronunciation of these words when they’re speaking the language.You should know that these words won’t be written using the Latin Alphabet, they’ll be written using a Japanese writing system, something you'll need to master in order to read and write in Japanese.Where would you like to live in Japan? (Source: negativespace.co)There are three main Japanese writing systems: kanji (Japanese characters which evolved from Chinese characters) and kana (which includes the hiragana and katakana syll abaries). However, for words of foreign origin, you just need to learn the katakana writing system and familiarize yourself with the Japanese way of pronouncing these English words.Romaji is the third part which is how Japanese is written using the Latin alphabet so that foreigners, plus any new learner just starting their Japanese learning, can understand. It is often suggested that you don't rely on romaji alone, and that you take the time to learn kanji. This will help in your later Japanese progression as your proficiency grows. There’s No Gender in Japanese!Did you learn French or Spanish in school and get sick of masculine and feminine nouns? One of the first things you’ll learn about Japanese is that there’s none of that nonsense!Unlike the Romance languages, which are made more difficult to learn by gendered nouns, there are no genders in the Japanese language.  When you learn new Japanese vocabulary, you’ll do that! You won’t need to learn the masculine or feminin e versions.  That’s a whole lot of time you won’t be wasting learning several versions of all the Japanese phrases you learn. What About Conjugations in Japanese?As soon as you start studying Japanese in middle school you'll see that there is another aspect in which Japanese is much easier to learn than languages like Spanish and French. While learning conjugations and verb tables might have been the stuff of nightmares during school, you can forget about them in Japanese. There aren’t conjugations for each personal pronoun in Japanese!Life is quite different in Japan. (Source: pixabay.com)In Japanese, you won’t need to change the verb when speaking about different people.  In comparison to the 6 different conjugations in each tense in Spanish and French, Japanese uses one solitary conjugation for each verb tense. This can make Japanese grammar much easier.Still think that Japanese is too difficult?Let’s have a look at the verb “to eat” as an example. In Spanish you’ d learn 6 different versions just for the present tense (not to mention all the other tenses). In Japanese, you’ll just learn the one conjugation for the present tense, saving you lots of time during your Japanese lessons London to focus on learning new Japanese words, verbs, adjectives, and expressions.It doesn’t matter who’s eating, you’ll just use the verb taberu  (???) and you won't have to change it.For example:“I eat.” ? Taberu “You eat.” ? Taberu “He / She eats.” ? Taberu “We eat” ? Taberu “You (pl., fam.) eat” ? Taberu “You (pl.) / They eat.” ? Taberu NanaJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YukoJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EllyJapanese Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoJapanese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MelanieJapanese Teacher £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JamesJapanese Teacher 5.00 ( 5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PippaJapanese Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarikoJapanese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors You Don’t Always Need to Use the Subject and the ObjectWhy make things complicated when we can keep them simple?  This should be the advertising slogan for Japanese in certain cases.When you speak Japanese, you can drop subjects and objects if they’re not necessary. This makes Japanese a “pro-drop” language.If somebody asked if you’ve already eaten, you can just use tabeta (???, “ate”), the past version of the verb taberu (???).  Since both parties know who’s talking and who they’re talking about, you don’t really need to say who “ate”.This is a huge advantage when it comes to learning the language as there’s less to think about when you’re speaking basic Japanese. There Are Very Few Ways to Pronounce Syllables in JapaneseUnlike English, the Japanese language is put togeth er using syllables rather than individual letters. This means the number of possible sounds is limited.How do people in Japan celebrate big events? (Source: pixabay.com)It is a syllabic language, after all!With just 45 basic syllables, you’d think that Japanese would be harder to learn than English which has 26 letters.  If you take into account that each syllable can only be pronounced in one way, you’ll see how this is much simpler.This is sort of a linguistic blessing from the gods of languages. Especially when you consider how terrible native English speakers are at learning foreign languages...Consider the letter “e” in English:It has a short pronunciation like in the word “empty”.A long pronunciation like in the word “key”.A long pronunciation like in the word “résumé”.It can also be pronounced as a “schwa” (/?/) in words like “taken”.Or silent at the end of certain words like “case”.That’s quite complicated.Japanese makes things a lot easie r for us. Take any symbol from kana. It doesn’t really matter where it appears in the word. You just need to pronounce it the way you always have. For example, take the letter “e” (? in Hiragana). Pronunciation doesn't change regardless of where you find it in Japanese sentences. This makes it much easier when it comes to learning words and phrases. Pronouncing “R” in JapaneseThere’s a myth going around that the letter “r” in Japanese is really hard to pronounce. Superprof would like to bust said myth.Did you know you can use video games to learn Japanese? (Source: pixabay.com)In fact, pronouncing the letter might be easier than you think and can be done with minimal effort for anyone who’s grown up speaking English.The Japanese “r” sounds: ra (?), ri (?), ru (?), re (?), and ro (?), for example, can be made by imagining that you’re saying the “t” words like water, letter, meter, and cutter. Your tongue will lightly touch the roof of your mouth.  Practici ng the sound and listening to it often will help you perfect it. Unlike Chinese, the Intonation Doesn't Change the Meaning of a WordLanguages like Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Thai are all tonal. Japanese, however, is not. This means that you have one less thing to worry about when learning the language.  Japanese saves the day once again!The way you speak Japanese should change depending on the situation you're in. (Source: Ghost Presenter)While you’ll sometimes hear Japanese people making a distinction with their voice (often called a “pitch accent” by linguistics), this isn’t really something that you’ll have to worry about.The only thing you’ll need to remember is that you won’t need to learn several tones like you would if you were learning languages like Mandarin Chinese.In most cases where this occurs, context will probably do most of the work for you in figuring out what they mean.For example, the word hashi  can be used to mean “chopsticks” ?, “b ridge” ?, or end ? depending on the intonation (high-low, low-high, and flat in this case). However, it’s unlikely you’re going to be having a conversation where the meaning isn’t obvious.  If you’re in a restaurant, they’re probably talking about chopsticks rather than a bridge...  How to Learn Japanese: A Logical LanguageWith fewer conjugations and different grammatical structures, it can be difficult to translate from English to Japanese in your head.Japan has a rich history, culture, and cuisine. (Source: Valeria Boltneva)Learning Japanese at university, or at home with a private tutor are just two ways that you can  move away from “English mode”. By doing so,  you’ll be able to learn Japanese without too much difficulty. When you go to Japan, you'll see that speaking Japanese involved a lot of etiquette.Japanese logic focuses on the speaker and means that you do your utmost to never offend them when speaking to them.  This rule, which originated in ancient Jap anese tradition, is a sign of courtesy for the Japanese.Japanese is a very polite language, and this is why honorifics are always attached to the ends of the names of the people we’re speaking to. The most common, san, is commonly known among English speakers. You might have also heard of ones such as kun which is used for teachers and students.One last thing: don’t forget that you can also learn Japanese through video games and chatting to people online.

Immediate Assignment Help For All, Anytime, Anywhere

Immediate Assignment Help For All, Anytime, Anywhere In today’s world, where everyone is busy while working, the education somewhere takes a back seat in their lives. But at some or the other point, they realize that education was very important. At this point of time, they want to continue their education and they repent that the time to get education has gone now. They don’t have any option left with them. Though many countries, offer education for all age groups, but this is not comfortable because someone who is old, it is difficult to get along with the younger people. So, the online tutoring option was introduced. @TutorPace Offers 10% Discount on Online #Assignment Help for Improved Grades http://t.co/P1NO7BttIg #backtoschool pic.twitter.com/vJs9iihJwU â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 10, 2015 The process goes on in a fully virtual ambiance The online tutoring means that a person of any age can have an education. The teachers or the professor gives them classes online, like on the computer, on the laptop. These people have the written material with them and all they need to do is to leave a message on website, regarding any query or doubts. And the instructors are going to contact them themselves. The people register themselves for any distance education or any weekend programs and then they can avail this facility. The subjects that are taught through online tutoring are assignment help java. All java assignments at your fingertips The people can also get a help in completing their assignments. As these people are not able to go for the regular classes in the college or in the University, so sometimes, they are unable to understand the assignment and hence they are not able to complete the assignment, so they can take the help from the assignment help site, which provides the help for assignment help java. This website provides the help for other subjects like assignment help math, but mainly they focuses on the java and math only, as these are tough subjects. Top Reasons Why You Need #Homework #Assignment Help For Boosted Grades http://t.co/6W5rQtVQUE pic.twitter.com/EzMGYk4uUF â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 15, 2015 The prices are incredibly reasonable People are also of the opinion that the online tutoring is expensive. No, this is not true. The online tutoring option was made for those people only, who could not afford the regular classes, so they were made by keeping the expenses in mind. The charges are according to the number of classes that a student would opt for, i.e if a student has chosen 4 classes or 8 classes in 15 days or 20 classes in a month, so the prices would differ accordingly, yet the prices are affordable for all. There would be no problem regarding the price. The assignment help for math is also provided. Getting Straight A Via #Assignment Help Companies Is Possible Today http://t.co/5qr1KtLRJC pic.twitter.com/BoHiiJgBzj â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 15, 2015 Customized choices can also be made The number of classes also depends on the course that the student has chosen. Also, there are many scholarships for those backward class students, who cannot afford the education. Almost, every University is providing this facility. These students mainly opt for online tutoring as they have to work also while studying, so first of all, they are given scholarships and secondly, the prices for the online tutoring is much less for them, in compared to other students who can afford the classes. But there is no difference in teaching. These students are also given same attention as it would be given to any other student. So, try online tutoring today, through assignment help website.

Tips For Parents

Tips For Parents This time of year parents are eager to have their kids spend time outside of the house burning off energy that has built up after a long winter spent indoors. While getting outside and being physically active are exactly what most kids with ADHD need, all too often trips to the playground take a negative turn when hyperactivity, impulsivity and social difficulties get in the way. Keep trips to the playground fun with these 5 tips for playground success. Set the rules in advance. Choose up to 3 rules that you would like your child to follow while he or she is at the playground. These can be things related to staying in the playground area, following your instructions the first time you ask, being respectful of other kids and the equipment, politely inviting another child to play, taking turns or sharing equipment, and playing safely. Make sure your child clearly understands each of the rules ahead of time and can repeat them back to you. Be strategic. Think back to playground visits that did not go well. What were the problems that came up? Is your child more likely to have problems at one playground than another? Do conflicts happen more often when he or she brings toys or sports equipment from home? Set your child up for success by thinking ahead and being strategic about your playground visits. For example, avoid playgrounds where problems often occur, pack snacks to avoid hunger meltdowns, dont bring any toys or sports equipment from home, invite a friend for your child to play with, etc. Monitor or play with your child. Often parents use time at the playground to relax and chat with other parents or spend time on their phones. While this seems like a win-win - you get some downtime while your child gets to play, it is usually not a recipe for success. If a child is playing alone and feeling ignored, he or she will probably try to get your attention by doing something that is either risky or annoying. If he or she is playing with others, its harder to catch problems before they escalate if you arent watching. So, keep an eye on your child the entire time. If he or she is playing with other kids, monitor from a distance. If he or she is playing alone then join in and play with your child! Praise your child for following the rules. Help your child stay on track by giving him or her attention when he or she is doing something right, rather than only calling out to him or her when he or she is doing something wrong. Giving positive attention, either with a subtle thumbs-up from a distance or a few words of praise when he or she pauses for a water break, can help your child stay motivated to follow the rules. Give one warning when a rule is broken. If your child breaks one of the rules, give him or her one warning. If he or she continues to break the rules after the warning, then time at the playground should be finished for the day. As calmly as possible, let your child know that its time to leave. Be consistent and avoid negotiating with your child. The rules will only be effective if your child knows that you will consistently leave the playground when he or she breaks a rule after a warning. When you are consistent, and your child knows that you mean what you say, soon he or she will start responding to your warnings and eventually you wont need to leave the playground early at all! ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

How to Help a Child with ADHD Improve Focus and Task Completion

How to Help a Child with ADHD Improve Focus and Task Completion For students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), simple tasks such as getting ready for school and finishing a homework assignment can be a stressful battle. Eileen Huntingtonof Huntington Learning Center reminds parents of children with ADHD that approaching these issues with patience and consistency can make a tremendous difference. Your primary goal is to help your child be successful in spite of some of the challenges he or she faces with time management and attention, says Huntington. Sheoffers a few strategies for parents to keep ADHD students focused and on task: Focus on the positive. Negative attention and threats can exacerbate a problematic situation with an ADHD child. Instead, point out the things that your child is doing right and reward effort and positive behavior rather than solely focus on your childs failures. Use checklists for daily tasks and routines. Relying on checklists for multistep tasks can make a big difference for ADHD children, who tend to lose focus even during simple daily routines. For example, an after school checklist might include steps like empty backpack folders, hand Mom and Dad important papers, bring homework folder and pencils to desk and grab snack. Put tasks in order or even assign lengths of time. Use checklists for other routines as well, such as homework sessions and chores. Use timers. Its common for ADHD children to lose track of time or take a long time to complete uncomplicated tasks. Give your child a timer to use along with his or her daily checklist. Break down big tasks into smaller ones and assign time limits for each. For example, if your child can comfortably complete homework in 45 minutes, break down each subject even further: 15 minutes for math, 10 minutes for writing and 20 minutes for reading. Use focus-enhancing tools. Some settings and tools can promote concentration and keep children relaxed and focused. Does your child need a little background noise or music to concentrate? Does he or she prefer sitting on an exercise ball instead of a desk chair? Some ADHD students think best when fidgeting or playing with silly putty or another fidget/sensory toy or tool. Others are most successful when their workspace is clear and uncluttered. Pay attention to how your child works and talk about what could help. Boost your childs confidence. Children who struggle to get things done and stay focused often struggle with diminished confidence. Help your child recognize that which makes him or her special and always compliment his or her efforts and progress, no matter how small. Students with an ADHD diagnosis have to work hard to stay on task and focused. If you need help supporting your childs needs, call Huntington. Our ADHD instructional strategies and customized programs can help your child boost his or her skills and do better in school. Call 1 800 CAN LEARN today. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. 2016 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

5 Reasons Why Listening Is Important for Foreign Language Learning

5 Reasons Why Listening Is Important for Foreign Language Learning When a native speaker  starts talking in your target language, does it sound like Charlie Browns teacher blabbing?Blah, blah, blah.Do you struggle to understand when  listening in your target language?Do you spend whole conversations stressing that you cant find the right words to say?Believe it or not, this can happen to you even if youre  great at reading, a wizard at learning vocabulary and have translation skills that would make a baby laugh  (which is actually a good thing).You might begin to wonder whether youll ever be able to hold a nice, natural-sounding conversation.No matter how you feel about listening to your target language, and no matter how much progress youve made so far, the importance of listening is undeniable. Why Listening Is Vital for Language LearnersMany language learners focus a lot on speaking. They dont spend as much  effort on  quietly listening.Listening seems like it should be simple, or secondary to other more active language skills. To the surprise of many new learners, listening to a foreign language is difficult. If youve ever had to sit for a second language test, youll know that the listening section is almost always the hardest.But, listening is a vital skill for language learning.Research  shows that when we communicate, we spend around 40-50% of our time listening, 25-30% speaking, 11-16% reading and only 9% writing (although that last one might have changed in recent years due to the rise in social media).That means we spend about half the time listening!The question is: Do you spend half your language learning time on listening exercises?… if youre anything like me, you probably dont.5 Reasons Why Listening Is Important for Foreign Language LearningThe solution is to spend more time listening in our second language. However, its vital that we learn to listen effectively.Often, weve not been specifically taught how to listen in a foreign language, or if we have weve not been taught properly.Lets delve into the resear ch to find why listening is important and how we can improve our foreign language listening skills.1. Listening Is an Active ProcessIf youve ever sat in a group of people speaking in a foreign language, youll be familiar with the uncomfortable feeling that you should be joining in. You feel like, if youre not saying something, youre not really engaging in the conversation.Nothing could be further from the truth. The problem is that  youre confusing a silent process with a passive process.Listening is a very active process, despite the fact youre not saying anything. Thats why youre so tired when you go home after a social event in another language.Getting over the feeling that we are “doing nothing” is a key step towards listening effectively.One solution is to employ active listening techniques, to remind yourself and others that youre involved in the conversation even if you dont speak so much.Here are some tips to show that you are actively listening:Make eye contact with the person whos talking.Lean forward slightly to show interest. If youre actually listening this should be natural.Nod your head slightly to show youre understanding.Make agreeing noises and nod your head if you agree with something theyve said.Dont look distracted by fidgeting, playing with your phone or looking off into the distance.2. The “Silent Period” Is GoldenChildren who learn a second language often go through a  â€œsilent period”  where they dont say anything. Language teachers and researchers  havent totally agreed whether its a necessary stage of language learning, or how long it should be. But, they do agree that many children experience it.Its fair to say that most adults dont go through any silent period at all. We often try to jump straight into speaking.The problem with trying to speak from the beginning is that a period of silent listening can actually be hugely beneficial.One big reason is that speaking can be quite a nerve-racking experience. I find it as stre ssful as performing on stage. As new learners, were thinking so much about what we should say next that we dont fully experience what the other person has said. We suffer from “task overload.”Allowing yourself to be silent lets you get the most from listening.However, speaking successfully in a foreign language can also be very rewarding. Speaking motivates us to continue learning. And we wouldnt want to lose our motivation, would we?The answer isnt to give up speaking altogether. Its to give ourselves permission to be silent, and not beat ourselves up if we dont say much. Speak when you can, but you dont have to force it.We can benefit both from the motivation of speaking and the listening benefits of a silent period.3. Your Brain Is a Foreign Language GoldfishWould it surprise you to learn that your short-term memory is even shorter in a foreign language?When you think about it, it makes sense.  How often have you forgotten what someone has just said in your target language?   For me, at least, it happens a lot more than in my native tongue.Listening is a vital step in overcoming this problem.But, why does it happen?Not to get into too much detail, although it is fascinating, this effect might be due to how our short-term memory works. When we listen to someone talking, our brain starts processing the information by “segmenting” it into small chunks to store in our short-term memory. It splits them up based on our knowledge of the “rules” for how the language is spoken. Instead of storing the actual words “a green goldfish,” our brain would maybe convert those words into an image of a green goldfish for storage.In a foreign language, we arent familiar with the “segmentation rules” for how the language is spoken. Our short-term memory has to store all the words individually.One reason why listening is so important in a foreign language is that it helps us become familiar with those segmentation rules.Not only will it boost your understandin g, it will improve your speaking in the language too.Learning segmentation rules is usually an unconscious process, so the easiest way to learn them is to get lots of listening practice.Here are some ways to become more familiar with a languages segmentation rules:Watch films in your target language.Read a book while also listening along to the audio book version.Attend social events with natives and spend time just listening.Listen to the radio in your target language.Watch videos online in your target language.FluentU is one great way to find interesting, approachable video content in your target language. It provides carefully selected videos from all over the Internet in your target language, many featuring natural, casual speech. It also provides dynamic subtitles which go along with the video, which means that you can see how the spoken segmentation rules relate to the written phrases.4. Our Listening Strategies Are Upside-downIf you learned a language in school, what listenin g strategy were you taught?Myself, I remember that a listening exam went like this: listen to a tape (Yes. It was all tapes in those days) and then translate what wed heard. The specifics were important, the difference between a pass and a fail. You would lose marks if you messed up the gender of a word, for example. As far as I can see, thats still how listening is still taught in my home country.Language researchers call this a  bottom-up listening strategy.Bottom-up listening is an okay strategy to use in the classroom. It means carefully listening to each word, pronoun and sentence structure to work out what has been said. Unfortunately, its not a complete listening strategy for use in the real world.In the real world, you cant spend all your listening energy focusing on specific grammar while people speak. Theyll keep talking and youll be lost.Top-down listening, on the other hand, is a great strategy to add more understanding of whats being said.Top-down listening strategies f ocus on concepts. Bottom-up listening strategies focus on words. Both are necessary to be an effective listener.It basically means that you learn a little about the spoken topic beforehand. Here are a few suggestions for implementing a top-down listening strategy for some common activities:If youre going to see a movie or theater play in a foreign language, read the story first.Read up on the topic before going to see a presentation.Try reading about or predicting the content of an audio passage before you listen to it. This will get your brain focusing on concepts and not just specific words.Hang about with a friend who repeats the same anecdote when with different people. You already know the story, so your comprehension will go up dramatically. Its also a great way to make a potentially annoying situation into a useful learning exercise.5. The Gist Is Only Half the Story (or Less)Finally, one thing that we often neglect when listening in another language is to check exactly how m uch we have understood.Beyond a certain level of language ability, we often “get the gist” of what was said. However, sometimes we havent understood as much as we think.Next time you listen to something in your target language, try these six short, easy exercises to prove to yourself that youve understood what was said:Try drawing a picture of what was said.Ask yourself some questions about it and try to answer them.Provide a summary of what was said.Suggest what might come next in the “story.”Translate what was said into another language.“Talk back” to the speaker to engage in imaginary conversation (I do this when listening to the radio).Commit to ListeningAs you can see, listening is pretty important. Are you ready to commit to listening better in your target language?Just remember to use active listening techniques, allow yourself to have a silent period, listen lots to learn  the segmentation rules  of spoken language and flip your listening upside-down by incorpora ting top-down listening strategies.When you follow the exercises to check how much youve understood, youll be amazed at the change!Alex Owen-Hill is a European freelance writer. He writes about science, travel, voice-use, language and any of the hundred other things hes passionate about. Check out his website at www.AlexOwenHill.co.uk. Any questions? Connect with him on Twitter at @AlexOwenHill and ask away! And One More ThingIf youre digging these learning techniques, 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.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 interac tive 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.