Sunday, March 22, 2020

Subject Verb Agreement English Writing Online Tutorpace

Subject Verb Agreement English Writing Online Tutorpace The concept of subject and verb agreement is based on the number of the subject. While writing English sentences, one should be aware of correctly identifying whether the subject is singular or plural and accordingly use the verb. Basically a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. For example, in the sentence: She writes books, the subject, she is singular and so the singular verb, writes is used. If two subjects are connected by and there should be a plural verb. However, if two subjects are connected by or or nor singular verbs should be used. At the same time, the pronouns, everyone, anyone, each and someone are considered singular and these require singular verbs. Besides, when one expresses quantity of time, money and distances, only singular verbs are used. For example: Ten dollars is a lot of money for this product. It is good to remember that collective nouns like team, staff, and committee are singular subjects and require singular verbs in any context. These are only the main features of subject-verb agreement.

Friday, March 6, 2020

When to Push or Back Off to Help Pupils Develop Higher Order Thinking Skills

When to Push or Back Off to Help Pupils Develop Higher Order Thinking Skills Higher Order Thinking: Should Tutors Push Those Skills? ChaptersThe Back Story: Teaching VictorHigher Order Thinking and Academic LearningTutors Can Encourage Higher Order ThinkingHigher Order Thinking QuestionsPrivate tutors are in the enviable position of having great influence in helping their students develop, cultivate shape their thought processes.Unlike school teachers who, in spite of their best efforts, may feel constrained by the limitations on their pedagogy imposed on them by the Department for Education, tutors have the leeway they need to encourage students to think about what they’re learning.Anyone who has any formal dealings with the DfE â€" teachers who spend their nights and weekends tutoring, for example, may experience growing frustration with the processes currently in place to impart knowledge and assess mastery of such.Because of the well-publicised propensity these current curriculum standards force for teaching to the test, little room is left for teachers to help students develop critical thinking skills or pr oblem-solving skills.That means that students must learn creative thinking and how to solve problems outside of the classroom.There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, humans are capable of thought long before their first brush with formal schooling.However, the disconnect between the acquisition of knowledge and thinking about it; finding connections from one subject to the next often keeps students from higher academic achievement.That is where private tutors come in.Tutors fill the space between cognitive knowledge and comprehension of concepts. Where there are missing links between academic subjects, say between maths and science, tutors are the ones who point out the complementary nature of those disciplines.The question is: how far should a tutor go to instal and develop students’ capacity for summarizing, classifying and understanding what they learn?Should cultivating thinking skills be a tutor’s primary objective?Or are students truly better served by a tutor restat ing school lessons rather than one asking open-ended questions and employing instructional strategies that will encourage the student to think?How much is too much before the tutor has strayed far beyond the boundaries of what s/he has been engaged to do?This is a thorny issue. Let’s take a look at all of the facets involved in higher-order thinking skills before presenting our thesis.Noble Savage theory â€" that humans, unbound by social mores and general education would be kind, selfless and enlightened in their own right.Victor, having completely missed out on any nurturing as well as  early childhood education, and his entire young life spent being wary of harm, failed to cooperate or perform as expected.The clinicians â€" whose instructional design left a lot to be desired, had put all of their hopes into this abandoned child. Needless to say, were disappointed at being unable to prove their Noble Savage theory.Seeing no further reason to work with him, they shipped the boy t o Paris to be institutionalised. There, Dr Itard rose to the challenge of educating a child that everyone had deemed incapable of learning.It took quite a while for that educator to teach the boy social norms and even longer to teach him empathy. Once those concepts were mastered, Dr Itard resolved to educate the child, now somewhat behaved, in how to speak.Here his pedagogical skill met with abysmal failure and, after all of his best efforts had come to nothing, he turned away from the child altogether, effectively abandoning him anew.In these events, we see perfectly well how much is too much.Victor, desiring â€" perhaps not to learn so much as to please his mentor, simply did not have the psychomotor development necessary to learn how to speak after so long of being nonverbal.Critics of Dr Itard postulate that, had he employed other means of student engagement; maybe if he had taught the boy sign language, perhaps Victor could have learned to communicate.As Victor displayed a str ong affective inclination, music might also have been an effective teaching tool.Besides making a fascinating case for the need for differentiation in education, Victor’s story gives the strongest proof of the validity of Blooms Taxonomy: that there are three distinct domains that educational faculty and staff must address to guarantee student achievement.It also clearly underscores the importance of faculty development in schools so that teachers can recognise and meet students needs.Finally, it offers a cautionary tale to tutors who might be inclined to push their students toward independent thought in a manner for which they are not yet ready.Join the discussion: doimpact students' ability to master higher-order thinking?Reading skills are essential for learning but they don't make a problem solver! Image by balancepft from PixabayHigher Order Thinking and Academic LearningHigher-order thinking is comprised of equal parts of critical thinking and problem-solving.To an extent, e ssay writing is an exercise in critical thinking: the student must take in information, analyse it and draw conclusions from it.While essay writing or report writing provides an opportunity for learners to think critically and draw conclusions, chances to think critically about other academic subjects are minimal.It is quite unfortunate that many perceive critical thinking to be an exercise in which the practitioner must find fault in whatever is being examined â€" in other words, to criticise.Quite the contrary! Critical thinking involves the suspension of personal bias; it requires a dispassionate view of the topic at hand and the ability to discern fact in a sea of fiction.Developing such skills requires a fair amount of time and mental agility.In crowded UK classrooms, the first is decidedly in short supply and the second is a diverse proposition because not every student has the same level of academic aptitude.What about problem-solving? Here, teaching strategies are also lacki ng.Again, not through any fault of hard-working teachers!Today’s curriculum and instruction mandates leave little time for teachers to plan co curricular activities that would permit the development of problem-solving skills.Tutors see the fallout: unused to thinking critically throughout the academic year, learners struggle with higher level thinking outside of the classroom.Tutors Can Encourage Higher Order ThinkingIt would be safe to say that nobody, tutor or teacher, ever went into the field of education to become rich or famous.However, anyone could believe that both tutors and teachers have made education their life’s work because of their passion for learning and a desire to impart that knowledge.Oddly enough, for all that they have the same motivations for instructing, teachers’ and tutors’ overall direction seems divergent.Whereas teachers must follow the learning standards set forth by their schools, a tutor’s imperative is to improve student learning capacities. To that end, one of the most effective tools a tutor can use in determining a student’s readiness for thinking questions is by conducting a formative assessment.Naturally, your initial interview will assess your pupils’ learning skills overall but, as time goes on, your constant evaluation of their cognitive skills should signal when they are ready for more complex concept formation.In providing academic support, tutors need to apply a bit of educational psychology:Define ‘learning’: one does not acquire a breadth of knowledge only through rote learning; understanding and making sense of things also play a vital partMake the lesson relevant: cultivating an interest in subject matter is a step in the right direction; revealing the interrelationships between the student and the material being studied is the hallmark of a master teacherReinforce the learning: find at least three ways to use the new information, preferably through different learning activities.What happens if yo u employ all of these learning strategies,  as well as others,  and your student still doesn’t grasp the concept at hand?This is where a real danger of pushing for a successful outcome lies. As you may have already experienced, it is not a good idea to go beyond that point, lest you risk students’ progress.Perhaps it is time to revise your lesson planning to include more student-centered activities...  you might, perhaps, focus more on the problem-solving aspect of higher-order thinking.Open ended questions are far better than multiple choice questions because they make students think! Image by balancepft from PixabayHigher Order Thinking QuestionsOverseeing writing assignments and helping prepare your pupils for a math test are fundamental tutor obligations to ensure student success.Unless it was specified when you were hired - ‘please teach my child how to think!’ - a tutor’s actual duty lies in providing learning services.Said services should include project-based learn ing, active learning and activities that will foster metacognition â€" the awareness and understanding of one’s thought processes.So, once you complete your initial assessment of a student and determine their learning goals, the course you chart should be pretty clear... right?If we were in it for the money, that assertion would be spot-on.However, upon ethical reflection, we tutors have taken a silent vow to strive for educational success with everyone we teach.Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to not only provide learning support but also provide 21st-century skills â€" a continuum of services that will provide a rich student experience.Content knowledge to appease an assessment system or thinking stems to cultivate higher order thinking?Rote memorization of facts can only take students so far.Asking them the types of questions designed to gauge their depth of knowledge and how they use what they’ve learned is the recipe for fostering thinking humans, but must be done in such a way that they become thinkers, not turned off from learning altogether.Bottom line: knowing when to push, how to push and what to push on is as integral to a tutor’s professional development as it is essential for student development.Your turn to chime in: how would you define higher-order thinking?

Thursday, March 5, 2020

6 Things to Remember for Singing the Blues

6 Things to Remember for Singing the Blues Suzy S. Love to sing the blues? There a few things to keep in mind as you sing in this genre find out in this guest post by St. Augustine, FL teacher  Heather L... The history of blues music is rich and bittersweet. The genre was originally born as an expression of those suffering as American slaves, mostly in whats called the deep South, That expression is heartbreaking by nature, but healing, too. The brilliance of the blues is that by singing about whats making you sad, you feel better. But singing the blues is not that simple. Its very easily overdone. Here are six things to remember when youre singing the blues. 1. Simple is better. Now, simple does not mean lazy, or not creative, or not energetic. Simple means acknowledging, and singing as such, the beauty of unornamented, unadorned notes. Sing simply, so that the beauty of the words comes through. Just because the blues is a 12-bar progression with no fancy form or room for virtuosity doesnt mean that the singer should think in terms of showing off the voice. Allow your art to come through organically. 2. Imitation is inferior to originality. Wed all love to sing like B.B. King or Etta James or Amy Winehouse. But those singers already exist. And while there are many successful tribute artists and cover bands, theres something so inspiring about a singer deciding to sing with his or her own voice and committing to that decision. Imitating another singer is impressive to a certain point, but its not sharing much about yourself. And thats what people really love to hear. 3. Only the basic phrasing is required. The only words that you should start with are those of the basic phrases. For instance, take the first part of The Thrill is Gone, most famously sung by B.B. King. The thrill is gone/the thrill is gone away/the thrill is gone/the thrill is gone away/You know  youve done me wrong/And youll be sorry someday Now, if you decide as the singer to insert baby after the word wrong or after someday, so  be it, but be sure to start simply in order to explore the song for yourself. 4. Repetition may be the key to improvisation. The blues is repetitive by nature. I often have my voice students repeat the basic phrasing with the chords playing underneath over and over until organic and spontaneous decisions are made: the word baby is sung, an important phrase is repeated at double tempo, or a run comes out of nowhere at the end of a phrase. Let it all come naturally. 5. Your raw, yet well-supported voice is perfect. Sing with all of the raw, unrefined vibrato and tone that you have. This is no time for pretty, polished sounds. But never forget to support your sound with a solid and conscious breath flow no matter what genre that youre singing. 6. Be authentic, but not sentimental. Everyone knows that the blues is about feelings. But the idea of singing with feeling has become so vague and overused that its essentially become meaningless. If a singer sings with the intention of feeling the music or something similar, then the whole thing will come off as trite and inauthentic. The key to showing genuine feeling as you sing is listening. Listen to the instrumental parts and the chords a hundred times. Ask yourself how it all makes YOU feel. Dont bother about how the song makes someone else feel. When all is said and done, the essence of the blues is the willingness to share. As long as you focus on revealing your true self and committing to singing with your unique voice, then youll find yourself a successful blues singer. Learn more in Heathers Ultimate Guide to Singing Styles and Genres! Heather L. teaches singing, piano, acting, and more in St. Augustine, FL, as well as through online lessons. She is  a graduate of the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and has performed with the New York and Royal Philharmonics, the New Jersey and Virginia Symphonies, the American Boy Choir, and the internationally renowned opera star Andrea Bocelli. Learn more about Heather here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Dutch Simba

The Biggest Private Tutoring Sites in the UK

The Biggest Private Tutoring Sites in the UK Who Are the Big Players in the Private Tutoring Market? ChaptersUK TutorsTutorfulTutorhuntTutorhouseMyTutorTutor HubGumtreeFirst TutorsCraigslistPrivate-Tutors.co.ukFleet TutorsSuperprofThe academic support market is a sector that has continued to grow in recent years.  Although there’s a large percentage of undeclared work and a shadow economy, which makes it difficult to effectively calculate the exact size of the market, there has been visible growth.In fact, the market is valued at around £6.5bn and over 40% of pupils in London are getting some kind of supplemental instruction. There are a lot of people who need private tutoring and a lot of people who are willing to help.We're definitely not saying that teachers working in state schools in the UK are bad. They work incredibly hard, often without the necessary resources to do their job. It's more so the system that fails our students than the talented teachers doing their utmost to help them. Unfortunately, with so many students, so much bureaucracy, and such a multitude of differe nt characters needing to be taught, sometimes students will need outside help.Whether you’re a tutor looking for a business where you can offer private tutorials or a student looking for lessons, by the time you’ve finished reading this article, you should have some ideas of where to start. In this article, we’re looking at the biggest tutoring companies offering both home tutoring and online tutoring, what they offer, and which ones you should visit. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £6 0/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsUK TutorsUK Tutors offering tutoring services for a multitude of subjects. If you're wanting to find a tutor to help you with homework, exams, or any other kind of one on one tutoring, this is a good site to check out.Kids that are engaged in their lessons will learn better. (Source: klimkin)They offer one on one tutoring in the following subjects:EnglishMaths (algebra, calculus, trigonometry, etc.)ArtScience (biology, physics, chemistry, etc.)MusicTest prepTutorfulTutorful is a platform where anyone looking for a private tutor or tutoring jobs should check out. In terms of private instruction, students can search by subject, level, and location. That said, you can also look for an online tutor if you can't find the right home tutor working near you.Whether you're looking for a chemistry tutor, English tutor, or an algebra tutor, you may want to check out Tutorful's website.TutorhuntWhether you're interested in academic tutoring or learning a new skill, Tutorhunt is another popular platform for finding tutors or getting tutor jobs. Much like our previous example, this means that students can be tutored in person or online.Tu torhouseIf you're looking for writing tutors, biology tutors, Spanish tutors, etc., have a look at Tutorhouse. In terms of the search functionality of this site, you don't have the level option that you get with a lot of other sites. This means you'll probably have to talk to your tutor about your level before you start getting tutorials from them.  That said, this is one of the few sites that includes a bigger focus homeschooling and exam and test preparation.If you have an internet connection, you can learn from anywhere in the world. (Source: Walkerssk)MyTutorMy tutor boasts that those being tutored by their tutors enjoy academic success. Of course, this isn't unique to just MyTutor, but there is something to be said for improving results by a whole grade.This platform focuses on online tutoring, much like our next example. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all o ur tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniM usic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsTutor HubTutorhub offers one on one online tutorials for every type of learner. If you're looking for a French tutor, reading tutor, or just some supplemental instruction, this site is worth checking out for 1 on 1 tuition online.GumtreeThis site isn't actually a tutoring website but rather a site for classified ads. This is a place you can buy all sorts of things from cars to jewellery as well as rehome pets.That said, if you want to become a tutor or just find one, you might consider posting an ad on this site or looking for tutors who are offering their services. Additionally, there are also ads for classes you can attend in groupsFirst TutorsFirst tutors has a nice search function that has the subjects divided into groups such as “academic”, “mu sic”, “IT”, “languages”, “businesses”, “dance”, and “arts”.  Like many of the other sites, you can get both one on one and online tutoring.Of course, you can just search directly for the subject you're interested in, too.Find out more about the advantages of private tutorials.CraigslistCraigslist is another site that operates like Gumtree. If you think the best tutors only advertise their tutoring business on specialist sites, you may be surprised at the offering available on these kinds of sites, especially if you're looking for something that isn't very academic like yoga, painting classes, learning a musical instrument, or life coaching, for example.In just a few minutes, you can find a plethora of tutors. (Source: StartupStockPhotos)Private-Tutors.co.ukThis platform works more like an agency for tutors. If you apply (and get your Enhanced DBS Check), this platform will get you leads and charge commission on each of your lessons at the end of the month.Stude nts will enjoy the fact that the tutors have been vetted and checked, something that's hugely important when tutors are working with children or vulnerable students.Fleet TutorsFleet Tutors offers a more exclusive service than some of the other companies on this list. This is more so a company you'll work for as a tutor rather than a platform for tutors to find a tutee and vice versa.This is a platform that focuses on the quality rather than the quantity of their tutors.SuperprofWe couldn’t talk about all the different platforms and not talk about ourselves.Superprof started in 2013 in Biarritz, France. The goal was simple, to help students and private tutors find one another.After just a year, the community had grown to over 200,000 tutors. This made it one of the biggest in France.After this success, the company expanded into neighbouring countries such as Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Belgium.In 2016, the community reached 1,000,000 tutors. This led to expansion into over 10 countries including Germany, the US, Italy, and Brazil.Learn more about how tutoring can help those who struggle at school.Private tutorials are a great way to motivate children to learn. (Source: Pezibear)Today, there are two types of people on Superprof:Private tutors looking for students to teach.Students of all ages wanting to get better at a certain subject or skill.The former can create a profile on the site with information about their tutorials, rates, skills, qualifications, methodology, etc.The latter can search for these tutors, many of whom offer the first hour of tutoring for free. Once they’ve found the right tutor, the student pays Superprof to get in touch with them. That’s it.  Then, both parties work together without having to go through Superprof. Furthermore, they can leave feedback and comments on the site about one another. This is how you can find the ideal tutor or potential students.Not all the tutors are academically orientated. In fact, rather than study skills and exam prep, you can also learn arts and crafts, how to dance, get career advice rather than learning more about academic skills.If you're interested in becoming a private tutor, there are a number of ways to do it. Firstly, you should think about the subject that you're going to teach. It's a good idea to stick to a single subject or idea so that potential students know exactly what they'll be getting tutored in.Secondly, you'll need to consider what type of tutorials you'll offer. While one on one private tutorials are the most lucrative, you do need to spend a lot more time planning them since students will expect a bespoke service.  The same is true for online tutorials but you can charge less for them as you'll have fewer overheads thanks to not having to travel to your student.  Group tutorials require less tailoring as there are more students. However, the students will also expect to pay less for them. That said, while students pay less per hour since there a re more students, you'll earn more per hour overall. You will need to fill the class with students, though.If you work for a tutoring company, then you probably won't get to make these decisions. However, if you're working for yourself, you'll enjoy a lot more freedom in how you plan your classes, how much you can charge for them, and the types of classes you offer. On the other hand, you'll need to manage your finances and taxes (as a sole trader) and your own business.Tutors that offer a good service will get good reviews and, in turn, lure in more potential students to their classes.

Where to Find GCSE Chemistry Revision Guides and Revision Tips

Where to Find GCSE Chemistry Revision Guides and Revision Tips GCSE Chemistry Revision Top Tips ChaptersBack To the BooksNote-MakingFlash CardsPower of the Past PaperBe Kind to YourselfOnline ResourcesStudying for your GCSEs can be scary. Chemistry covers so many different topics that is hard to know where to start. Organising your revision is key and we’ve got some tips on where to find good revision tools and our tips on how to prepare so you can get the most out of your revision.Revision isn’t so hard when you have so many resources to make it varied and most importantly useful! Combine different techniques to keep yourself on your toes and to keep it interesting. Remember, you should be revising all year long, not just in a panic before your exam.Try to remember all of the hard work you've put in and just do your best!Happy revising!

Standardized Test Practice Tips

Standardized Test Practice Tips Practice Makes Perfect When it Comes to Standardized Tests With the implementation of the Common Core Standards in nearly every state, standardized testing is becoming more prevalent throughout all grade levels. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the standards and perform accordingly based on grade level expectations. Standardized test practice is an essential component of preparing for these exams because it boosts confidence and helps students know exactly what to expect on test day.There are a variety of ways to implement standardized test practice. The professional tutors at Huntington Learning Centers implement a range of methods to prepare their students. Our favorite test prep tips include: Practice both content and format Simply understanding the assessed content isn't enough. If a student has never encountered authentic practice the format may present a significant roadblock. Students should understand and be familiar with how the test is administered, the best ways to answer different exam items, and the types of questions most likely to be on the exam. This knowledge allows your child to focus on the content being assessed instead of spending time trying to interpret confusing test directions and wrestling with the format. Require an explanation Asking your child to explain something is great practice for standardized tests and for learning in general. Knowing how to complete a question or arrive at an answer is just the first step. A student must also be able to explain the answer to display full mastery on many standardized tests. Part of the standardized test preparation we offer at Huntington Learning Centers teaches students how to explain their work. Upon completing a math problem or arriving at a conclusion on a reading comprehension item students are often asked to explain the answer. We work alongside students to help them construct an explanation that shows how they arrived at an answer. This support is personalized and the amount of assistance provided is based on individual student needs. Put old tests to good use Many organizations that administer standardized tests publish previous forms for student use and practice. The old forms of a standardized test can be used in a variety of ways. Our professional tutors at Huntington Learning Centers use previous forms for initial assessment, targeted practice, and ongoing progress monitoring. They are also used to reinforce the different types of exam questions and to present test taking tips. When students have the opportunity to participate in a practice test under actual testing conditions they will gain confidence and an understanding of how the exam is administered. Monitor ongoing student progress Careful standardized test preparation should carefully monitor your student's progress. An initial assessment that identifies a student's strengths and areas of need is an ideal way to begin practicing. These assessment results are invaluable in determining what areas to focus on and a child's individual needs. The progress monitoring should be ongoing to understand how the learning needs may have changed. Our tutors use assessment results to create customized tutoring plans that meet the individual needs of every student. No two children are alike, no two students learn in the exact same way, and each of our students receives instruction based on assessment data and individual strengths and weaknesses. You can trust that your child will receive personalized instruction that mirrors the data from ongoing progress monitoring assessments.Click on one of the social media links above to share this with other parents that may benefit from the information.

Support HEART with AmazonSmile - Heart Math Tutoring

Support HEART with AmazonSmile - Heart Math Tutoring Support HEART with AmazonSmile Support HEART with AmazonSmile March 9, 2015 Do you shop regularly, or even occasionally, on Amazon.com? The online retailers foundation, AmazonSmile, created a great, easy way to support HEART Tutoring when you make purchases. By linking your Amazon account to HEARTs AmazonSmile account, a portion of the price of your eligible purchases will be donated to help local students. To designate HEART as your AmazonSmile nonprofit of choice, click this link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-2354082 or search “Amazon Smile” on your Amazon account and then search for “HEART Tutoring.” Once you connect your account, that’s it. After you make an AmazonSmile purchase, you will be prompted to share the news about your good deed to Facebook, Twitter or through email.

The Aspiring Polyglots Guide to 14 Diverse Languages Spoken in Asia

The Aspiring Polyglots Guide to 14 Diverse Languages Spoken in Asia The Aspiring Polyglots Guide to 14 Diverse Languages Spoken in Asia Language learners have the best kind of problem.There are just so many wonderful languages out there, all beautiful and challening in their own way.How could you ever possibly choose which ones to focus on?Its a dilemma but like we said, a pretty fun and exciting one to have.Even single continents have a huge diversity of languages for aspiring polyglots to explore.Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in Asia.There are more than 4.3 billion people speaking nearly 2,300 living languages across Asia. Youve probably considered some of the common ones, like Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.But there are a lot of other widely spoken languages that may not be as familiar to you. Some of them are closely related, giving you more bang for your linguistic buck. Others are doin their own thing, creating a unique language learning opportunity.In this post, well climb across 14 branches of the Asian language family tree. No matter what your personal interests or language goals are, youll find something to fire up your leaning motivation. Why Are Asian Languages So Diverse?As we mentioned earlier, there are over 4.3 billion people in Asia. Thats nearly six times the population of Europe (roughly 739 million). It should perhaps come as no surprise, then, that there are also a lot more languages.Additionally, Asia is home to many different language families. Most Europeans speak Indo-European languages, such as Germanic, Romance and Slavic languages. However, Asian languages span a much broader variety of families, including Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, Altaic, Dravidian and many others.This diversity of linguistic families and origins means that theres less overlap between the languages as theyre spoken today.Finally, remote regions of Asia have allowed many individual languages to develop without outside influence. Asia is home to mountains, islands, deserts, vast plains and jungles. All of these terrains can isolate communities.When communities are in close contact wit h one another, some languages will die out as more common ones take over. However, geographic isolation can help more distinct languages endure.On this flip side, this is also why there are many  endangered languages in Asiaâ€"if these types of communities dwindle, their languages tend to go with them.The Aspiring Polyglots Guide to 14 Diverse Languages Spoken in AsiaAs you may already know, the fastest way to get started in any language is immersive learning (in other words, surrounding yourself with the written and spoken language). Of course, if you dont currently live in Asia, thats a lot harder to achieve. FluentU is a great way to mimic the immersion experience no matter where you areâ€"it offers authentic videos like movie trailers, music videos, inspiring talks and more.Each video comes with interactive captions, flashcards and exercises, so youre actively building your vocabulary while you absorb the native sounds of the language. FluentU also keeps track of your learning a nd suggests more videos thatll suit your level and goals. Better yet, you can take this personalized and immersive language practice anywhere with the mobile app for iPhone  and  Android.FluentU has videos in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Korean and several other languages that you can start watching today with a free trial.ArabicWhere its spoken:  On the Asian continent, Arabic is an official language in the Middle Eastern nations of Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.Whos in the language family:  Arabic is a Semitic language, making it a relative of Amharic, Hebrew and several other languages spoken primarily in the Middle East.Aspiring polyglots, take note!  If youre thinking about learning Arabic, you may already have a head start.  Due to the influence of Arabic culture on Europe during the Middle Ages, there are a lot of Arabic words that made their way into European languages l ike Spanish, Portuguese, French and English.BengaliWhere its spoken:  Bengali, sometimes called Bangla, is spoken in Bangladesh and some of eastern India, close to Bangladesh.Whos in the language family:  Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language, making it a close relative of Hindustani and Punjabi.This also makes it a distant relative of European languages, including Slavic, Germanic and Romance languages.ChineseWhere its spoken:  Variations of Chinese are spoken throughout China, Taiwan and Singapore. Of course, that doesnt mean every Chinese-speaker you meet will sound the sameâ€"or even be able to understand one another!Even though Chinese is considered the most spoken language in the world, its actually composed of many distinct dialects, some of which arent mutually intelligible (meaning that speakers of some dialects cant understand speakers of other dialects).Whos in the language family:  Chinese is a Sino-Tibetan language, making it a relative of Burmese, Tibetan and several other languages in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. The Chinese language has also had notable influence on Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese.Which variation will you choose? The first step in Chinese studies is to decide which variation youll learn. The most popular options are typically Mandarin, which is spoken in Beijing and is the official language of China, or Cantonese, which is spoken in southeastern China and Hong Kong.Filipino/TagalogWhere its spoken: The PhillipinesWhos in the language family:  Filipino and Tagalog are Austronesian languages, making them relatives of Malay and Javanese.Learn a language, plus some.  It can be confusing to differentiate between Filipino and Tagalog.Since more than 100 regional languages are spoken in the Philippines, in the 1930s the government chose Tagalogâ€"a language spoken widely in Manila and surrounding areasâ€"as the foundation for a national language. The effort was to try to establish a common language.Today, Filipino is the official nat ional language of the Philippines. However, TAGALOG LANG refers to Filipino as Tagalog Plus, since Filipino also includes words adopted from other languages such as Spanish.The name of the language has changed throughout the years, so you might also see it as Pilipino.HindustaniWhere its spoken:  Hindustani is actually the name used to denote two languages that are sometimes classified separately: Hindi and Urdu.Hindi is the official language of many states in the northern part of India. Throughout the years, thereve also been attempts to make it the national language. Urdu is an official language in Pakistan and several states in India.Whos in the language family:  Hindi and Urdu are both from the Indo-Aryan family of languages, making them close relatives of Bengali and Punjabi and more distant relatives of European languages.Hindi and Urdu are usually mutually intelligible. However, they do have some different vocabulary and different writing systems.But waitâ€"theres more!  Whil e Hindi is probably the most well-known Indian language, its just the tip of the iceberg. Other widely spoken Indian languages include Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati and Pashto.Indian languages span several families, but most belong to the Indo-European and Dravidian families.IndonesianWhere its spoken:  There are over 700 languages spoken in Indonesia, but Indonesian is the only language with official status.This is where it gets a little tricky. Indonesian is a standardized language based on Malay. As Indonesian, the language is spoken in Indonesia. However, Malay is also spoken in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore.At the time of its adoption as the national language, Indonesian was only the second most widely spoken native language in Indonesia, with Javanese being the most popular. To this day, theres a significant population that speaks Javanese as a native language, and Indonesian is a second language for many Indonesians.Whos in the language family:  Indonesian/Malay and Javanese are members of the Austronesian language family, which also includes Filipino/Tagalog.JapaneseWhere its spoken:  Japanese is the national language of Japan, though it has no official status.Whos in the language family:  According to Today Translations, the origins of the Japanese language are hotly debated, with some claiming its related to Chinese, Korean and/or Polynesian languages.Like alphabet soup?  While Japanese isnt currently thought to be related to Chinese, it does use some Chinese characters and uses some words of Chinese origin.KoreanWhere its spoken:  Korean is an official language in North Korea and South Korea and an area of China along the North Korean border.Whos in the language family:  Korean is thought to be a  language isolate, meaning its not related to other languages.Korean is, however, thought to have some extinct relatives. Some also postulate that it could be a Dravidian language, related to several Indian languages including Tamil and Telugu, or an Altaic language, related to Turkish, Mongolian and possibly Japanese.PersianWhere its spoken:  Persian is an official language in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, though each variety has some distinct differences.Whos in the language family:  Persian is an Indo-Iranian language, making it a relative of several Indian languages, including Hindustani, Bengali, Punjabi and Marathi.Whats in a name?  Persian is a language that goes by many names. In English, its often called Persian. In Iran, the language is often called Farsi. The Afghani version of the language is called Dari. In Tajikistan, the language is called Tajik or Tajiki.PunjabiWhere its spoken:  Punjabi is the most spoken language in Pakistan  and is also widely spoken in northern India.Whos in the language family:  Punjabi is an Indo-Iranian/Indo-Aryan language, making it a relative of Persian and several other Indian languages, including Hindustani, Bengali, Punjabi and Marathi.The Punjabi language has also been inf luenced by Arabic and Persian.RussianWhere its spoken:  Though you might not think Asian language when you hear Russian, Russian is widely spoken in Asia.A lot of Russias land mass is located in Asia. Additionally, Russian is an official language in the Asian nations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.Whos in the language family:  Russia is a member of the Indo-European family, making it a distant relative of a wide array of languages, including Spanish, French, Bengali, Hindustani, Punjabi, Persian and countless other popular languages.Its closest relatives, though, are Belarusian and Ukrainian.Good news for flashcard haters! Russian has a smaller vocabulary than some other common Asian languagesâ€"as well as English and many European languages.ThaiWhere its spoken:  Thai is the official language of Thailand.Whos in the language family:  Thai is a member of the Tai-Kadai family, making it a relative of Lao. However, according to  Thai Language/Lao Language, the two languages arent consid ered mutually intelligible.Many Thai words come from other languages, including Old Khmer, Pali and Sanskrit.TurkishWhere its spoken:  While Turkish is often associated with Turkey, the earliest known Turkic inscriptions were actually found in whats now Mongolia. In the early middle ages, Turkic languages spread out from Central Asia to Europe.Now, Turkish is an official language in Turkey and Cyprus and is the most widely spoken Turkic language.Whos in the language family:  Turkish is a member of the Turkic language family. According to writer Robert Lindsay, it may be partially mutually intelligible with other closely related Turkic languages, such as Azerbaijani and Turkmen.VietnameseWhere its spoken:  Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam.Whos in the language family: Vietnamese  is a Austroasiatic or Mon-Khmer language. Its closest relatives include Khmer (spoken in Cambodia) and some regional languages spoken in eastern India and southern China.Know the history:  Since Vietnam was under Chinese rule for about 1,000 years, Vietnamese is greatly influenced by Chinese. And since Vietnam was also under French control for a time, the French language has had a hand in shaping the Vietnamese language.These 14 diverse and intriguing languages are just the tip of the iceberg of languages spoken in Asia. Which of the more than 2,000 other Asian languages will you learn about next?