How to Choose the Best Tutoring Styles For You

How to Choose the Best Tutoring Styles For YouThe world of tutoring is full of all kinds of tutoring styles. Some are very hands on and some are more academic while others are all around. No matter what style you decide to go with, it's important to know how to choose the right tutoring styles for you.Academic tutoring is hands on. It is one on one teaching that teaches students in the classroom, making sure they understand the material. It can be difficult for parents to have their child sit down with a tutor that they don't know. This is why most teachers like to use tutors that are all around.Many colleges have students sitting in the college classroom who just need to be taught one thing at a time. These tutors can be a tutor that works in the college classroom or a tutor that goes out into the community and teaches. You may not want your child being away from home for an extended period of time during the semester.One of the best tutoring styles is to find someone who comes and meets with you in your community and teaches. You will need to take into consideration how much time your child can get out of the house. If you take on someone that you don't know well or where they aren't able to meet with you for an extended period of time, you can be on the internet and find something that is more academic. You might also want to see how well the tutoring style fits into your life.If you have kids that work full time jobs, there are many tutoring services that meet you where you are. These include tutors that are located right outside of your neighborhood or even within the city. These tutors will meet with you and teach your children all day long. For most people this is the best tutoring style for them.For the parents that live by themselves and are unable to teach out of their own homes, there are still other ways to get the education you need. Many people can find tutors that are online and many of these tutors have websites that are full of tutoring informa tion. If you have questions regarding how to find the best tutoring services, you can search the internet for tutoring reviews and keep an eye out for tutoring services that have been reviewed.If you do not know how to choose the best tutoring styles for you, you can always choose to do a comparison of different tutoring services. You can also make sure that the service you choose has good reviews that will let you know that the tutor is doing a good job.

Narrative, Person, Distance and Author

Narrative, Person, Distance and Author What is Narrative? E. Irving Couse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons What is Narrative? A narrative is the combination of a story and its presentation. The first of these two elements, story, is a series of events involving entities, with a beginning, middle, and end. The entities in the story can be sentient, such as in stories about people or human-like talking animals, or entities can be insentient, such as stories about the formation of the solar system, in which the entities are non-human and incapable of acting with intent. The second element of a narrative is the presentation of the story, sometimes called the narrative discourse, which is the particular way a story is told. If you have ever read a book and seen the movie adaptation, you might observe that the story was essentially the same but the film and book versions were different renderingsâ€"two narratives about the same story. First, Second, or Third Person Narration To illustrate, if four writers were to agree on a series of events involving the same entities, but then went off to separate rooms to write the story, each would produce a different narrative because the presentation of those events would inevitably be different. One author might choose to write the story using first-person narration, “I woke up late.” The second author might choose instead to use third person narration, “He woke up late.” The third author might choose to use third-person omniscient narration, “No one in the galaxy cared that he had woken up late.” Alternatively, a fourth author might choose to experiment with second-person narration, “You have woken up late.” Each produces a different narrative effect in the mind of the reader. First person narration feels true. When the story is about the narrator, it seems autobiographical, even if the story is fiction. Readers tend to construct an idea of the author in the process of reading and begin to think that we know something about him or her by the end. This inferred author may, in fact, be nothing like the real author. In fiction, we should remember that the narrator is an invention of the authorâ€"a tool used to tell the story. The illusion created by first-person narration, however, can be so convincing and so complete for readers that many can come away from a book worrying about the mental health of the author. Such was the case when Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita first appeared. At the time, misconceptions about the author were so pervasive that Nabokov felt it necessary to add an afterword to a later edition of his novel to emphasize that he was not anything like the murderous Humbert and did not share his narrator’s predilection for 12-year-old girls . Narrative Distance It is easier to distinguish between the author and the narrator in third person narration. The third-person narrator can exist outside of the storyworld as a non-character or participate in a small way as a minor character. The degree of involvement in the story is called narrative distance, and it is variable from narrative to narrative. Hemingway wrote third-person narration with “complete emotional non-involvement” (Abbott, 2008, p. 75). His narrator always remains distant from the action. He describes but does not judge. He reports. In contrast, Nelly Dean, the narrator of Wuthering Heights, participates as a minor character, commenting and expressing sympathies in a story that is, for her, still in progress. A reader can judge the emotional distance of the narrator by counting the number of adjectives employed. With the exception of descriptive adjectives denoting size, shape, or number, the presence of evaluative adjectives let us know that the narrator cares and feels. It is possible to tell a story using second person narration. It has been done, but it is rare. Balzac writes, “You hold this book in your white hand, lying back in a softly cushioned armchair, saying to yourself, ‘Perhaps this one is amusing.’” Being addressed by the narrator in this way creates a relationship between the reader and the narrator, however hostile. Jay McInerney’s narrator maintains more distance, making the reader a protagonist in his story. He writes, “At one o’clock, you go out for a sandwich. Megan asks you to bring her a Tab. Downstairs, you semi-revolve through the doors and think how nice it would be not to return, ever” (McInerney, 1984, p. 27). Second person narration like this is more common in hypertext fiction. The effect of second-person narration is strange, to say the least. Person, distance, and narrator all take time to develop and understand. As we have seen, there are dangers, too. Readers make false inferences about the author that sometimes need to be dispelled. References Abbott, H. P. (2008). The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. McInerney, J. (1984). Bright Lights, Big City. New York: Vintage. Please follow and like us:

Use The Summer Wisely Build Academic Skills With These Simple Ideas

Use The Summer Wisely Build Academic Skills With These Simple Ideas Use Summer Vacation to Boost Your Child's Academic Skills! The upcoming school year is just around the corner and it isn't too late to discover ways that academic summer programs can help your child. The lazy days of summer are a perfect time for you to reflect on the past school year, your child's performance and behavior, and ways that you can help reduce frustration with both school and homework. If you believe that your child is struggling and needs help with academic skills there are certain questions you may be asking yourself, such as: What do teachers think of my child's schoolperformance? Perhaps teachers have told youthat your child is a class clown, a day dreamer, or acts out when theacademic material becomes too difficult. You may have had conversationswith teachers about retention, a study team evaluation, or additionalacademic interventions. Are there observable signs of struggle when my child iscompleting homework? Ifcompleting homework is an ongoing struggle for your child you may belocked in a constant cycle of frustration or refusal. Your child may beindicating the homework is too hard if it takes too long, completion is abattle, or there is constant refusal or avoidance. Does my child's schoolwork seem too hard? You may have noticed that your child isn't able to readthe textbook and classroom materials, gives up easily, receives gradesthat don't reflect effort, is disorganized and lacks strong studyhabits, or seems to struggle with time management. Each of these isan indicator that the academic content is too difficult. What impact are the academic struggles having on mychild's behavior? Whena child is struggling academically the frustration and lack ofunderstanding often manifests itself in behavior issues. If your child isangry, withdrawn, unruly, or disrespectful these may be signs that theacademic work is simply too difficult and frustration has set in. If you are concerned about your child the professionals at Huntington Learning Centers are available to help. We are committed to creating academic summer programs that help struggling learners better prepare for future learning. Don't let the next couple of months slip by when your child could be working side by side with a professional tutor who is committed to helping meet your child's needs.Our approach is unique and completely child-centered. We will work with you to boost academic skills and better prepare your child for the upcoming school year. Academic Evaluation Westart by determining your child's specific needs. We use a variety ofassessments based on your child's age, developmental ability, and yourspecific concerns. Your child's behavior and response to the assessmentsare also observed and measured. Data analysis Theresults from the academic evaluation are analyzed and your child'sstrengths and weaknesses are identified. These assessment results form thebaseline for your child's ongoing growth. Parent conference Oncewe have determined your child's areas of strength and weakness we meetwith you to fully develop a tutoring plan. This conference is focused onour observations, conclusions, and recommendations and the ways thatHuntington Learning Centers can help. It is an opportunity for you tolearn more about your child and to ask questions about how our tutoringapproach will help reduce frustration, increase academic understanding,and better prepare your child for future learning. Personalizedtutoring sessions Once the parent conference is complete and your child's specific learning plan is created, the real work begins. The tutoring sessions are focused on your child's specific needs and utilize instructional methods that arecentered on your child's areas of identified growth. Ongoing feedback Wepride ourselves on maintaining close contact with parents and work to keepyou updated and informed. Results from ongoing assessments, observationsfrom tutoring sessions, and changes to the learning plan are communicatedto you in a timely fashion. We will make sure you understand your child'ssuccesses and the areas of ongoing need. School communication Withyour permission we will be in contact with your child's school once thefall term begins. Our tutors will share information with your child'steachers and will shape tutoring sessions to meet the school's academiccurriculum. Are you concerned about your child's academic abilities? What difference could academic summer programs make in your child's learning?

More Than Money 4 of the Most Profitable Languages to Learn

More Than Money 4 of the Most Profitable Languages to Learn More Than Money: 4 of the Most Profitable Languages to Learn As youre reading this, I can assume you want to learn a language.But why do you want to?There are as many reasons for learning languages as there are languages themselves.Theres travel, food, peopleâ€"and money.Yes, money is most often the chief reason cited for someone being interested in languages.But there really is no single language thats a perfect moneymaker.If youre in a small and isolated community, you might speak all the languages of the EU for nothing because you cant even buy lunch without the local language.Even rarer languages that are mostly spoken by bilinguals can be profitable if you find your niche.In addition, we can look at profitability in a broader sense. The language that will be personally profitable to you varies depending on what you want to do with it and what your goals are.With that in mind, lets look at some of the most profitable languages on a global scaleâ€"taking more than just money into account. Why Its Still Worth It to Learn LanguagesYou might have read something about how machine translation or the spread of English means that language learning is a waste of time these days.That couldnt be further from the truth. Many speakers of the languages on the list below dont have the best English skills. Even in Western countries with widespread English education, people will always understandably prefer to speak their own native languages because its simply more comfortable for them. And if youre doing business overseas, youll certainly want your clients to be as comfortable as possible!Furthermore, executives and decision-makers in many countries fully expect foreign investors to use an interpreter. When you show up speaking their language on your own, you send an incredibly strong signal that youre willing to put in the time and effort to connect with their culture.More Than Money: 4 of the Most Profitable Languages to LearnMandarinMandarin Chinese is spoken as a lingua franca all across China and Taiwan, as well as in the Chi nese communities of Singapore and Malaysia. Many overseas Chinese people in other parts of the world also use Mandarin to communicate.Why Its ValuablePerhaps youve seen the little phrase Made in China?Any supply chain in the world is likely somehow connected to China, whether its sourcing products directly from the country, or relying on a particular machine part or packaging produced in China.In addition to manufacturing and logistics, though, tourism is actually another great industry where you can use Mandarin. Chinas population and economy has been booming for years, and every year millions of Mandarin speakers go abroad to see the rest of the world. If your hotel, resort or tour agency has a Mandarin speaker on staff, youre likely to get a lot of repeat business.How You Can LearnMandarin grammar is relatively easy for English speakers to pick up, as theres no conjugation or declension.However, youll have to pay a lot of attention to pronunciation, so find a good course with aud io and lay a strong foundation in mastering those tricky tones. FluentU is a great option for this, as it allows you to learn with authentic native speech from the very beginning. FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons. Check it out for our next language (Russian), too!RussianRussian is spoken all over Russia (no surprise), Central Asia, Eastern Europe and in large and thriving diaspora communities worldwide.Russian is actually the second most represented language on the internet  after English.Why Its ValuableMuch like with Mandarin, Russian speakers are going abroad now more than ever, ready and willing to pay for tourist amenities wherever they go. Unlike many tourists from other countries, Russians often dont speak fluent English, which creates a market for Russian-language services in English-speaking countries (as well as other countries where Russian isnt commonly spoken ).And any company, regardless of industry, with eyes on Russia is going to need speakers of Russian to help them close their deals.How You Can LearnRussian might be one of the hardest European languages for English speakers to learn. Its grammar is quite complex and thanks to a long literary tradition there are all kinds of idioms and colloquialisms in common use. But that doesnt mean it cant be done, and the challenge makes the reward all the greater.The best way to tackle Russian is by first getting a strong handle on the grammar, and then doing a lot of reading and listening to absorb the natural patterns as best you can.ArabicArabic is spoken in more than 20 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. The situation with learning Arabic is a little complicated as there are dozens of different vernacular dialects as well as a standardized formal language used in news and writing.So if youre looking for a challenge, look no further!Why Its ValuableThe first thing a lot of pe ople in Western countries likely think of when they think of Arabic and money is oil. And its true, theres a lot of oil in a lot of Arabic-speaking countries.But have you considered marketing?The Middle East is developing at an astonishing pace. More and more people are finding themselves with spending moneyâ€"and foreign businesses are rushing to take it. With knowledge of Arabic languages and cultures, you can position yourself as a valuable go-between for brands looking to break into a particular up-and-coming market.How You Can LearnArabic presents a number of challenges to the foreign learner, but more and more good resources are coming out.Generally, people looking to make connections with locals will want to learn a spoken dialect in addition to the standardized formal language. But you dont have to worry about learning every dialectâ€"most speakers can understand Modern Standard Arabic and the dialects of their neighboring countries.PortuguesePortuguese is spoken mainly in P ortugal and Brazil, though the Brazilian variety is most commonly learned by foreigners because of its massive population of speakersâ€"more than 200 million.Apart from those two countries, its also an official language in six African countries, bringing its total speaker count over 250 million.Why Its ValuableBrazil is an enormous place teeming with diversity. You can find luxury high-rises, beautiful beaches, dense rainforests and uncontacted indigenous tribes all in the same country.Financially and historically, Brazils natural resources have been its largest draws. Lumber from the rare trees in the immense forests is prized worldwide, and huge swathes of land are dedicated to raising animals and plants.However, these industries competing with the natural world have made Brazil an important place for  organizations dedicated to preserving the untouched rainforest. And anyone interested in being a part of these organizations will likely need to speak Portuguese (or at least greatl y benefit from doing so).But dont forget, although the focus in business Portuguese is on Brazil, theres an entire Lusophone world out there to explore.Any country with business in South America, Central Africa and Europe likely has a need for Portuguese speakersâ€"and that could be you.How You Can LearnPortuguese might be one of the easiest languages for English speakers on this list as its a closely related European language.Surprisingly, its often relatively difficult to find classes or courses in Portuguese because it kind of lives in the shadow of its cousin Spanish. However, there are some great apps you can use to learn Brazilian Portuguese. And if youre interested in European Portuguese, check out this awesome resource guide.Portuguese speakers, incidentally, are known to be extremely appreciative of people putting in the effort to learn their language instead of simply speaking Spanish louder and slower.For all the financial benefits that appear in this article, money alone probably isnt going to be enough to keep you invested in a language all the way to fluency.Learning takes time and effort, and its made a million times easier if you have some sort of intrinsic interest in the language as well.There are a hundred reasons to learn any language that dont have a thing to do with the money you might be able to make. Youre picking up more than a line on your resumeâ€"youre picking up a connection to other people.Keep that in mind during your journey. Learn a language, and youll be a more valuable person in every respect.And the extra cash doesnt hurt.

Ecole Internationale de Geneve

Ecole Internationale de Geneve Ecole Internationale de Geneve We prepare students for membership of communities that are socially and culturally diverse, for citizenship, and for engagement with the political, ethical and environmental challenges of their times. We expect them to want to take an active part in making their world a better place and one that is based on the mutual understanding, respect and shared values to which the school has been committed throughout its long history. The International School of Genevaserves both the international and local communities of the Geneva area. We are committed to preparing students to live in a multilingual and multicultural world and, as a bilingual Foundation, to developing their fluency in both English and French. The school exists for the sake of its students and is committed to a continual re-evaluation of their needs in the light of social, economic and cultural change. The school strives continually to promote excellence in all aspects of its provision, to do better than its previous best, and to model the values that it encourages in its students. The main principles of an international education A key element of this unity is a commitment to a particular kind ofinternational education. The Foundation has defined those main principles as follows: Encouraging important international values Supporting the students language development Ensuring an international dimension to the curriculum Recognising the importance of global issues Showing respect for, and integration with, the host country View our Brochure View our Brochure View our Brochure

Ask A Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, Whats Next

Ask A Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next Ask a Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next? Question: I bombed one of my AP exams. What do I do now? ? Brief: There are several options for students who receive a 1 or 2 on their AP exams; students are advised to carefully weigh their options before making any permanent decisions. The most important thing is that students figure out what went wrong this time around and prevent the low score from damaging their college applications, if possible this is why its important to hire an Irvine AP test prep tutor early in the semester. Answer First, its important to know that you are not alone in this situation. Many students, especially those taking an AP for the first time, will fail to score the 3 needed to receive college credit. It’s important for AP students to go through the following checklist and make the best of a bad situation. 1. Speak with your classroom teacher If you failed to score a 3 or higher on AP exams, speak to your classroom teacher ASAP. Its important to find out if you will still receive classroom credit even if you failed the AP exam. Each school district is a little bit different, thus students should not make any assumptions. Some students will still receive an English, Math, or History credit on their transcripts while others may not. If you have to take a makeup course over the summer, you should find out now (READ: 5 Reasons to take a Practice Test Before Taking the AP Exam). 2. Speak with your college counselor Assuming that you can receive classroom credit for your AP course, you will want to determine what happens as far as college applications are concerned. The colleges you apply to will see that you took, for example, AP US History but that you didn’t send in your test scores. This can put you in a bad position so its essential to talk to your college counselor about your options based on the specific colleges you wish to apply to. 3. Hire a private tutor The reality of AP courses is that they are college level classes taken in high school. The majority of students taking AP are likely to have an Orange County private test prep tutor help them prepare for their exams because solitary study is generally not enough. If you received a 1 or 2 on this years exam, speak to a tutor and figure out if you will be capable of scoring at least a 3 next year before you commit to another year of AP courses that you may not get credit for. 4.  Look over your summary score report Its important for students who scored low on their AP exams to review their summary score report and see what the issue was. Students who scored low on the multiple choice sections should work on test prep techniques, such as process of elimination, whereas students who scored poorly on their DBQ or synthesis essays (depending on the subject) will need to work with a tutor to improve their writing skills before next year. 5. Spin it Students who are in their junior or senior year will have a difficult time spinning this situation, however, freshmen and sophomores may be able to include supplementary material with their college applications explaining that, although they scored low on that particular exam, they did make the effort to be in an AP class and scored higher on later exams. If a sophomore scored a 1 or 2 on AP US History but then scored a 4 or 5 on AP World History the following year, its a good demonstration of self-improvement and academic maturity (READ: AP Exams and the DBQ: How to Improve). It’s important for students to know that failing one AP exam is not the end of their potential college career. However, its paramount that students learn from their initial setbacks and improve in the future. If they got a 1 or 2 this time around, its even more important that they get a 5 next year. 6. Consider if AP classes are right for you If a student signed up for AP Calculus but was struggling to get a B in Algebra, it probably wasnt the right AP class to take. It’s essential to learn from this and make sure to only take AP classes in a subject you know, enjoy, and are willing to dedicate an extended amount of time to. If you scored a 1 on multiple AP exams, it might be time to think about switching into Honors classes (assuming your AP classroom grades are high), or into a regular high school class where you can receive both credit and a good GPA. 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 post about. Ask A Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next Ask a Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next? Question: I bombed one of my AP exams. What do I do now? ? Brief: There are several options for students who receive a 1 or 2 on their AP exams; students are advised to carefully weigh their options before making any permanent decisions. The most important thing is that students figure out what went wrong this time around and prevent the low score from damaging their college applications, if possible this is why its important to hire an Irvine AP test prep tutor early in the semester. Answer First, its important to know that you are not alone in this situation. Many students, especially those taking an AP for the first time, will fail to score the 3 needed to receive college credit. It’s important for AP students to go through the following checklist and make the best of a bad situation. 1. Speak with your classroom teacher If you failed to score a 3 or higher on AP exams, speak to your classroom teacher ASAP. Its important to find out if you will still receive classroom credit even if you failed the AP exam. Each school district is a little bit different, thus students should not make any assumptions. Some students will still receive an English, Math, or History credit on their transcripts while others may not. If you have to take a makeup course over the summer, you should find out now (READ: 5 Reasons to take a Practice Test Before Taking the AP Exam). 2. Speak with your college counselor Assuming that you can receive classroom credit for your AP course, you will want to determine what happens as far as college applications are concerned. The colleges you apply to will see that you took, for example, AP US History but that you didn’t send in your test scores. This can put you in a bad position so its essential to talk to your college counselor about your options based on the specific colleges you wish to apply to. 3. Hire a private tutor The reality of AP courses is that they are college level classes taken in high school. The majority of students taking AP are likely to have an Orange County private test prep tutor help them prepare for their exams because solitary study is generally not enough. If you received a 1 or 2 on this years exam, speak to a tutor and figure out if you will be capable of scoring at least a 3 next year before you commit to another year of AP courses that you may not get credit for. 4.  Look over your summary score report Its important for students who scored low on their AP exams to review their summary score report and see what the issue was. Students who scored low on the multiple choice sections should work on test prep techniques, such as process of elimination, whereas students who scored poorly on their DBQ or synthesis essays (depending on the subject) will need to work with a tutor to improve their writing skills before next year. 5. Spin it Students who are in their junior or senior year will have a difficult time spinning this situation, however, freshmen and sophomores may be able to include supplementary material with their college applications explaining that, although they scored low on that particular exam, they did make the effort to be in an AP class and scored higher on later exams. If a sophomore scored a 1 or 2 on AP US History but then scored a 4 or 5 on AP World History the following year, its a good demonstration of self-improvement and academic maturity (READ: AP Exams and the DBQ: How to Improve). It’s important for students to know that failing one AP exam is not the end of their potential college career. However, its paramount that students learn from their initial setbacks and improve in the future. If they got a 1 or 2 this time around, its even more important that they get a 5 next year. 6. Consider if AP classes are right for you If a student signed up for AP Calculus but was struggling to get a B in Algebra, it probably wasnt the right AP class to take. It’s essential to learn from this and make sure to only take AP classes in a subject you know, enjoy, and are willing to dedicate an extended amount of time to. If you scored a 1 on multiple AP exams, it might be time to think about switching into Honors classes (assuming your AP classroom grades are high), or into a regular high school class where you can receive both credit and a good GPA. 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 post about.

Do Celebrity Endorsements Help Win Elections

Do Celebrity Endorsements Help Win Elections Photo courtesy of Scripps Howard Foundation Wire To no surprise, the majority of Hollywood supports our current administration. George Clooney, Eva Longoria, Ellen DeGeneres, and Tom Hanks have already met the maximum donation to the President’s campaign, and they are just a few to mention. But, celebrities such as Clint Eastwood, and Donald Trump are strong supporters of Governor Mitt Romney and have also donated to the governor’s campaign. Once the celebrity reaches this maximum donation, they usually take to their social media accounts to endorse the candidate. Donald Trump is notorious for doing such things. Trump makes it clear he does not agree with President Obama’s policies and reaches out to all of his 1.7 million followers. In some cases however, celebrities can hinder a candidates chance at winning an election. In 2000, Cher was at an Al Gore event advocating views about the Middle East that did not coincide with Al Gore’s views. Eva Longoria caused an uproar amongst countless women when she re-tweeted the message: I have no idea why any woman/minority can vote for Romney. You have to be stupid to vote for such a racist/misogynistic tw-t. Although celebrities do not win a candidate an election, they definitely influence it. For example, everyday over 1.7 million people see what Donald Trump tweets. Sometimes these tweets spark great conversations, conversations a person wouldn’t be having if the subject had not been breached. In America, we are obsessed with Hollywood. We know where celebrities live, who theyre married to, and their favorite things to do on the weekend. So why wouldn’t people want to know who their favorite celebrity is voting for? Knowing this may not sway one person to vote one way or another, but it certainly could validate who they are voting for.