What Is Work Chemistry?

What Is Work Chemistry?Work chemistry is the term used to describe a condition in which people of different groups who work together as a team to come to similar conclusions about the performance of one another and the state of their company. A team leader may not be able to detect every small thing that may be going on, but working under such conditions will improve one's ability to make decisions based on facts. A good example of this is the way car manufacturers determine the price of their cars by measuring the performance of their engines.Performance is measured using oil pressure or horsepower. These measures can be expressed as a percent or a full rating. A percentage indicates that the engine is performing at its maximum capability. Full ratings are what you get when it is nearing its end of its life cycle.It is all relative, with a range of possible values, and a range of possible performance levels. The amount of one car engine's power to propel a car as a single person and the amount that it would exert on a larger scale are two different things. It depends on how much the two cars are involved.Working in the industry you work in would require that you learn how to manage the gasoline power you use and how much is consumed per hour, per day, and per week. This is done so that your car operates efficiently and you conserve the resources you use. It will also help you learn how to take better care of your vehicle.Performance would be a good way to measure your strengths and weaknesses. It will show you what you are capable of accomplishing on a daily basis and this will be an indicator of whether you are progressing or stagnating. However, some people need a bit more, or maybe they are over confident and can see the big picture rather than just what is going on in the moment.Performance should not be used as an excuse to try to impress anyone. You need to be honest about what you need to improve and what you can do to improve it. A work chemistry free agent will need to tell you his or her personal weaknesses and strengths and this may end up making him or her realize there are things they could improve upon and what improvements they should make.Once you start working in teams, you will notice that your goals have a stronger pull in terms of confidence. The performance of your work team will determine your overall performance. The data collected by work chemistry will help you improve, which will lead to more achievements.

Dyslexia Resources a Guide for Parents

Dyslexia Resources a Guide for Parents In a school environment, a child diagnosed with dyslexia can struggle with confidence and self esteem.  The classroom can often be an overwhelming place to learn. For this reason, outside help from a specialist tutor can always be helpful. Susan T is a specialist teacher in Dyslexia (SpLD) with a post Graduate Diploma in SEN (Dyslexia) Here she outlines what exactly Dyslexia is and what as a parent you can do best equip your child to be independent, successful learners. ........ Dyslexia Resources: a Guide for Parents First of all, what is dyslexia? There are many misunderstandings about dyslexia, which can be confusing especially if you are a parent of a child who has been assessed as having dyslexia. Even the term varies! You may hear ‘dyslexia’ , ‘specific learning difficulty’, ‘learning disability’, ‘learning difficulty’ or ‘learning difference’. The word 'dyslexia' actually comes from the Greek and means 'difficulty with words', it affects around 10% of the population and is a life long condition. Most importantly, dyslexia does not affect intelligence. Dyslexia is actually really about how information is processed. That is, how information is taken in, understood, remembered, organized and then how this knowledge is demonstrated. Children with dyslexia can have difficulties at all of these stages and generally, these difficulties can be seen in relation to print. For example, a child may be baffling to teachers â€" they appear bright, articulate and knowledgeable yet cannot produce written evidence to match these skills. Dyslexia can and often does, however, extend beyond the printed word into, for example, difficulties with organization, general ‘clumsiness’, the concept of time, numeracy/ mathematics and sustaining attention. So, how can I support my child? Firstly, some initial considerations. Your child will have good days and bad days â€" be relaxed about this! Progress may not be linear â€" it is important that the trajectory is upward over time, but there will be highs and lows along the way. Consistency with school is recommended therefore finding the right school for your child is crucial. Strategies to help with Reading Practice in reading is important. The reading material can be anything that is going to interest your child. There are many books now available that are ‘high-interest’ that is, the content will be suitable for a 9 year old although the reading age may be pitched at 6 years. Newspapers and magazines are also very useful sources of reading material. ‘First News for Schools’ is a newspaper aimed at children and contains a range of literacy resources at different levels. Remember to always praise your child! - It’s important that your child does not become averse to reading because of the demands it places on him/her â€" ensure the emphasis is on what your child reads correctly rather than incorrectly. You can support your child’s reading development in many ways â€" here are some ideas:  Pre-reading - talk! Use your child’s prior knowledge and experience and discuss what they already know about the text before reading. Here are some suggested questions for pre-reading activities: Who are the main characters? How do you know they are the main characters? What do you know about the characters? Do you know anyone like these characters? How do you think the book/passage will end? Have you read another book or seen a film with a similar story to this book? Looking at the front cover, what do you think the book/article is about? What do you think will happen in the book/article Research suggests that pre-reading discussion is one of the best predictors of a successful outcome in a reading activity. 2. During reading  Decoding Thus is a well-known reading strategy but an over-reliance on this can be demoralizing for dyslexic children as comprehension and reading fluency can become compromised. Context clues. Use any pictures available. Refer your child to the same word that he/she read on a previous page. Use your child’s prior knowledge and experience. Meaning is held in memories, and in the language children use to express what they have experienced.   Reading, therefore, should ‘make sense’ within the context of what they already know or understand, about their world.   Children draw upon meaning when reading. Use syntactic clues (the order of words in a sentence). Language follows certain rules - ‘runs dog the fast’ - does not make sense. Use semantic clues. Good readers develop an expectation that reading about, for example, cats will contact words such as tail, purr, whiskers etc Paired reading â€" basically, reading together! Let your child take the lead when confident and step in when he/she comes across an unfamiliar word that is proving difficult to figure out. Don’t forget, it isn’t wrong to read the word for your child. Strategies to improve spelling Your child will have target words and spelling patterns to practice. Here are some ways you can help at home: 1.Word search Create your own word searches using your child’s target words. Find here a great example by Puzzlemaker 2. Media search     Your child has 10 minutes to look for his/her target words and highlight them in a newspaper or magazine. 3.  Colourful words Ask your child to identify the tricky part of the word and then write it in bold eg s a i l b e f o r e t h e y s h i r t 4.Scrambled words Jumble up the letters and ask your child to spell the word (you can use Scrabble letters) 5.Missing letters Write the word leaving out the tricky part for your child to complete eg b l a _ _ (black) 6.Listen carefully Ask your child to sound the letters in the word for you to write. Has he/she made the correct sound-letter correspondence? 7.  Design a word Write a word in bubble writing and colour in each letter with a different pattern. 8.Mnemonics Eg big elephants can’t always use small elevators (because)  9.Air spelling/Salt box spelling This is a game to play with your child. Ask your child to use his/her index finger to write the word in the air slowly, saying each letter and ‘seeing’ each letter. When the word is finished, ask him/her to ‘underline’ it and say it again. Pour salt into a shallow box/tray (about 3cm deep) and then ask your child to practice writing his/her spellings in it with his/her index finger. ...... If you would like additional help with dyslexia resources  Susan T is available as a tutor on Tutorfair. Alternatively find a  wide range of fantastic  Dyslexia Tutors  on Tutorfair. Check out more Tutorfair blogs here 1. How to Regain Confidence 2. Five Strategies to improve Academic performance

Keys to Success Beyond Hard Work and Intelligence

Keys to Success Beyond Hard Work and Intelligence Improving Academic Performance If you ask a random collection of people what is needed to be successful in school, you’ll probably receive quite a few responses along the lines of “hard work” or “a high IQ.” I would never suggest that one shouldn’t work hard, or shouldn’t always try to continually build their intelligence. But I think there’s mounting research and evidence that hard work and intelligence really aren’t the fundamental drivers of academic, professional, interpersonal/social, athletic, or artistic success. Before introducing four more fundamental keys to success, let’s briefly discuss why hard work and intelligence don’t really lead to success, and might even lead to failure. What’s wrong with “intelligence?” A few points to make here. Over the past thirty years or so, psychologists, educators, neuroscientists, and other researchers have been learning more and more about the brain, cognition, and how skills are developed. As this learning has accelerated, the very definition of intelligence is getting so complex that I’d argue the concept of “intelligence” may be losing its meaning. If you wanted to know how powerful or “intelligent” a computer was, you’d need to think about both its hardware and its software. An extremely powerful computer, with lots of memory and super-fast processing, isn’t actually very useful or productive without the right software programs loaded onto it. Human intelligence works a little bit like that. If you think of each of us as having hardware and software, like a computer, you can then understand the notion of “pure” intelligence as being concerned with the processing power of your brain, the strength of its short and long term memory, etc. Pure intelligence is what most people mean when the say “IQ,” and that’s supposed to be measuring your brain’s “hardware.” The software, then, is all of the knowledge you acquire as you grow up and go through school and life (i.e., math, science, philosophy, how to interact with people, athletic skills, musical ability etc.). And this can thus get very complex. Some research shows that pure IQ can actually increase over time with higher levels of sustained education. Standardized tests like the ACT and SAT and LSAT clearly correlate with IQ, but at the same time can absolutely be prepared and practiced for. Some of us are geniuses when it comes to chess and art, but really struggle with most other academic subjects. Most importantly, when you observe and evaluate other people to assess how “smart” or “intelligent” they are, you can’t see what their “pure” intelligence is, so you have to estimate it based on what they seem to know and how interact with you. But, that’s a function of how much education they’ve acquired, how serious and focused they were during their education, as well as their social skills, passion and curiosity, and ability to communicate. So, the problem is that people that appear to be or are intelligent (by whatever definition you want to use) generally got that way by working hard, being curious, being passionate, paying attention in school, etc. Intelligence is something you build over time and which helps you do things. It doesn’t explain why you are able to do or accomplish things that others haven’t or can’t. Or, from another angle, I think we’ve probably all been in classes or jobs with people who seem incredibly intelligent, but just aren’t that effective or successful. They may have poor communication skills, or spend too much time thinking about theory without taking action. In so many walks of life, intelligence is helpful, but only one of many factors that lead to success. What’s wrong with “hard work?” Hard work is problematic because it can be applied in the wrong ways. And, when this happens, it can even backfire, lead to failure, and decrease motivation. Imagine that you are studying for a math test, and you spend hours and hours reading over the chapters of the math text book. You genuinely put in many hours, and work very hard to pay attention to and digest what you are reading. You really are still very unlikely to do well on a math test, because math skills are best built by doing actual problems, failing, learning, and then practicing again. Also, teachers tend to have their own personal test question writing style, so looking at previous homework assignments, in-class exercises, or quizzes is probably critical as you prepare for a math test. Reading the book seems like a good idea, but isn’t probably all that effective. If you put in a lot of time preparing for your math test by reading the text book, and then you don’t perform well, you may lose faith and motivation. Hard work doesn’t always lead to positive results and success in school. You need to think strategically about where,how, why, and when you are putting in that hard work. What does recent research suggest leads to success? I’ll expand upon these points in a future article, but here are four critical concepts that are fundamental drivers of academic performance and success in business, music, athletics, and life in general. I’ve included links to other blog articles I’ve written on each of these important topics. Adopt a growth mindset â€" people with a growth mindset believe that intelligence is built up over time, much like a muscle. They focus on getting better at things, not at worrying about being good. This leads them towards difficult tasks with an open mind focused on learning and growth. People with a fixed mindset are more focused on evaluating themselves, and see their intelligence more like a fixed trait than a skill to be developed. They end up shying away from tasks at which they aren’t currently good, which then inhibits their ability to learn and grow. Use strategies â€" successful people use strategies in all aspects of their lives. This means they set goals, do research to figure out alternatives ways to reach those goals, make plans, monitor progress, and try to learn from mistakes. This allows them to put in the hard work in the right places. Heidi Grant Halvorson wrote a best-selling book called 9 Things Successful People Do Differently which is all about this topic. Have grit â€" this is a simple one. Research shows that grit â€" meaning you see tasks through to completion and persevere in the face of obstacles â€" does a better job of explaining success in high school and college than IQ or standardized tests scores. Imagine how important grit is when it comes to tasks that aren’t cognitive in nature. I am writing a summary of a book called How Children Succeed which focused on the importance of grit in academic success. Practice deliberately â€" the best way to build skill and become an expert is to work hard in a specific sort of way that some researchers call “deliberate practice.” It involves repetition, pushing yourself to your limits, immediate feedback, and yes, lots of hard work as well. Several of the books featured on MyGuru’s virtual bookshelf are about deliberate practice. If you want to be successful, you should of course place significant value on hard work and intelligence. However, be sure to focus first on understanding and incorporating into your life concepts like the four mentioned above.

February ACT Study Timeline 7 Steps to Success - TutorNerds

February ACT Study Timeline 7 Steps to Success - TutorNerds February ACT Study Timeline From an Orange County Test Prep Tutor The date to sign up for the December ACT has already passed, however, students can still sign up for the February ACT (READ: ACT Tips From a Private Irvine Tutor). Hopefully, most students have already started preparing for the February ACT, but for those who havent, here is a study timeline to help stay on track. One â€" Start with one section at a time Dont attempt to do the entire ACT at one time if you are just starting your studies. Break it up into each section.   Set aside five hours on five different days and designate the first day to an intro lesson, then the essay, the English section, the math section, the science section (READ: Ask a Nerd! Are the SAT and ACT Similar?). Two â€" Give yourself an introduction Spend an hour skimming through your ACT prep book and familiarize yourself with a few important things such as, how The ACT is graded, how to sign up for the ACT, and the basics of test prep. Do a few practice problems in each section and read through the basic ideas of process of elimination in your test prep book. Three â€" Tackle the essay Use the practice problems in your test prep book and write at least one essay. Show this essay to your tutor or to a trusted teacher or friend and ask them to give you honest and upfront feedback. Most students need to write several practice essays prior to taking the actual exam so get started now and plan to write a minimum of three to five practice essays between now and February (READ: Last Minute SAT Study Guide). Four â€" Tackle the English section Take a practice English section after your intro and tally up what your potential score would be. Write down the score and save it for later. Five â€" Move on to the math section Once the English practice test is done, go ahead and complete the math section. Review all of the basic mathematical concepts in the test prep book. The majority of students will already know these concepts and may have learned them several years ago but have long since forgotten them. Six â€" Try out the science section Go ahead and give the science section a try. In reality, this section will mostly be learning how to read charts and graphs but, this is a really important skill to have for the ACT. Once finished with all of the sections calculate a composite score using the directions in the back of the test prep book. Seven â€" Call for help if needed Many students call a tutor a few weeks prior to taking the real exam. Its much more helpful to know ahead of time which sections a student needs help on so it is recommended that students have taken at least one full practice exam, even if they are taking it over multiple days, several weeks in advance of the actual test. Once a student knows what their weaker areas are, they can focus on them specifically and speak with a tutor one-on-one to have a plan of action toward success. Students who are taking the ACT in February dont wait too late to sign up for your Irvine ACT tutor for the first time should plan to start their prep no later than mid December. Most students have at least a week off at the end of December; it is important to make arrangements ahead of time so that the intense tutoring and self-study can start in January. February is not the most popular time to take the ACT but its actually one of the better times to get it over with. Students are relaxed from the Thanksgiving and winter holidays and are usually recharged and able to take an exam without too much stress. Additionally, taking the ACT in February will not interfere with the intense AP study that will follow in April and May. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at info@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.

Have Words, Will Travel The Ultimate Guide to Useful Languages for Travelers

Have Words, Will Travel The Ultimate Guide to Useful Languages for Travelers The Ultimate Guide to Useful Languages for Travelers Travel and language were made for each other.One doesnt necessarily require the other, but either one is  infinitely more enjoyable and worthwhile  when paired with  the other.If you needed any more reasons to learn a foreign language, travel is definitely a good one. Travelers preparing for a round-the-world gap year or a long weekend away in a neighboring  country often pack  a phrasebook or even take a few classes in the foreign language with which theyll need to navigate their foreign travel.Those spending a year teaching overseas or working as expats may even consider learning the local language to be a fundamental  requirement of a respectful visitor.Chances are, if youre traveling soon, you could at least benefit from learning a few friendly phrases or more in your destinations language. In fact, travelers have more reason than just about anyone else to learn a new language. Why Travelers Make the Best Language LearnersThe world is unthinkably vast, and so are its cultures a nd languages.Its estimated that there are over seven thousand languages spoken on Earth today. While you certainly dont need to learn every one of them, any traveler ought to view a new language as a key to a treasure chest full of authentic cultural experiences and new friends all over the world.Anyone planning on spending more than a few days in a foreign region  should devote some time to learning at least a dozen or so polite phrases in the local language.Its not just your best shot at meeting locals and finding out what any given place is  really  like, but its also a way of being a respectful traveler. Despite the fact that many people around the world speak English, most will be quite insulted if they feel visitors in their country expect  them to speak and understand English. Even just learning simple travel phrases like  Im sorry, I dont speak your language, do you speak English? will distance you from off-putting images of rude, entitled tourists.Most importantly, learning about a regions local languages should be a key factor in any travelers language learning decisions.  Learning Mandarin Chinese is great, but maybe not the most practical choice for your summer abroad in Hong Kong or Guangzhou. Swahili will offer you a super authentic safari experience, but dont expect to speak it during your South African backpacking trip.This definitive guide breaks the world up into culturally and linguistically similar regions that correspond well with the usual itineraries of backpackers, expats and holiday-goers. Well give a quick mention of how much you can plan to rely on English in each region, offer a few of the most useful  languages for travelers and end with a few quick suggestions of other travel-friendly languages for narrower regions or more culturally ambitious trips.The Ultimate Guide to Useful Languages for TravelersThe Languages of Eurasia: Talking the Talk on Your EurotripFirst-time travelers and even seasoned veterans are usually surprised to hear that Europe is, by a wide  margin, the least linguistically diverse  continent on our planet (not counting relatively quiet Antarctica). With a mere 286 languages spoken by its inhabitants, Europe makes up a puny 4% of world languages.While traveling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains, from the northernmost points of Scandinavia to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, from the former Soviet states of the Caucasus Mountains and into Central Asia, a handful of geographically extensive  languages will get you around  conveniently and enjoyably.English: The European Travelers Best FriendThanks to high levels of  education and a decidedly global outlook, youll find that English is handier here than in just about any other non-native-speaking corner of the world.While you shouldnt expect English to get you into deep philosophical debates  with strangers in Italian coffee shops or Russian bars, you can count on finding enough English speakers to at least give you basic assi stance and a little company in nearly every large city and university town throughout the continent.In general, the farther north and west you go, the larger the city and the smaller the global reach  of the local language, the more English youll find. But dont forget that English  is only native to the United Kingdom in this region, and that by relying exclusively on  widely-understood English travel vocabulary, youre missing out on the deeper cultural layers of  each country you visit.German: Your All-access Pass to Central Europe and BeyondGermany is close to  the geographic, political and financial center of Europe, so it makes sense that this powerful countrys equally powerful language penetrates far and wide. Your native-speaking countries are limited to Switzerland, parts of Belgium and Luxembourg, Austria and mother Germany herself, but the German language will come in handy  far beyond these borders.Young people throughout the Netherlands, the UK and Central Europe are lear ning German more and more as its namesake country increasingly offers jobs and opportunities to young Europeans, but the youths arent the only ones who know a bit of Deutsch. Huge guest worker populations from Eastern Europe and the Balkans spent several decades working in Austria and Germany, leaving many members of the middle generation of these countries fairly proficient German speakers.A few well-used phrases will be sure to to make your Central European tour  sehr  gut.Russian: The Travelers Tool for Traversing EurasiaThe official language of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will see you from the Baltic Sea all the way to the Bering Strait. While the Soviet Union has never existed in many young travelers lifetimes, one of its convenient legacies  is the widespread use of the Russian language it left behind.Aside from the countries in which its an  official state language, theres a long list of other Eastern European and West Asian countries that  formally recognize R ussian as a minority language, including Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Georgia, Romania and Norway.While not official, its important role as a significant minority language or inter-ethnic language will assure Russian-speaking travelers that theyll have easy communication in part or most of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Mongolia and Uzbekistan.Other Useful Languages for Traveling in Europe and EurasiaFrench isnt only a good choice for  France, but its  also still popularly learned by educated people of all generations throughout Europe.Spanish is another handy world language for travelers in Europe. Outside Spain, its commonalities with Portuguese and Italian will help you get through its southern European neighbors as well.Additionally, the Serbo-Croatian dialects of the Balkans are all mutually intelligible, and  will give you a priceless opportunity to ditch the resorts and explore natural beauty that cant be beat in the rest of Europe .The East Asian Languages That Open Doors for TravelersEurope was once the whole worlds go-to destination for vacations and backpacking trips, but these days travelers are looking farther and farther east. China, Japan, the Koreas, Taiwan and autonomous Hong Kong and Macau together contain over one-fifth of the worlds people and a bottomless  trove of travel treasures.This regions colonial history and a couple centuries of mutual resentment  between peoples and governments has made sure that no one countrys official language has evolved into a regional language.For a trip through the whole region, English will afford  the most geographic reach, as its learned nearly everywhere by the highly educated and those who work in the tourism industry. But beyond English, try a few local languages on for size.Mandarin: One Country, a Billion People and a Lifetime of Travel OpportunitiesAs not only the language with the most speakers  in the world but also the official state language of the la rgest country in this region, Mandarin is the obvious big name on this list.Most  visitors to China arrange to take organized tours, often  led by Mandarin-speaking officials. While English tours are certainly available, speaking a bit of  Chinese will almost certainly ingratiate you to your guide and any locals you get a chance to meet. And for the even more adventurous, a sturdy level of Mandarin will help you navigate the enormous country more independently (although many people in its Western provinces dont speak the state language).Mandarin is also the official language of Taiwan, a radical travel alternative to Mainland China. Although the island nation doesnt technically exist according to most of the world, a little Mandarin will help you enjoy its tropical weather, high level of development, and relatively cheap cost of travel and living.Cantonese: Taking Travelers to Southern China and BeyondSometimes  forgotten in the shadow of big brother Mandarin, Cantonese is another e normous world language spoken in China and beyond its borders. As the most prestigious variety  of the Yue language, Cantonese (along with other  languages with which its mutually intelligible) is used by  60 million speakers spread across southern China, Hong Kong and Macau.Cantonese has a bit more geographic reach than Mandarin, as the vast majority of Chinese expat communities in East and Southeast Asiaâ€"and in most of the world beyondâ€"are Cantonese speakers. From the Yokohama Chinatown on Tokyos south side to the capitals of Southeast Asia, in almost any big Asian city, youll find at least a small community of Cantonese speakers.Other Handy Languages for Travelers in East AsiaJapanese is another enormous world language, with its 125 million speakers, but its limitation to travelers is that it doesnt go very far outside Japan.Korean is similarly large and confined, but the gradual growth of the North Korean tourism industry may offer enough incentive for the most adventurous o f travelers to invest in the language.Traveling Through the Backpackers Paradise: Handy Languages for Southeast Asia and OceaniaEven more than the tourism giants in the northeast part of the continent, Southeast Asia is the number one backpacking hotspot these days. Cheap accommodation, spectacular food and the growing presence of backpackers is creating a touristic snowball in this region. Many travelers continue from Southeast Asia proper into Indonesia, the Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand.Because of the areas  popularity with travelers and the influence of Australia, English is becoming common in tourist hot spots, but it doesnt look like itll penetrate farther than the biggest cities and tourist-crowded beaches any time soon (other than in Australia and New Zealand of course, where its the native language). Until it does, think about studying up on one of these languages for your Southeast Asia trip.Thai: The Language Thats Begging Travelers to Become ExpatsThailand i s currently one of the most popular destinations for Westerners (and people from all over the globe) who work remotely from their laptops, the trendily named digital nomads who roam around and freelance or manage businesses online. If youre looking to go location independent or just want to spend a few months in one of the cheapest expat-friendly countries in existence, then some Thai lessons would help you get a deeper and more authentic experience of the country.Beyond Thailands borders, some Thai speakers will also understand  Laotian, spoken in its even cheaper but less developed neighboring country, making a Laotian vacation an excellent option for Thai-speaking expats based in popular cities like Chiang Mai or Bangkok.Indo-Malay: The World Language to Carry You through the Rest of OceaniaThe fuzzy boundary between the Indonesian and Malaysian languages coincides with the fuzzy geographic boundary between whats conventionally known as Southeast Asia and Oceania. Largely  becaus e of those fuzzy boundaries,  learning the language referred to in Malaysia as Malay and in Indonesia as Indonesian will put you in touch with about a quarter of a billion locals scattered across these thousands of islands.Also helpful is the fact that its incredibly easy to learn: Indo-Malays  lack of verb tenses and simple grammar means a couple weeks of intensive courses at the beginning of your trip should leave you reasonably prepared for everyday basic communication, and if you stick to it your skills will only improve as you make your way from island to island!Other Helpful Languages for Travelers in Southeast Asia and OceaniaTagalog is the official language of the Philippines, and Spanish speakers will find it easy and even familiar. Throughout mainland Southeast Asia, older, educated citizens of the former French colonies of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are likely to speak some of the colonial language.South Asia: Languages for Traveling the Indian SubcontinentEvery country o f modern South Asia once formed part of the British Empire, which is why youll find that English will be exceptionally useful in this region, although itll be a very different English than the varieties Brits and Americans are used to.Modern day India, with its one billion inhabitants, is now the second-largest English-speaking country in the world, with the official state language being used for inter-ethnic communication between different groups in the linguistically super-diverse country.While the inherited colonial  language will certainly serve you well here, dedicated travelers should consider learning a bit of the other important local languages.Hindustani: The Superlanguage of India and PakistanIndia is already a hot backpacking and luxury travel destination, and Pakistan is  steadily  climbing its way up as it improves its security and infrastructure. Between these two giant countries, four hundred  million native and second language speakers use Hindi or Urdu, two standard dialects of the giant language linguists call Hindustani.Throughout North India and most of Pakistan, Hindi or Urdu will be spoken by nearly everyone you meet, and for many people this will be their native language, not the English that they learned in schoolâ€"English takes the back seat as a third or fourth language for most.  A few well-placed phrases in Hindi or Urdu are your best shot at charming your way into the hospitality and natural beauty of India and Pakistan.Bengali: For Travelers on the Cutting EdgeSandwiched between  giant names like India and China and the tourist attractions of  Southeast Asia, 200 million speakers in Bangladesh and Indias Bengal province are buzzing with the worlds seventh largest language. Bangladesh and its neighboring Indian province  are densely populated parts of the Bay of Bengal, with some of the most beautiful and undiscovered wildlife in the world.Bangladesh hasnt really reached the mainstream travel itineraries as of yet, but its tourism industry is growing. If you want to get there before it gets cool, brush up on your Bengali  and book a flight!Other Languages to Think About for Your South Asian TravelsIf youre more focused on the southern parts of India, a language like Telugu would be especially handy, as its spoken and understood throughout several of the southern states.If you want to trek into the remote regions of Tibet in the north of the subcontinent, Tibetan will give you priceless access to cultural opportunities most travelers only dream of.The Middle East and North Africa: Languages for Traveling the Arab WorldWhen most people think of the Middle East and the Arab World, Arabic is, pretty reasonably, the first language that comes to mind. The only problem is that there isnt really a language called Arabic, or at least not one thatll do you much good.What we call Arabic might refer either to the written literary language that children learn in school throughout the Arab world but is rarely used for ora l conversation, or to a loose collection of related languages, many of which are mutually unintelligible, across the Middle East and North Africa.English is fairly useful in Israel and in capitals and wealthy cities in Egypt, Iraq, Turkey and the Gulf Countries. A few other languages, both native and colonial, will get you even farther through North Africa and the Middle East.Egyptian Arabic: Talk Like an Arab Movie StarWhile there really isnt a spoken Standard Arabic, Egyptian Arabic may be the closest thing to it. This isnt just because of its relative economic and political power in the Middle East, or the fact that Egypt is the most populous Arab country, but because the Hollywood of the Arab World is in Cairo, the heart of both Arab cinema and the place where most foreign films are dubbed into a distinctly Egyptian Arabic.While it may not help you to understand far-removed dialects of Arabic, it will ensure that you can at least get your point across in most places.French: For Travel on the Southern Side of the MediterraneanLarge parts of North Africa and the Middle East were parts of the French Empire before World War II, and the French language remains prominent and even official in many of the former colonies. The vast majority of middle class people in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon still speak fluent French.Very many people you meet in cities will be fluent in French, and you may find that many are happy to chat with a curious traveler, so make sure you learn at least the must-know French phrases for navigating these parts.Farsi: The Prince of Persian TravelAmericans may still have more trouble getting visas than others, but Iran is a rapidly up-and-coming travel destination. Ask any backpacker whos been there and theyll rave about hospitality, openness and well-educated people. Imagine how much more of that you could soak up with some basic Farsi!The same language, under various different national names, is spoken in Afghanistan and parts of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. While the first name on that list wont be a popular vacation destination any time soon, the latter two are becoming more and more common legs of Central Asian tours.Other Languages for Travelers in the Middle East and North AfricaGulf Arabic is one of the widest-reaching Arabic dialects, understood throughout the Gulf States and in large swaths of Saudi Arabia.Turkish will help you not only in Turkey but in regions that speak similar Turkic languages in Iran and Central Asia.Sub-Saharan Africa: Languages for  Traveling Far Off the Beaten PathAfrica is the second largest, second most populous and second most linguistically diverse continent on the planet, but as a travel destination its nothing but first rate.Colonial European empires divided the entire African continent up with the exception of unconquered Ethiopia. Thats why French will take you through most of Western and Central Africa and English will work for a large part of whats left. You could trav el overland from Cape Town to Kenya, crossing through anywhere from five to ten different countries without ever crossing through one where English isnt an official language.While  many travelers are happy getting through Africa with more familiar European languages, several native African languages are worth investing in for your trip as well.Swahili: The East African Lingua FrancaWhile native to only a small population of five million or so, Swahili is spoken and understood by one hundred and fifty  million people, stretching from eastern parts of the Congo to the Indian Ocean shores of Tanzania and Kenya.Most of the most spectacular safari countries are situated in the Swahili language area, so  speaking the language might allow you to take a more authentic safari or other tour thats more geared towards locals.Shona:  For an Authentic Southeast African ExperienceSoutheastern Africa, while among the poorest regions of the entire earth, is also raved about by visitors  as one of th e friendliest and most welcoming. From the hippo-filled Okavango Delta of Botswana, throughout Zimbabwe and to the remote northern beaches of Mozambique, Shona is the mother tongue of most locals youll meet, and even simple phrases like thank you or your country is beautiful is sure to endear you to everyone you meet.Learn a few words of  Shona and visit the nature of the  Zimbabwean countryside, or surprise yourself with the well-maintained roads and highly developed cities of Botswana.Portuguese: For the Hardiest of TravelersPortuguese is spoken in a geographically scattered collection of African countries: Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau and the island nation of São Tome and Principe.Angola is notoriously stingy  with its tourist visas, making it nearly impossible for most Western travelers to even get in, and thus leaving  it an internationally undiscovered gem. Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau wont be as difficult to get into, but youll find their infrastructure reflects the fac t that all three are among the least developed countries in the world.Other Practical Languages for Travelers in Sub-Saharan AfricaHausa in West Africa is a  large Bantu Language with many millions of speakers and lots of mutually-intelligible dialects.Amharic is spoken by nearly 22 million people in Ethiopia, arguably the African continents most culturally distinct country due to  its unique history.The Americas: Languages for Traveling the Western HemisphereMore so than maybe any other part of the world, the colonial history of the Americas has left it for the most part neatly divided between a handful of large European world languages.Two main languages can get you uninterrupted from the northernmost reaches of the Yukon to the southern tips of Tierra del Fuego, and two more will put you in contact with the overwhelming majority of the population of North and South America.English: The Language of American Pop Cultural ImperialismThroughout the last century English has grown in i nternational importance, but the source of that wasnt its namesake, England. Most of global English has been propelled by Hollywood movies and Wall Street banks spreading their language, culture and money throughout the world. As a result of that, not just in the Americas, but throughout most parts of the world frequented by tourists, people understand at least a few basic English travel phrases.Compared to other parts of the world, English is less varied throughout North America, and most speakers should understand just about everything they hear from the most remote parts of Canada to either coast  of the US.In more developed countries and those with strong ties to the US and Canada, like Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, you stand a better chance of finding English speakers than in other parts of Latin America.Spanish: The  Language of Latin AmericaSpanish is the unifying force from the Rio Grande to Patagonia and beyond. Additionally, most Spanish-speaking travelers will fin d Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and South  Florida all relatively easy to navigate without English, and all large North American cities have sizable Hispanic populations.Dont get discouraged if you learn the language and cant understand it in some regions. Parts of the Caribbean and the Southern Cone of South America are notoriously difficult for non-natives and even some native Spanish speakers to understand. But do be forewarned that remote areas of the Americas, especially in southern Mexico and Andean countries, may lack Spanish speakers entirely and instead have large populations of people who speak an indigenous language as their first (and possibly only) language.Some pre-trip classes or just a few important Spanish phrases will be majorly helpful in these parts of the world.Other Useful Languages for Exploring the AmericasPortuguese is the next best language for this region. While its limited to one country in South America, it happens to be the fifth-largest countr y in the world, full of some of the most appealing tourist destinations in the world. French will serve well in Quebec, French Guiana and the Caribbean Islands, and might open up some interesting chats in southern Louisiana, where Cajun French still runs strong.Dutch is the national language of Suriname and six Caribbean Islands.Quechua is one of the biggest indigenous languages of the Andes, and will get you far in more remote areas in the region.Learn a Language, Travel the WorldYou may have noticed that a lot of the benefits of the languages mentioned here have to do with connecting with locals. While its true that hordes of backpackers struggle through Southeast Asia every year on English alone, those who spent a month studying Vietnamese before starting their tour of the country will tell you how even the most basic communicative skills open up entire countries of new possibilities.To prepare yourself for any trip abroad, prepare yourself ahead of time by reading travel guides and phrasebooksâ€"youll arrive knowing about the destinations, local language, culture, etiquette and customs. Lonely Planet has travel guides and phrasebooks for virtually every region and language under the sun, so its a great place to start learning.Anything you can do to prepare yourself before traveling makes a difference.We know there are a ton of benefits for learning a language, but no one benefits from it as much as a world traveler. If youre planning a big trip in the near future, its time to start brushing up on your language skills today!Jakob is a full-time traveler, obsessive language learner and dedicated language teacher. He writes about language, travel and the many places they meet on the road at his blog Globalect. And One More ThingSo, about brushing up your language skills for that foreign adventure youve come to the right place!FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning ex periences, 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 interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the iTunes store  or Google Play store.

Colegio Americano de Torreon

Colegio Americano de Torreon Colegio Americano de Torreon Colegio Americano de Torreon is a bilingual-bicultural nursery to a 12th-grade institution based on the best teaching practices. Through a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, we are dedicated to preparing our students to be socially committed leaders and responsible citizens who are successful in a global environment. Core classes are taught in English. Graduates earn a U.S. high school diploma as well as a Mexican Bachillerato certificate. Location Colegio Americano de Torreón A.C. (CAT) is a private, non-profit college preparatory school governed by a fifteen-member board of directors. It was founded in 1950 and accredited in 1954. The school is located in Torreón, an industrial city that is part of a metropolitan area known as the Laguna that includes the neighboring towns of Lerdo and Gomez Palacio, with a combined population of approximately 1,400,000. Facilities The schools 27- acre campus is located approximately 20 minutes from downtown Torreón in a middle-class neighborhood called Los Viñedos. Our modern facilities include 95 classrooms, seven science labs, six computer labs, two libraries, a covered semi Olympic size swimming pool, two gymnasiums with basketball and volleyball courts, three soccer fields, one softball field, two tennis courts and other areas for physical education. Since the last accreditation visit, we have added a modern 400-meter tartan track and a state of the art Center for Visual and Performing Arts that includes a fully equipped theater that seats 470 people, a black box, and appropriate classrooms for band, orchestra, art, and digital animation. We also have a new early childhood center. This new facility spans over 17,700 square meters or 4.4 acres. It is fully enclosed and has 22 classrooms, a library, a computer room, a music room, a kitchen classroom, an indoor playground, a multipurpose room, a dining area, an outdoor playground area, and offices. Per our commitment to protect the environment, the building will be illuminated with daylighting technologies (Solatubes), high-efficiency air conditioning systems, and will have its water treatment plant. These new facilities will be used starting next school year. Our Community CAT serves approximately 900 families, most of them are upper-middle-class Mexican professionals who seek a bilingual Spanish-English education for their children. Our school is also the first option for a few international families living temporarily in Torreón for professional reasons. The schools organization extends from Pre-Nursery to 12th grade with a total enrollment of 1438 students with 255 in early childhood, 513 in elementary, and 670 in secondary school (7th through 12th grade). CAT also offers Intensive English, a separate, concentrated English-language program for incoming seventh graders who did not attend CAT in elementary school. The student body is 97% Mexican, 3% other international students including from the US and enrollment has been increasing slowly but steadily; the student population was 1413 in the 2014-2015 school year and is now 1483 in 2019. The school director, principals, and assistant principals, along with directors of technology, curriculum, athletics, public relations, finance, and human resources assist with daily operations. The school has a total staff of 284, of which 112 are teachers, thirty-eight of them foreign hire teachers mainly from the US. We also have s teacher from South Africa, the Philippines, Paraguay, and Canada. Other staff includes five counselors, twenty-three teaching assistants, two nurses, thirty-three office workers, forty-two custodians, and forty-three coaches and teachers in the after-school extracurricular activities program. More than 50% of our teachers have a masters degree. View our Brochure View our Brochure

Budgeting while teaching in Korea

Budgeting while teaching in Korea A lot of people will agree that one of the major reasons people choose to teach English in Korea is… the money. Of course, the culture, food, experience and all that is great too. But Korea is one of the few countries in the world that offers such great teaching contracts that require little to no teaching experience or qualifications. I taught in Korea for a year between 2013-2014 and it was honestly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only did I grow as a person (cheesy, but true), I was also able to pay off about $6500 of my student debt and have cash for a 4 month backpacking stint across Southeast Asia. Today I’m sharing with you my personal spending habits and expenses from when I was living in Seoul, South Korea, so you get a better understanding of how much money you can expect to save and spend while you’re there. Of course, some of this will vary, but this is a general expectation for teachers who are about to embark on the Korea experience. You could save more or less depending on how frugal you are. Sure, you want to save money - but you’re also in a really interesting and exciting part of the world and there’s so much to do and see. Keep your spending in check but make sure to enjoy yourself and the money you’re working hard to earn. Income My average monthly income was $1650 USD per month. I was a university graduate with no teaching experience and I think this is pretty average for someone with similar experience and qualifications. While it’s possible to earn more, this was more than enough for me to live comfortably. Accommodation I lived in a small, studio apartment that was paid for by my school, with my bills/taxes/health insurance taken out of my pay every month. To be honest, I can’t remember how much it all cost but it was never more than $150 in total. Transit Thanks to the convenient location of my apartment, I walked to work everyday and only used transit on the weekends. With the subway costing about $1 per ride, I probably spent a maximum of $20 a month for the subway. Phone $0 - Can you believe I survived an entire year without a phone plan? Thanks to wifi being so widespread in Seoul I got by just fine without a phone plan and just connected my iPhone to wifi whenever I needed. Groceries I spent an average of $326/month on groceries and that included some specialty, expensive “foreign” food like cheese and avocados because hey - I like that stuff! Shopping I was able to feed my shopping addiction with about $250/month. Entertainment My partying and entertainment spending was around $225/month (this also included weekend trips). I mostly went out with friends for drinks/karaoke on the weekends and didn’t do much during the week because a) I was lazy and b) didn’t finish work until around 8:30pm. Miscellaneous I also spent about $100 on miscellaneous things per month and this number fluctuated a fair bit. Stuff like haircuts, prescription medication, gym memberships, taxis and gifts were thrown into this category. Eating Out Coffee, snacks, fast food and an occasional dinner out made up this category and I spent about $60 a month. Total Savings per Month Income $1650 Accommodation $0 Transit $20 Phone $0 Groceries $326 Shopping $250 Entertainment $225 Misc. $100 Eating Out $60 Total savings/month $669 So there you have it! I had the most amazing time while I was teaching in Korea and would recommend the experience to anyone and everyone. So what are you waiting for? Check out our job board and start applying!

Helping Students Do Math - Homework Help That Works

Helping Students Do Math - Homework Help That WorksIn some classrooms, homework help is an absolute necessity. When students don't do their homework on time, they often have a hard time doing it at all, especially if there is a homework problem they've been unable to solve in the past. If a student can't do a particular activity on time or fail to do it at all, the entire class is deprived of that much-needed help.Homework help can also be helpful for students who need a little extra help learning math. Students who need a little extra help may have difficulty solving a math problem themselves. Even though some teachers may allow such students to solve their own problems, many teachers prefer to have their students work with a trusted math tutor. The homework help tutors provide for students who need extra help.When a student is facing problems, a math tutor can help them understand the rules of the math equation. The tutor can then help the student to translate the equations to the different methods of solving the problem.Teachers who feel their students are having trouble grasping the various algebraic problems often refer them to a math tutor. Although a tutor can only help the student with the problems that they see firsthand, a tutor can help a student who has trouble grasping the problems because they have not learned it before. This can be especially helpful when the student has a lot of algebraic problems that need to be solved.In order to use the tips that you have learned about the algebraic equations, students should always be focused on solving a math problem. Some students are not able to concentrate on problems because they're distracted by the things they like to do in the classroom, such as listening to music or reading. Once a student begins to concentrate on a problem, he or she can then focus on getting it right the first time.Students who are very interested in learning how to solve problems can use the workbooks to solve math problems. By u sing the workbooks, students will get better at solving math problems in the long run. While the student may need more work to get good at algebra, the student will get better at solving math problems as the course progresses.When students have problems, a math tutor can help a student avoid making mistakes. A student who has problems with math can benefit from getting extra help with their homework help. If a student can't solve a math problem himself, a math tutor can make sure that the student understands the problem and how to solve it.

Teaching Tutors Who Teach Biology: Is Online the Right Option?

Teaching Tutors Who Teach Biology: Is Online the Right Option?If you are looking for a tutor biology, you must know that you can find a teacher who will help you in your studies. However, you have to choose the right teacher for you.You need to know that you need a tutor in school in order to learn the things you need to know. A tutor biology can be found in your school or in online universities. It depends on your choice of the teacher you want to hire.There are those who would prefer a classroom learning environment with an instructor who is always there. They would like a certain time and place where they can be with their classmates and teachers. If you decide to take online classes, then your tutor biology can be a lecturer on a website. It also depends on the teacher you hire.If you need a tutor in your child's private school, you need to select the right one. As most private schools hire their own teachers. You can also get the best option in the internet or the self-teaching option.The way the tutors teach students are very different from one another. Some of them can teach by just reading books and using teaching aids while others are more hands-on and require extra material and extra time to prepare the material. You need to know how the tutor biological uses his/her resources and what kind of material he/she likes to teach. With this, you can decide whether you want a teacher who is online or one who teaches by using teaching aids in class.When you hire a teacher, be sure that you are hiring someone who can use his/her teaching skills and knowledge in the classroom. However, you may also ask questions as to what type of material you would like taught in class.If you are looking for a tutor biology, you need to know the information you need and how you can tell whether or not you are hiring the right teacher. With this, you can have the right teacher you need for your child.