Learning Nursing Assistant CNA Tutoring?

Learning Nursing Assistant CNA Tutoring?There are many reasons to choose CNA tutoring, including being able to pay for it yourself. The term 'nursing assistant' is a common phrase in the nursing world, but it does not mean the same thing to a CNA tutor as it does to those who work in the medical field. There are two schools to consider when choosing CNA tutoring - online and on-campus. While you should do some research before making a decision, it is easier to find a company that has both online and on-campus tutoring options available.Both programs are effective at teaching students how to care for patients or the patients themselves and not just how to dress and look nice. Because of this, more people are interested in learning the nursing assistant profession. This field of study was only recently made a real career choice for women, but is beginning to become more available for men. It is possible to start your career within the industry and continue into medical school.In the on line classes, you can participate in modules that take you from the customer service aspect of the job, to medication administration, to caring for patients, to patient assessment and care. Some of the topics include the importance of teamwork, manual surgery, lifting and the sterile environment. Depending on the college or university that you choose, you may be able to learn more about the field than you would have had the opportunity to attend an actual classroom setting.On the other hand, you can enroll in a classroom setting, where you can interact with people who are similar to you. One big reason that many nurses prefer this option is that they find it easier to learn on their own time. You can also be assigned an actual nurse or other health care professional to act as your professor.You will be more comfortable at a class setting because there are fewer distractions. In a large classroom, there is always someone else who is talking, waiting for their turn, or texting their f riends. In a classroom, there are no distractions, so you have to keep your eyes on the stage or desk, at least. When you are working alone, you must concentrate on a subject, which is easier for any student to do.The classroom setting is also ideal for clinical work. You will have direct interaction with a real person during your work, and you will need to be comfortable doing so. The work can involve going up to a patient or being at a bedside to write down vital signs, do physical exams, and make sure that the patient is in good health.As you can see, class and on-campus tutoring offer two different methods for learning. The one you choose will depend on your needs, your time, and your schedule. Find out how you can find a quality program in your area today.

How can I evaluate an argument essay in 2 seconds

How can I evaluate an argument essay in 2 seconds Many college teachers assign either opinion essays or argument essays to their English Second Language students. These highly structured writing assignments give students practice organizing their ideas and defending a point of view. The goal is to prepare students to go on and write research reports or graduate theses at university. However, when it comes time to score these opinion essays or argument essays, the correction load for the teacher can be enormous. Clearly, teachers need an automated essay evaluation system. This article discusses automatically scoring argument essays, but there are other automated evaluations on the Virtual Writing Tutor if you are interested: Pen pal exchange project IELTS practice tests Film analysis essay evaluation The impact of one hundred and fifty 500-word argument essays on a teachers time If a college student submits a 500-word essay with structural problems and grammatical errors, the teacher will likely end up spending up to 20 minutes trying to provide feedback on how to improve it. With 150 students submitting 150 essays at once, one essay assignment will generate up to 50 hours of correction work for the teacher. The teacher will then spend the next two weeks doing little else. Since many students depend on the teacher for guidance on how to improve the essay and maximize their score, the teacher often feels compelled to provide detailed and thorough feedback. Without collaboration from the teacher, ESL teachers believe the student might not be able to make the revisions needed to meet the high standards required at university. In this way, we teachers place a lot of pressure on ourselves to help our students improve their writing. The red pen is still an important tool for giving corrective feedback What is the impact of correction time on practice opportunities? You should know that teachers limit the number of writing tasks they give their students because of the correction load each essay assignment generates. There is a physical limit to how long we can stay hunched over a desk correcting student essays. If we assign too many, we will burn out, not get the corrections done, or become so overloaded that we end up giving students low quality feedback and unreliable scores. What if we could give students more essay writing practice without increasing our correction load? What if we could give consistently reliable, objective, and detailed feedback? And what if we had an automatic essay evaluation system? An automatic essay evaluation system For the past 7 years, I have been hard at work developing Natural Language Processing tools for the Virtual Writing Tutor to give feedback on English Second Language student writing. I have devoted most of my time to coding error detection rules for the Virtual Writing Tutors grammar checker. However, along the way, I have developed a number of feedback tools: a paraphrase checker, a word counter, a target structure checker, a vocabulary checker, a cohesion checker, and a sentence checker. While interesting in their own right, I realize now that they are of limited usefulness to students. Students need more meaningful practice bu teachers are swamped by corrections Indeed, students dont always know how to interpret the feedback from a grammar checker website such as mine. Unless the teacher specifically trains the learner to use the feedback to eliminate errors, improve cohesion, extend their vocabulary, or improve their paraphrasing skills, students arent always sure what steps to take to improve their scores. Recently, I have discovered that feedback on form is a lot more compelling to students when it comes with a score. When the NLP tools listed above are all integrated into a self-scoring pen pal exchange project, IELTS academic writing tests, a film analysis essay checker or argument essay evaluation system, students know just what to do. They use the score and feedback to maximize their next score. They want to level up as they would in a game. An argument essay writing module I have been collaborating with with Dr. Frank Bonkowski at Cegep St-Laurent to create a new automatic scoring system. This one is for the argument essay writing task he has given this term. His students chose 7 topics that interested them, and we designed a system to identify their topic and give feedback on all aspects of their structure, vocabulary, cohesion, strength of their claims, and grammar. This argument essay writing task and evaluation is free for anyone to use. Please share. Demonstration of the argument evaluation test without sound Before you try it with students, you should know that the argument essay task is rather complex. So, here is a step-by-step lesson that will help you teach students how to write a successful argument essay from scratch. But first, what is an argument essay? An argument essay is an opinion essay that includes an opposing view, a concession, and a refutation. This discourse model requires some research, reflection, and a considerable amount of time to organize ideas into a coherent structure. Dont worry. If your students have access to a computer, they will quickly get the hang of it using the Virtual Writing Tutor. Youll be amazed. Step 1: Score a model argument essay When the tools are integrated, interpreting the feedback is easy To begin, start by trying out the argument essay evaluation test with each of the two model essays below. Try the one that needs improvement first with your students to see if they can improve the score. Then, have them try it with the second essay. Sugar Tax Essay that Needs ImprovementDownload Sugar Tax Model EssayDownload Score my argument essay now Step 2: Outline an argument essay with the essay outliner Ask students to use the model essays with the argument essay outliner to develop an outline. Once they are able to outline an existing essay with the easy essay outliner, they are ready to write their own outline. This will prepare them for the actual essay writing exam. The essay outliner makes it easy to create an outline You can print out the outline or generate a PDF Step 3: Choose one of 7 Debatable Topics Ask students to choose one of the 7 different topics below to research. They will need to find at least three articles. They should search for at least two articles in support of their point of view and one opposing view. abortionclimate changebody imageanimal rightsgender equalityinternet censorship Debate websites like iDebate with its searchable Debatabase are excellent resources for finding arguments for and against a point of view. Step 4: Outline an essay on one of the topics The students should now outline their own argument essay using the information they found during their research. Their experience with the previous steps will make it easy for them. Step 5: Write an argument essay Once students have written an outline, they will be ready to write their own essay. They should make sure that they follow the prescribed structure described below with a title and a Cited Works section. The 5-Paragraph Hamburger Essay Structure Argument essay writing prompt Instructions:Write a 450-750 word argumentative essay on one of these topics:abortion, climate change, animal rights, body image, feminism (a.k.a. gender equality), immigration, or internet censorship.Use the essay structure described below. Paragraph 1: introduction Opening:Begin the essay with a provocative, thought-provoking question. You could begin, for example, withDid you know that…?Context:Establish the importance of the topic. Use phrases like these:a vital factor in, the leading cause of, widely considered to be, set to become, undergoing a revolution, is responsible for.Thesis:Include a debatable thesis about one of these areas of controversy:abortion, climate change, animal rights, body image, feminism, immigration, internet censorship. Paragraph 2: first supporting argument Topic sentence:Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and includes the first of the two topics in your thesis sentence.Argue:Refer tofacts, statistics, logic, what is reasonable, what follows from the evidence,andconclusions one can draw.Evidence:Give evidence from your reading and research using these types of words:according to, to quote from, tells us that, shows us that, referring to, argues that, stated, wrote, argued, discussed, expressed the concern that, as written.Use these quotation marks:Cite sources:Properly cite quoted text using the persons family name in parentheses (Einstein).Support: Give examples to support your claims using words and phrases such as these:for example, for instance, suppose that, take the case of, that is, to be exact, to explain, to illustrate, to put another way, to show what I mean. Paragraph 3: second supporting argument Topic sentence:Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and includes the second of the two topics in your thesis sentence.Argue:Refer tofacts, statistics, logic, what is reasonable, what follows from the evidence, and conclusions you can draw.Evidence:Give evidence from your reading and research using these types of words:according to, to quote from, tells us that, shows us that, referring to, argues that, stated, wrote, argued, discussed, expressed the concern that, as written.Use these quotation marks:Cite sources:Properly cite quoted text using the persons family name in parentheses (Einstein).Support: Give examples to support your claims using words and phrases such as these:for example, for instance, suppose that, take the case of, that is, to be exact, to explain, to illustrate, to put another way, to show what I mean. Paragraph 4: counterargument Topic sentence:Summarize an opposing view with words like these:some people claim, some believe, others believe, some people object to, try to refute, discount, reject, it is often argued that, the opposing side will claimConcede:Show which parts of the counterargument have merit with words like these:concede that, granted, indeed, it is true that, while it is true that, naturally, to be sure, admittedly, one cannot deny thatRefute:Refute the counterargument using words like these:nonetheless, nevertheless, regardless, whereas, although, and yet, in contrast, by contrast, despite, there is countervailing evidence, that said, however Paragraph 5: conclusion Reformulation of the thesis:Restate the thesis in different words from the introduction.Build cohesion:Use expressions such asTo sum up, To conclude, In closing, or For these reasons.Recommendation:Make a recommendation. Use one expression such as should, ought to, will, or going to.Prediction:Make a prediction. What will happen if the reader follows your recommendation? Use one expression such as should, ought to, will, or going to, or likely. Works Cited section Heading:Identify this section of your essay with the heading, Works CitedList:Include at least 3 sources properly formatted, each on its own line. Step 6: Get formative evaluation from the essay scoring system Then, each student should use the automatically scored argument essay test to get formative feedback on their essay, make any changes suggested by the system, and turn in a final draft for the teacher to score. They will need the teacher to coach and help them understand how to interpret the feedback. It can be a bit overwhelming at first. It is worth using a lab hour for this. Step 7: Submit your final draft to the teacher for a score In my opinion, the score generated by the Virtual Writing Tutors argument essay evaluation system should guide revisions, but the final score should come from a teacher. That means that the student really should submit the essay to his or her teacher. In addition, it would be helpful if the the teacher were to receive the automatically generated feedback, also. The combination of automatic scoring and human scoring has been found to be more reliable than just computer scoring or human scoring, even with multiple human raters (Bridgeman, 2004). Ask students to print the feedback or generate a PDF to send electronically. It is easy to do. Save or print your feedback with your essay score Step 8: Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 with a new topic A teacher could build an entire writing course around this one page on the Virtual Writing Tutor. There are 7 controversial topics to choose from. Simply ask students every two weeks to write an essay on a topic they havent tried before, get feedback and submit their final draft with the automated feedback for a score that counts. To maintain student motivation, you could use the Mastery Model to score essays, telling students that only 4 of the 7 essay scores will count. The lowest scoring submissions will be considered formative. In this way, you can maximize essay writing practice for hardworking students who want to do it all, and even the most laid-back students students will get double the argument essay writing practice that they would get in a regular college ESL course. Since the students will get a lot of feedback from the automated scoring system, you will be able to put down the red pen and use voice of the reader comments, reading your students writing in a way that wasnt possible before. Step 9: Report your findings You didnt expect all this to be your next research project or conference presentation, did you? But why not? Formative evaluation of writing assignments using an automated essay evaluation system is brand new. Your colleagues probably wont know anything about it. While it is true that the Educational Testing Service in the US has used an automatic scoring system for university admissions tests for years, nobody seems to have reported much on using automated scoring in the classroom for formative evaluation. You can do it. I can help. I can create a test designed to score your particular essay writing task if this one is not quite what you had in mind. Just contact me. Not sure? Ask yourself, If not now, then when? If not me, then who? Something that would really help me would be if you were to give feedback on the feedback the essay scoring system generates. If the system over-values a low-quality essay or undervalues a high-quality essay, let me know. There is a Rate feedback button you can use to let me know if the system is working as expected or not. Leave detailed comments. This sucks is not very helpful. Say what went wrong and what you would like instead. Complain to get a specific change. Give feedback on the feedback Final remarks There is clearly a pedagogical need for automated feedback. There are not enough teachers in the world to provide all the feedback students want and need. Automated scoring is the next step in computer-assisted learning. (Notice my use of the word assisted.) Teachers happily give practice tests to students with multiple choice questions, but essay writing tasks are rarely used in formative evaluation. Why? Its a workload issue. Teachers cannot score essays fast enough. Obviously, if a machine can help with the task, we should get out of the way of meaningful practice and let the machine guide students through their early drafts. Opponents of automatic essay evaluation will argue that automatic essay scoring is not ready yet. There are too many false alarms, not enough coverage, and the scores dont match the scoring criteria and weightings that this or that department requires. While all that may be true, it doesnt mean that we should cede the field. It is better that teachers engage with this new technology to ensure automatic essay evaluation systems reflect what teachers care about. I, for one, believe that essay evaluation must be developed and reserved for formative evaluation only. We must ensure automatic evaluation is used for practice tests prior to the teacher assigning the final score, even if the teachers scoring decision is informed by automatic scoring metrics. Human teachers are needed to validate and humanize the educational system. Some teachers will shudder at all this and say that automatic scoring will put teachers jobs at risk. Really? Quebec has a shortage of teachers at the moment. A colleague I admire very much is away on sick leave, burned out from overwork. The real victims of the lack of automation in our jobs are students who are denied meaningful practice activities with feedback and their teachers who are overworked trying to give students the meaningful practice and feedback they need. Unreflective opposition to new technology is not how you build job security. Maintaining a pedagogical focus on what is best for students and developing a sound pedagogy using new tools will make expert teachers indispensable. Its one teachers opinion. Perhaps you agree with me. Examples of automatically scored writing tests Here are some examples of automatic essay scoring systems I have developed in the order I developed them. Please, give them a try and let me know what you think. Pen pal exchange project IELTS practice tests Film analysis essay evaluationArgument essay evaluation Works cited Bridgeman, B. (2004, December).E-rater as a quality control on human scorers.Presentation in the ETSResearch Colloquium Series, Princeton, NJ. 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How Can You Help Your Child Sidestep the Summer Slide

How Can You Help Your Child Sidestep the Summer Slide Summer is a welcome break for families, but it can cause problems when it comes to the long-term retention of academic skills and knowledge. Many experts report that summertime regression is a significant problem for students of all ages, with children losing several months worth of reading and math skills over break. Heres the good news: its not as hard as you think to minimize the problem. Here are a few ways you can help your child avoid the summer slide: Read every day. A regular reading habit is a valuable part of a good bedtime routine anyway, but best of all, it is one of the easiest ways for your child to keep up those literacy skills. Make frequent visits to the library and encourage your child to get involved in any book clubs or summer reading programs offered. Let your child explore other formats in addition to books. The point is to get him or her reading. Review past work. It might take a little convincing, but even ten minutes a day spent looking over old worksheets, math problems, or other assignments is time well spent. This will help your child keep fresh on the skills learned last school year and ensure he or she is ready to pick up where the teacher left off when the fall semester begins. Plan writing activities. Have your child continue to strengthen those writing muscles by embracing fun activities like journaling, creative writing or even blogging. If those things dont pique your childs interest, consider weekly themes for inspiration. For example, one weeks theme might be favorite people, and each day children could write about a celebrity or professional athlete they admire, a friend who means a lot to them, or another role model. Go places. Many families use their childrens summer break as a chance to take vacations. Why not transform those road and plane trips into educational opportunities? You and your child should check out travel guides from the library and do some online research together to learn more about wherever youre headed. Have your child choose a few cultural attractions to enjoy and share what he or she wants to discover while visiting them. Catch up or get ahead. Summer is the best time to close any skill gaps and correct any problems that arose during the school year. Its also a great chance to get ahead if your child is gearing up to take several challenging classes next year or wants to solidify knowledge built during the prior school year. If youd like help creating a targeted summer learning program that meets your childs goals and helps him or her flourish, call Huntington. Well help your child retain those important skills he or she learned throughout the school year. By the time next fall comes around, he or she will be ready to hit the ground running and keep building that knowledge base. Call 1-800 CAN LEARN today. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader.Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. 2018 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

7 Common Scholarship Scams and How to Detect Them

7 Common Scholarship Scams and How to Detect Them Image via pixabay.com 1. Fees It can seem pretty self-explanatory that any scholarship application that requires an application fee is a scam. However, a lot of these same applications offer a refund if you’re offered a scholarship. Because the application is not a genuine scholarship opportunity, the scammers simply claim that you aren’t qualified for the scholarship and profit off of your fees. 2. Search services There are several websites and services that claim to search and apply for scholarships on your behalf. Some of these search service scams require a payment upfront, but most of these services don’t require any form of payment. While it might seem safe to try a search agency that doesn’t require any fees, these scammers benefit from asking you invasive questions in an attempt to steal your identity. 3. Open eligibility Open eligibility scholarship scams include scholarship applications where anyone can apply, regardless of academic achievements or otherwise. It is important to remember that scholarships are only given to students with financial need and/or academic merit. If a scholarship application has no requirements in order to apply, then it is likely a scam. 4. Guaranteed services Nothing in life is guaranteed, and financial scholarships are no different. Any scholarship or service that offers a “money back guarantee” in their application disclosure indicates a red flag. Likewise, there are also thousands of scholarship scams that claim to guarantee a monetary prize. By definition, a scholarship is allocated based on your need and/or merit. If you are guaranteed a prize simply by applying, then there aren’t any credentials necessary for the scholarship. 5. Time sensitivity Many scholarships have deadlines for eligibility; however, you should be wary of any “scholarships” that claim to be “first come, first served.” Any type of application that claims to only be available on a first-come-first-served basis is an illegitimate opportunity. These types of scholarship scams also try to entice you to apply by stating that you are pre-qualified for their application. Unless you cross check your GPA, skills, family income, and other background information with each individual scholarship application there is no way to know if you are qualified. If a scholarship claims to be on a first-come-first-served process, then these scholarships likely have no pre-requisite qualifications. This makes it easier for you to notice this fraudulent activity. 6. Opportunities without applications These scholarship scams often contact you directly, claiming that you have won an exclusive scholarship. Typically these scammers call your cell phone in an attempt to overwhelm you and gain information to either steal your identity or to profit. It is important to keep records of any and all scholarships (or applications in general) that you submit. This way, you can check your personal references to see if you did indeed submit an application to a specific scholarship opportunity. If you need time to verify any information, you should always inform a scholarship representative that you need time to look over the information. If the representative becomes overtly brash or tells you that the offer won’t last long, this is a clear warning that the scholarship is a scam. 7. Broad generalizations Many scholarship scams will include one or more sweeping generalizations, which often seem like pushy advertisements. These generalizations or claims can range from, “You won’t get this information anywhere else,” to “thousands have applied.” Generalizations can also include claims that it has an absurdly high percentage of scholarship recipients. While it may seem enticing that a lot of students have received this scholarship in the past, any broad statement without proper evidence is likely a fictitious assertion. If you believe any scholarship opportunity might be fraudulent, you should report these scams immediately to the appropriate government agencies. The following government agencies work to prosecute scholarship scams: Federal Trade Commission (FTC). File a complaint using the  online complaint form  or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or 1-202-FTC-HELP (1-202-382-4357). State Attorney General, especially the Bureau of Consumer Protection U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Call the Postal Crime Hotline at 1-877-876-2455. U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General.   You may report financial aid fraud to 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733) or use the online  complaint form. The  National Fraud Information Center (NFIC)  forwards complaints to appropriate government agencies and can be reached through its website, fraud.org, or by calling 1-800-876-7060. Scholarship scams can also be reported to the  Better Business Bureau (BBB). The  College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-420)  offers clearly defined penalties for scholarship scams. It’s vital to note that you shouldn’t rely solely on an authentic name when reviewing whether or not a scholarship opportunity is safe. Often, scholarship scammers will include credible terms in their faux scholarship’s title, such as national, federal, or foundation. In the past, these same scholarship scammers have already created their own fake organization websites and testimonials to gain credibility. As a general rule of thumb, you should remember that the purpose of a scholarship or grant is to give you money to fund your academic endeavors, which is why it wouldn’t make sense for a scholarship to ask for any money before, during, or after the application process. Likewise, you can ensure your safety from scams by relying on credible sources to search for scholarships, such as your university’s scholarship website and financial aid office.

Four Things To Do After You Fail An Exam - TutorNerds

Four Things To Do After You Fail An Exam - TutorNerds Four Things to do After You Fail a Test Four Things to do After You Fail a Test Failure is something students must learn to deal with. No matter how diligent you are with your classwork and study sessions, there will be some coursework in which you struggle to master. It’s natural and part of being a student. Sadly, too many students lose confidence after failing a test and fall further behind. Don’t panic! TutorNerds is here to help make sure you ace your next exam. To make sure you don’t fall even further behind, here are four things to do after you fail an exam. 1. Be Honest With Yourself Everyone reacts to a failed exam differently, but the worst thing you can do is lie to yourself. If you understood the material, you would not have failed. Instead of being stubborn and blaming the performance on extraneous things, take responsibility and commit to improving. 2. Get Help From a Tutor While we encourage you to get help from a tutor before you fail an exam, some extra help from an expert can help ensure you score high on your next test. Further, if you are going to face the material on the final, a private tutor can help you catch up without you falling behind on the new content you are learning in class. Tutors can help boost your confidence and show your teacher that you are serious about improving and passing their class (READ: Get Your Elementary School Kid Ready for Back-to-School With These Tips). 3.   Make a Plan So you failed your exam. That’s tough, but it might not mean you failed the class. Take a look at your syllabus and factor in your grades before the exam and look to see how many points are still available. If you are in danger of failing, talk with your teacher to see if you can have some leniency if you improve a lot on the next exam. Find out what you need to get on your upcoming exams before giving up on the class. Usually, teachers weigh each exam so that you have breathing room to do poorly on at least one of them. 4. Celebrate Small Victories Even if it’s just a quick pop quiz or a homework assignment, if you bounce back after a failed exam then that’s reason to celebrate. As we mentioned before, too many students convince themselves that a failed exam means they will never succeed in the class. This is simply not true, and you have time to work on the material you struggled with before your final. Don’t wait until you fail your first exam to book a private Los Angeles tutor from TutorNerds. Our private LA tutors are here to help you succeed and catch up after a poor test performance. Call us today for more information. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

International Sunshine Home

International Sunshine Home International Sunshine Home International Sunshine Home is Xiamens premier bilingual school for younger children. Opened in 2010, Sunshine Home has grown from three classes to 30+ classrooms covering students between 1.5 years and 8 years of age. One of the schools strengths is that it combines the insights and approaches of educators from the United States and China. The organization has a robust curriculum and teaching approach that relies on a Western approach -- positive reinforcement, emphasis on creativity and small class sizes. At the same time, the local and foreign teachers are careful to respects and celebrate both Chinese and Western cultures. Sunshine Home focuses extensively on language development and core science skills. Students and staff use English and Chinese both in class and in their daily work, creating an immersive language environment. Native-language instructors teach Chinese and English classes. With at least three staff members for each class of 18 students, the school uses a low teacher-student ratio to tailor each class to the needs of the students and to increase classroom safety. The schools curriculum includes three-week subject blocks that build over time and that are periodically reinforced. Popular themes include Animals, Family and Friends, and Outer Space. The subject matter is age-appropriate so that while students under the age of three are learning basic words like the sun, older students in the Elementary classroom are exploring the life cycle of a star. The main teaching methods include structured game play, music and dance, independent study, group story time and play-based activities. Unlike traditional local schools, the staff avoids group recitation, call-and-response and formal lecturing methods. Students are not assigned homework. Students are divided into groups by English level rather than age. Sunshine Home uses English levels to organize its students because mixed-age classrooms mirror the natural learning method of children, which includes learning both from parents and from their brothers and sisters. Younger students look up to, learn from and aspire to be like their older classmates. Older students earn the confidence that comes from demonstrating subject mastery, teaching what they know and being the object of affection and admiration. With students from more than a dozen countries including China, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S., Sunshine Home is experienced in addressing the needs of international families. View our Brochure View our Brochure

Language Practice Online 9 Telltale Signs of an Awesome Language Learning Website

Language Practice Online 9 Telltale Signs of an Awesome Language Learning Website Language Practice Online: 9 Telltale Signs of an Awesome Language Learning Website Have you ever been  paralyzed by  a huge, overwhelming amount  of options?Think back to walking around a candy store or toy shop with mom.“Just pick one,” she tells you.You know from her tone that she means business.  You look at the wall of colors and imagine taking every last candy or stuffed animal  home  with you.Then it kicks inâ€"the  pressure of having to choose only one from the unbelievably many.That’s the same feeling language learners have after pressing or tapping that “search” button on Google. It literally gives you millions upon millions of sites to choose from.Obviously, you dont have time to go through all of them because, hey, youve got other things to do. Like work. Go to the gym. Fix your meal. Watch Game of Thrones. Write an interesting Facebook status. Obsessively read your exs posts from 2009 onwards.Unlike when you were a kid, you know from experience that there arent really that  many valid choices. In this case,  not all language learning websites are created equal. In fact, far from it. They all promise to be the best, but only a chosen few really deliver.So how do you know that the web page staring back at you is an awesome learning service  and not from one of the many wannabes who are all talk? That’s what this post is all about. It looks into the DNA of language websites in order to separate the wheat from the chaff.What are the hallmarks of an awesome language learning site? Here, well go through the list and look into some examples  that exhibit signs of true greatness.Read onâ€"youre about to save yourself a whole lot of time  filtering through learning program options. Language Practice Online: 9 Telltale Signs of an Awesome Language Learning Website1.The website is easy on the eyesThis is the first thing that you notice as soon as the webpage loads. Staring back at you is the right mix of colors, graphics and fonts. Nothing is jarring and you get a refreshing feeling. Its professional and polished.It’s not cro wded with ads, widgets or unnecessary “calls-to-action.”There’s a healthy balance of text and pictures. The colors, fonts, logos and graphics  placements work harmoniously together to give you, the learner, all the vital information you need.You want to  start a new lesson? Want to learn some vocabulary?  You know just where to click.  You want to  go to the forums? You know exactly how to get there.Everything is instinctive and effective. Thats the first mark of a great language learning website.One site which really exhibits this characteristic is Babbel, which offers courses for learning 14 languages. From the first page to the 100th, its simple clarity ensures that you have a pleasant experience. The images, fonts and elements are exactly where theyre supposed to be, making you feel that youre also exactly where youre supposed to be.If you find yourself on  Babbel again and again, know that it’s because it has been designed to feel inviting.2. Lessons are systematically arrangedThis is where the course developer puts their  fingerprint on the website. They  decide what specific lessons are included and the best way of presenting them to learners.Interesting side note: Many homemade websites are produced by enthusiastic native speakers, but a native speaker isnt necessarily the best person to design and organize language lessons. Sometimes somebody who has been in the shoes of the adult learnerâ€"or somebody with professional training in languagesâ€"might have more insights on the second language acquisition process.Lessons should be arranged so that they naturally build on each other. Meaning, a lesson on greetings wont  be followed immediately by a lesson on verb conjugations. On the other hand, a lesson on counting can be boosted by noun workâ€"so that after knowing the word for eight, a learner gets to connect it to  objects in phrases like eight candles, eight oranges and eight balls. After the lesson on nouns, a simple foray into  adjectives m ay follow so that the student can learn how to say even more specific phrases like “ten little kids.”Structuring  lessons is an art. Theres no one “correct” way of doing it, and there are several ways of building things  up. They can be sequenced topically or functionally, always starting from the easiest and gradually increasing in difficulty.Youll  know that the lessons have been successfully arranged because you wont experience any jarring bumps along the way. Lessons instinctively  meld into the subsequent ones and you just find yourself knowing a little more than you did a few minutes ago.Excellent examples of this characteristic  are: Duolingo  and Memrise.With these two, you hardly experience any drastic changes in the difficulty level. One lesson seamlessly flows into the next. For example, they have a smart way of overlapping new vocabulary words with old ones so that while you’re “reviewing” the old words, youre also being “introduced” to the new ones.3. Lessons come alive through creative use of multimediaThis is the technological equivalent of using differently colored and sized balls (tied to a string) to explain the Solar System.Multimedia can be a very powerful tool in the hands of a great language learning website. It can be in the form of pictures, audio, video, graphics, animation and games.Multimedia can make vivid the abstract, make interesting the boring, make memorable the mundane. So instead of memorizing el gato  as the Spanish term for cat, you might be presented with an audio pronunciation and cute pictures of a cat to accompany the textâ€"and maybe even a video of him chasing after a laser pointer.This kind of dynamic learning system not only captures the interest and attention of learners, but it also holds it long enough to embed lessons into their long-term memories. This is whats called learning.FluentU  is one of the best multimedia creatives around. With real-world videos that range from movie trailers, concer ts and music videos to cartoons, vlogs and newscasts, it offers you the unique ability to become fluent by watching authentic content produced by native speakers of your target language.Who would have thought one could  turn such entertaining,  unassuming clips into mini language lessons? With FluentU’s interactive captions and active learning toolsâ€"like multimedia flashcards, vocabulary lists, Learn Mode and moreâ€"you get to experience authentic language immersion online.4. The  examples stick in your brainOne of the clearest signs of a great language learning website is how memorable its lessons actually are. How well do those lessons stick around  after the user  has signed out or the computer has been switched  off?Can the learner actually remember the lessons beyond  the online learning environment?As mentioned above, a website can do this via the creative use of multimedia. Thats a big factor, and the rich context of FluentUs content really  helps the lessons work their w ay into  long-term memory storage.But there’s another factor at play hereâ€"an often-overlooked opportunity to make the lessons really, really stick. This would be the  perfectly chosen example.In the context of language learning, this might be  an example sentence or a usage example.  Throwing examples around is easy, but providing  one key example which vividly encapsulates the lesson is much  harder than it looks.One site which  hits the mark on this level is  Duolingo. Besides containing eye-catching  images, it often gives perfect grammar, vocabulary, sentence and usage examples to  illustrate the rules and  principles of language. With two words, the Duolingo system can teach the whole concept of “gendered nouns.”Users learn this right away when they go onto the site or app. They arent just needlessly entertained or given some silly things to play around with. You get started on the serious work right away. Good thing it all feels like a big game!This mix of key content and fun presentation is probably why its considered one of the best language learning websites today.5. It repeats itselfin different waysRepetition is at the heart of learning  because nobody ever gets something as complicated as language in one pass.The best language learning websites know this. They make use of repetitions in order to drill lessons into the long-term memory.  But there’s a caveatâ€"mere repetition can also be the fastest way to bore students.Therefore, awesome websites look for techniques to present the same subject matter in different ways, attacking it at different angles.  The reason for this is twofold.First, this obviates the boredom inherent in dry, tedious and harmful repetition. Second, it covers a wider range of learning styles.For example, not everybody is a visual learner, so there needs to be a way for auditory learners to get in on  the action. Kinesthetic learners learn best when they see movement or when they themselves move and do some physical activity (like typing).The site which  exhibits these traits and more is Busuu. With features like dialogues, writing exercises, audio recordings and relevant images, you can be sure that there’s something for different learning styles. Nobody gets left behind. You can choose to write, listen or look.Oh, and if spaced repetition learning is your kind of thing, check out Anki.6.  Fun tests and drills challenge your knowledgeHow do you know that you actually learned something?  When you ace the drills and earn brownie points from these language learning sites, of course!There should be some kind of feedback system that tells you,  â€œNope, you havent really learned this topic yet, buddy! Why dont you review, then give this drill another shot?”  or “Well done! Youre definitely ready for the next lesson. Why don’t you do just that?”These tests and drills function as psychological pats-on-the-back, making learners feel that their efforts are actually going somewhere. Plus, when theyre  creatively incorporated into the learning process, they become so fun  that they often reach the  point of being addictive.One of the sites that best incorporates creative tests and drills well is Memrise. Actually, with Memrise, you dont even really know that youre being tested. Unlike standard teaching methods where a series of lessons come first, followed by a test covering all those lessons, Memrise intersperses the tests almost randomly.These lightning tests come and go, and they come in different formats. You dont have to finish a whole block of lessons before you get tested. And if you get the answer wrong, youll know very quickly that there’s more work to be done on that word.FluentUs unique Learn Mode  teaches you vocabulary and phrases  through  video-based questions which take your learning history into account. You can either do these personalized  exercises  video-by-video, or you can revisit a longer list of compiled language later to review it all at once. (And all of the  reviews use spaced repetition software, of course, to make your study time efficient!)7. It connects you to a community of learnersYou can learn so much from people who have the same goals. Youre already in the same boat, so why not talk and help each other get there? Fellow language learners hold profound insights that may be the key to your language acquisition.The people behind the best websites, often language learners themselves, know this. They prepare comfortable “couches” for everybody, serving as attentive hosts to language learners the world over, setting up forums and language exchange opportunities that link learners and native speakers.One website which does this really well is  Livemocha.Livemocha has a language community built into its system. Members help each other not only by “language exchange,” but  also through volunteer work correcting practice exercises done by others. If youre a native speaker who loves to teach your language, Livemoc ha gives you a platform to help as many people as you can.8. It’s constantly  improvingThe Japanese have this concept of kaizen,  or continuous improvement. This is always  in the DNA of the best language learning websites. Their creators dont go on vacation once the site goes live.Nope. The people behind these sites are reading the pulses of their users. They actively seek feedback from language learners.  They go to forums and ask: What works? What doesn’t? What functionalities should be added?With this kind of site, youll always see something new. There are always projects in the pipeline. Improvements, app launches and new content are always part of the to-do list.New languages are added over time. New features are integrated. New team members come in. Lessons are sharpened and polished. The texts are re-written. Blogs articles are fresh and warm like each morning’s bread.Sites like Duolingo, Busuu, Memrise, Livemocha, Babbel and FluentU  do this  all the time. 24/7. Nonst op.  It’s really no wonder that they’ve reached the heights of language learning excellence.9. It points you to other resourcesAs mentioned previously in #7, the best sites don’t isolate you. In fact, they go out of their way to connect you to everybody. They also go out of their way to point you in the direction of other websites that might be of help.The best language learning websites don’t think that they have all the answers. Theyre acutely aware that it takes a whole village to teach one person something as sophisticated as language.Two websites that excel in this area are FluentU and Fluent in 3 Months.FluentU’s blog isnt only full of practical tips and techniques, its simply brimming with useful external links that connect you to some of the best language learning resources out there today.  You want to  meet the great polyglots of the world today? FluentU takes you to their doorsteps.  You want to  know the best books? The best courses? FluentU leads you there.Ano ther site that does this  is Fluent in 3 Months. It has a review section, for example, that lets readers know what’s good and bad about various language learning products. They actually test drive the courses, websites and books for you! So how about that?There you go, nine telltale signs that the page youre on is from a website that’s a cut above its peers.If you ask me, what ties all of these nine  signs together is the general importance that they give to learners like you. They make sure the site is easy to navigate and easy on the eyes because theyre thinking of you. They make sure the lessons are engaging because they want you to learn. They connect you to a community of learners so that you wont feel alone.The best language learning websites have your best interest at heart. If you sense that youre in the presence of one, sign up and remember your password because that site’s gonna take you places.