Tips For Finding Tutoring Jobs in Miami

Tips For Finding Tutoring Jobs in MiamiNowadays tutoring jobs in Miami have become much more accessible than before. Even though there are still many struggling students looking for help, nowadays it is easy to find a good tutor in Miami to help them out. Here are a few tips on how to find the best tutoring jobs in Miami.The first thing you need to do is to pick the right tutor. This could be a good idea if you are looking for a tutor that specializes in helping children who need extra help and understanding. A good example of this is a private tutor. These tutors usually offer tutoring services that are only free to the students for whom they tutor. They can be found on the internet, on television or in the newspaper.The second tip would be to research a lot before you decide on a job. Even though the job is free, there might be some qualifications that are required. Usually, a tutor must have a certification from a college or institute that he or she is actually a certified tutor. This is because many schools are in the process of revamping their standards and it is very important to meet these standards.The third tip would be to choose a tutoring company that you trust. Make sure that the tutoring company you are thinking of choosing would guarantee your satisfaction. This is especially important if you are looking for a Miami tutoring job in Miami. You need to make sure that you are completely satisfied with the service of the tutoring company you are looking for.The fourth tip would be to choose a tutoring company that has a good reputation and proven track record. Make sure that the company has also earned good reviews from customers. This would be a good idea if you want to take a good look at what the company has been offering its students.The fifth tip would be to ask other tutors what has been working for them in the tutoring business. If they can recommend one service for instance, then definitely take their advice. It would also be helpful if you ar e able to gather testimonials from a number of tutors about the tutoring company they are associated with.In conclusion, the tips we have mentioned above are just some basic tips on how to find the best tutoring jobs in Miami. There are still many more ways to find a good tutor.

Am I Too Young for Personal Training

Am I Too Young for Personal Training All You Need to Know About Exercising as a Youngster with a Personal Trainer ChaptersExercise Has No Age RequirementPersonal Training for Competitions: is the Pressure Too Much?The Risks of Strength Training for ChildrenGroup Fitness ClassesTraining Options for YoungstersIn forums and chatrooms all over the internet, 15 and 16-year-olds are asking the same question:Am I too young to start strength training?When it comes to answering their query, people are usually in one of two camps.Firstly, there are those who believe that strength and resistance training is healthy at any age, as long as it is adapted to the physical ability of the athlete.And on the other side, there are those who are staunchly against it. These people insist that this type of exercise should not be practised until the teenager has stopped growing, around the age of 20.At Superprof, we always advise that you should always take care and seek advice from a fitness professional before engaging in this kind of exercise.Finding a personal trainer or another certified fitness expert who listens to their young client’s needs and advises them on the best functional training techniques to achieve their fitness goals is paramount.During adolescence, health and fitness aspirations may include:Losing excess body weightBuilding muscle massPreparing for a fitness assessment or team trialsTraining for a sports competitionSo, when it comes to youth fitness, there are a few things to bear in mind to avoid injury, achieve your goals and enjoy your training! CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £ 60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsExercise Has No Age RequirementGiuliano Stroe is a 13-year-old bodybuilder from Romania.At the age of just 5 years old, he broke his own world r ecord for the largest number of 90-degree push-ups, managing 20.As the years have passed by, Giuliano has continued to set and break world records to the amazement of many.This fitness-mad youngster spends his time building his strength and muscle mass when he’s not at school.Giuliano is a true athlete who trains at a very high level and sticks to a rigorous fitness nutrition and personal training program which is designed to produce the best possible results.Giuliano Stroe: amazing or disturbing? ¦ source: GrungeHis father, who is passionate about bodybuilding, has been the driving force behind his child’s muscular training, putting Giuliano’s fitness program into motion from the age of just 2 years.Giuliano’s super strength has seen him become a TV and online sensation, and he even has his own YouTube channel where he posts videos of himself performing intense workouts.This peculiar story soon turned sour when Giuliano and his younger brother Claudiu made headline news in the Romanian press.Their father, Iulian, was accused of pushing his sons to become body-building stars for money. Social services were alerted and the boys were taken away from their parents pending a decision by the court.After being assessed by a psychologist, the brothers were allowed to go home to their parents.Although the ethics behind the Stroes’ story is hotly debated, medical professionals advise against strength training before children have stopped growing.This is because lifting heavy weights can put too much pressure on their bones, which are not yet fully developed.Personal Training for Competitions: is the Pressure Too Much?Regardless of the athlete’s age, the pressure to succeed in competition is undeniable.Due to the nature of competition, candidates may spend a lot of time being critical of themselves and focussing on the big win.However, is this amount of pressure healthy for young minds?For teenagers, finding a personal trainer or online personal trainer can be a good move in the run-up to a competition.As an accredited fitness professional, your personal fitness trainer will be there to:Improve physical abilityProvide a tailored nutrition and exercise programs  that focus on the athlete’s needsAdvise on the most efficient training methodsFind the right time of day to incorporate trainingDiscuss progress towards fitness goalsA surprising number of parents act as coaches who act to train their own children.However, most of these parents have not sat any exams to gain relevant qualifications and do not hold a personal trainer certification.This introduced health risks, as the child may be pushed too far â€" something a certified personal trainer would know how to avoid.A study carried out in 2008 showed that the more positive a relationship a child has with their parents, the better the child performs in competition.However, a sporting parent-child relationship can also be harmful, as some parents will be tempted to live their sporting lives through their children.Avoid the risk of becoming a pushy parent by finding a private sports coach for your child ¦ source: Pixabay - leoleobobeoSo, having help from a private fitness coach can motivate children on their way to their goals whilst providing a safe environment for children to express their attitude towards training.There are 4 main aspects to personal training services:Discussion: Trainers will keep an open dialogue with the athlete to make sure they’re in a healthy state of mindExchange: Taking the athlete’s feelings into account and helping them prepare for competitionObservation: The fitness instructor will study the behaviour of the youngster and identify any negative effects of trainingAdvice: As an exercise science and fitness specialist, the personal trainer will help the athlete with training techniques and their nutrition CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/ h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Dis cover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Risks of Strength Training for ChildrenResistance training and building muscle are attracting more and more adolescents who want to ‘get shredded’.When athletes start weight training at an early age, they should take extra care to minimise the risk of injury.One 2009 study pointed out that:“some retrospective reports noted metaphysis fractures during adolescence, most of these injuries were due to:Imperfect techniques for lifting weightsUsing the maximum amount of weightA lack of supervision from adults”So, if you’re thinking about starting muscular workouts at a young age, there are some things to consider.For instance, your coach will advise you to avoid attempting to work with too much weight and working out too intensely.You shouldn’t be straining your body while it’s still growing.At the age of about 15 years, the human body undergoes major changes, so it’s important you don’t subject it to further stress.There are certain exercises which are strongly advised against by health professionals since they put too much pressure on the spine, ligaments and cartilage.These include:SquatsSit-down bar liftsDeadliftingIt is not recommended that you begin weight training before the age of 15 - this goes especially for young girls.Before this age, aim to focus on cardiovascular endurance training instead.And don’t neglect your fitness nutrition!Many young athletes are tempted to take nutritional supplements to speed up their progress, but don’t be fooled â€" this can do more harm than good!In addition to not helping results, these supplements can be bad for your health and should be avoided.Instead, why not focus on looking at your normal diet?Learn about how nutrition contributes to physiology. You may add eggs to your breakfast because of their protein, for example.You should also remember to stretch after exercise.Even though a lot of people tend to think that youngsters are suppler and therefore recover from exercise more quickly, stretching can save you the discomfort of post-workout stiffness.So, make sure you find out how to stretch your muscles effectively and incorporate stretching into your workout warm-down.Adopting healthy habits such as these will serve you throughout your fitness career.Group Fitness ClassesRunning, cycling and swimming are simple and natural ways to tone and build muscle.These big and small group activities also happen to be low-risk and the most fun and rewarding for children to do.Playing basketball with a group of friends, jumping into a swimming pool, and playing tag â€" these are all ways children can unknowingly build muscle whilst playing.Group training can be the most motivating and enjoyable ¦ source: Pixabay - Galina92 37941221However, there are certain situations where hours of training are required.If the child is enrolled in a sports club and competes for a team, there are plenty of coaches that can help with training alongside their group fitness instructor.But make sure that the child isn’t under too much pressure to succeed!Personal training sessions are a great complement to any other training the child may be doing, as they work on mentality as well as physical performance.Personal fitness training should be little and often, so 1 to 2 hours per week should be enough.Training Options for YoungstersThe vast majority of gyms and fitness clubs have a minimum age requirement of around 16 years old and ask for parental consent before teenagers are allowed to register with them. But there are a variety of small exercises that don't put too much strain on your body that you can do between classes at school or at work if you are in training.There are also many exercises you can do at home using your own body weight.One such example is press-ups.When you’re starting out, be gentle with yourself. This will help you avoid injury and keep you motivated.If you’re looking to get into a training routine, why not start by doing press-ups in the evenings?If you’re not sure about the press-up method, here are some simple pointers:Lay on your front and place your hands on the floor, underneath your shouldersLean on your toes or your knees, depending on your desired level of difficultyBend and extend your elbows, lifting your body towards and away from the floorTry to let your chest nearly touch the floor when you come down, without releasing your body weightMake sure you keep your back straight throughout the exercise, this should work your core and your armsFor those in the Manchester area, check out all personal trainer Manchester.Don’t forget that your body is still growing and that it will react negatively to being pushed too far, so take the time to develop and recover, and look after yourself!

Who Are You Bringing to Tutoring #CarpoolSeries - Heart Math Tutoring

Who Are You Bringing to Tutoring #CarpoolSeries - Heart Math Tutoring Who Are You Bringing to Tutoring? #CarpoolSeries Who Are You Bringing to Tutoring? #CarpoolSeries July 21, 2016 We have great volunteers who are dedicated to spreading the word about Heart as a way to support students! Sign up to tutor here. David Woodruff drives three friends to tutor each Wednesday at lunchtime. Who are you bringing to tutoring? ?#?CarpoolSeries? ?#?ItAllAddsUp? ?#?VolunteersWithHeart? Beejal drives and Katherine handles the tunes. Music on the way there and stories on the way back. Who are you bringing to tutoring? ?#?CarpoolSeries? ?#?ItAllAddsUp? ?#?VolunteersWithHeart? Grant recruited his colleague Mary to tutor with him each Wednesday morning and even offered to drive! Who are you bringing to tutoring? ?#?CarpoolSeries? ?#?ItAllAddsUp? ?#?VolunteersWithHeart? Colleagues and friends, Rusty and Carson carpool to tutoring every Thursday on their lunch break. Rusty’s student won most improved in math in his class, earning him bragging rights for the year! Who are you bringing to tutoring? #CarpoolSeries #ItAllAddsUp #VolunteersWithHeart Who are you bringing to tutoring? Laura drives both of her adult children to tutoring each week. Alex Posthauer and his sister Janelle Barclay always look for for the coolest stickers as motivation for their 2nd grade students! ?#?CarpoolSeries? ?#?ItAllAddsUp? ?#?VolunteersWithHeart? Who are you bringing to tutoring? Mike and Deborah Parman are both former educators and loved carpooling to Piney Grove Elementary each week!  #CarpoolSeries #ItAllAddsUp #VolunteersWithHeart Who are you bringing to tutoring? Daniel Tanaka, Sabrina Shingwani, and Darren Lang carpool to tutoring at Winterfield Elementary before heading uptown each Wednesday! #CarpoolSeries #ItAllAddsUp #VolunteersWithHeart Who are you bringing to tutoring? Larry and Cember are spouses from St. Andrew’s UMC who tutor on Wednesdays at Montclaire Elementary! #CarpoolSeries #VolunteersWithHeart #ItAllAddsUp David Woodruff, Eileen Holcomb, Stephen Stancil, and Chris King Beejal Patel and Katherine Yau Grant Nicol and Mary McGuire Rusty Mau and Carson Willoughby Laura Jones, Alex Posthauer, and Janelle Barclay Deborah and Mike Parman Darren Lang, Sabrina Shingwani and Daniel Tanaka Larry and Cember Carella

Five Educational Summer Activities for Elementary School Children

Five Educational Summer Activities for Elementary School Children Summer is here, a time for children to recharge their batteries and enjoy a much-needed break from the busy school year. While every child deserves this, Co-Founder and CEO, Eileen Huntington of Huntington Learning Center urges parents to offer a variety of educational activities to ensure their children retain everything they worked so hard to learn all school year. Sadly, so many children toss aside the backpack on the last day of school and do not touch a book until the first day of the next school year, says Huntington. The problem with this is that students can easily lose several months of grade-level equivalency in math, reading and other subjects. Bottom line: its important that children keep those brains active throughout the summer. Here are five suggested activities that will help them do just that: State/city field trips Have your child plan a few weekend excursions with the help of Google Maps. If you can take a family road trip, your child can help plan the agenda and map out the route, including drive time needed. If youre leaning toward a few short staycations closer to home, however, you can still let your child research attractions and events at your local museums, pick out great hikes or camping spots in the area or plan a walking tour of your city (complete with his or her research, of course). Daily reading sessions This is one of the easiest ways to help children keep up those essential literacy skills. Check out summer reading programs at the library or book store and make a weekly outing there to refresh the reading material. Consider reading book series as a family. Read together each evening and make it fun by serving up lemonade or hot chocolate. Huntington Learning Center offers a reading adventure program during the summer months, which encourages students to keep reading. Reading Adventure runs May to August and is open to currently enrolled students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Students choose books from Huntingtons pre-selected book lists, which offer a variety of high-interest choices by grade level and reading ability. Each student receives a reading passport in which to record books as completed and make a few notes of what he or she learned and enjoyed about each book. Journaling Like reading, a daily writing habit will go a long way toward helping children minimize regression. If your child isnt eager to write book summaries, a journal is an open-ended forum in which he or she can write anything from poems to stories to a daily log of summer activities. Start with ten minutes a day, and as the summer goes on, your child might grow to enjoy this practice and want to do it longer. Taking classes Are there educational programs available over the summer in your community, such as science, technology, engineering and math camps, art classes, or robotics programs? Maybe your child wants to take up an instrument. Perhaps he or she is interested in a youth creative writing class. Your school or local library are good places to start for seeking suggestions. Huntington Learning Center offers tutoring for students during the summer months especially if the past school year was a challenge. Enrichment sessions are also available for students who enjoy academic adventures to develop new skills. Researching a hobby or other topic The freedom of summer offers lots of opportunity for discovery. Encourage your child to check out an autobiography on a favorite athlete, rent a documentary on a topic that intrigues him or her, or look up answers online (with your guidance) to those burning questions he or she usually asks you. Huntington adds that summer learning doesnt need to be complicated to be effective. Children who spend just a little time each day enjoying a book or exploring an interesting topic will reap great benefits and find that transitioning into the next grade is easier, she says. For additional ideas on how to engage your child in effective but enjoyable summer learning activities, call Huntington Learning Center at 1-800-CAN-LEARN or visit www.huntingtonhelps.com. 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.

San Diego the Ideal City for the Learning Experience

San Diego the Ideal City for the Learning Experience The birthplace of California, San Diego, is a place of many guises. It is not only a major economic center, an important naval base and a fertile agricultural area, but it also has a prominent art, culture, recreation and scientific research community. The idyllic climate, 70 miles of sandy beaches and an array of world-class attractions, including Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld San Diego, make San Diego one of the best tourist destinations worldwide.   The area of San Diego has a vibrant historic background. It was inhabited by the Kumeyaay people for more than 10,000 years; it was also the first site visited by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States and a scene of numerous important historical events.  The Spaniard Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on California when his ship entered the San Diego bay in 1542. Now San Diego is a location for leading businesses for biotechnology, software, electronics, aviation and other major industries and has more than 1.3 million residents. Being the eighth-largest city in the U.S. and the second-largest city in California, San Diego preserves  a comfortable, small town atmosphere. It is a great place to live, study and work. In 2006 MONEY Magazine rated the city as the fifth-best place to live in the United States. Education is a top priority industry in San Diego and the city provides wide opportunities for the learning experience. Recent legislation stipulates major improvements to all public schools in the City with new facilities, repairs and upgrades. Class sizes from kindergarten to third grade were reduced to less than 20 students per class. More than 250 new teachers have been hired and new schools are funded for construction in order to achieve the smaller class size. Now teachers are able to give more personalized attention to each student which contributes to a general raise in quality of education. The student to teacher ratio in San Diego for public schools is 19:1, which is 15.9% greater than the National student to teacher ratio. For a population 25 years and over in San Diego: 86% of residents completed at least  high school, 41.3% of people hold a bachelors degree or higher and over 13% of San Diegans have a graduate or professional degree. San Diego has the highest percentage of college graduates of any city in the country and also tops all other U.S. cities in the number of Ph.Ds per capita. The San Diego Unified School District, which operates the majority of the public schools in the city, is the second largest district in California and serves about 132,000 students in pre-school through grade 12. It employs more than 7,000 teachers and includes 9 K-8 schools, 118 traditional elementary schools, 24 traditional middle schools, 14 atypical/alternative schools, 26 high schools and 44 charter schools. There are also a number of parochial and private schools throughout the City of San Diego. Major universities in San Diego include San Diego State University (SDSU), the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) and the University of San Diego (USD). San Diego State University, the oldest and largest university in San Diego, has an enrollment of nearly 31,000 students. SDSU offers bachelors degrees in 84 areas of study, 76 masters degrees and doctorates in 21 areas. It is home to nationally recognized academic programs in international business, entrepreneurship, speech-language pathology, biology, geography, psychology, nursing and other areas. The most popular degree programs include management, business administration, computer science, public health and biology. The University of California at San Diego, one of the University of Californias 10 campuses, has six undergraduate colleges, five academic divisions and five graduate and professional schools. Total campus enrollment is over 29,000 students. The university offers 125 bachelors degree programs organized into six disciplinary divisions: Social Sciences, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Science/Math, Humanities, and Arts. UCSDs graduate and professional schools include: Scripps Institution of Oceanography (one of the oldest and largest centers for marine science research in the world), School of Medicine, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jacobs School of Engineering and Rady School of Management. UC San Diego was ranked the 1st in the nation by the Washington Monthlys 2011 College Guide and the 36th best university in the world by Times Higher Education in its 2012-13 “World Universities Rankings”. The University of San Diego is a private, nonprofit, Roman Catholic university, which enrolls over 8,300 students. USD is well regarded for its outstanding undergraduate liberal arts education, and for its masters and doctoral programs in business, law, education, nursing and peace studies. There are 8 community colleges located throughout the San Diego area, as well as many private institutions of higher learning and business and vocational schools. A large number of research centers located in San Diego are specialized in such areas as nuclear energy, oceanography, biological sciences and astronomy. The most prominent of them are the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, focused on molecular biology, neuroscience, genetics and plant biology; and the Palomar Observatory, a center for astronomy research. San Diegos strong economy, unique combination of high-tech industry and recreational opportunities, great educational and research institutions, highly-educated population result in unsurpassed quality of life of the city’s inhabitants and make it the ideal place for business, education and life. Visit TutorZ.com to find a private tutor in San Diego, CA.

?? How To Teach English And Maths So Your Students REALLY Get It

?? How To Teach English And Maths So Your Students REALLY Get It How To Teach English And Maths So Your Students REALLY Get It Guest post byRobert LomaxRobert Lomax has been a tutor for many years, working in London, Italy and Hong Kong. His award-winning English and maths materials are available from RSL Educational. I doubt you’re here because you’re wondering how to teach.You’re already a tutor with a fair bit of experience. What’s more, you’re getting plenty of work…If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be reading this: you’d have given up already â€" which is what happens to most people. You must be doing something right!So my aim in this article isn’t to tell you how to do your job:I’m just going to share the method which has been most effective for me over the years. If it’s obvious to you, I can only say that it wasn’t to me: as you’ll see, it took me a long time to work these things out.A big problem …I spent years telling children how to write things â€" how to structure a comprehension answer, how to make a start with a maths question; how to write a good story â€" and sometimes they got the idea straight away. But, very often, they didn’t. And however many times I went back and told them again, and again … and again … some children just didn’t get it, at a ll. Ever. It seemed that even my clearest, most patient explanations just didn’t make sense, however hard I worked to make them better.… And a magic solution â€" which wasn’t all it seemedThen, in frustration, I started doing the work for them. “Look, give me the pen and watch me: THIS is how you do it!” And, like magic, almost everybody got it.So I began carrying model answers around with me: “Here’s one I made earlier!” I’d ask the student to compare their answer with the example, and explain the differences: How theirs could be better … How mine could be better!For a while, this was great. My students were doing better in school. More importantly, they were starting to think about their work more critically â€" more objectively.But over time, I realised that this wasn’t working quite as well as I’d first hoped. An example I’d photocopied last week didn’t quite cut it: It wasn’t real.Eureka!I kept trying. Maybe I just had to focus on comparing our an swers more effectively? Perhaps I could make games out of it, find ways to create a sense of competition?But it wasn’t enough. Each student lost interest in the model answers, because they weren’t fresh enough. They weren’t for them.So I put my pre-written answers away. I wrote my answers alongside the student, while they worked â€" even if this meant I wrote an answer to the same question, for three different people, on the same day, and went home feeling I never wanted to look at it again in my life.And it worked, just like the first time! This was what I’d been missing! If my answer was elegant and well-written, straight away the child had something to imitate. If I was tired and a bit bored and I’d let a mistake or two slip through â€" I hadn’t explained a quote clearly, or (horror!) I’d forgotten the units at the end of a maths question â€" they pounced on it triumphantly:If I could get it wrong, they realised, then obviously I didn’t have superhuman skills afte r all. If there was no magic involved, then surely they could produce brilliant work for themselves! And so, the curse was broken.Making this method really work for your students’ successYou can carry this technique into virtually any area of teaching. Yes, it leaves you less time to read the newspaper online â€" but in return, you get motivated students and delighted parents.Here are some of the ways I adapt the approach for different tasks:ComprehensionThis is perhaps the most straightforward way to use the method. In particular, you can show students how to support their points with short (one to five word) quotes within sentences and reach simple analytical conclusions. For example, many children simply have no idea how to write something like this: The author describes the rays of light as ‘fingers’. This metaphor makes me imagine the early dawn as dots of light peeping over the rim of the hills (‘fell sides’). When they ‘creep over’, the rest of the hand seems to come into view, as the points of light join together and make the sky bright. The one-word sentence, ‘Sunrise’, is surprising. It suggests that the shepherd is amazed by the new day, or at least very happy to see it.- taken from RSL 11+ Comprehension, Volume 2.It’s very difficult to explain all the elements of this answer to an 11 Plus student, if you try to do it theoretically. It’s only when they see how it’s done and try to copy it, that the idea of developing an idea around small units of meaning begins to make sense. MathsAbove all else, working in parallel to the student can demonstrate how to move from a confusing word question into the beginning of an answer: how to get past the ‘staring gormlessly at the page’ stage.As maths tutors we’ve all been there!For example, here’s a fairly simple GCSE question (taken from GCSE Maths by RSL) which nevertheless confuses some people: What does ‘in terms of x’ actually mean, in practice? More importantly: How do I start?So I would say:Just have a go â€" start anywhere â€" while I do it at the same time. When you finish or get stuck, let’s compare our work.And I’d do something like this: The very fact that I have done the work there, alongside the student, makes it real and encourages them to pay attention. Would they have thought of beginning with a sketch (or drawing on the diagram in the question)? If not, there’s no better way to make it sink in than to show them!Then we’d talk though our answers together, discovering what worked and what didn’t. In case it’s of interest, here’s how I break the explanation down in the book: Creative WritingThis is the area where I’ve found this method most useful. I don’t think it needs an example here, because there are so many different approaches, and the point (when you think about it) is quite obvious:The majority of children don’t have a clear idea what descriptive writing means â€" and particularly, what an examiner is looking for. Instead, they have stale checklists: a simile; a metaphor; two personifications â€" and so on â€" as though beautiful writing could be done just as well by a computer program.But if they can see something coming to life in their presence, and discuss how it was created, they have a chance of working it out for themselves. In fact, the majority manage to!You don’t need to do whole stories like this. In fact, it works best for five or ten minute, single-paragraph writing tasks: for example, ‘Describe the moment when you discover you are lost in a strange place’.One thing I should add: you don’t need to be a world-famous nov elist for this to work. The point is that the student can share your thought process. If they can point out room for improvement in your piece, that’s all the better.Final thoughtsI did warn you it might be obvious! But it’s taken me years to get the hang of this stuff, so I hope there’s the odd new idea you can try out with your students. And (as if that wasn’t quite enough) there are many more teaching tips on my blog.You might also like to try some of the free sample papers for 11 Plus and GCSE maths and English on the RSL Educational website.

How math develops brain muscles, especially for young children - ALOHA Mind Math

How math develops brain muscles, especially for young children How math develops brain muscles, especially for young children 1 Like How math develops brain muscles, especially for young children Early childhood is when brain growth is at its peak. This offers parents a window of time to foster that cognitive development to its fullest potential. Just like weight-training builds the muscles, mathematical thinking develops the brain. Your muscles must be strained and used to get stronger, but many people fail to understand that much in the same way, your brain requires mental exercise to keep your mental skills and memory at its best. Here, math can be a critical element of cognitive fitness, especially for young developing children. New brain research reveals that through hard work and effort, you can improve your intelligence Today you often hear that it’s “nature” over “nurture,” and that people are either born with math aptitude or not, but research shows that this isn’t true. Differences in mathematics learning can be attributed to the experiences that you have had in life that have helped build the brain connections that allow you to think about complex math problems What does that mean for young students? Offering functional and positive math experiences at younger ages is key to architecting brain connections that can be built upon down the road. Math requires you to create connections and recognize patternsThis type of critical thinking builds the brain’s muscles, which spills over into other facets of life, academic and otherwise. Ever wonder why there is a correlation between music and math… there is part of the answer. Studying math can help to boost overall intelligence by developing important skills such as systematic thinking, problem solving, sequence and pattern recognition, etc. These skills not only make a positive immediate impact on children, but also can serve them well in all future endeavors. So, when you hear parents using phrases like “my child just isn’t a math person” remember: people don’t do math because they are smart, rather, they do math because it makes them smarter. We are all born with an immature brain, so start building math muscles in early childhood when development is so important. ALOHA Mind Math offers both enrichment and supplemental math programs that can foster development and academic performance in young children. Please contact your local center to learn more.