How integrated technology has significantly benefited the education system

How integrated technology has significantly benefited the education system The development of technology is evolving in the coming years, and technology profoundly affects the future of the educational system. Some experts are against this trend of implementation such as edtech and apps used in school. Mainly because they feel that technology is a source of distraction for students rather than expanding their minds. However, technology-based learning strategies can have ethical practices that facilitate students to learn and expand their ability, performance, and productivity. Technology integration in the education system inspires a different and more simplified approach to teaching methods. Integration of Technology into the Education System Technology makes teaching and learning easy With the help of specific tools like websites, apps, e-books, and virtual tutoring students can learn on their own and still understand at their own pace. This digital material support classroom teaching and introduce more natural teaching methods for every student. For teachers, audio-visual presentation helps students to understand clearly and get the concept that is being taught to them. Projectors and computer presentations improve the level of comprehension within the students, say goodbye to chalks and markers. Technology helps teachers track students’ progress. Teachers today agree that technology has helped them reinforce their classes. Student engagement has become more comfortable with the growing platforms and tools available to them. Today, teachers rely on online tools like My Students Progress that enables them to keep track of individual achievement of every student. Teachers are eager to use the technologies in their classrooms. Gone are the days for old diaries and student notes. Technology provides instant access to technology at any time. This is the most apparent benefit of technology. Technology integration makes everything simple and straightforward. The internet provides instant answers and information to students at their disposal. No more spending time in the library looking for information or doing some research. Google is one essential tool that students have become familiar with finding answers for their papers or essays. Students can now easily access essential newspaper articles and any content they need. Technology trends towards Blended Online Learning. Blended online learning offers several benefits with it like cost reduction for school. Blended online use e-textbooks and other online materials to allow students to have limited instant access to learning material. It also supports online submission of assignments and research papers. Students have come to enjoy the benefits of blending both online reading and in-class experience. Technology encourages collaboration. Online tools are an effective way to encourage and increase collaboration between students. Those who do not get the opportunity to listen either during group tasks, project assignments. Online tools and apps provide a unique setting and platform where all students are engaged in learning activity. Students can work from home and still form teams and connect via the Internet, and each person participates. Technology encourages and improves individual learning. Technology tools such as tablets, learning apps, and websites provide opportunities that make learning useful to every student. Students can access the internet and information that is confusing for them at their own pace. This gives them an opportunity to have a wide range of resources and conduct research on their own which subsequently increases engagement. Students can learn various life skills from technology. Through various platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram students, and teachers can also learn more and spend time online for a useful purpose. They can develop essential skills like solving complex problems, improving productivity, leadership skills and practical skills that are essential for the future. Creating presentations, maintaining online etiquette and writing proper emails are the necessary skills that develop in the classroom through the use of technology. Conclusion. There are numerous importance of technology in the education system. If students, teachers, and parents are convinced then implementing technology will improve the learning experience for students. Although the cost of technology is high. Too successfully apply technology into our education system will significantly be worth it. Students that have already been interested and engaged in using techniques have amazing

All About Vegetarian Cooking and Vegetarian Recipes

All About Vegetarian Cooking and Vegetarian Recipes Vegetarian Cooking: Things You Need To Know ChaptersWhat Is It To Be A Vegetarian?The History Of Vegetarianism10 Amazing Vegetarian RecipesThe Health Benefits Of Vegetarian FoodThe Best UK Vegetarian BloggersTips On How To Be A Healthy VegetarianIngredients 120g of quinoa with 500ml of boiling water 100g of hazelnuts 1 small cucumber 1 pomegranate A small handful of coriander For the dressing 1 lime 1 tbsp of tahini 3 tbsp of olive oil 2 tbsp of sesame oil Salt and pepperMethod 1. Place the quinoa in a pan with the boiling water and a little salt.2. Let the quinoa boil for a minute or two, then place the lid on the pan and let it simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, until all the water has been evaporated and the quinoa is fluffy but not mushy.3. While the quinoa cooks put the hazelnuts in a baking tray and let them bake for about 10 minutes until they’re crunchy.4. Then slice the cucumber lengthways into quarters, then into eights. Slice out the seedy central part of the cucumber and then slice the eights into thin pieces.5 . Take the pomegranates seeds out of the pomegranate â€" I like squeezing all the juice out too and adding this to the dressing.6. Finely chop the coriander. Mix the dressing together in a mug. Once the quinoa has cooked and cooled place it in a bowl with the hazelnuts, pomegranates, coriander and cucumber, pour the dressing on the top and then mix it all together with a little salt and pepper.Recipe courtesy of the Telegraph. The New Vegetarian's Risotto cake with ratatouilleIngredients For the risotto   1-1.2 litres (1 ¾-2 pints) vegetable stock 3 shallots, finely chopped 2 generous knobs butter 2 garlic cloves, chopped 400g (14oz) risotto rice 250ml (9fl oz) white wine 100g (3 ½oz) finely grated parmesan, plus 3 tbsp* olive oil, to grease 2 tbsp semolina large handful of basil leaves, 300g (10 ½oz) taleggio or 2 balls smoked mozzarellaFor the roast vegetables   1 aubergine, trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced 2 small courgettes, trimmed and sliced 1 large red onion, peeled and thickly sliced 150g (5 ½oz) cherry tomatoes 1 large red pepper, deseeded and thickly sliced 4 sprigs thyme 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp olive oilMethod 1. Bring the stock to the boil and keep at a simmer. In a large pan, soften the shallots in a knob of butter until soft, stirring in the garlic after five minutes. Add the rice and stir for a minute. Turn up the heat and add the wine, stirring until it evaporates. Add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring until the liquid has all but gone, then adding another. Continue for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. If you run out of stock, use boiling water. Take off the heat, stir in another knob of butter and the 100g (3 ½oz) parmesan, season then leave to cool. Chill overnight or for at least three hours.2. Preheat the oven to 220 °C/425 °F/gas mark 7. Spread out the vegetables in a large roasting-tin with the thyme. Drizzle with vinegar and oil, season and roast for 40 minutes, turning halfway, until soft and charred (this can be done the day before).Recipe courtesy of the Telegraph.Meatless meatloaf with mushroom gravyIngredients Loaf 1 lb(s) Japanese eggplant (about 3) ½ cup walnuts 1 lb(s) firm tofu 8 oz shiitake or button mushrooms, stemmed 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup wheat germ 1 cup old-fashioned oats ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves 1 large egg, plus 1 egg white 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 Tbsp kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp red chile flakes Mushroom Gravy 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 6 oz shiitake, cremini or button mushrooms Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 ½ Tbsp Marsala or sherry 1 cup vegetable broth, homemade or low-sodium canned 2 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 tsp leaves ¼ cup heavy creamMethod Loaf 1. Over a gas burner or under an electric broiler, char the eggplants until the skin is black, turning as needed to cook all sides evenly. Wrap in foil and set aside to steam for 20 minutes. Remove from the foil and gently brush the skin o ff or rinse under warm water.2. Preheat oven to 400 ºF.3. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Pulse the eggplant, tofu, and mushrooms into small pieces. Add mixture to the walnuts along with the remaining loaf ingredients. Mix together until evenly combined. Transfer the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan or casserole dish and bake for 1 hour.Discover the different cooking classes near me on Superprof.Mushroom Gravy 1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the flour over the mushrooms and stir until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the marsala and broth and bring to a boil, cooking until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper.2. Unmold the meatless loaf, slice, and serve with the mushroom gravy. Palestinian matfoul saladIngredients 80ml Fairtrade Palestinian olive oil 3 onions, sliced 4 garlic cloves, chopped 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped 250g maftoul, rinsed and drained 600ml vegetable stock 60g raisins 3 roasted red peppers (from a jar), rinsed, patted dry and finely sliced 1 cucumber, seeds removed, chopped into small cubes 3 spring onions, finely sliced 2 handfuls fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped Handful fresh mint, roughly chopped Juice 2 lemons 2 tbsp Fairtrade Palestinian za’atar or sumac (find both of these in larger supermarkets or speciality shops)100g Fairtrade almonds, skin on, roughly choppedMethod 1. Put a large, wide saucepan over a medium heat with half the olive oil. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking) add the onions and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, then add the garlic and chillies and cook for 5-7 minutes more until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelise.2. Add the maftoul, increase the heat and stir well â€" the maftoul should be coated in the oil and fri ed for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, add the raisins and a couple of pinches of salt, then turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until the maftoul is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.3. Once cooked, spread out the maftoul mixture on a tray to cool â€" don’t add any of the vegetables/greenery until it’s room temperature. In a big bowl, mix the cooled maftoul with the peppers, cucumber, spring onions and herbs, then stir in the rest of the olive oil, the lemon juice and some salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature, scattered with za’atar and chopped almonds.You can easily find many more free recipes online, with some examples being: vegetarian chili (which sometimes becomes a bean chili), vegetarian soup, vegetarian lasagna, macaroni and cheese, chickpea curry, bean burgers and many more.The Health Benefits Of Vegetarian FoodAs you will see from its long-standing history, the vegetarian ideology has sustained the human race throughout hard times like famine and disease, which highlights one very important fact: that a vegetarian lifestyle is enough to keep us alive and healthy.So, with this in mind, why are so many of us still eating meat almost every day of the week?There are many scientific health benefits of a vegetarian diet, which I will go on to list below, but one of the main and perhaps most important is the good it has on the soul. By not playing a part in the slaughter of animals, whether brutal or sensitive, our consciences can remain clear.If a guilt-free life isn’t enough to sway you, then here are some facts on how a meat-free diet can benefit you physically, too.Eating food that is naturally low in saturated fat has been proven to protect our bodies from debilitating or worse, terminal, illnesses and diseases such as heart disease, gall stones, hypertension, coronary heart attack and some diet-related cancers.Just as you’d expect, this low-fat diet also helps to keep our bodies in shape, resulting in a leaner and more toned figure.The cause of this is fewer calories entering our stomach, coming from good foods like grains, seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables, providing a good source of fibre and calcium in place of heavy proteins and carbohydrates (did you know that a fibre-rich meal keeps you feeling fuller for for longer?).Eating a plant-based diet can help you keep in shape and give you more energy. Photo on VisualHunt.comWith so many great effects on the body, it is no wonder that athletes often choose to adopt a strict vegetarian diet, either permanently or to get them for before a game, race, match or other competition.What people may not realise, however, is that it is not only the muscles and bones that benefit from vegetarianism. Experts say that vegetarian living often results in better vision and less skin degeneration â€" which effectively means that by going vegetarian, you could be winding back the years!Of course, there is one othe r very important part of the body that benefits: the brain. Balanced eating, a healthy body and feeling good in oneself are very important factors in supporting the health of your brain.World Vegetarian WeekNational Vegetarian Week 2018 will run from 14-20 May and is all about eating delicious and exciting plant-based food.Anyone can join, even if they don't plan to continue with a meat-free diet afterwards. The idea is to highlight the benefits of vegetarianism by encouraging others to try it out.If this interests you, or you want to invite a friend to join you eating meat-free food, then you can sign up for the campaign's newsletters which will be packed full of fantastic recipes, helpful information and competitions throughout the course of the week.Yet, if you don't think you can manage a whole week of eating just vegetarian meals, then why not give Meatless Monday a go instead to ease yourself out of your carnivorous diet?If you are looking to become a vegetarian to better your self and lose weight for your own self-confidence, then you might be interested to know that Slimming World offer vegetarian meal plans as well, which can be followed any time of the year (as can those provided by the National Vegetarian Week campaign, if you so wish!).Their 7-day recipe ideas will take all the hard work out of meal planning, so all you need to do is cook and enjoy the amazing, guilt-free food.The Best UK Vegetarian BloggersThe Veg SpaceKate Ford, a Hertfordshire-based vegetarian of more than 20 years, set up this food blog and has contributed in making it a varied, interesting and exciting blog for meat-free eaters. It was awarded best veggie blog by Vegetarian Living.Naturally EllaAfter her father suffered a heart attack at a young age, Erin (whose initials spell out her pseudonym, Ella), embarked on a mission to eat healthily and brought out a blog dedicated to refreshing vegetarian cooking. A bit like a diary, the blog is personal but not preachy.Tinned Tomatoes The Scottish Vegetarian, as she’s known in her native country offers some great sweet vegetarian recipes suitable for children and adults alike. She also plays on Scottish and British traditions with vegetable haggis and pies.Fearne CottonWhile Fearne’s recently dabbled in publishing cookbooks, she cannot exactly be described as a food blogger by profession.That said, I am including her in this list because, as one of her followers on Instagram, I am a real champion of her wonderful, family-driven cooking recipes which are often meat-free.Just check out her tofu and red pepper spicy balls she posted earlier this month! Or her carrot and white miso soup with cumin quinoa… Go visit her page or, even better, buy one of her cookbooks.What I like about her food-related social media posts is that she proves that it is possible to cook vegan or vegetarian heartwarming meals for a family of four or five that everyone will enjoy.There is nothing worse than having to cook a few differen t dishes every night just to please everyone under your roof!Read this article for more detailed information on food bloggers in the vegetarian food discipline.Tips On How To Be A Healthy VegetarianThe key to successfully eating a vegetarian diet is to ensure that you get all the nutrients you need, which means replacing the protein from meat with other sources like egg, tofu or soy, for example.Alongside protein, which helps your metabolism and keeps your organs, muscles and skin healthy, you must ensure that you ingest enough iron in your diet to help red blood cells carry oxygen through your body. Sources of this nutrient include beans, raisins, broccoli, tofu and wheat.Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be taken from flaxseed and other plant sources, improve the health of your heart and brain.Finally, zinc is important to your body because it is fundamental to the immune system. Try eating cheeses, beans, soy products and nuts to successfully get your allocation of zinc (cheese is o bviously a higher-calorie product).Vegetarianism is not be confused with veganism, whose practitioners abstain from meeting eat as well as any animal-derived products, like eggs and dairy products. That said, strict vegetarians have strong views about only eating eggs and dairy sourced in an entirely cruelty-free way.With all this in mind, here are some tips on how to be a healthy vegetarian and switch your old meaty favourites with vegetarian alternatives.Tofu is great to add to meals like stir fry to add protein. Photo credit: avlxyz on VisualHunt.comNon-vegetarianVegetarianDairy milkSoymilkHam and pineapple pizzaOlives and artichoke pizzaBeef lasagneVegetable lasagnePork stir fryTofu stir fryLamb kebabVegetable and halloumi kebabBeef burgerBean burgerSausage sandwichSoy-based patties

The Basics of Statistics

The Basics of Statistics The History of How We Interpret Data ChaptersWhat is Applied Statistics?Understanding Descriptive StatisticsSummarizing Inferential StatisticsThe Best Places to Learn StatsWhether it’s interpreting percentile shifts, binomial distributions, estimators or the statistical significance of outliers using analysis of variance, statistics is a broad field that is becoming ever-more popular today. Here’s a brief history of how statistics got started and where to find the best resources for troubleshooting your statistics questions!Learning the computations behind statistical software is essential to accurate analysis AisvaryaData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdeyemiData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdenikeData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThanushanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GokhanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover a ll our tutors OlawaleData Analysis Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AisvaranData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Muhammad umairData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (2) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat is Applied Statistics?You may have heard data analysis in the news recently. From the major data breaches that regularly occur in some of the major banks across the world to the small, GDPR induced tick box you’ll have to check every time you visit a website - statistical analysis is shaping up to be this century’s Big Brother.If all this sounds merely like statisticians’ jargon and Big Brother only calls forth images of the infamous reality TV show, let’s unpack the importance of understanding statistical methods by taking a closer look at Big Brother’s namesake: George Orwell’s 1984.Without spoiling the plot or drawing up too convoluted a definition for inferential and descriptive statistics, the narra tive of 1984 follows the story of two protagonists struggling against the ideals of a dystopian, authoritarian government. One of these protagonists works for the “Ministry of Truth,” where he, ironically, edits historical records to conform with the political party’s agenda. In other words: redacting and revising historical data.The importance of statistical data and its history isn’t simply that it has improved our quality of life. Yes, Bayesian statistics and machine learning has given rise to statistical software that can track endangered species. Yes, the field of biostatistics has enabled the statistician to perform tests that produce the pharmaceutical drugs that save our lives. There is no question statistical techniques are essential to our daily lives, however, the manipulation of mathematical statistics can be wielded by corporations and government bodies to push political agendas or oppress certain segments of society - exemplified by Orwell’s seminal novel.Wit h concepts like categorical data, sample size, standard deviation and a probability distribution, the field of statistics can too often be perceived and taught in ways that are not only inaccessible, but perhaps lock out part of the population from a discipline that could empower them the most. While statistical theory and applied statistics may seem like a hyper-modern field filled with ultra-complex ideas to match, taking a look at the history of statistics belies this sentiment.Humans have been using statistics to solve society’s urgent problems since the dawn of societies themselves. From collecting raw data on agricultural phenomena to improve farming techniques to recording the movements of planetary systems in order to unlock the mysteries of the universe - scientists have been using statistical data analysis for centuries. If you’re rolling your eyes and qualifying this statement in your head by adding that men have historically dominated this field - you wouldn’t be w rong.However, not only have women like Florence Nightingale revolutionized the way we use and visualize probability and statistics, but there are women the world over today using statistical analyses to expose the discrimination women face even in industries that have always been considered to be bastions of egalitarianism.So, this is great and all, but what exactly does applied statistics look like mathematically and in the present day? The discipline’s name is self-explanatory but is worth clarifying applied statistics involves using data collection, probability theory and data visualization to either solve a problem or test a hypothesis in areas like business, insurance, governments, education, and more.Mathematically, statistics refers to applying probability and central tendency theories to test a null and alternative hypothesis through a number of different models: linear regression, multivariate regression, ANOVA, etc. While in the past statistics has been a discipline lock ed behind complex mathematics, involving aspects from a null hypothesis on normality of a distribution to probability density functions. However, in the present day, statistics is widely available to anyone with internet access. Open source programs like R and tutorials online, combined with tools that don’t require any previous statistics experience - such as Datawrapper - have led to a new, more democratized era of statistics and data analysis.Programming is becoming an increasingly important component to data analysisUnderstanding Descriptive StatisticsNow that you have a grasp of the evolution of statistics and data analysis, it can be helpful to know the composition of the discipline itself. Generally, the statistician or mathematician will divide the field into two main branches: descriptive and inferential statistics. Starting with the first, descriptive statistics concerns itself less with the intricacies of drawing an estimator or predictor from sample data and crafting a confidence interval based on various regression models.Instead descriptive statistics concerns itself with understanding what the data looks like. While this may sound rudimentary, it is in fact what the majority of the population not only understands best but also consumes the most. In the UK, for example, people and governments are less interested with predicting the average income for a family with certain characteristics and more interested with, let’s say, the average income of their city.Descriptive statistics describe either qualitative data or quantitative data and want to understand both location and variability statistics. In other words, using things like a histogram or normal distribution, descriptive statistics can tell you what the average data looks like and how different the data is from that average.Measures of location, or central tendency, include the sample mean, median and mode. Measures of variability, on the other hand, are things like the variances, covari ance or standard deviation of dependent and independent variables. Some other tools of measuring you can use in descriptive statistics include:Effect sizeCorrelation coefficientChi-square testsSummarizing Inferential StatisticsThe second branch of statistics involve metrics you’re less likely to see in a newspaper. For example, while you’re probably used to seeing and understanding figures like rankings for the happiest countries, you’re probably not combing journals for the latest quarterly GDP estimates. While inferential statistics can be an extremely powerful statistical tool that shapes are daily lives, it can be a little more complex to perform, interpret and understand.Inferential statistics is split between Bayesian statisticians and frequentists. While more detailed descriptions for how this matters in inferential statistics exists, most methods that are dealt with on a daily basis revolve around Bayesian statistics. Using probability theory, data scientists and stati sticians are able to go beyond exploratory analysis to create a study design that tries to make predictions outside a given data set.While inferential statistics was only implemented in the 19th century, its methods and uses have skyrocketed with the invention of computers and computer software geared towards statistics such as SPSS, R, Stata, and more. The most methods and models you’ll apply when conducting inferential statistics are:Linear regressionGeneral linear modelsNon-parametric testsNon-parametric tests can be very powerful in certain situations because of the fact that they don’t require the data to follow a specific distribution. If you’re interested in learning more about inferential statistics, start by getting familiar with the many assumptions - such as those under the Gauss-Markov theorem - statisticians will place on their data sets!Comparing indicators within your data set can be fun!The Best Places to Learn StatsFrom ordinary least squares to professional s tatistical methodology - Statistics as a field is as broad as topics such as Economics or Literature. This can make the job of students and professionals within statistics even harder when it comes to learning new skills or perfecting old ones. If you’re looking on advice or help with projects involving statistical models or are simply stuck on a bit of code, the best place to turn is the internet. While not a complete guide to statistical resources, here are some sites you definitely shouldn’t missAnalysing IndicatorsWhether you’re interested in creating a classification system for the numerical data you’ve gathered or want to understand more about how certain indicators are measured, one of the best sites you can turn to for help is Eurostat’s Statistics Explained.Data VisualizationVisualization, whether you’re doing it for your categorical data or for an ANOVA or regression analysis, can be tricky. Sometimes, you just might not know things like the technicalities of g raphing confidence intervals or how to best present your dependent variable. If you’re interested in fast, low-maintenance visualizations, make sure to check out Datawrapper.ProgrammingIf you’re looking for help with anything related to code, start by checking out Stackoverflow. One of the many online forums dedicated to answering, asking or browsing questions and answers set by real people on real problems related to code.Finding the Perfect Statistics TutorIf you’re interested in finding a statistics tutor, you can start by looking through Superprof's community of almost 150,000 maths professors. Teaching at all different levels and subjects, you’ll be able to find a tutor for statistics for the average price of 10 pounds an hour.

Stressed about Finals Try Adding Pre-Exam Music to Your Study Plan

Stressed about Finals Try Adding Pre-Exam Music to Your Study Plan With final exams quickly approaching, now is the time to put together a rock-solid test-taking plan that will help you reach your full potential this year. All of the usual final exam advice still holds true: study hard, get a good nights sleep, eat a high protein breakfast, and keep your stress levels down by making time for exercise and time with friends. This year, consider also adding some inspiring pre-exam music to your finals plan to help take your exam performance to the next level. Music has many positive benefits including enhancing our mood, providing a distraction from negative thoughts, and even boosting feelings of self-empowerment all of which are directly related to academic performance. Research has shown that listening to calming music before an exam can reduce anxiety, and listening to upbeat and empowering music before a challenging task can improve your mood and your self-confidence. Elite athletes incorporate music into their pre-game routines in order to mentally prepare themselves for competition. In fact, theres some scientific evidence that shows that pre-game music does positively impact their performance. In a study of basketball players who were struggling at the free throw line, researchers found that listening to upbeat music before hitting the court improved the players free throw percentage. The players in the study told the researchers that listening to the music helped them control their mood and their negative thoughts about shooting . These same principles apply to academic performance! When it comes to picking your own pre-exam music, think about the emotional state you want to achieve and find songs that will stir up those emotions. If you tend to feel down and discouraged before an exam, look for music will inspire you to feel positive, energized, and hopeful, like gold medalist Michael Phelps who blasts Levels by Avicii to get himself pumped up before a big race. If you tend to feel nervous and anxious, look for music that is reassuring, like Olympic soccer player Megan Rapinoe, who shakes off her pregame nerves with Shake it Off by Florence + the Machine. If your self-confidence often wanes before a big test, look for empowering music. According to a study conducted at Northwestern University, songs with a heavy bass, like Queens We Will Rock You, have the power to increase confidence and make you feel more in control. When youre listening to music before an exam, use that time to give yourself an even greater mental boost by visualizing your best possible performance. Imagine yourself confidently tackling the test questions, and easily recalling answers from all of the material that you have studied. Remind yourself that youve worked hard to prepare for the exam and that all of your hard work and effort will pay off. Think back to a time when you aced an exam and how that made you feel. Imagine yourself feeling that same way when youve completed this final exam. Music can be a powerful tool for boosting your mood and self-confidence going into your final exams. Just as music has inspired elite athletes to perform at their peak under pressure, when paired with a smart study plan it can help inspire you to reach your full potential on your exams this year. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center 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 of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Helping Your Child Become Faster and More Efficient by Embracing Routine and Structure

Helping Your Child Become Faster and More Efficient by Embracing Routine and Structure Help your child be faster and more efficient this school year! For a busy parents with limited time, it's frustrating when your child seems to have no sense of urgency and no motivation to get things done. If you're having a hard time getting your child to move fasterhere are a few tips to help him or her become speedier and more organized in school and life. Give your child checklists. Some children do much better when they have a visual to-do list that they can check off step by step. Create a checklist for any daily routine that seems to spark your childs inner procrastinator. For a younger child, draw or write out the steps and laminate the checklist. For the morning checklist, for example, your child can check off each step with a dry erase markerfrom getting dressed to making a lunch to checking that all homework and other items are in placed into his or her backpack before heading out the door. Older children might do well with smartphone reminders and alarms. Plan aheadand get your child to do the same. Whenever possible, do things ahead of time. If your child has basketball practice shortly after school, have him or her get out the gym bag, clothes and gear the night before, so that all he or she needs to do after school is change clothes and grab a quick snack. If the morning routine is difficult for your child, have him or her lay out his or outfit and get his or her backpack ready to go at night rather than in the morning. Set time limits for each and every task. Some children are relatively organized, but slower than they need to be. If this is your child, set small goals for each task. For example, if a homework worksheet should take your child 10 minutes to complete, set a timer for 15. If he or she dawdles or gets distracted while getting ready for school, set a goal of getting to the breakfast table by a specific time. Then, set another goal of having his or her shoes on and backpack ready 10 minutes before departure time. Keep an organized house and have your child do the same. Good organization and efficiency go hand in hand. When your child is disorganized, its too easy for him or her to lose things and overlook important dates, obligations and homework assignmentsand these problems are only exacerbated by his or her tendency to move and work slowly. Encourage your child to embrace a reliable organizational system at his or her desk, in his or her room and anywhere else. This leads to less wasted time and minimized stress. Have a frank conversation. Sometimes, the logical approach can work wonders. Talk with your child about all of the things that need to be accomplished each day by your child and by you. Explain that it is difficult to finish those tasks when he or she wastes 25 minutes on something that should take two, and that you want his or her help in keeping the household chaos to a minimum. Let your child know that the more efficient he or she is with time, the more time he or she will have to do fun things like play games or hang out with friends. Build in extra time. The reality is that some children may just do things slowerfrom eating dinner to showering to completing school work. Do your best to establish and stick to routines whenever possible, but also be realistic about your expectations. Your child may simply be hard wired to move more slowly than you would prefer. Build a little extra time into your daily routines to accommodate and avoid the stress of constant scolding and nagging. With effort, patience and practice, you can help you child become responsible and efficient with his or her time. Remember: all children are different, so while he or she may not do things exactly as you like, you can help him or her become a self-starter and an organized student and person. Those skills will stay with your childand benefit him or herfor the rest of his or her life.

Can I Learn a Language in 6 Months What the Experts Say

Can I Learn a Language in 6 Months What the Experts Say Can I Learn a Language in 6 Months? What the Experts Say Go ahead. Mark your calendar.Six months from today.The day youll have learned a new language.Dont believe me?The idea of learning a new language can definitely be overwhelming. So many words! Such unusual grammar! Maybe even a completely new alphabet to learn from scratch…Nevertheless, learning a language  isnt something that needs to take years and years of study. There are many people who become adept at multiple languages as adults.But can you really learn a language in just half a year?When it comes to learning a language fast, a few experts are cited repeatedly: Chris Lonsdale, who gave a popular TEDx talk entitled  â€œHow to learn any language in six months;”  Benny Lewis, founder of Fluent in 3 Months  and Tim Ferriss, who also purports to answer the question  â€œHow to learn any language in three months.”They each have their own approach, but there are common threads that run through all of their rapid-language-learning philosophies. And we can harness those for our own benefit.In this post, Ill highlight some of the most important themes from each of those three experts. Then, Ill help you bring it all together to create your own six-month study plan.Lets get started on day one of your six-month learning journey! Can I Learn a Language in 6 Months? What the Experts SayChris Lonsdale Says: Start Using the Language ImmediatelyLonsdale bases his approach around a set of language learning principles and actions. Here are some takeaways that are most important to our goal of learning a language in six months:Listen to your target language a lot, right from the start.Remember that understanding is about more than knowing all the words.  Use facial expressions, body language, context and style to get meaning right from the get-go, even before you worry about knowing every vocabulary word.Focus on core language. In other words, focus on learning high-frequently vocabulary thats most relevant to you. Lonsdale notes that for most learners, this early cor e language will include sentences like how do you say that? and repeat that please.Get a language partner  (or in Lonsdales terminology, a language parent). This is a  native speaker wholl support you on your journey and speak to you regularly.Unfortunately for us, Lonsdale doesnt exactly answer the question of how to get there in six months. Nevertheless, we can use these actions to help us when were creating our study plan.Benny Lewis Says: Hack Language Studies for Faster LearningIrish blogger Lewis has become popular with his talent as a polyglot, gaining a strong online following. He gave a  TEDx talk on Rapid Language Hacking  to lay out the foundations of his language-learning-fast philosophy:Forget the idea that language is a talent you either have or you don’t. He claims to have thought he was completely useless at them before starting with Spanish! This myth of language learning talent also comes up in Lonsdales talk.Remember, its almost impossible to know  nothing  of a language. With nearby languages, there are cognates, i.e. words with the same root: for example, English shares roots of  -tion ­  words with Latinate languages like Spanish and Italian.As an Italian learner, its very useful for me to be able to guess at words like  nazione  (nation). Meanwhile, even the most unrelated languages now have a shared vocabulary (Coca-Cola, anyone?).Take advantage of the internet to start communicating right away. If you live in a city, there will almost certainly be people who speak your target language around. Otherwise, find friends of friends who would be willing to Skype you from time to time. You can even check out italki to find a language exchange partner or professional tutor for one-on-one lessons.Use mnemonics to remember words and expressions. This could be thinking of a sound the word reminds you of, or singing an expression to a simple melody.Create SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, Time-bound. In other words, you sh ould pick concrete goals thatll challenge you without overwhelming you, and give yourself a deadline for achieving them. Well discuss how to do this more specifically later in this post.Like Lonsdale, Lewis says that you should use the language right away. And make mistakes! This will help you to learn and to get over embarrassment about speaking with native speakers.Lewis uses a lot of languages in his talk, which lends authenticity. He definitely knows what he’s talking about!Tim Ferriss Says: The 80:20 Rule Means You Can Achieve a Lot in a Little TimeTaking a different tack from the motivational TEDx style of Lewis and Lonsdale, Tim Ferriss takes a more theoretical approach to the goal of learning a language in a few months. He has a three-point approach to language-learning, which incorporates the following:Effectiveness: Pick learning materials thatll work for you and your goals (i.e. effective).Adherence: Keep motivated and prioritize learning in your life so that you adhere to your study routine.Efficiency: Make sure your study regimen and tools are propelling you forward at a reasonable rate.Importantly, he refers to the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80:20 rule. This is the idea that 80 percent of results of any task come from 20 percent of the input, material or effort. He applies this to learning a language, arguing thatâ€"although total language mastery might take years of applied learningâ€"its perfectly possible to achieve conversational fluency in three months.How? Like Lonsdale, Ferriss emphasizes relevance of learning: Dont read something you wouldnt care to read about in your native language, as itll make it harder to understand, engage with and remember. So, if youre a Japanese learner interested in baseball, reading about the Japanese leagues might be a perfect place to start.So, What Should You Do to Learn a Language in 6 Months?All these guys take a different approach to tackling the problem, but there are clearly some common theme s across all of them. With all that in mind, what should your plan of action be to learn your chosen language in six months?Step 1: Start Using Your Target Language TodayThis is something all of our experts agree on, but it might sound counterintuitive to beginner language learners. How can you start using a language before youve learned any of it?We can go back to what Benny Lewis said:  In all languages, you already have some words you can access, and when youre speaking face-to-face or over Skype with someone you can use hands, facial expressions, noises, props and so on to get your meaning across.I had a very memorable conversation with a Korean learner of English in Seville, who was using limited vocabulary to explain to us the history of a particular Korean liquor. It was (intentionally) hysterically funny, so dont worry about your speaking partner getting irritated!Find a native speaker near you, take a trip or go online to find chat buddies. It doesn’t matter if you make m istakesâ€"you will!â€"as this is all part of the process of learning. As you begin to speak, youll get familiar with building sentences, listening to the sound of the language and hearing common phrases and expressions.Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with the Core LanguageA common theme from our expert friends was focusing your early learning on core language. In English, for example, this would include functional words like  and, the, a,  pronouns, such as  she,  I,  they  and the most commonly used verbs like  to have,  to be and to do.When youre in the early stages of learning a language, there will be a steep upward curve as you start to see how you go from saying single words to sentences, and learning these words will form the basis of that.How do you know which words to learn? Ferriss lists the 100 most common words in written and spoken English, which you can use if youre an English learner, or otherwise compare to key words in your target language. You could also try searching for your target language plus the term common words on Memrise, a digital flashcard app. There are many such lists covering Spanish, Korean, French, Dutch and much more.All the while, you should be going back to step one: whenever you learn something new, incorporate it into your speaking. For example, in Italian Ive been trying to correctly use phrases featuring the word  ecco, which is similar to the French  voila. This means Ive recently been walking around like a child, pointing at things and shouting “There it is!” Now I think I’ve got it.Step 3: Set Those SMART GoalsWhile a lot of learning will happen naturally as you speak and listen and read and write, you can’t take that for granted. Youll of course have to put in effort.Moreover, set SMART goals, as we discussed above. Its one thing to say you want to be fluent in six months, but what does fluency mean for you?I can give you an example of a goal I set myself last fall. By Christmas, I wanted to be able to hold a f ull conversation with my Italian girlfriend’s 5-year-old niece. So, it was:Specific: A successful conversation with a specified person.Measurable: Did I do it or not?Ambitious: She speaks no English and, as a child, doesn’t always understand that not everyone gets what she says, so it’s a challenge!Realistic: I wasnt expecting to debate the finer points of continental philosophy with a college professor…Time-bound: I knew I had to get it done by Christmas.This was a huge help. I focused on language that would allow me to have that conversationâ€"school, family, toysâ€"and I practiced it whenever I could. The result: success!Step 4: Use Learning Material You Care AboutOur experts note that you need to practice your target language with material that matters to you.You might consider videos and music to help with your listening. You can use YouTube to find all sorts of different videos. While I was learning Spanish, I picked up a great deal from the rap group  Calle 13. Findin g music you love in your target language is a fantastic thing to do, as you can listen to it over and over, understanding a little more each time.For a resource that combines relevant, entertaining material with active learning, check out FluentU. This innovative tool transforms authentic target language videos, like movie trailers, new clips and funny commercials, into a language learning experience.Nowadays you can find news sites online in any language, and these are really useful for your reading skills. The language tends to be very functional and informative (whereas literary works are often a little challenging in the early stages) and its relevant to a wide range of language learners since it gives you up-to-date vocabulary that native speakers are using in their day-to-day lives.Each video comes with clickable captions you can use to explore the meaning and context of any word thats unfamiliar to you. The videos are updated regularly so youre sure to find topical, authentic material that native speakers watch themselves. Then, FluentUs Learn Mode creates flashcards and exercises thatll ensure you actually learned from the video you watched.In other words, its comprehension practice that aligns exactly with what the experts say: to learn a language fast, you need to use relevant, engaging materials.Step 5: Look Up the GrammarYou can practice all you like, but you still have to understand the grammar, right? Well, yes. But grammar study doesnt have to be the repetitive trawling through books and verb tables that it was in schoolâ€"this can be the thing that really hampers your attempts to get fluent fast.If you notice a certain grammatical form when people are speaking to you, look it up! Itll elucidate the reasoning and allow you to incorporate it into your speaking (back to step one!), which is far better than studying grammar in isolation.Makes sense, right? Drilling dry grammar rules out of a textbook will only get you so far. For most people, thats so boring as to kill your drive to learn. But even for people who thrive on book learning, if youre not seeing and using grammar rules in context, theyll have very little impact on your actual, measurable language development.All of this ties into the core principles weve been discussing. Make all of your learning relevant and comprehensible, and youll hit your target in no time.Step 6: Keep It EnjoyableThe final step is to go back to one of Ferriss’ principles: adherence. Learning a language should be a challenge but not a chore. If you’re reading this blog, I’m sure you’ll agree that one of the great joys in life is to be able to communicate in a new language, and ultimately speaking is far more important than passing an exam.So  make sure you have fun  in your language studies to keep that motivation up for all six months of your study plan. If youre not sure how to do this, here are a couple of ideas that have worked for me:Make it competitive. Im an incredibly competit ive person, so for me, adding elements of a game can make it extra rewarding to learn a language. This could be with another person: although this shouldnt be about one-upmanship, finding a friend who wants to learn and testing yourself against each other can be a big help.Write a song. Use some of the vocabulary you have learned to create ditties or translate your favorite song into your new language.Use humor. Ask your language partner to tell you some jokes. Once you start understanding foreign-language jokes, you really know youre getting proficientEat! Food is obviously the best thing about any new culture, so find some recipes in your target language you can try out and cook for your friends.So, think about your goals and get speakingâ€"today. Good luck! And One More ThingIf you only do one thing to try to learn a language in six months, give FluentU a shot. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, y ou learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU 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 over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz 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.

How to Learn a Foreign Language with Brainpower 5 Winning Mindsets

How to Learn a Foreign Language with Brainpower 5 Winning Mindsets How to Learn a Foreign Language with Brainpower: 5 Winning Mindsets Do you want to know the ultimate tool for learning a new language?Its a simple, 7-letter word.Can you guess what it is?Heres a hint: Its behind  all the  learning methods, techniques  and hacks  youve ever learned.It fuels and motivates you. It’s the very key to conquering any language.You interested?I’m talking about your mindset.Its  the most powerful force in learning.  It can turn night into day and day into night. It’s the secret  why polyglots acquire new tongues as if by magic.  It’s also the culprit behind many language learning failures. Ever wonder why some people never pick up a language even if you offer them all the tools and resources in the world?The whole game is all about mindsets. It’s all about what goes on inside your head. But what are mindsets? And why are they so powerful?That’s exactly what we’ll talk about next. Then, later, we’ll dive into 5 of the most potent language learning mindsets exploited by the greatest language learners today. Wha ts a Mindset?A mindset is a way of thinking.Mindsets are powerful because theyre our “stubborn beliefs” about something. They guide our thoughts and determine our actions. For example, if you believe that you’re the hottest guy in the room, you’ll act accordinglyâ€"swaggering like a million bucksâ€"even if nobody notices. Or, if you believe you’re bad at sports, you’ll be oblivious to the fact that you happen to be a great bowler or rower.It’s because your mindset is your reality.  Your truth. In many ways, a mindset is “set.” It resists challenges to the contrary. It would take a ton of evidence to make you abandon a well-entrenched belief.For example, if you believe that you’re no good at math, youll always be on the lookout for experiences (a.k.a. evidence) that prove exactly that. On the other hand, youd discount, overlook and even deny experiences to the contrary. Youd still believe that you’re terrible with numbers even when in standardized tests it was p roven that youre in the 95th  percentile (meaning that you’re better than 95% of all those who took the same test).Youd also probably not notice that you’re doing mental math all the time and are actually quite proficient at it.Mindsets are that important. They determine what we think and how we act.When Lincoln freed the slaves, it was born out of the belief that “all men are created equal” or, arguably, his set determination to end the Civil War.  When Tom chases Jerry into a hole, its because of a mindset.And guess what? The speed with which you acquire a second language, or if you acquire it at all,  hinges on what specific mindsets are rattling in your head.Why Is It Important to Have the Right Mindset for Language Learning?It’s the “Map to the Mine”There are a million-and-one things you can do in order to learn a language. There are a thousand-and-one tools available online that can take you to where you want to  go.You can  enroll in a language class or you can fly off to the country of your target language. You can create flashcards, sign up for online courses, download apps, read books, download free e-books, listen to audiobooks, track down podcasts and watch videos and movies.Some of these will work for you, others wont.Now, out of the myriad choices, how will you navigate the road to language acquisition? How will you take your pick?Easy. Your mindset does the choosing.If you believe learning a new language costs an arm and a leg, then you’ll go for those expensive and prestigious courses.  If you believe that learning a new language takes years and a serious commitment of time, then youll gravitate to those more long-term courses often taking place inside the classroom.If you believe second language learning is only for the brightest fellas, you may not even start or try.Like a map, your language learning mindsets will determine what route you’re gonna take, how far youll go or if you’re even gonna take the journey in the first place. It’s very important that you have the correct map to guide you through the maze that is language learning.Your language learning mindsets wont always lead you to the promised land. Sometimes, they’ll lead you astray. Sometimes they’ll lead you around in circles, into dark alleys and dead ends.  So if you’re learning French and getting nowhere in spite your best efforts, it may be time to take a clear accounting of your mindsets. Because they may be the very things that are tripping you up.It’s for the Rainy DaysLanguage learning is an adventure. There will be days when it seems like you’re unstoppable in your German studies. There are nights when Spanish verb conjugation is a breeze or when French pronunciation feels like ABC.But then again, there are those times when nothing seems to be working and, no matter what you do, you see no improvement in your Mandarin efforts. You seem to have hit a plateau and you feel like banging your head against the Great Wall of China. “Why did they have to create tonal language?” you ask.You know what will rescue you from the pits?  Right!  Your language learning mindsets.If you’ve got the right ones in your head, they’ll be in there telling you, “Hey, don’t worry ‘bout your mistakes buddy, they’re normal.”“Why don’t you try talking to that native Chinese speaker you just met?  He can teach you so much about his language.”“Okay. Its movie night. Wanna watch a Spanish foreign classic and hit two birds with one stone?”You see, your “stubborn beliefs” will pull you through the difficult times. When you’d rather give up and be contented with your basic “Hola” and “Buenos días,” your mindsets will give you the strength to push on. Assuming, of course, that you’re holding onto some very useful ones.The next section contains five of the most awesome mindsets to have when learning a language.  The most  successful polyglots on the planet today swear by them.How to Learn a Foreign Language with Brainpower: 5 Winning Mindsets1. Selfishness Can Be a Good ThingSo why do you want to learn Spanish? Why Korean?  What makes Russian your choice?The truth is, theres no one answer to these questions. Everyone has a  personal reason for learning a particular language. So, nows the time to get a little selfish and tap into what  you really want!Perhaps an overseas promotion hinges on you picking up the country’s language. You may have met someone new, and she happens to be Italian and speaks very little English. Perhaps you’ve always fancied yourself speaking fluent French, eating and feeling at home in French restaurants. Whatever your motivation may be, it’s as valid as the next man’s.Personal motivation is very important in language learning.  Thats the  reason why very little retention happens for schoolchildren who were enrolled in foreign language schools and classes by their parentsâ€"lack of personal motivation. They didn’t choose to be in th at class. Their parents enrolled them thinking it would serve them well later in life. There was no personal motivation, only parental motivation.Personal motivation is a very important factor in  second language acquisition. To be an effective learner, you have to really know the purpose of why you’re putting in the hours. What’s your reason?Remember, any reason will do as long as it makes sense for you, regardless of what other people think. Some may think its superficial that you’re learning Korean because of the hot chick who lives next door, but if that’s what it takes to make you “Anyong haseyo” through the night, then that’s what it takes.Don’t be stuck on the judgment of others. Only you know what’s important for you.  The best language learners always know why theyre doing things. And their reasons often come from somewhere deep within themselves, something organic that they themselves determine. It’s not thrusted on them. Theyre nothing like those schoo lboys who forget their lessons as soon as the examinations are over.Like I said, this selfishness-is-okay mindset will save you. On nights when you’d rather flip on the TV and watch a sitcom in your native language, youll remember to stick with your learning. So always ask yourself this very important question: “Why am I doing this? Whats in it for me?”In fact, do this exercise. Write that very question on a piece of paper and then try answering it.  You don’t have to give just one answer. You may have more than one reason. The important thing is that you make your personal reason(s) crystal clear in your head. Be selfish for once, and focus on what  you  truly want.When you’ve found your answer(s), youll have truly found something precious. Youll have found your personal North Star thatll guide you and light your way on those dark and cold nights. This personal motivation is key to succeeding in any major endeavor, including language learning. Watch  this video to see an illustration of this concept at work.2. Language Mistakes Wont Kill YouThis one’s a biggie.We know that people can be divided into two camps: (1) those who try to learn a new language and (2) those who never found the time, tendency or reason for doing so.The people who actually try to learn a language can also be divided into two camps: (1) those people who try and succeed and (2) those who try and give up after a few weeks or sessions.This mindset right hereâ€"that  language  mistakes arent going to kill youâ€"pretty much determines who succeeds and who bows out.If you think you’re going to achieve fluency with  a mindset that says, “obsess over  the grammar and make as few mistakes as possible,” then you’re living in La-La Land. In fact, one of the most famous polyglots today, Benny Lewis, is the first one to say that mistakes are okay. One shouldnt take them personally.Mistakes are normal features of language acquisition. Mistakes arent precious. Theyre a dime a dozen. The native speakers who you think never makes mistakes actually made tons of them growing upâ€"and they still make mistakes to this day.In fact, making mistakes has  always been the way to learn something. One of the reasons why children pick up languages like a dry sponge is because they arent afraid to commit mistakes and make fools of themselves. A little girl  could say  â€œShe eated my cookies, mommy,” without a care for the grammar police. Mommy will correct her and say  â€œShe  ate, honey,” and her ego will remain intact.Adults, on the other hand are quite fragile china pieces. After a dozen years in a classroom setting and thousands of exams, we learn that mistakes are injurious to our grades. And so we try to make the least number of them.  We bring this grade-conscious mindset into adult language learning and shoot ourselves in the foot.You have to accept that when learning a language you’re going to make mistakes. A lot. A lot of mistakes. They’re not to be avoid ed. They’re to be learned from. Check in with  Luca Lampariello  on thisâ€"hes yet  another famous polyglot and proponent of  learning from mistakes.In order to be a successful language learner, you have to be capable of learning from your mistakes. But that presupposes that you’re hard at work trying, guessing, estimating, being unsure and committing those mistakes.So how does this mindset lead to language learning success?For example, you’re doing Spanish verb conjugations. This is probably one of the most challenging (but also one of the most important) topics in Spanish. You better have a thick skin, otherwise those Spanish verbs will make you feel 3 inches tall.Here’s what happens when you take mistakes seriously: At first you’ll lose steam. You put off working on verbs until later in the day. Then instead of going at it daily, you start skipping some days and start slacking in your sessions. Before long, you’ve quit. Another one bites the dust.But if you just laugh  every time you trip and don’t take yourself too seriously, everything will be a matter of time. Learning the language will really be inevitable. Youll tame the language soon enough, and your ego won’t take a beating because of it.Here’s what you do next time you commit a mistake. Whether its vocabulary-related or grammar-related, doesn’t matter. Go in front of a mirror. Then smile. Yes, smile.  See that face?  You’re ok, right? It’s not a matter of life and death, right? Smile and realize that you’re gonna be fine. It’s not the end of the world. You made a mistake, so what.Smile.  And then smile some more. (Okay, maybe not too much, thats creepy.)3. Inconsistency KillsIf mistakes don’t kill you, inconsistency will definitely leave you out to dry. Its true what they say: Never put off for later the things that you can do right now.Here’s the thing. The best language learners are also the most consistent ones. Their mindset is along the lines of, “I’m gonna l earn German today. Just like I did yesterday. And guess what, I’m gonna learn German tomorrow too!”You can practically measure your success by the consistency with which you go into the learning sessions. Even the best polyglots around admit that their learning becomes ineffective when they arent consistent. It’s because consistency translates into the number of hours you put into learning.You won’t really learn a language if you do it only once a week. You can’t treat it like a hobby and practice only when you feel like it. No, you can’t pick it up where you left it last year. You’ve already lost last year’s lessons. You’ve got to do it daily.Remember the kid who was enrolled in a language class and forced to study a second language? He doesn’t remember any of it now, does he?  Why?  Lack of consistency.  It’s been years since he revisited his textbooks. He never brushed up on his vocabulary, much less added to it.  He never practiced the language at home or w ith the people he meets. There was no consistent practice, consistent exposure and consistent improvement. So he got the grades and passed the course, but he never got the language.So how can you build  consistency?  Have a daily goal  that you stick to no matter what.An example would be to set a certain number of minutes that youll devote to learning the language every night. Other learners decide on a set number of vocabulary words that theyll commit to memory each day. Still others commit to a set of activities that theyll do every day in order to practice the language.For example, you can do SRS (spaced-repetition system) on a daily basis so those vocabulary words remain clear and fresh in your head. An app that can help you with that is Anki. It’s a free program that makes remembering anything easy.Make sure that there are things that you do during the day to bring yourself closer to your ultimate goal. Consistency is the way to fluency.4. Immersion Is the Ultimate Time Saver When you hear a person begin a story with, “I spent a few years in X country” remember that you’re listening to a story about learning a language. Youre listening to a story of immersion.Immersion is the act of putting yourself at the mercy of a new language. Dedicated language learners often leave their home countries, along with their familiar traditions and customs, to go the country where native speakers of their target language live. The goal is to interact with and learn from the people there. Picking up the language in this setting is virtually unavoidable. They learn how greet, eat, work and play using the target language.In this situation, learning really not an option. It’s either you sink or swim. Immersion indeed! The only out is to totally avoid locals and hang out among expats.Immersion is  the ultimate time saver because, in a foreign country, you don’t wait for a class to start or log into your account to start a learning session. Its happening 24/7. It’s everywhere you go. That solves the consistency issue immediately.The best language learners actively seek immersion experiences. They often put themselves into sink or swim situations. But immersion  doesn’t necessarily mean going to other countries. In fact, the famous Brit polyglot, Olly Richards, didn’t need to go to China in order to learn Cantonese. He was in Qatar at the time.If youre interested in learning using his method, start with Grammar Hero (all about the building blocks), Conversations (for fast fluency) or the Uncovered courses (targeting specific languages including Spanish, French, German and Italian.)Fortunately, technology has done a great deal to help in the immersion experience. Videos, for example, can be your best friends. Theyll teach you a language and youll never even have to leave your living room. For example, youve got FluentU,  a leading provider of language learning videos, on your side.FluentU  houses a huge collection of educational videos, new scasts, interviews, movie trailers and concerts that trick your brain into thinking that youre in a foreign countryâ€"but you’re really just lounging in your room.  Plus, FluentU provides plenty of tools like interactive subtitles, multimedia flashcards and vocabulary lists. That means you can actively practice the language in all the videos youve been watching.italki is a  tool that provides an immersive experience by connecting eager  learners with willing native speakers. You don’t have to travel far to be in the shadow of a native speaker these days. You can simply video chat him or her, perhaps while you’re having breakfast on the other side of the world.You can even use italki to hire a private language tutor if youre looking to invest in a more professional touch.If you want real human contact, you still dont need to leave your home country. Instead, go to Polyglot Club and find language partners, parties and meetups right in your own city.Like I said, everything is del iciously served on a silver platter and presented to the language learners of today. All of these resources are available through that smartphone you’re holding or at the click of a mouse. But you won’t even notice them, much less take a bite, if your mindset tells you that immersion is all about riding a plane and going to live in a different country.It could take you years to save up for your trip that costs thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, thousands are getting first class language lessons through FluentU, italki and Polyglot Club right this very second.  I’m telling you, get on those three sites now and be part of that smart group.5. Doing It” Is Different from “Learning How to Do It”This one’s another biggie because doing it  and learning how to do it  look like the exact same thing. But I assure you, they’re not.  Here’s the difference.When you’re doing it,  you’re actually using  the language. That means you’re talking and, you know, moving your jaw up and down, enunciating words and stringing together sentences. It doesn’t matter that you’re butchering the pronunciation or grammar.But when you’re studying grammar rules, memorizing vocabulary, messing around on  YouTube, listening to podcasts, reading e-booksâ€"all those moments when you arent applying your skills in the real worldâ€"you’re learning how to do it.  The most effective learners not only know the difference, they know that doing itâ€"actually exercising their skillsâ€"is ultimately what matters.  So if that’s your mindset, how does it look in practice?Like this:You speak to a native even when you know you’re not fluent.In your attempts to construct a sentence, you throw out English words when you dont know the other languages equivalent.You open yourself to constructive criticism and ask your language partner how you’re doing.  You laugh at your mistakes and don’t feel like a little part of you dies every time you butcher a vocabulary word or a gramma r rule.Many people don’t want to start really practicing the language until theyve read every grammar book, mastered the pronunciation keys and memorized hundreds of vocabulary words. They hold off on writing or talking until they have all the linguistic elements down pat. These are coincidentally the very same people who are afraid of making mistakes. So they enroll in every course and get every lesson out there, but they never take their language skills for a spin.Well, that’s like trying to learn how to swim without actually jumping in the water until youve read all the swimming books.For sure, studying up on the language is necessary. But there comes a point when you just have to put down the books and start talking. How can you learn how to speak a language when you don’t even try speaking it?Do you want to go the way of the best language learners?  Then do this exercise.  I want you to ask yourself this question: Have I practiced speaking or writing  the language today?  Ask this of yourself daily.  If the answer is “no” or “not yet,” then go on the offensive and do these things:1. Read some  vocabulary words and phrases out loud. Then read them again.2. Reach out to one of your language partners (it’s always better to have more than one) and start practicing dialogues, lines, etc.You can find language partners in The Mixxer, My Language Exchange  and Conversation Exchange.Find a native speaker friend on those sites and do everything you can to get your mouth moving. Role play if you want, just get those learned vocabulary, grammar patterns and phrases into actual conversations. Don’t worry, native speakers are usually pretty  gracious to learners of their language.So there you go, five mindsets and their corresponding critical actions.But the question remains: How can you have those mindsets for yourself? How do you genuinely acquire them?  Here’s the brief answer: Look around.I want you to open your eyes for evidence that the five m indsets indeed work. Ask polyglots and the most effective language learners online, search psychology and language acquisition research journals, devour articles and absorb scientific studies. Don’t just take my word for it. In the end, I bet that Ill be telling you I told you so.See for yourself. So you can believe for yourself.Open your eyes and tell me what you find.That’s it for now, friends. I’ll see you again soon.Have a great, wonderful and awesome time “doing it.” And One More ThingAmazing resources are the keys to learning a foreign language. If youre looking for resources,  look no further than FluentU!FluentU gives you the opportunity to listen to a wide array of native speakers.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie tr ailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU 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.FluentU Videos with Interactive CaptionsUnder the Vocab and Dialogue tabs, youll find words and phrases from the video and a complete interactive transcript.Interactive Transcripts on FluentUYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs Quiz Mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoFluentU is also flexible. You choose what you watch, when you watch it and how much you watch. Meanwhile, FluentUs algorithm tracks your learning to present you with questions that build on what youve already learned. B ecause of this flexibility, FluentU is appropriate for any level of language learner.FluentU also ticks off the convenient box. You can use FluentU online, download the the iOS app or try the Android app.

Learn from the Best! 8 Resources to Learn a Language from Native Speakers

Learn from the Best! 8 Resources to Learn a Language from Native Speakers Learn from the Best! 8 Resources to Learn a Language from Native Speakers Lets have a talk.In your native language, thats probably not too intimidating.But if we asked you to have a talk in your target language, your heart might start to race a little.Thats because communicating in your target language can be challenging and intimidating. Luckily, it doesnt have to be. Friendly native speakers can help you improve your skills and build your confidence.Yes, were talking about  conversation exchange. Conversation exchange usually refers to a sort of trade of skills. You help a native speaker of your target language practice your native language, and in exchange, he/she helps you learn his/her native tongue. You can do it online or in person.But  finding a language exchange partner  can be tricky. You need someone with the right skills and ideally shared interests. Plus, there are so many ways to do a language exchange that youll need someone prepared to use the same medium. For instance, if you prefer video chat,  Skype language exchange  is ideal. However, if you also want to be able to text,  language exchange apps  are helpful.So how can you find the ideal language exchange partner and reap all the benefits of learning from a native speaker? Well show you eight spectacular resources to get you started! What Are the Learning Benefits of Speaking with Natives?First of all, learning a language from native speakers will improve your pronunciation. The more you converse, the more likely you are to pick up on the nuances in their pronunciations without even trying.This, in turn, will lead to you sounding much more like a native speaker yourself.Additionally, conversing with native speakers will, unsurprisingly,  increase your ability to understand native speakers! They tend to talk much more quickly than non-native speakers, so understanding them can seem daunting at first. Thats why its important to get familiar with common native speech habits and cadences, so you wont find it challenging to understand your target language outside of an educational setting.Finally, learning a language from native speakers will enhance your ability to hold real conversations. And thats what youre learning a language for, right?Since youll be able to speak more like a native and understand native-level speech, itll make it much easier to hold a real conversation without the intimidation factor. Not only that, going into a conversation with more confidence will make that conversation much more enjoyable.Learn from the Best! 8 Resources to Learn a Language from Native SpeakersPolyglot ClubPolyglot Club is a free resource chock full of possibilities for language learners.In short, Polyglot Club is a club for language aficionados to connect with one another. With over 700,000 members from around the world, theres a strong chance youll be able to connect with a native speaker of your target language.Plus, Polyglot Club offers a number of different options to suit your communication preferences. You can search for people speaking your t arget language in your area, you can attend in-person events, you can get answers to your questions and you can have a native speaker correct your work.If thats not enough, you can also peruse other peoples questions and answers to get information and insights from native speakers.Sometimes, user-powered websites like this one lag because they rely on willing volunteers to provide information and assistance. However, Polyglot Club even has a solution for that. To encourage people to post more often, users can earn more points by posting responses more often.These points then lead to upgraded status that can remove ads, allow that users questions to appear at the top of the page and more. If you post enough, you can also access online chat, online video chat and instant messaging to other users.CoffeeStrapCoffeeStrap is a language exchange program available online or via Android app. In exchange for helping someone learn your native language, a native speaker will help you learn his/ her native language. What a good trade!The program allows you to text, telephone chat or video chat with other users, giving you the opportunity to improve your speaking, reading and writing.To encourage native speakers to interact with you, you should first earn Karma points by speaking to someone whos learning your native language.Once you have that groundwork, its time to start perfecting your target language! CoffeeStrap aims to connect you with native speakers who share your interests, providing you with much more to discuss. Additionally, CoffeeStrap detects your proficiency to track your progress, which is a helpful way to see how far youve come.CoffeeStrap currently offers English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, German, Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.SpeakySpeaky is a sort of language-learning social network that connects you to speakers around the world.Users speak over 100 languages and come from over 180 countries, so theres a strong chance y oull find a native speaker of your target language. You can also filter users so that you only see those who know your target language.Speaky allows you to connect with native speakers from your computer, iOS device  or Android device. The apps allow text-based chat with audio messages coming soon. If you use Speaky on your browser, you can use text-based chat, audio chat or video chat.LingQLingQ is a fun, user-friendly language learning app that offers both language exchange and language forum options. That means not only will you get real-time conversations with native speakers, youll also be part of a larger online community of polyglots and soon-to-be polyglots.The great thing about LingQ is its a highly immersive experience that supports your native speaker interactions with tons of learning tools. You can quickly look up words your conversation partner uses that you dont know, while the apps tracking features help you monitor your progress overall.You can explore forums, blogs and live chats to reach out to native speakers in a number of friendly environments.You can use LingQ on your computer or any mobile device. There are 14 languages covered, including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Swedish and more.BabelvillageBabelvillage dubs itself an open language exchange fair. While there may not be any cotton candy, the language payoff is sweeter than any sugary treat, anyway.With over 15,000 members speaking over 100 languages, you should be able to find a language partner youll hit it off with. This platform offers dedicated Language Exchange and Language Practice optionsâ€"the latter of which pairs learners of the same language togetherâ€"so be sure to choose the exchange option to chat with native speakers.Babelvillage offers an easy search feature that allows you to select what language your partner speaks and what language theyre learning that you speak. From there, you can peruse pictures and profiles to select your match.Babelvillage has more features plan ned, so who knows what else the future holds!LangademyLangademy offers convenient options for learning from native speakers.Langademys main focus is language exchange. It uses an innovative time-banking system. If you spend a certain amount of time helping any user learn your native language, youll get that same amount of time practicing your target language with a native speaker.If you dont have the time or desire to help someone learn your native language, you can still purchase credits in order to practice your target language.You can chat by text or via online phone calls, so you can easily practice speaking, listening, reading and/or writing.WeSpekeLooking to learn a language you cant find elsewhere? WeSpeke users speak over 260 languages and come from over 230 countries, so one of them may be your ticket to success.WeSpeke is a free option for language exchange. With WeSpeke, you can connect with text, audio or video chat.However, WeSpeke also has the unique feature of a WeSpe ke Notebook. Here, you can save content from your chats to study again later, so your learning doesnt have to stop just because your partner is offline.You can use WeSpeke through a browser, but its also available as an app for iOS and Android.HiNativeHiNative is a QA platform that allows you to have your most pressing language questions answered by native speakers.If you want some of the benefits of learning from a native speaker but arent ready to jump into a full conversation, this is a useful option.Questions on common languages like Spanish, English and Chinese are likely to be answered most quickly, but you can submit questions on over 100 different languages. You can submit your question in text or audio, so its adaptable for your unique concerns and preferences.HiNative is available online or as an app for iOS or Android.If youre looking to master your target language, look no further than these eight great resources to learn a language from a native speaker! And One More ThingWant to know a secret?You dont always have to interact with other humans to learn languages from native speakers.Sure, developing your speaking skills is important, but even for that, much of what you need comes not from speaking so much as paying attention.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, including movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, 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 over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive Transcripts You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz 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.