Why Is Learning English Important?

Why Is Learning English Important?Why is learning English important? In many countries of the world English is not widely spoken, but is becoming more popular as the economic and business worlds open up to people who speak the language. If you were born in a country that does not have English as a major language, it can be hard to succeed in the English speaking world.Many businesses consider English as a language of business. Even if it isn't one of the official languages of the country where you are from, it can help with your job if you have the ability to communicate with people from the United States. The fact that English is being used at the most professional level to build new relationships with other countries has made the need for English a very real need. If English isn't considered a language of business, many people may not have any idea how much of an importance it is to a person who is willing to work abroad.So why is learning English important? For one thing, if you'r e going to study in another country, learning the language can help you find a job quickly. Since so many people don't have an easy time in English, it is helpful to have someone who can speak and understand what you are trying to say.One of the biggest problems that most people have when they try to learn another language is that English is so easy to pick up. If you are trying to learn English for the first time, you are at a disadvantage because English is one of the most common languages that most people learn. A lot of the time English is so similar to English, that there's no way that you can learn it without having some understanding of English.Another reason why English is important is because it is often the first language of immigration. It's hard to go through an immigration process where you don't know what is going on and who to trust. Having a language which can be easily understood, can help make your life easier when trying to make sure that you will be able to trave l to your new country.Learning English doesn't have to be a very difficult thing to do. It's all about understanding the language, learning the grammar, and finding the right type of course to use. There are many things that you can choose from depending on how much time you want to spend in your classes. It all depends on your personal preference.There are so many reasons why learning English is important. When you first start out, it might seem like a lot of time and effort. However, it can help you learn quickly and help you get an important skill that is very useful when traveling or working abroad.

Why Applying to College Starts Freshman Year

Why Applying to College Starts Freshman Year Academic Performance Explained Podcast In this episode of our podcast, MyGuru founder Mark Skoskiewicz talks to Wendy Friedman of CollegeBound Admissions. Friedman is an independent college counselor who helps students plan for, apply to, and get into college. When does the college application process start? Many people believe that the college application process starts in junior or senior year of high school, but that is too late for someone to start becoming a great college applicant. As a student, you build your academic and personal record from the moment you start high school. Colleges care most about your academic record (grades and test scores), and every class counts from ninth grade on. You should always choose the most rigorous classes you can handle and then work hard to perform well. What should high school students keep in mind as they move towards college to ensure that they will get accepted to their dream school? Get to know yourself; most students do not really know who they are by the time they are ready to apply to college. You can do this throughout high school by finding classes, extra-curricular activities, and friends that you love. This often means trying things that are initially outside your comfort zone and then sticking with the things that really excite you. Admissions officers at selective schools report that about 80% of their applicants are academically qualified, so students need to distinguish themselves from the competition in other ways. By developing your personal profile, you can show colleges that you will make a valuable contribution to your future campus community. What strategies can students use to improve their grades and academic performance? Always come to class on time. Tardiness can only bring negative attention, and you might miss valuable in-class discussion. Be prepared to participate in class; let your opinions and ideas be heard. Sitting in the front of the class can help you maintain eye contact and pay better attention, which will also improve your participation. You can go above and beyond teachers’ expectations by going to a local college library and searching for books or articles about subjects being covered in class. Reading professional articles can help you with your writing, and you will be armed with new ideas and theories to bring up in class and incorporate into your papers. Why is it important to talk to your teachers? Teachers are an underutilized resource. Many students do not ask their teachers for help, often because they are afraid to admit that they do not understand something. Instead of seeing teachers as people who are just there to evaluate you, see them as people you can actually talk to and get feedback from. Most teachers will make an extra effort if students make an extra effort; you will not be penalized for asking for help. In fact, your teachers will become your biggest cheerleaders, because they will know you tried really hard. As they get to know you, they will be available to write you letters of recommendation or otherwise help you with the college application process. What are some common mistakes that college applicants make? Students often choose schools for the wrong reasons (such as parents, friends, or college rankings) and they forget to form their own opinion. It is never too early to start looking at schools, especially online. Keep an open mind; try not to go by name recognition. When the time comes, you should really know about the schools’ course offerings, communities, professors, and student bodies, and you should have a clear picture of how you might enhance the community. Students also make the mistake of not showing schools enough interest â€" colleges like to know that they are wanted. If they admit you, they want to know that you are going to say yes. Once you know that a college is a serious one on your list, you need to demonstrate that interest through communications. Finally, watch your social media presence. 40% of colleges now check social media during the admissions process, so make sure there is nothing about you on social media that could be perceived negatively. Friedman suggests the “grandma rule” â€" if you would not want your grandma to see it, then it should not be on social media. To hear the full interview, check out the episode on iTunes.

Anaheim English Tutor Using an Em Dash - TutorNerds

Anaheim English Tutor Using an Em Dash - TutorNerds Anaheim English Tutor Tip: How to Use an Em Dash Anaheim English Tutor Tip: How to Use an Em Dash Tutorsâ€"especially English tutorsâ€"frequently see punctuation misunderstood and misused. There are a few pieces of punctuationâ€"semicolons, colons, and dashesâ€"that are common culprits of causing these student mistakes (our private Anaheim English tutors are here to help you succeed). We’ve previously discussed how to understand and use the semicolon and the colon, but we still have to discuss the dashâ€"another important piece of punctuation. Among students, the dash isn’t the most common in essaysâ€"in fact, it is seldom used at all. Here, we will discuss some simple pointers about how to use the dashâ€"specifically; we’ll talk about the em dash and its ability to make your sentences and paragraphs flow more naturally and convey information more effectively. Like the piece on the colon and semicolon, we’ve started this post with a paragraph that includes the dash in every sentence.   While this is not the preferred way to incorporate any punctuation into your writing, it is a helpful way of using numerous examples to showcase the versatility of the punctuation. In my experience, the dash is taught even less than the semicolon in Kâ€"12 English classes.   It is also likely the least used of the three punctuation marks discussed so far.   I personally find the em dash to be particularly effective in my writing, but I do recommend focusing on the colon and the semicolon first; they are more commonly seen in typical reading and also more easily incorporated into your writing. If you’ve done that, let’s now go into detail with these four points about the em dash: Don’t confuse with hyphens This is a hyphen: This is an en dash: â€" This is an em dash: â€" Notice the difference in lengths.   “En” dash is named because it is the length of the capital letter N.   “Em” dash is named because it is the length of the longer capital letter M.   Note that both are longer than a hyphen. Hyphens are used mainly for combining two words like “hard-working.”   En dashes are used for ranges, such as the Kâ€"12 in the paragraph above or like in April 2nd â€" March 3rd. The “em dash” is the more versatile punctuation that we are talking about.   This is the longest of the three.   Mixing up the en dash and em dash likely will go unnoticed, but you should be particularly careful to not use a dash interchangeably with a hyphen. Use it as more powerful parentheses Parentheses can be used in the middle of a sentence to add supplementary information to the content of the sentence.   However, parentheses tend to diminish the importance of the content inside the parentheses.   It is treated as secondary as well as supplementary, and often readers will even ignore reading parentheses altogether and simply continue with the sentence. The use of dashes can prevent this.   Using two dashes instead of parentheses is telling the reading that this supplement is important and should be emphasized.   You can see this usage in the first two sentences of the first paragraph of this article. Use it as an easier semicolon Using a semicolon is a way to connect two closely related sentences.   The caveat is that they both have to be complete sentencesâ€"not just an incomplete phrase like this.   With a dash, you are not constrained by this limitation.   You can connect two sentences that are both complete sentences, or you can connect a sentence with just a phrase or thought. It is important to note that there is still a difference tonally between the dash and the semicolon.   Semicolons tend to show that the two sentences are a pair of equally significant, similar content.   Dashes are more often used to show a contrast or to present an interjection to the content of the first sentence.   You will get used to these nuances the more you practice using them.   You can see this usage in the final sentences of the first paragraph above. Use it as the emphasis in a colon The last tip is to use it similarly to how we can use a colon: for emphasis.   This is a very similar usage to how the colon is used.  The subtle difference is that the colon usually precedes a list of objects or a simple object.   You describe a category, then use a colon, then provide the item or items in that category. With a dash you more often see this done in reverse.   For example, look at the third sentence in the first paragraph of this article.   Here, we wrote, “… but we still have to discuss the dashâ€"another important piece of punctuation.” If we were using a colon, we likely would have written “… but we still have to discuss another important piece of punctuation: the dash.”   Notice the difference? The dash has more subtle nuances to it than many other pieces of punctuation.   It also has a lot of versatility in how you use it.   Here, we’ve presented some of its uses in a simpler way for beginners.   Other rules for the dash, such as making sure to have the proper length em dash and to not use spacing before or after it, are technically grammatically true but practically they are not well followed.   In modern usage, we often see a space before and after the em dash.   We also often see the en dash length used instead. These are not aspects you should worry about as you try to incorporate it into your writing.   First, learn how to properly use punctuation like the semicolon, colon, and parentheses.   When you’ve mastered these three, you can begin to use the dash in similar ways to improve your writing even more. Michael C. is currently a private math, science, and standardized test tutor with TutorNerds in Irvine and Anaheim. All blog entries, except for guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

College Application Crunch Time - by TutorNerds

College Application Crunch Time - by TutorNerds College Application Crunch Time: Last Minute Tips From an Irvine Admissions Consultant Most college applications are due December 1st. If there was ever a time to hand in an assignment on time, this is it! Some high school teachers may choose to give partial credit to a student who handed something in late but colleges will never ever cut a student slack on this issue Our Orange County college admissions consultants are here to help. In all seriousness, if the paperwork arrives on the 2nd, they wont even open it. So now that it is November, what can you do in this very last month to make things work? 1. Make a check list If you are running behind on applications, it will be very easy to forget about tiny details. Make a list of each and every thing that you have to do and cross it off only when it is completely done. 2. Get that essay polished up Hopefully you have written at least a first and second draft of your application essay. Now is the time to get it polished up. If, for some reason, you haven’t started your essay, then call up a tutor or college counselor ASAP and get it done (READ: Ask a Nerd! How Should I start My College Entrance Essay?). 3. Choose a safety school I can’t stress this enough. Every student should apply to at least one safety school. Safety schools are ones that your college counselor has told you that you are nearly guaranteed acceptance to. Do not choose one of your target schools and designate it as a safety school. Pick a college with a nice campus that has the program you are looking for and add it to your list. 4. Find out about super scoring Find out if the universities that you are applying to use a ‘super score’. You don’t want to simply hand in your most recent SAT scores if it turns out that you could have sent in a super score that ended up giving you 100 composite points higher. 5. Get those teacher recommendations Hopefully, you asked two or three teachers who know you very well to write a lovely letter of recommendation. If November 1st has passed, now is the time to check up on them. Teachers are incredibly busy and most of them are looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday break just as much as you are. However, if the recommendations don’t come in on time, it will leave you in a bad spot. Send a polite and respectful email to any teachers who haven’t yet returned your letters of recommendation (READ: The Best Way to Ask For A Letter of Recommendation). Just remind them that you are both excited and nervous to apply to college and that you want to have everything in by the due date. Don’t forget to thank them for their time. If you get a feeling that a particular teacher might be late sending in the letter, it would be a good idea to ask another person. It won’t hurt you to have an extra letter of recommendation. The ideal situation is to have completed the college application process the summer after junior year. However, this ideal is almost never met. If you find that you are down to crunch time, let your friends know that you will be spending the next couple of weekends focusing on applications. Get it done and out of the way so that you can sleep soundly on November 30th. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by TutorNerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about. Applying to college this fall? Don’t hesitate to sign up with one of our experienced Orange County college admissions consultants. Call us today and we’ll get you in!

Online Tutoring

Online Tutoring At Tutorz.com there is a discussion going on about the disruptive changes of Online Tutoring. In this article we explain why online tutoring constitutes a disruptive change and how the market has embraced to it so far. Then we go on to present the Tutorz.com strategy to online tutoring which is essentially a online tutor referral service. Finally we review a Skype, the Bamboo Tablet and Skrbl.com as communication tools to facilitate an online tutoring session. Disruptive Change of Online Tutoring Online tutoring refers to the process of tutoring within an online virtual environment or networked environment where teachers and learners are separated by time and/or space. Both student and tutor benefit through online tutoring as they do not need to be present at the some physical location. Participants save the time and money to travel. At this feature is welcome at times of gas prices and high traffic congestion. Furthermore, the location independent aspects of online tutoring make it a part of the globalization of the worlds economic system. Inexpensive and well educated tutors in India can help students in America with their math homework, course work and science problems. Due to these wage level differences American students pay less for online sessions in comparison to the pay for in-home tutoring. Online tutoring is also very welcomed by the overseas tutors. For example the hourly pay to an Indian online tutor ($3-$10) is far higher than of most educational professio nals ($0.50 to $5), including the hourly wage of an Indian teacher. If an online tutoring session was recorded the student could later go back and replay the lesson. This is a very useful feature when hard-to-understand concepts must be addressed. After all learning is a lot of repetition. Another benefit of a recorded tutoring session is that it can be added to an search index to make it easily retrievable in later years and/or by other students. Current Market Responses to Online Tutoring Playing the global income differences and elimination of location constrains a number of online tutoring services have been established. The biggest players in this industry include TutorVista.com, Tutor.com, SmartThinking.com, Tutoringservicers.com and Homeschoolmath.net. These company command a significant share of the tutoring market and its brands are recognized by the education seekers. The Babson Survey Research Group said that more than 60 percent of academic leaders at private-sector colleges and universities say that online learning is critical to their long-term strategies. Online student enrollments continue to be the fastest growing sector in higher education. The perception among private-sector leaders of online learning and its impact on learning outcomes has grown more positive over time, with the majority saying online learning is the same or superior to face-to-face learning, a trend that has improved steadily since initially measured by the Sloan Survey in 2003. Tutorz Strategy to Online Tutoring At Tutorz.com we think it is futile to directly compete against big player like TutorVista or Tutor.com. These companies are in the market for about 10 years, have well established brands and are backed by venture capitalist. Therefore, instead of competing directly with these heavy weights, we will focus on the sub problem of online tutoring referral. As users of Tutor.com will tell you they cannot choose from a selection of tutors, they are given one. But tutees like to be connected with the right online tutor, thus there is work to be done in this area. By channeling online tutors from all over the world, users of Online-Tutorz have a great choice and can find the best tutor for their budget, qualification and availability requirements. The referral-only approach also alleviates Tutorz.com from developing our own communication tools (VOIP, whiteboard, video conferencing). After all a number of really good tutoring/communication tools exist such as Skype, the Bamb oo Tablet and Skrbl.com. While leaving the details of how to solve the communication to these great providers Tutorz leverages its core competencies, that of algorithmic matching of students with tutors. Tutorz.com plans to enter the field of online tutoring in 2012. Review Online Tutoring Tools Skype.com is probably the most advance VOIP (voice over IP) services out there. Skype is great because if you and your communication partner both use it there is no fees and no advertisements involved. Furthermore, Starting from Skype 4.0 there is a video call feature. Skype is reliable and works well on all major platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux). The list of other useful Skype features includes the ability of screen sharing. For computer or programming tutoring screen sharing is extremely useful. File sharing is another useful feature. Simply drag and drop your Word document (or any other file) into the message box and your partner gets it on the other end. Going on there are Skype-to-Skype conference calls and instant messaging and group instant messages. Receiving phone calls from the telephony network or calling general phone numbers requires a Skype subscription. But these payable services are not really needed for online tutoring. Other online tutoring tools include Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, AOL AIM and MSN Messeger. These tools are quite good and each have their pros and cons. But Skype remains our online tutoring tool of choice. On May 10, 2011 Microsoft bought Skype. We hope this will have no adverse effects on great Skype service. Bamboo Tablet. It is an electronic (hardware) pen-on-paper solution that consists of a writing tablet and a pen. It has a natural feel of pen-on-paper. The Bamboo tablet plugs into your computer. As to its pros, it is sturdy, the pen is comfortable to hold and has a slight rubber feel to it, no battery needed, comes with easy to install and simple to customize software. On the downside it has a only a small drawing surface and the eraser is not pressure sensitive. Bamboo Tablet is sold by Wacom and it starts at $55 for the tablet and pen. Skrbl.com is a online whiteboard service. Being a Software-as-a-service (SAAS) solution, with skrbl there is nothing to download, or to install. It supports the freehand drawing, and text mode. Skrbl saves and syncs your whiteboard automatically. But since drawing and write is primarily accomplish through a mouse, the results can be a jiggly and uneven. However, the Skrbl service is great to augment a tutoring session where ideas are shared on a white board such as math formulas or sketches of scientific apparatuses. Acknowledgement I want to thank Chuck Koehler and Scott Bishop for inspiring this discussion on Online Tutoring.

Lifelong Learning with Kumon

Lifelong Learning with Kumon Lifelong Learning with Kumon Lifelong learning is a mindset of continuous engagement in acquiring knowledge and applying skills. A lifelong learner is someone who desires and seeks out new learning opportunities and activities at any age. Children learn a lot by the behaviors of those around them. For example, parents and siblings who often reading the newspaper or books serve as good role models for lifelong learning to younger children. Kumon Instructors believe that learning does not start at the morning bell and end when school lets out. Rather, learning continues throughout the student’s day, and through life into adulthood.   Establishing a routine of a little bit of Kumon each day develops into a healthy lifestyle.   Daily practice is one of the central features of the Kumon Program. By practicing consistently, students build concentration and strong study habits that can follow into their adult lives. The Kumon Instructor creates a lesson plan that is set at a comfortable pace and individualized for each child. Praising your child for taking the initiative to pick up a book or to learn something new can go a long way towards developing this mindset. Remember, a journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step. Take time to recognize and praise the steps. Your child will notice. Instilling a passion for learning is one of the primary goals of Kumonâ€"a passion Kumon students carry with them for the rest of their lives as they continue to grow, learn and thrive. You might also be interested in: Ring in the New Year with Kumon’s Goal Setting Tips Roundup Motivating Children by Developing a Growth Mindset What is the Kumon Method? Father of Second Generation Kumon Students Talks about Motivation and Self-Learning Lifelong Learning with Kumon Lifelong Learning with Kumon Lifelong learning is a mindset of continuous engagement in acquiring knowledge and applying skills. A lifelong learner is someone who desires and seeks out new learning opportunities and activities at any age. Children learn a lot by the behaviors of those around them. For example, parents and siblings who often reading the newspaper or books serve as good role models for lifelong learning to younger children. Kumon Instructors believe that learning does not start at the morning bell and end when school lets out. Rather, learning continues throughout the student’s day, and through life into adulthood.   Establishing a routine of a little bit of Kumon each day develops into a healthy lifestyle.   Daily practice is one of the central features of the Kumon Program. By practicing consistently, students build concentration and strong study habits that can follow into their adult lives. The Kumon Instructor creates a lesson plan that is set at a comfortable pace and individualized for each child. Praising your child for taking the initiative to pick up a book or to learn something new can go a long way towards developing this mindset. Remember, a journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step. Take time to recognize and praise the steps. Your child will notice. Instilling a passion for learning is one of the primary goals of Kumonâ€"a passion Kumon students carry with them for the rest of their lives as they continue to grow, learn and thrive. You might also be interested in: Ring in the New Year with Kumon’s Goal Setting Tips Roundup Motivating Children by Developing a Growth Mindset What is the Kumon Method? Father of Second Generation Kumon Students Talks about Motivation and Self-Learning

How Do You Find a Korean Tutoring Job?

How Do You Find a Korean Tutoring Job?In the past, students who wanted to work as tutors, also needed to have good education. They had to be able to speak the local language, and speak to people the way their teacher spoke.The study of Korean has been done by many, but the problems that have surfaced in our society are a result of taking up this study of the language. Many students today are not interested in this kind of study. In fact, many people are saying that the language that was only taught to the foreign students of Korea, is the 'watered down' version of their own language.Korean also plays a role in making the Korean language more popular with non-Koreans. Of course, if you go to other countries, they will teach the native Korean to the students. But it seems that people tend to use this kind of language more frequently, because they like the style that it makes them speak. For example, when it comes to shopping, if someone wants something made in the right shape, he may s ay 'chang geul, gang say, a eul' or some such thing.There are a lot of people who are making a career out of studying the language. They find out that it is not that hard to learn, and it is very practical to learn to speak the Korean language.There are many places where one can get a Korean tutor for free. However, they are usually foreigners or expatriates. They usually teach English for a fee, or a little, and they charge a set rate per hour.People do not make a big profit from teaching the English language, because it is only a small fraction of what the market is made up of. There are many private tutors, who are working in their own homes. There are plenty of jobs for Korean tutors. They can work for any company that hires students. However, some companies will only hire foreigners and to be accepted, they need to have a diploma.