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WHY A PHONE BAN ISN’T THE ANSWER

Manuela Willbold
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WHY A PHONE BAN ISN’T THE ANSWER

 

In a time where the average adult in the UK uses their smartphone every 12 minutes, is it realistic and, most of all, helpful to ban phones in schools?

Whether it’s to do with work or hobbies or just daily life tasks – technology creeps into all aspects of our lives and if we want to remain in control and educated about how to use it right, is removing it the solution?

How to reduce abusive behaviours?

The current arguments for a ban, raised by people like the minister for school standards in England, Mr Gibb, and some other educators, mainly focus on how to reduce the risks of abusing the use of mobile phones.

However, what happens after school? Obviously, there will be plenty of opportunities to misuse a gadget and that’s why it’s vital to teach this generation how to use their phones responsibly.

The NAHT union, which represents school leaders, rightly recognises that phone bans in schools could potentially lead to more problems, such as “hidden” or “underground” uses and states that:

“Ultimately, schools work to prepare young people for the outside world, giving them the awareness and strategies to responsibly monitor their own screen use and the ability to identify and deal with any negative impacts or problematic content they encounter.”

As Mr. Gibb rightly recognises that “ensuring children can regulate their own use of smartphones and social media is becoming an increasingly important life skill for them to learn.”, we should ask how to do so.

Teaching digital literacy and skills

The necessary digital skills that are required for handling web activities responsibly can only be learned by actually using them in action, so called learning by doing. They include skills highlighted in the Digital Literacy Curriculum by the SWGfL such as 

Here you can see that having an awareness of the do’s and don’ts online will be vital as anything we post, we’re responsible for. So, students will inevitably have to learn about data protection, an online code of conduct, online regulations, copyright and so forth. By actually working within the real world wide web they can understand these laws in context and adults can model positive online behaviours.

Parents play an important part in this too. They should be informed about how to monitor their children’s gadget use and which E-safety solutions are available to support them. In one of my previous articles I explain in more detail how blogging as a family can help learn digital skills, which can be applied to many other digital tasks and systems.

What’s the right balance?

However, due to the growing volume of new technologies and online solutions, we need to find a way to tailor our learning to our needs. Recently, the debate about screen time made us step back and think: how much time should be spent on and off a computer or smartphone? Which ratio is actually ideal?

Latest recommendations for 8 to 11 year olds resulting from a study conducted by by researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, all in Canada, which had 4,524 children participate in it, are:

– restrict screen time (including TV, smartphones, tablets and video games) to less than 2 hours a day

– sleep 9 to 11 hours a night

– do at least 1 hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day

According to their cognitive ability tests, children following these guidelines performed better in tests on mental functioning. And as many Chinese children now suffer from poorer eyesight at a younger age due to long screen times at school and home, it is certainly fair to say that young people’s smartphone use should be monitored.

If the long term goal is to enable them to use the web safely and responsibly by themselves without adults checking and guiding them when online, the best way forward is allowing for a good balance of the computer and smartphone use at school and at home.

There are great apps helping smartphone users to track their online activities such as Forest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=truff99c4ZY

They can be used by parents and their children so they can all keep track on their screen times and discuss how they could improve their results or even create a competition to increase motivation.

After all, it’s about making reflected and healthy choices and unless we learn to analyse and adjust our own behaviours to act responsibly, we won’t have the skills necessary to become educated digital users.

 

Top 10 Ways to Save and Make Money while Studying Abroad

Vaishali Joshi
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Top 10 Ways to Save and Make Money while Studying Abroad

After receiving an offer letter from your dream College or University abroad you might ask yourself how to make money while studying abroad. It is a first step on the journey of being a successful student on foreign land.

However, there are many aspects to be considered by students while planning for studying abroad and they may wonder how to earn money online while studying. The accommodation, living expenses etc. are some of the important things for any student who is planning to study away from home.

College life abroad can be very interesting if you perform your duties and responsibilities efficiently. Doing a part time job is a good way to earn extra cash to cover your daily needs.

By studying internationally, you not only get a quality education, but you get to experience an alternate and amazing culture, make new companions and travel to see the world.

Most of the international students don’t find the study abroad experience difficult but the expenses involved give them trouble and they worry about how to manage money while studying abroad. 

Educational and living cost, travel expenses and other lifestyle financial support are to be factored in. All these together mean a sizeable sum and you may observe that you must certainly create a trustworthy wellspring of pay to meet each of these expenses. If you mainly want to focus on online earning opportunities, get some ideas here:

The most important thing to consider while planning study abroad is the budget. There certainly is a need to start a plan for saving and making money during your studies after the subtraction of all your required expenses, like tuition and rent.

You can check out some of the finest personal finance blogs in the UK for more inspiration:

15 Top Student Finance Blogs in the UK

Now plan for all the required things you are likely to spend money on like groceries, trips etc. It is very good to set a budget for every eventuality in advance as planning ahead can save a student a lot of time and headache!

Don’t stress too much about it as there are many inventive ways by which you can earn enough to manage your student finances. Here are some suggestions to earn and save money when you study abroad:

1. Helping other students or juniors with their academic writing for essays or their studies is an extraordinary method to refresh your skills while earning some income. This is additionally an incredible method to improve your English, if English isn’t your native language. You can likewise make numerous friends while increasing your social circle and it will help you make more money.

2. Nowadays it’s possible to earn money online just by having a PC and internet connection. Several freelance websites are available online offering ways to earn cash just by registering and getting to work. An additional preferred standpoint is the adaptability of independent work – you can take on work just when you have sufficient energy or time, not otherwise.

3. The duration of the part time work visa depends on the status of your student visa. Numerous nations don’t give permission of work to students, but some countries grant you to take on low maintenance work for fixed weekly hours. You can take on an occupation that doesn’t require any unique extra aptitudes, like working at a gas station etc. You also may want to check which countries offer the best free education here:

 

Which Countries Offer the Best Education in the World?

 

4. Try to take on seasonal employments. There are many occupations that open during the mid-year season, and you can take on a mid-year entry level position or work at a mid-year camp, for example.

5. Looking after children can be a great source of income. Babysitting or online tutoring can give you sufficient earnings. Moreover, you can also have much fun with children! Guardians would employ you to simply look after their resting kids while they have a night out, which does not require any extraordinary skills.

6. An on-campus job is also a good way of earning. You can take part in promotion or marketing activities as a student in Canada. These may not generally pay much; however you can squeeze in some study time while you work.

7. Try to find your favourite clothes on sale as it can make you feel better while you’re living on a budget. The sales rack will be your go-to spot whenever you go out for shopping. Moreover, you can get discounts on groceries very easily. Prefer to buy products in multi-packs in order to save money. For other products like household items, coupons can be found in local newspapers or on websites like Groupon.

8. Look for low cost accommodation. It could be quite exciting to live off-campus, but it couldn’t beat the convenience of an on-campus dorm. If you know anyone that lives near your campus, then living with them could be a very affordable way. But this option is not good for the students who want to live their own life and gain independence. In case your budget is low then it is a good option for you.

9. Get the advantage of every discount. There are many online shopping sites which offer discounts to students so use your school email address and sign up on these websites to get discounts for clothing, dining, and beauty items for students. You can find the best Coupon Code websites in this guide:

Top 10 Coupon Sites to Bag Big Savings While Cutting Costs

10. There are many online websites which offer discounts on tablets, computers, software etc. to students. You only need to complete the registration process using your academic documents. These sites offer exclusive deals on several selected products available to customers who are studying in a recognized higher educational institution in the country.

On the off chance that you wish to consider studying abroad, you will find that there are a lot of chances accessible for international students to take on work, and you might get paid well. You will be secured by protective work laws that the government has set up, which ensure reasonable pay rates for students. Foreign students are normally contracted without any questions asked and are often considered hard workers. Hopefully these ways to make and save money while studying abroad recommended by Vaishali Joshi, the owner at V Future Step, a leading study abroad recommendation platform, are helpful for planning your budget and earning on the side!

However, if you’re looking for more inspiration then here’s some further reading for you:

How To Make Money Online In Germany (9 Best Ways)

How to Make Money Online in India for Students 2020: Step by Step Guide to Skills-Based Earning [With Infographic]

3 Genius Ways Students Can Earn Online While Studying And Writing

20 Ways on How to Make Money Blogging for Beginners (2021)

 

Improve your career learning the Lean Six Sigma methodology

Andrej Kovacevic
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Improve your career learning the Lean Six Sigma methodology

 

What is Lean Six Sigma?

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a work methodology that makes the best use of time and resources in a business environment. Lean Six Sigma’s guidance and best practices are designed to help an organization streamline operations and remove waste while developing a better product. That sounds like a tall order, but it’s been shown to work across a spectrum of business types.

The LSS system is a combination of the Lean and Six Sigma business models:

  • Lean: The elimination of waste regarding both time and resources by the paring down of systems to their most essential components.
  • Six Sigma: Effective problem solving using a logical progression of steps designed to reduce defects in the end product.

Both use ongoing measurement and analysis of results to continuously refine a company’s output. The goal is not only to produce a better product for the consumer but also to create a working environment that’s more efficient and effective, making the best use of the time allotted for production.

How do businesses implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS)?

Management is the first sector of employees to receive training in LSS, followed by the teams that will work under them. Some of the core objectives of having a team learn about LSS are to:

  • Eliminate waste of time and material.
  • Refine systems of production.
  • Improve the quality of the finished product.

It will give you a leg up in your career if you can add familiarity with Lean Six Sigma to your resume. This system applies to any business or manufacturing job, and it’s a good investment of your time to learn what you can about the process. Lean Six Sigma courses online will give you a working knowledge of the techniques used to improve any working environment.

How can individual business competence be attained using Lean Six Sigma?

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has six discrete roles that companies can use to increase confidence and skill in employees. It relies on the assumption that those closest to the work are the most knowledgeable when it comes to suggesting improvements. The colour belts of karate are used as a framework, and each level incorporates the skills of all the levels before it:

  • White Belt: Understands LSS structure and reports process issues.
  • Yellow Belt: Familiar with LSS concepts and serves on project teams.
  • Green Belt: Has more expertise, starts and manages projects.
  • Black Belt: Advanced expertise, team leader, teacher, mentor.
  • Master Black Belt: Leads projects, works with team leaders, responsible for LSS implementation.
  • Champion: Executive leader, selects projects, removes barriers to LSS and supports change.

Set Yourself Up to Be a Leader

Companies that employ the Lean Six Sigma model need project managers who are well-versed in the nuances of the system. If you’re already employed by a company that decides to adopt this type of business approach, your prior knowledge will be an asset to your career. While you and everyone on your team are participating in the initial training, you can position yourself as the go-to person to answer questions about LSS. This is one way that taking Lean Six Sigma courses online can prepare you to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way.

Lean Six Sigma Case Studies

In the past year alone, an impressive number of corporations and government agencies have benefitted from the Lean Six Sigma system. Quadrant Engineering has employed LSS techniques among several subgroups in each of their eight North American manufacturing sites. LSS Black Belts led several projects at a time, and project teams supported aspects of each initiative. Quadrant used LSS as a “data-driven, team-based, scientific problem-solving method” to improve productivity, quality and yield in measurable ways.

Lean Six Sigma has also been helpful when combined with Human Factors Engineering to improve people-oriented businesses like hospitals. As profit pressures and limited resources have made it ever more difficult for hospitals to provide top-level care for patients, human error has increased. A 2000 study of over 33 million hospital admissions concluded that there were between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths each year due to medical error. The principles of LSS have been put to work to reduce this number in hospitals all over the world.

Lean Six Sigma and Your Career

As you can see, LSS is a framework for success for any type of endeavour, whether it’s used to improve a manufacturing process or provide guidance in the best way to care for sick people. Learning everything you can about LSS will give you many of the tools you need to be an effective and successful professional, whatever career path you choose. If your company decides to embrace Lean Six Sigma, you’ll also be uniquely positioned to contribute to the project and increase your responsibility and visibility at work.

 

What are the best learning strategies for students heading to university?

Flavia Belham
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What are the best learning strategies for students heading to university?

In the past couple of decades, academics from the field of neuroscience have researched the effectiveness of different learning strategies on students’ attainment and performance. Using randomised controlled experiments and carefully designed protocols, these studies have consistently shown that some strategies are more effective than others.

However, by the time pupils leave school to enter university, most of them are still using poor learning techniques that affect their exam and course results. Such study strategies are therefore key to succeed in higher education and become a world class graduate in their field.

What are effective learning techniques?

One of the learning strategies that has received wide support from academic research is Retrieval Practice. To use this strategy, students need to answer questions and actively bring knowledge to mind. The more a piece of information is retrieved, the more it is understood in connection to other knowledge. This is in clear contrast to the strategies of re-reading the same notes or highlighting the textbook. However, as most teachers will know, students spend a good part of their time doing exactly that.

Another effective way of studying is to spread out revision and switch between topics after shorter periods of time. These strategies receive the name of Spacing and Interleaving. It is basically the opposite of cramming, a very common strategy among school pupils and university students.

Lastly, due to our brain’s limited capacity to process novel information, the strategy of Dual Coding is also effective. This consists of combining verbal and visual information when studying. For example, pupils can use mind maps, diagrams, timelines and others.

Have students learned the best way to study by the time they leave school?

Although we know about the good strategies, do students actually use them? Recent research reveals that they don’t.

For example, one article reports that out of 177 university students, only 11% of them were using Retrieval Practice to prepare for exams. Another article investigated the habits of 472 university students and found that, while 68% of them use quizzes when studying, only 18% believe that these quizzes help them to learn more. The same research revealed that only 11% of students plan their revision ahead, rather than simply study for the next due exam. Even amongst students that correctly identify the good strategies, 34% of them will simply not use them, as shown in another piece of research.

Ways of improving studying and learning strategies

As Dr Sumeracki says, it is important that researchers, lecturers and teachers communicate better with students and show them the different learning techniques. There are very good resources online that can help with increasing awareness. For example, this Medicine student explains his study routine and also the evidence supporting its effectiveness:

Another excellent free resource is an online course for teachers about the cognitive sciences and the brain created by neuroscientist of the free revision and homework platform – Seneca Learning.

For students to reach their potential at university, they should be expert learners by the time they leave school. However, a lack of awareness of good learning techniques makes pupils spend their time using strategies that do not work well. The application of results and evidence published in research articles is crucial to change this pattern.

No matter if you’re a UK, EU or international student studying full or part time at university, identifying learning strategies that work well for you is important as the evidence shows. If you don’t get the basics right, you might struggle to achieve the results for your degree you desire and such can often lead to lower chances in the job market. See one of our articles demonstrating also the financial struggles as a student or graduate that may arise with this.

Hopefully the recommendations in this article will help future university students to reflect on their own learning habits and adapt them where needed.

 

You’re hired if you pass the Integrity Test

Muhammad Aziz
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You’re hired if you pass the Integrity Test

These days many head hunters are using an integrity test for their hiring process. This test mainly assesses attitudes and experiences which is related to a candidate’s tendency to be honest, dependable and trustworthy. You may also call it a kind of personality test or honesty test or reliability test. This type of test is very good for identifying an individual who is likely to engage themselves in dishonesty, inappropriateness and anti-social behavior at the workplace.

What do recruiters check?

Recruitment team members will use this test at some point in time during the hiring process. You may also have to appear for personality tests, background checks, cognitive ability tests, credit records, handwriting analysis, personal interviews, and reference checks. If the recruiters cannot identify unsuitable candidates, they can face severe repercussions in the future. Although such tests and checks don’t expose thieves or liars, they can give an indication of which applicant is less productive and unsuitable for the work being advertised.

What’s the test all about?

The questions the recruiter or interviewer will ask a candidate are focused on their previous work experience such as the candidate’s preferences or interests at and outside of work. The answers deriving from this questioning helps the recruiters to judge their future behavior in these areas. The set of questions will also assess an individual’s attitude towards theft or any other illegal acts happening at their workplace.

This test actually involves 2 sets of questions: – veiled purpose questions and overt integrity questions. Overt integrity focuses on candidates’ attitudes towards the specific manifestation of dishonesty and theft. Examples of questions they might ask in this interview are:

  1. Will you be too honest to take some items which are not yours?
  2. How strong is your dislike of someone asking you to do something?
  3. Will you take small items home from the office/workplace?
  4. Do you believe that taking stationery items from the office/workplace to your home without permission is stealing?
  5. Do you think many colleagues take advantage of other employees who work under them?

A few examples of veiled purpose questions are:

  1. True or false – do you like to take chances?
  2. On an average how often do you party during the week?
  3. True or false – are you confident about yourself?
  4. When do you feel lonely if you are with a new set of people? (options: all the time, sometimes, most of the time, never, almost never)
  5. How often do you clean your room? (never, every day, weekends)
Is an integrity test different from a personality test?

A personality test measures a candidate’s traits and characteristics. It typically measures traits which go hand-in-hand with the work culture, satisfaction working with other team members and interpersonal interactions. This test also assesses whether an employee has the potential to be successful within the team and work environment or not. In an office for example, a great deal of potential to interact with the team members is required.

Your handwriting can give away key elements of your personality too. Letter sizing, spacing, and dots in your handwriting can be indicators of character traits and each individuals handwriting is completely unique.

The study of handwriting is known as ‘graphology’, and is now a popular assessment technique in business for determining certain psychological traits which can be picked up on simply by examining the way you write.

The infographic below from Essay Writing Service UK explains what your writing reveals about your personality and some other interesting facts. Have a look to see what your handwriting says about you and how it can impact your application!

In comparison, the integrity test focuses on completely different aspects like integrity and honesty. Recruiters tend to ask questions which include different types of counterproductive behavior as well as property damage, theft of money and other nuisance to keep the data clean. Though personality tests also include questions which are related to these subjects this is not the only purpose of the recruiters in this round and often they want to know more about your personality, which is why apart from tests, they analyse your handwriting. 

What to do when being tested?

When answering the questions in the integrity round try to maintain consistency. The questions will be dicey and you need to think outside the box. It is very important to listen to the questions carefully and then take some time to think about your responses. Your recruiter will give you a few seconds so you can frame the answer in your mind.

There were times when recruiters during the integrity test would ask the candidates about their religious beliefs and a few more personal questions. Candidates would challenge those kinds of tests in the court as they might lead to assumptions about the applicant’s past.  In most countries the employment law generally restricts to questions which can only be asked in an integrity test.

Is the integrity test always desirable? Well, it all depends on how you define it. For example, some questions ask the applicant whether they like taking risks or not. This can either indicate that they are more likely to deviate from acceptable behavior OR that they aren’t afraid to be creative and try new methods. Therefore, risk takers can be a positive asset for every organization.

Does the integrity test work?

Research done on the subject does showcase some interesting results. Such tests can predict human behavior in a concise manner in comparison to other types of tests and they are less biased and more cost-effective.

There are many online sites which provide information and sample question papers on integrity tests to help you prepare for an interview. Download them and start practicing from today – you will surely make a great first impression on the recruiters. If you are lucky enough you might get the same questions during the interview session. So, do not waste any more time and complete the interview practice to your best ability.

How to Get Chartered Engineering Licensure in the UK?

Khaled Syfullah
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How to Get Chartered Engineering Licensure in the UK?

Chartered Engineering (CE or C.Eng.) is a nationally recognized professional degree that certifies the quality of the engineer residing in the UK and is awarded by the Engineering Council UK. Passing CE/C. Eng. is often needed to sign the engineering documents in the respective field and allow practising engineering within a certain geographical area. Moreover, this degree will boost the career of the engineer as the demand is very high and very few of them who attend the exam or interview pass.

Getting a C.Eng. degree in the UK is quite different from other countries. For example, engineers who want to get a PE degree in the USA needs to sit 8(4+4) hours of the exam in a single day. But the process in Great Britain is very troublesome which means CE/C. Eng. is for those who stick to it and are highly motivated and ambitious candidates.

Steps of Getting a CE Degree in the UK

  1. Experience/Training

To start your process to be a ‘Chartered Engineer’ enlisted by the Engineering Council in the UK you need to have three to four years of real engineering field experience called ‘Training’. This training is well structured and supervised by one of the listed Chartered Engineers of the institution. Please keep in mind, before attending the vigorous training process you need to pass your graduation.

  1. Two Reports

After successful completion of your training, you need to submit two well-written reports (certainly plagiarism-free) based on the training you did. These reports will be evaluated by two senior members of the organization who are closely related to your working area.

  1. Interview and Presentation

One fine morning you will be called to attend the ‘Question and Answer Session’. You will be interviewed by the experienced examiners who will evaluate you. On the same day, you need to present your work for around 15 minutes in front of the examiners. You need to answer a lot of related professional and technical questions by the examiners and you obviously have to get them all right. The presentation topic will be any ‘one’ from your previously written and submitted reports.

  1. Afternoon Reports

In the afternoon, the examinee needs to sit for a 3-hour long report writing the exam. The questions will be set by the examiners and not related to your work experience. You need to write two reports on two questions set by the examiners. One question will be related to a professional and another one is on a technical aspect. The answers shall be around 1500 words and you need to complete the exam within three hours.

After completing these vigorous and well-structured steps, if you pass you will be enlisted as a ‘Chartered Engineer’ in your respective field of study within the geographical area set by the institution.

How Your Love for Teaching Shows In Your Classroom

Stephen Mills
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How Your Love for Teaching Shows In Your Classroom

Teaching is just as much an affair about emotional & psychological classroom management as it is about pedagogical skill – something I’ve learned over the course of my long teaching experience.

I have been teaching as a secondary school teacher for some time now. About 18 years to be exact. And during the course of my classroom experience, I have taught more than 3500 adolescents. Students undergoing all the physical, emotional and psychological rigors of their developing biology. Hailing from both the affluent and impoverished areas of the Commonwealth. Human beings, in fact, who were (and are) destined for big things. To shape the socio-economic & political circumstances of their communities, no less.

 Because Love Yields a Response

Charged guns, who could sway either this way or that. Towards avenues either productive or those less so. Depending on who was available (at the opportune moment) to show them the way. A point that was strongly reinforced in a recent teaching skills article I read on my Xfinity Internet plan. A concept which we, as a society, cannot afford to lose sight of. Or become complacent about in the slightest degree.

This ‘who’ should be the teacher – and especially when no other reasonable guide is present.

But the toll exacted from this individual needs to be paid in love. In a potent and devoted form of affection that should form the bedrock of the entire tutoring enterprise. In a love that should show – to inspire change.

Because there really isn’t any other way to go about this mission. Yes, this word is not an exaggeration. A calling which requires a lot of patience. And patience is a virtue that can only be properly cultivated in the presence of true emotion. In the availability of feeling – which forms the crucial link between the participants in a classroom setting.

It is only then that any real instance of a two-way (teacher-student) learning process can start. Otherwise, the pupils’ future may be in jeopardy.

 The Teacher’s Role: Helping a ‘Useful Life’ Emerge

Because as a popular quotation from the Jurassic Park pop-cultural series goes, ‘Life will always find a way’. Though there is no guarantee of whether it will be a useful life or one that is a burden. Both to itself and to the people who come across it.

But this in no way means that any learner is less deserving of attention, warmth or sincere guidance. Because if we only favoured those deemed to be ‘intellectually superior’ early on, we would turn into tyrants. In the vein of the worst Platonic ideal possible, as history liberally relates.

No.

A teacher’s actual responsibility, in fact, lies in identifying the pupil who struggles. And then adopting liberating strategies that effectively resolve such hold-ups. Whoever said that teaching was just an exercise in throwing mere textbook-learned facts at a student audience lied! Because such a practice falls contrary to the entire ‘telos’ of this expedition. Which is to impart critical thinking and learning skills. And not encourage (horrifically) any framework of uninspired rote-learning.

Especially in today’s increasingly digital world is being an independent and creative thinker of upmost value to be fit for the challenges of tomorrow as educator Manuela Willbold analyses here: https://medium.com/@manuw1982/what-i-shouldve-learned-at-school-to-excel-today-14eba8245778

 Teachers Need to Come to Terms with Their Role

For this to happen, a teacher needs to fully understand the gravity of his (or her) task. His sensitivity can determine if a student responds to his instructions positively. While his breadth of knowledge & experience can prove definitive in making the learner respect him.

So not an easy, or very clear cut, job description.

The idea of a ‘job description’, in fact, is misleading in this context. And what’s more, it can actually be dangerous. Because when a teacher starts to think of his profession as a job, travesty results.

The aim of the entire tutoring franchise, after all, is to critically reform a budding generation. In a manner which corrects the mistakes – both thought & practice-orientated – of a former. Because this is the only way in which any progress is possible. And a community made to move forward in a positive trajectory.

In my opinion, acting on this approach is in many ways the exclusive domain of the teacher. The individual, who in some overtly patriarchal cultures, is still often referred to as a ‘spiritual parent’.

The (ideally) professional who can serve as the reference point for learners to gain a healthy appreciation of the world. In as rational and empirically sound a way as possible. So that their overall success in the entire exercise of ‘living’ becomes a given.

 A Show of Affection (Read: Understanding) Destabilizes

But enough with my musings on this subject. I’d also like to give you (my reader) some practical wisdom to ‘play around with’. A method which can prove very handy for you as a teacher. And especially when you’re hard at work on a particularly rough learner. Who may not be responding to the more mind-geared tactics in your teaching arsenal!

In my experience, I’ve come to find that the most outwardly misbehaving students are the ones most ‘domestically challenged’.

Let me open this point up a bit.

These are the learners who may not be receiving their rightful dose of affection at home. From the parents who should have known better. Or those who may not be available in the first place, due to some misfortune. Because of which the child may be lacking in some necessary emotional input.

 The Sheer Power of Actually Listening

Now as a teacher (and by all familial means, a ‘stranger’), you obviously can’t replicate a parent’s devotion. Nor should you attempt to. But you can do something that is just as profound & acceptable. And this is to deconstruct the concept further.

Affection, as deeper introspection will tell, is only partly concerned with physical expression. With hugs and kisses from mummy & daddy, at the drop of a hat. It is, more importantly, centred on understanding.

Understanding, in turn, is all about listening with a completely receptive mind. When such a communication link is open, it allows the pressured learner to vent. And in the manner of a hot steam ejection, to ‘let go’ of the issues that hurt.

Such an approach also helps to build respect – which I like to call my student ‘destabilization’ routine. Only I take care to never let them learn about it. For fear that my toolkit would be less full.

Interestingly, I recently evaded an attempt by one of my clever students to understand my secret. A particularly ‘sharp one’ who had been using his Xfinity double play deal to get me to rat out! But I managed to outwit him. With the offering of a McDonalds strawberry sundae to ‘chill things out’; as they call it nowadays.

The Role of Technology in Teaching

Manuela Willbold
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The Role of Technology in Teaching

John Dewey rightly quoted, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.”

Adapting to the changes with the evolving time develops us into someone better and brighter than we were yesterday. The transformation from apes to humans, bullock carts to cars, Stone Age to modern age, barter system to monetary system, human race has adapted and chiseled it always to become the epitome of perfection. Our never ending struggle to strive for becoming advanced and better, informed and wiser everyday can never end. The lust to have a better life helps us in evolving.

Just like everything else the education system couldn’t stay untouched and unaffected with the changing times. The modern era has introduced a hint of technology in the educational sector. These days we have endless ways through which we can impart knowledge to the coming generations. Accommodating the power of technology in the classrooms means imparting knowledge and information which is more readily absorbed.

How does technology help in imparting knowledge more effectively and efficiently?

Times have come to change the definition of education. With every second child being internet savvy you just cannot refrain them from using it. Technology has become the need of the time. A technological device has the power to bring the look and feel of the practical world inside the classroom. Need of the hour is to adopt and adapt the modern ways to educate.

Technology not only promotes the love of reading but integrates other parts to it by adding videos, images, live channels, fresh statistics, real time results, and experiences, all in one place. Practical and live examples work better with students of all age. Make them explore the world sitting inside the classroom.

It accelerates learning and creates more engagement, making children motivated learners

Technology helps turn the lessons from boring to the best of its kind. With the help of graphics, sounds, projectors and computers, children better advocate the lessons being taught to them. From Mathematics, English, Science to Social Studies every concept becomes way more interesting and informative when delivered with the help of any sort of gadget.

By entwining technology in every part of the education system, the work becomes a play for the teachers and fun for students. The one who imparts knowledge does it more happily and effectively giving practical examples and the students too inter-relate themselves to it. Deploying mobile phones, laptops, and tablets makes everyone more involved and active.

You can welcome the universe to your classroom with technology

With the new high-tech advanced technology gain access to the VR (Virtual Reality) approach. Combining it perfectly with the traditional values, the newly developed learning experience creates endless new opportunities for the learners.

It enables you to offer immersive learning as a teacher

Is the next chapter you are planning to teach to your class going to be about the universe and planets, galaxy or the millions of stars around us?

Then, with the access to technology give them a real-life experience as a great educator.  Within no time let them feel like astronauts, pilots, scientists or even the stars of the galaxy! Milky Way can be understood a lot better that way.

Where with books students cannot actually feel and see anything beyond the imprinted words, but with VR-technology being adapted in schools, you and your students can explore something beyond the books. This remarkably accentuates the feeling of delivering a project and likewise for students it becomes way more imaginative, engaging, and illustrative. The episode is retained by the students, securing its own space in their minds. Visually things become a memory for a lifetime and you can immerse yourself in what you have heard and seen.

Students can be taught the skills required in the real world

This will keep your students in the forefront and ahead of others. In the journey from a student life to a professional life, one needs to be taught how to build the skills required in real life. At a very young age when students are taught to become well versed with technology they become prepared and think about situations more analytically.

The earlier children are made familiar with mobile technologies the better they become using it in the future to adapt themselves to the working environment. How else does it contribute to the future of our world? Our children show

  • Increased engagement
  • Ease of learning
  • A better response to efficient teaching
  • A better understanding of concepts and theories
  • More interest as it breaks the monotony, makes learning marvelous!
  • New ways of learning
Witness the journey from rote learning to real learning

There are children who love reading books and there are others who till the end of their student life do not get the concept the theories, subjects and topics they learn in their classroom, troubling themselves every day to understand even the most basic of concepts. Some of the children spend their lives rote learning all the information of subjects taught, with just the aim of memorizing them for test to get good grades.

Some children crave practical examples to understand things better and the others need to be approached creatively for making them get a hang of things. Here, technology comes to the rescue! By roping in technology and its advanced teaching forms the students can get access to innumerable e-books, videos, news, softwares, online researches and data to get the best knowledge of things immediately. This wider scope of learning enables real learning, not just memorization.

When the sky becomes the limit

Books will only provide knowledge about what is imprinted in them. They encapsulate the information which was given once and the students keep reading the same content throughout the year. With classrooms being equipped with the latest learning tools and technologies or simply allowing them to access such, students can access a whole compilation of research on a theory or topic, where books only allow limited content. The internet makes a wide spectrum of information more accessible in less time.

The contemporary education system and learning environment must not devoid the students and teachers from accessing the various opportunities to learn. With the integration of technology in classrooms there will be a much larger scope and room for learning and enriched classroom experiences.

If you want to make your child smarter and sharper with the changing times do send your child into a school that offers various facilities, all infused in one. Do refer to websites like Private School Review and Public School Review that only displays the names of the schools that they have personally screened, in and out.

Impact of Education Technology on Students’ Achievements

Manuela Willbold
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Impact of Education Technology on Students’ Achievements

Some of today’s technologies have a great influence on the educational process and systems and help to enhance the learning. We are living in a technological era and in each and every field we can see the influence of technology and how it has led to great developments.

Education was limited by some boundaries like gender or age, but after the influence of technology it has changed all orthodox mentality and helped to spread education all over the world. Now after the invention of new technology and new devices education is not only limited to the classroom or university. People can get an education and qualify through online learning too.

Such new trends have changed the value of education and helped to spread the power of education without setting any kind of limitation and boundaries. After the use of educational technology, there was a drastic change in student’s academic performance and their achievements.

Technology supports confidence

The main thing that a student needs to do well in their academic performance is confidence. In the past, there weren’t many resources available and students had to depend on teachers and their resources mainly. But with this modern education technology, we have so many applications and so many online resources which help students to collect more information and to study better.

When they get seminar project assignments they can refer through the internet and they can collect information which boosts the confidence of the students. They can use technological devices for seminar presentation which will help them to score good grades and they can improve their academic performance rapidly and confidently. They can share their information with their friends too through many technical communication channels. Using technology in education has therefore clearly enhanced their performance and confidence.

Technological skills are needed

When students acquire basic technological skills at the beginning of their academic career it will make them experts throughout their course of study. As we know we are now living in the 21st century where technology plays a key role and is itself a part of the learning process.

In the future, even more experts in technology will be required, because societies and businesses have to compete with each other in this field, which will affect so many other areas of future life as we will depend on technology and its fundamental use increasingly.

If you don’t know how to use and operate technological devices most employers will not consider you as you’re lacking those skills and qualifications so acquiring computer and technological skills is very important. Therefore, our educational institutions will have to prepare our generations for a future life with the help of technology.

Technology encourages creativity

As we all know everyone is born with some talents. So, schools are a vital element which will identify the talent and will encourage students towards their creative thoughts. If a student is talented in writing, drawing or has innovative thoughts, the teachers should use it and encourage that child and be a role model to other children.

Teachers could build blogs or websites with them through which they can share their thoughts, ideas and demonstrate their innovative and creative skills. Teachers should encourage each and every single student to post something. It should be treated as the platform for creative thoughts and skills.

Once they get positive feedback from their teacher or their friends it will encourage them to post more. And it will help to encourage other students too. So, technology will be a helping hand in encouraging student’s thoughts and developing their talents. It enables them to learn, grow and explore their strengths and talents.  

Technology changes education                                     

There is no doubt that technology has brought a drastic change in the field of education. It really helps to enhance our educational system and offer more quality and custom-made education to students. It has not only helped students but also helped teachers to make their teaching more interesting and attractive.

When the teacher uses technology in their curriculum or classroom naturally students get a chance to show their talent and this motivates them to improve their academic performance. It reduces students’ stress because they have many other ways to collect pieces of information and are more in charge of it.

Many educational applications are developed to help students and teachers. When the teacher uses technological devices, it helps to enhance the teaching process and students get clear knowledge about the subject. Students can watch the lectures online on YouTube. They can search about a particular subject and find information which will help to increase their knowledge.

Our future generations are truly lucky as they will have access to all kinds of technological facilities. They will be technological experts and use it naturally. There is no doubt that education technology can make a big difference and if used effectively by professionals and students it will lead to many advances in the future.

Author-bio:

Myself Diane Harms. I have been in this writing field for some years. Custom essay writing service is really helpful to improve your reading and also writing habits, it really encourages new writers and also students to get the positive effect on reading.

How to prepare for English tests with popular free language-learning apps

Manuela Willbold
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How to prepare for English tests with popular free language-learning apps

English certainly is THE top language spoken worldwide, no doubt. In most countries it is mandatory to learn it and to be tested.

If you are considering to study in an English-speaking country, you will be required to pass an English language skill test beforehand so the university or college make sure that your English proficiency is to their standards. Additionally, you need to meet the language requirements of the UK Border Agency if you require a student visa and most native English employers are more likely to employ international staff with good English language skills.

What’s tested?

There are several English language standard tests like the IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or the Cambridge ESOL, but they all mainly focus on four language aspects:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking

How to prepare?

There are many ways to prepare for these tests such as attending English classes, reading test books and going through old tests. However, much more fun while learning the English language and vocabulary offer some of the hottest language-learning apps out there right now.

Based on the number of downloads on Google Play here is a selection of the 4 most popular free language-learning apps. See how they can help you with preparing for your English exams.

  1. Duolingo

This language-learning app has been downloaded a whooping 100.000.000 times on Google Play! That’s more than any other language app out there at the moment. In this video you saw that its use is super easy and fun. The exercises are short, you can set yourself targets and you’ll receive daily learning reminders and in-app rewards when progressing with your learning. It covers all four areas by:

  • Reading: Letting you read words and sentences in your native language and English
  • Writing: Letting you write words and sentences in your native language and English when translating them
  • Listening: Giving you audio recordings of English words and sentences
  • Speaking: Asking you to verbally repeat these audio recorded words and sentences in English and translating into English verbally

You can have your initial English language level assessed by doing a test in the beginning. The app will then guide you from level to level to improve your English skills until you have reached your target level and fluency. Certainly an all-in-one tool!

  1. Rosetta Stone

Lagging behind Duolingo with 5.000.000 downloads via Google Play this app has been around for over 10 years now and it prides itself with a true language immersion factor, claiming to teach you a new language like you’ve learned your mother-tongue. In the demo video you saw that it mainly works through daily speech and language exercises via online forums, chats and activities with speech recognition. It’s much more speech-based and focuses on the verbal communication aspect mainly. Therefore, it mainly covers three areas of English learning:

  • Reading: with its online exercises and stories you are challenged to read in English.
  • Listening: by talking to others in English your listening and comprehension skills are improved.
  • Speaking: having to communicate in English with your tutor or learning community challenges you to converse verbally and the speech recognition technology applied in its activities supports your pronunciation.

This app mainly focuses on spoken language learning therefore, writing is not so much supported. However, for English exams this is a vital ability as you can’t get the grammar and spellings wrong. So, mainly use this for verbal preparation.

  1. Drops

 

As the name suggests this app mainly focuses on drop-feeding you new vocabulary in English within topics of your choice. Its current 1.000.000 downloads on Google show that it is popular maybe because of its simplicity – 5 minutes a day are said to help you expand your English vocabulary and improve your English language skills. Thinking about preparations for your English exams though this app can only cover two aspects out of four:

  • Reading: you read mainly nouns, verbs and adjectives in English as it’s very word-based learning
  • Listening: You hear the English words being pronounced when reading them.

You would definitely need other resources beside using this app to pass your English test, but it surely offers fun and easy-to-use English language exercises if you ever get bored.

  1. Beelinguapp

This “newbee” is proving to be increasingly popular with 1.000.000 downloads through Google. As you saw in the intro video it mainly focuses on teaching English through stories for all sorts of readers and interests. Stories of your choice are being read in your native language and English and you can repeat sentences or have them read out slower so you can practise using the target vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. However, it doesn’t offer speech recognition technology so you’re your only judge. Therefore, it mainly focuses on two out of four language learning areas:

  • Reading: you read the text in English and your native language accompanied by audio recordings
  • Listening: you hear the text in English being read and can practise pronunciation and vocabulary.

Writing and speaking fall short in the use of this app unless you’re so disciplined that you repeat the stories verbally and do additional write-ups about them. But if you love to read then this will certainly offer you an enjoyable alternative to boring textbooks.

Hopefully this brief overview offered you some useful ideas and tips on how to utilise what some of these free language learning apps deliver and how you can combine elements in order to be 100% English-proficient to pass any English test. Good luck!

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