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How to Prepare for your First Day as a University Fresher?

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prepare for your first day as a university fresher

University is a new stage of life for a young person, which causes a lot of anxiety or uncertainty but also excitement. Most often it involves a university fresher to change location, meet new people, and start a completely different life and learning model.

However, the first day of university does not have to be as difficult as it may seem. If you prepare well, you will be able to fit right into your new environment.

What do you need to know before embarking on your university fresher adventure?

Familiarise yourself with University Schedules, Rooms, and Subjects

Familiarize yourself with University Schedule, Rooms, and SubjectsBefore starting your first day of university, it is a good idea to focus on learning a bit about organizational issues.

This will eliminate ambiguity, give you more courage and prevent you from getting lost due to information overload. Start by carefully examining your schedule and finding your halls or classrooms. Remember that you can only make a first impression once, and the better you start, the easier your next steps will be.

Study the schedules, familiarise yourself with the layout of the university building and read the profiles of your professors and the course outline.

Do not stop at reading course materials – go the extra mile and be informed about your subject of study. It is not about careful analysis of details but simply becoming more familiar with them. Looking at your professors is also a good idea – you can read about their work and achievements. Doing so will boost your self-confidence, since uncertainty breeds concern and fear.

Also, plan your route to university in advance and check out exactly where classes are held. Being late draws the attention of the professor and the group, which may cause unnecessary confusion.

Work out how to get Credits through Exams and Preparing for Classes

Work out how to get Credits through Exams and Preparing for ClassesWhen you go to university, you must follow a new way of grading student work and getting credits, while the familiar rules you grew accustomed to at school no longer apply.

Universities assign different importance to subjects and divide them into several types, and their procedures may vary. Some courses end with an exam, while others simply require your attendance. How you get credit for classes most commonly depends on the guidelines of individual professors, who describe the rules in detail on the first day and in the course outline.

You will find out about the form of learning in each subject and what to do to prepare. The key subjects usually require you to pass a written or oral exam. Often, classes also require you to prepare a special project in the form of a presentation, essay, or other written work. You may be required to get credits through independent work or by collaborating with a larger group of students.

The novelty of the situation and abundance of information often makes it difficult to comprehend in full. Prepare a notepad and something to write with to take detailed notes – write down all the detailed terms and conditions, as well as instructions given by the professor. By doing so, you can always refer to your notes to address any doubts you may have. Also, do not be afraid to ask any questions that occur to you. It is better to find the courage and talk to the professor instead of making wrong assumptions.

And for the professors, it is also a good opportunity to get to know their students better and put a name to a face.

Be Open to Meeting New People as a University Fresher

Be Open to Meeting New PeopleStudent life is not just about studying, getting credits, and growing intellectually. Remember, it is also an opportunity to meet new friends, form real friendships, and even find a partner for the rest of your life or network for future work opportunities.

A change of environment is an opportunity to broaden your horizons and open a new chapter. Students taking their first steps in university life face many challenges and difficulties that are much easier to overcome in a larger group than on their own. It is good to have a circle of close friends with whom you can talk between classes, prepare for exams, or have a good time outside of the university.

Starting university is your first opportunity to meet new people who will accompany you throughout the next few years of studies and work. Arrive at the university early so you can take a good look at the situation and find friendly faces in the crowd. Do not forget to smile and be friendly – it makes networking much easier.

You may find that someone you just connected with will become your long-term friend. However, this is not the only form of making your first acquaintances – even before arriving at the university, you can find student groups associated with the given area of study or faculty on the Internet. This is a wonderful icebreaker and a way of entering this new reality. Also, do not miss freshers’ trips and parties, which are a great method of meeting new people.

Plan Your Way to University as a University Fresher

Plan Your Way to University as university fresherThe decision to go to university is not just about submitting the required documents and starting your studies. Where you will live is also important, so it is best to decide as early as possible to find a perfect student accommodation close to the university. The closer to the start of the academic year, the more people are looking and the fewer options to choose from.

When looking for accommodation, you need to consider not only your budget but also how far you will need to go to get to your classes. If the university is very far away, long commutes will cost you a lot of time and money. Studying is not the only thing young people live for, so it is also important to check if there are any cafés, clubs, and cultural attractions in the area and whether it is safe.

Not only is the area you live in important, but also the type of accommodation and the facilities. You can rent a private apartment or choose to rent a room in halls of residence.

New models of co-living and co-working have also entered the rental market for students such as BaseCamp and if you are considering studying abroad in Poland’s third-largest city, for example, the BaseCamp private student dormitory in Łódź at ul. Rembielińskiego is an interesting alternative just a 5-minute walk from the Technical University of Lodz.

Apart from comfortable rooms equipped with kitchenettes, decorated with designer furniture, and a private bathroom you will also have access to a communal gym, cinema, and communal study areas where additional community events and parties are held. This makes BaseCamp a perfect place for students at an affordable rate.

 

The 10 Key Career Skills that are crucial for Success

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In life, one of the biggest commitments we humans undertake is our work.

It is more than just a means of earning money, it’s our passion, our motivation and a successful career is what we strive to achieve in our lifetime.

Whichever field you may work in, if the work does not give you joy, pride and purpose then it is just a means of earning money.

Over the course of your career, you will be required to acquire a number of job skills that will help build your career and ultimately take you to the fulfilment of your hopes and dreams, especially when starting a new job.

What Skills must one acquire for successful Career Development?

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Over the course of our lives, we will learn a variety of life and work skills. These skills can be categorized into 6 different skill types, each important for your career and its successful development.

  • Labour Skills – Skills required for practical and hands-on professions such as brewers, masons, electricians, carpenters, decorators etc. and these skills mostly require the use of physical labour.
  • Life Skills – Skills such as interpersonal skills, technical skills, and cognitive skills. These skills are usually required to execute life activities and tasks in our society like basic cooking, organization, dealing with money etc.
  • People Skills – Human beings are social. Throughout the course of our lives, we build relationships, place our trust in people, develop sympathies and empathies with others in different roles as a friend, partner, employee etc. People skills are key to working in team and being a good communicator.
  • Hard Skills – Commonly referred to as technical skills, hard skills are typically concentrated towards the achievement of a particular task or a situation. These skills will typically require you to be qualified either technically, academically or professionally.
  • Social Skills – Living in a society means adhering to its rules. To succeed working with and alongside others in a verbal/ non-verbal way while being respected and liked is important to build a career in many industries.
  • Soft Skills – Soft skills are a combination of a variety of skills such as your communication skills, interpersonal skills, and social skills for example.

While all of these skills are important for our careers and its growth, in this article we will cover the various soft skills that support job skills one requires to expand their career.

Which Soft Skills are essential for your Career Development?

Hard skills, technical skills and job skills are the skills which are required to land a job but what happens after?

You need a repertoire of soft and transferable skills such as a positive attitude and mindset, communication skills, emotional intelligence, and a decent work ethic. These soft skills also help you grow as a leader.

What most people often forget to consider is that these skills are an integral part of our society and our working environment. Our ability to converse with people, to empathize with them and to build good relationships are as important as hard skills, but sadly often undervalued.

It is often assumed by organizations that the people they hire will have a good work ethic, but it is difficult to know or check. Therefore, anybody should at least acquire some of the following soft skills that are detrimental to any career progression.

Top 10 crucial Soft Skills to master for the best Career Development

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  1. Communication – Being a good communicator is a requirement by almost every employer in any industry. Even introverts have their own group of people they talk to and communicate with. Verbal or written communication is one important skill for several jobs as it helps you with interacting with your colleagues, customers, traders, and it helps you build strong relationships, which is key for networking. Effective modern communication tools to master include video calls, phone calls, emails, and face to face communication, but also interacting on social media which requires one to consider netiquette. This has become even more prevalent with the rise of remote working job positions and online work.
  2. Adaptability – We do not always get what we want, life often throws us a curveball and we’re left dealing with it, the good and the bad. Being able to adapt, accept and change when things go south is important not just when it comes to your career and its growth but also in life. Many modern companies specifically look for good problem-solving skills and creative thinking skills as these are key in the digital world in which things change very frequently.
  3. Teamwork – When you work for an organization you are also working alongside others in your team. Success is a result of not one but many individuals working towards a common goal. Collaborating with your colleagues will only strengthen your work. Your quality of work will improve when other people use their skills and their strengths to work together and achieve better results.
  4. Observational Skills – Pure data means nothing unless interpreted properly. Observing and studying your data, learning various patterns, monitoring them closely with the right project management tools and providing solutions will give you an edge over your fellow colleagues. Equally, observing social behaviours and inner social systems in a company can be beneficial for your career progression.
  5. Problem Solving – When things go wrong, your plan of action will determine your position in the company. Noticing problems beforehand in combination with your observational skills will help you find solutions to any current problems as well as problems which are likely to arrive in the future and being able to tackle them beforehand is a key skill employers look for when hiring people in positions of power.
  6. Conflict Resolution – When a group of individuals work together, sometimes they are going to disagree and have conflicts. Individuals in managerial positions or team leaders are required to solve such conflicts to keep a healthy working relationship and environment among colleagues and need to learn how to resolve conflicts, how to give constructive feedback, how to motivate staff etc.
  7. Work Ethic – A strong work ethic will show your employers that your work is important to you. Adhering to the office hours, being punctual, meeting deadlines etc. all these constitute to be a part of your working ethic. It depicts that you can both give orders and receive them when necessary.
  8. Time Management – Even though you may be able to multitask, some tasks require your undivided attention. Time management along with a combined work ethic make for a model employee. With effective time management skills it becomes easier for employees to also maintain a healthy work life balance which is equally important.
  9. Empathy – Being empathetic is one’s ability to understand someone and put themselves into their shoes. In situations such as medical emergencies, mental health issues one is required to offer support, not just for them but their family members too. Your ability to understand someone’s problems and extend that deadline or extend a helping hand will make you more valuable to the team.
  10. Leadership – Progress when it comes to working is being able to grand that promotion and take on new roles and responsibilities. Those in managerial positions are people that are in a position of power. Having a clear goal and the means to do it will show your co-workers and those above you that you are dedicated, hardworking and someone with great ideas. Leadership skills help you gain visibility in an organization thus helping your career and your team.

Career Skills support Career Progression

There is no one skill you need to acquire and master for your career. Many of the listed soft skills in the article are intertwined and work hand in hand for the betterment of your career and life. Some cannot be learned through a course, but in conjunction with training or during an internship for example. But the best preparation for any employment is to volunteer or build something of your own such as an online property or specialist portfolio through creating attractive websites that showcase your previous work and with that the skills you have acquired with your projects.

4 Top Benefits of Private Tutors working together with Teachers

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4 Top Benefits of Private Tutors working together with Teachers

A child’s school years should be some of the happiest of their lives.  However, if your child is starting to find some subjects challenging, the experience can turn into a nightmare. The pressure that students put on themselves as well as that which they receive from their peers, teachers, or parents can also adversely affect their behaviour, having a further impact on their learning outcomes.  In most cases, this problem can be addressed with some additional help such as parental meetings with specialists involved and perhaps some private tutors.

One of the top international schools in Hong Kong, Harrow School Hong Kong, pays close attention to their students, looking out for those who may fall behind. Through additional educational resources that give them the extra attention needed to get back up to speed, the school offers its pupils extra-curricular activities such as a so-called MUN program, which is an academic simulation of the United Nations, for pupils to act as delegates from different countries requiring to solve real-world global issues.

Such initiatives ensure that their confidence remains intact and that they never fall too far behind academically as well as pastorally.

Another factor is discussing private tutoring with parents if this will provide additional benefits to the student’s learning. This article will explain some of the benefits of private tutors working alongside teachers and how this collaboration can be maximised for the best learning outcomes.

What is the difference between a Private Tutor and a Teacher?

What is the difference between a Private Tutors and a TeacherAlthough it may seem relatively straightforward, some parents are unfamiliar with the role that a private tutor can play compared to their child’s teacher.

Private tutors are usually focused on one student rather than a whole classroom like the class teacher. They will address specific learning needs to help the student better understand and grasp a subject or topic. Often they will concentrate on one area, although it is not uncommon for them to teach a range of related subjects such as maths and the sciences.

Tutors normally provide private lessons in the student’s or tutor’s home, where they may have access to more specialised equipment and resources. Compared to learning with a teacher in the classroom environment students often find the lessons are more relaxed and tailored to their interests, which benefits the overall learning process.

However, all tutors should understand that they are working in conjunction with the school, so they will need to follow the same syllabus and sometimes teaching methods to avoid confusing the student.

Why should Teachers and Private Tutors work together?

Why should Teachers and Private Tutors work togetherTeachers and tutors should be striving to achieve the best learning outcomes for their students, and private tuition is to supplement rather than replace classroom learning. As such, private tutors should follow the lead of the student’s school and provide the necessary support. This can only happen if they communicate about the individual learning goals and curriculum taught regularly.

Find out how this can happen below:

1. Lesson Continuation after School

Lesson Continuation after SchoolUnfortunately, it is a fact of life that teachers suffer the same time constraints as anyone else. They will need to schedule the entire curriculum into class time and won’t have the time to recover some topics.

A private tutor can continue where the classroom learning finished, focusing on aspects that a student may be having difficulty understanding. The subject may need to be explained differently using different teaching methods or resources or covered in greater depth. Indeed, it may be a fundamental part of the lesson, and without a complete understanding, moving onto the next stage may be almost impossible.

Hence why the teacher will equally benefit from supporting a private tutor with offering their student an extended and more differentiated and tailored version of the school lesson. It is a win-win for everyone involved as the schoolteacher can focus on the whole class progression while the student progresses individually together with the tutor.

2. Personal Attention

Personal AttentionIt is impossible for a teacher to devout all their attention to one student, and, sadly, this may mean that some fall behind. On the other hand, a private tutor can focus all their attention on one person, addressing their individual needs. Often, struggling students are reluctant to ask questions in class, fearful of what their peers will think.

However, in private, they are often more prepared to ask these questions, giving them the additional information, they require to fully understand the topic. An experienced tutor with an excellent understanding of the subject can be invaluable and make a huge difference to student’s academic success merely by providing extra support and guidance together with the class teacher.

3. Shared Objectives

Shared ObjectivesAll international schools welcome a diverse range of students, often of different nationalities and different cultures. However, one thing that is common with all is that parents, teachers, and tutors all share the same objective, which helps a child achieve their potential.

To be successful, all groups must work in unison to achieve the goal, following the same path, so tutors must always liaise with the school and the parents as well. It will mean that the tutor can tailor lessons to address weaknesses and meet the child’s needs. Communication is essential throughout, and professional tutors will be extremely adept at this.

4. Private Tutors act in a Student’s Best Interests

Private Tutors act in a Student’s Best InterestsNo child enjoys struggling at school, and they will always feel a stigma attached to it. Tutors will often get to know students on a more personal level and, as such, be able to formulate teaching plans with the schoolteacher that suit particular students and support them with their school assignments better. This one-to-one attention can help immeasurably with a child’s confidence too.

It is quite common for the teacher to identify a weakness and then suggest extra tutoring. Most international schools will be happy to allow tutors to use their materials as required to further forward the student’s progression. The daily monitoring will undoubtedly reap the rewards in a relatively short period.

What to do if you feel your child may be falling behind

What to do if you feel your child may be falling behindIf you feel that your child is not doing as well as they could at school or have any concerns, you should always discuss them with the class teacher or school first. Students experience a range of different emotions and challenges, so it is vital that you get to the root cause of the problem. Most schools will have a list of private tutors who they are happy to recommend. However, you can choose your own tutors, but again care should be taken to ensure that their lessons follow those of the school and that they communicate well.

How long will my Child need a Tutor?

How long will my Child need a TutorThis question requires an individual answer, depending on the level of additional assistance that is required. Some students may only need additional tutoring for a few weeks, while for others, it may be ongoing. The school will be able to give you a clearer indication, and they will be familiar with the challenges that your child is experiencing. It is crucial to remember that everyone’s learning style is different and that you as a parent can equally support your child.

For more information about tutoring services please head to our Online Tutoring & Teaching section.

If you want to learn more about how you can support your child at home, go through these guides:

 

Free Online Games

15 Tips to Learn English Faster as a Primary School Student

Best Online Learning, Teaching & Tutoring Platforms to Close the Attainment Gap

6 Tips for Creating a Budget Plan for your Postgraduate Degree

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Pick-the-best-payment-gateway-for-ecommerce-website

Just the thought of creating a budget is enough to make most people anxious. However, a budget can be essential to understanding where your money goes, especially when you are considering applying for a postgraduate degree.

Creating a budget plan does not have to be unbearable. Whether it’s the first time you are giving it a try, or whether you’ve always been crunching the numbers, here are some tips to keep in mind

What are you Budgeting for?

A postgraduate degree in the UK is usually a two-year experience. This is what should inspire you to create a budget plan. Consider your current situation and work from there.

Have you been overspending, or have you been able to save some money?

What other commitments do you have? Perhaps you have a family to support or loan repayments that you need to keep up with.

It’s easier to commit to a plan and feel good about it if you have a purpose for it.

1. Use Positive Language

The word “budget” can feel rather heavy.

A lot of people feel that it signifies something that is limiting.  So, think of another name for your plan that will help you feel more positive and more motivated about it.

For example – the postgraduate adventure, MBA candidate plan, or the 2-year spending plan.

Remember this budget is “enabling” you to do make your aspirations a reality. Adding a timeline to it helps you to see the light at the end of the tunnel so you don’t feel that it’s something that will last forever.

Especially in the case of a postgraduate degree, there is a reward at the end and possibly an increase in salary.

But who knows… maybe you will enjoy following a budget after all and end up continuing it after you graduate!

2. Decide on a Budgeting Method and stick to it

There are countless ways to go about a creating a postgraduate budget.

Do a quick search and read up on them online to find the one that feels right for you. It is important to select the best one for your lifestyle so that you will be able to stick to it.

Some popular methods are the 50/30/20 budget or the cash-based envelope system.

Some people prefer to keep a manual check of their daily expenses. Others opt for an app.

As with everything, the beginning will be challenging. If you feel you’ve given it your best shot and it still isn’t working out for you, try something different.

3. Prioritize your Needs and schedule your Wants

Understanding the difference between needs and wants is for many the key to a happy life!

Focus on the essentials to begin with — things like groceries, rent, utilities and transportation costs.

Then move on to other expenses which are equally important, but perhaps not “essential” for you or your family’s survival. Your financial goals, such as loan repayments or retirement savings, should also receive attention.

The reason you should be tracking your spending is so that you can see over a significant amount of time, where your money is going.

Is there spending taking place that is not necessary? That is perhaps not making your life any easier or happier? Once you become aware of these, then you will be able to address them and see if changes can be made.

The 50/30/20 budget is a good guideline for covering the major spending categories. It suggests using 50% of your income toward needs, 30% toward wants and 20% toward savings and debt.

Your postgraduate student loan repayments should fall into this 20% bracket. Although with some private student loan providers, if you are studying full-time, your repayments may not begin until after you graduate.

If you are planning to study part-time though, it is important to include those repayments in your budget plan. The repayment amounts and dates should be outlined in your postgraduate loan agreement.

4. Leave Room for the Unexpected

Don’t expect your budget to be flawless. Life is full of surprises and some expenses may slip through without you noticing.

Be proactive and take precautions along the way. Have a small amount set aside every month to cover miscellaneous expenses or emergencies.

It is easy to be tempted to use a credit card or a small loan to cover the unexpected, but these are usually expensive solutions. If you want to stay on track with your budget plan and not take on any extra unnecessary debt by the end of your postgraduate degree, make sure you are prepared.

5. How techy are you?

Depending on how comfortable you are with technology, see what solutions could make the management of your budget plan easier for you to manage. For example, setting up an automatic transfer for bills or savings will not only save you time, but will take away the thought process around it so you can avoid the temptation to either spend the money otherwise or delay the transfer.

There are also some very handy mobile apps that you can use to track your daily spending and you should also follow some student finance blogs.

6. Revisit and Update regularly

Think of your budget plan as something living, a work in progress. Changes may happen any day, such as unexpected gifts, car or home repairs or fees. You might even have a change in income one month.

It’s best to review your postgraduate budget plan on a weekly or at least monthly basis in order to see where you stand. This will enable you to handle the ups and downs before they become an issue.

Why is Learning a Second Language harder for Adults than for Children?

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Why is Learning a Second Language harder for Adults than for Children
Why is Learning a Second Language harder for Adults than for Children

Have you been wondering why you are struggling to understand or learn a new language quickly? Then the fact that you are not the only adult finding it hard to learn a second language should console you.

Many adults have a hard time to learn a second language, and it is no myth. This is very much unlike children whose flexible brain development at the early stages allows them to form the necessary connections to learn a new language while naturally immersing in it. Meaning they do not have to study it, repeating vocabulary, grammar, etc. as they learn it by hearing and using it.

You can read more about the scientific background and tips for second language acquisition here:

How to best support children’s second language acquisition during their early child development stages at home?

The question of why adults find it challenging to learn a second language has multiple answers and explanations fuelled by numerous findings in research regarding this topic. The simple answer is related to brain function. In learning a new language, the brain must create new cognitive frameworks that are easier to accomplish in kids than in adults. This is the simplest way to put it.

There is also the issue of time and discipline. Learning a new language requires constant practice that the average adult will struggle with, especially if they lack motivation such as going on a holiday where that language is spoken. Ideally, a language should be learned in the environment where it is spoken so that constant language exposure is provided. However, various language learning apps can help with that.

This article looks at possible reasons why adults struggle to learn a second language.

The individual Capacity of the Brain

The individual Capacity of the BrainMost kids can learn new languages just as a native language. On the other hand, many adults struggle with learning a new language. However, some struggle more than others. If you have several adults study a new language within the same timeframe, some will learn faster than others. According to research, the way an individual’s brain is wired can predetermine their success with the language learning process.

This McGill University research had several participants undergo a 12-week intensive French course. The brains of the participant were scanned before and after the course. The results showed a stronger connection between the brain areas used for reading and speaking in participants who performed better.

This could indicate that some adults have a better cognitive ability to learn a new language than others, which could derive from genetics as well as environmental exposure. This shouldn’t, however, stop you from learning a new language if you want to.

The Memory Systems

The Memory SystemsWhile learning a second language has its advantages for our brain’s capacity and function, this fact doesn’t make it any easier to learn the language. One of the primary reasons children learn new languages more comfortably than adults is how they learn them, which is entirely different from adults.

There are two major memory systems influencing learning in humans: declarative memory and procedural memory.

Declarative memory deals with how we learn vocabulary, facts, and other basic knowledge. But the procedural memory learns new things effortlessly, without even trying. It helps us learn new skills, techniques, actions, and habits through doing. It mostly happens subconsciously like riding a bike.

The procedural memory develops very early in humans, so we often use it to learn both simple and complex contexts such as grammar rules. However, our declarative memory, which we use for learning words, requires a much longer time to remember them. As adults, we tend to use our declarative memory more as we must learn the things that we know consciously. Children in contrast mainly use their procedural memory to learn grammar (across different languages) easily and effortlessly without the declarative memory being a hindrance or distraction to them. This is why languages that we learn as kids are native to us, unlike when we learn them as adults.

As adults, we tend to use declarative memory much more. So we don’t pick up those new words, vocabulary, or grammar rules naturally anymore. Even when our procedural memory picks them up, we tend to overthink and overanalyse them without declarative memory, which complicates the learning process.

Unlike children, who don’t even have to consciously learn a language before they know it, we try very hard to learn the language. Most times, we try too hard, and it hinders the process. The need to be perfect and get things right as adults are why it’s harder for them to learn a second language.

Learning a Second Language as an Adult

Learning a Second Language as an AdultThe fact that it is harder to learn a new language as an adult shouldn’t stop you from trying. A major problem with learning a second language as an adult is cross translation. The need to always revert to your first language to express yourself better is a significant hindrance. It means that you have words in the second language that you can’t use to express yourself independently of the first language because these words are interconnected and referenced with your native language.

You can solve this problem and restore the brain’s ability to learn a second language with the multitasking brain.

You will need to constantly perform three actions simultaneously:

– speaking,

– reading,

– and listening

in the second language.

This vast workload allows the brain to stop cross translation automatically as a result. The brain will then form a new language centre for the second language, and all the symbols and words that were connected with the first language in its language centre will be rewired in the new language centre. It then becomes easier to learn the new language.

Thankfully, there are language apps and numerous online resources that can help with speaking, reading, and listening to a foreign language to help adults learn them faster and for learning English we have some expert recommendations:

15 ways to improve your English skills for PTE Academic

How to Effectively Plan Your IELTS Preparation

Author Bio:

Jessica Chapman is a writing editor from Chicago working for a  cheap assignment writing service. She is into sport and politics, enjoys traveling. Find her on Twitter.

The Pros and Cons of an eLearning software to build your own Udemy

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Online training takes 40-60% less time to complete compared to the same course being taught in the traditional classroom. Studies have found that eLearning increases employee engagement in the workplace by over 18%

Many companies and educational establishments are still stuck in the old school approach, while more than 50% of North American establishments have already adopted online learning in most its forms. With the popularity of eLearning taking over, the reputation of software solutions for an easy online course creation has also increased significantly. Gone are the days when online learning platforms were just meant for corporate training and blended learning in educational establishments.

Today, there are online course platforms and websites like Udemy, Coursera, Khan Academy, Udacity, and Varsity. These eLearning platforms offer varied ways to adopt online learning for any scale. They do not only mean to sell online courses but also accommodate many learners and subject experts from all the spheres.

E-learning with virtual media has unbounded traditional education from countless dependencies and constraints. This review is about one such eLearning software that can build a platform like Udemy, Coursera, Khan Academy, and Udacity of your own. It’s PinLearn’s Udemy clone script – Smart School.

Smart School Overview

Smart School is an eLearning website builder script with ready-made features similar to the Udemy EdTech business model. That’s why the term “Udemy Clone Script” is used for it. It helps to instantly create an eLearning marketplace like Udemy without coding from scratch.

With most of the Udemy-like features already there, you can skip the coding complexities and use a GUI to set up and customize your eLearning platform as per your individual requirements.

Whom does it cater to?

The application of this Udemy clone is spread into multiple verticals. As you get a ready-made way to start your EdTech platform, you can use it:

  • For starting up an eLearning marketplace and earn from the business.
  • For integrating online corporate training in your enterprise or company.
  • For integrating digital just-in-time job assistance within your company.
  • For selling your online courses through your own eLearning site and app.

Which platforms does it support?

The overall script is built on three major scripts for three different platforms. With them, you can create:

  1. A responsive web portal
  2. An Android mobile app
  3. An Apple iOS mobile app

Features and Pros of the script

Before going deeper into the review, let’s get an overview of the major highlights of this script.

·       White-labelled

The script is white-labelled. That means it offers enough UI customizability to adapt the portal to your own brand. The vendor does not impose it’s branding on the script. This makes it easy to build your own brand identity or personalize it to your existing brand.

·       Native Mobile Apps

Makes cross-platform compatibility seamless with native mobile apps besides the regular web-based portal.

·       Social-Login Module

Integrated social media APIs let your user login/sign-up to your portal using their social media accounts’ credentials. This feature can help you get boosted sign-ups as it by-passes the manual user account registration process.

·       Marketplace User Model

Allows three types of users. Admin, learners and the tutors. All of them have their respective access control.

·       Dedicated Dashboards

Besides a dedicated admin panel at the back end, the platform gives front-end dedicated dashboards to the learners and tutors.

·       Multi-Language Module

Supports multiple languages to expand your courses to a broader population of learners worldwide.

·       Integrated Shopping Cart

Integrated virtual shopping cart manages the selling and buying of online courses like an eCommerce site. Full-fledge eCommerce features are present such as Add-to-cart, cart review page, checkout process, payment methods, billing and invoicing etc.

·       Multiple Payment Gateways

Supports multiple payments gateways. Besides the integrated Stripe and PayPal payments, the script is customizable to add as many additional local/global payment gateways.

·       Multiple Monetization Model

Like every online business, your eLearning marketplace business will too have multiple ways to make money. Commission and ads are a few of them.

·       Extensive Course Management

Clean workflow for course creation, course upload, course description, course summary, and course listing.

·       Coupon Management System  

Integrated coupon management system lets the admin create unique coupon codes to offer discounts to the learners. An extensive interface is present for coupon management.  

·       Courses in multiple formats

The platform supports course-upload in multiple formats like PDF, audio, animation, HTML, and videos.

Monetization channels for Revenue Generation

If you are looking for an Udemy clone, you must know about Udemy’s EdTech business model. It offers a multitude of ways to make money online. Not only does it generate an online income for the site owner but also equal opportunities arise for tutors to earn virtually. You cannot run an eLearning marketplace without enticing the tutors to it. Hence, having some great monetization channels for all verticals is necessary.

The Smart School script offers 6 monetization channels in this regard:

·       Course listing fee

A fixed charge from tutors to buy a space of the marketplace for listing their courses. More like the rent shop owners pay to the mall owners for space in the marketplace.

·       Featured courses

Additional fee from tutors to the admin to promote specific courses in the featured listings on the home page. 

·       Commission on course sales

Fixed charges or percentage cuts from the tutors to the admin for each course sold on the eLearning marketplace.

·       Commission via categories

Different percentage cuts from the tutors to the admin on each sale made under different categories on the marketplace.

·       Commission on individual tutors

Different percentage cuts from different tutors to the admin on each sale made on the marketplace.

·       Banner display ads

Ad-based revenue generation by showing different banner ads to the users on the portal.

Pricing Plans

The script comes with two pricing plans: Regular License & Premium License. With the regular license, they give you the script for the web-portal with all the web features. Whereas the Premium License gives you access to all the additional scripts including Android app, iOS app, and a Facebook Messenger AI chatbot. 

  • Regular License– $699 (one-time cost)
  • Premium License– $1499 (One-time cost)

Software delivery model

PinLearn delivers the software as open-source code with a one-time payment. There is no recurring subscription cost. PS: It’s not SaaS (software as a service), it is a self-hosted script.

Software support

The company provides free installation and deployment support for both the plans. However, free technical support and warranties varies from package to package. With Regular license, you get 6-month free support and lifetime product update. While the Premium license gives 1-year support and lifetime product update.

Tech Stack

They develop the platform on the LAMP (generic software stack model) stack. It is backed by technologies like:

  • MySQL
  • Laravel 5.3 (for back-end design)
  • Angular JS 1
  • Redis cache
  • NGINX web server.
  • JQuery
  • Bootstrap

My Impressions

Looking at the features and after trying out the software I can conclude the following points about it:

  1. It’s not an eLearning authoring.
  2. It’s an eLearning website builder.
  3. It is offering an open-source code.
  4. It’s not a SaaS but a self-hosted script.
  5. It has an easy to use UI for admin.
  6. It offers smooth work-flow for course creation.
  7. It offers an integrated virtual shopping cart.  

Overall, the script can be a good choice if you have an Udemy-like eLearning marketplace in your mind.

With inbuilt course management and cloud sharing the script can also be used to create an eLearning platform within your corporate organization. The only con is the absence of integrated LMS (learning management system). The company offers the LMS as a separate product. However, it is understandable at this price point. Considering the cross-platform support for the website and mobile applications, an additional expense on the LMS is bearable.

 

How Vegan are Classrooms? The Truth Behind School Equipment

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Vegan Classrooms

There’s often a thin line when it comes to discussing certain ideologies in the classroom.

Under UK Human Rights Laws, Veganism is a protected philosophical conviction, and every parent has the right to provide an education for their children that’s in line with their personal and moral beliefs.

Although vegan parents are certainly able to exercise this right to ensure that Veganism is a part of their child’s education – unfortunately, a large proportion of teaching materials contain animal products or are tested on animals.

If you’re concerned about how vegan your child’s classroom is, then this little guide has everything you need to know.

Animal Products in the Classroom

When we think about animal cruelty in the classroom – the first thing that comes to mind is animal dissection during science class. However, in most cases, instances of animal cruelty at school can be much more subtle.

Sadly, the majority of office supplies contain various animal products or have been tested on animals to ascertain how toxic they are. This applies to all kinds of supplies, from whiteboard markers to the boards they write on!

Try to keep in mind that in most classrooms, it’s not always possible to cater to everyone’s ideologies at the same time. Whilst you might not always be able to completely remove instances of animal cruelty in the classroom, it is good to be aware of when and where your children may come into contact with non-vegan items.

This way, it becomes easier to work with both your child and your school to find cruelty-free alternatives to common classroom items.

Green and Clean

Green and Clean ClassroomWhen we talk about Veganism in the classroom, it’s often tied in with discussions about being eco-friendly.

Indeed, there are a lot of environmental benefits that can come from switching to vegan alternatives. The environmentally-friendly nature of the vegan diet is one key example, but switching to green, cruelty-free class supplies, like Simply Glass Wipeboards, can actually reduce the overall waste output of the school, and improve its ‘recyclability.’

It can be frustrating as a vegan parent, especially when the teachers at your child’s school take a different view.

The best way to tackle this situation is to be as courteous and well informed as you can be. When you voice your concerns, try to suggest practical solutions that can benefit the school as a whole.

Being involved and helping inform others is the best way to enact change within your community, get creative with your child, and build up a good rapport with the teachers!

How can we Make a Difference?

Here are some ingenious but surprisingly simple ways to enact real change in your child’s classroom:

Choose bamboo rulers over plastic

Plastic rulers and pencil cases can contribute so much unwanted waste to our school environment. Bamboo options will not only reduce plastic in the classroom but will also bring down waste, as plastic rulers are notoriously fragile!

Switch your brands

Plenty of high street stationary titans like Pilot and Staedler are completely cruelty-free – so switching to these brands won’t hurt your bank or any animals!

Humane pest control

Pest control is a vital part of running a school. Try to suggest cruelty-free insect-catchers for the classroom so that staff-members can catch pests humanely, and demonstrate to children that life is valuable.

Cruelty-free hygiene solutions

Hygiene in the classroom is paramount! Suggesting a switch to cruelty-free products can reduce the carbon footprint of your classroom and stop harmful chemicals from being released into the environment – all while keeping your kids safe!

Find alternatives

Find alternatives to Common plastic products, such as glass whiteboards, and wooden toys.

Art supplies

Art supplies are known for including animal products – but there are so many cost-effective cruelty-free options on the market, so the use of animal products in art supplies is unnecessary and easily fixed!

Update your filing solutions

Using paper cinches instead of staples, and selecting recyclable plastic wallets are excellent practical ways to keep your classroom organised and eco-friendly.

Final Thoughts

Although you can’t control every aspect of the school environment, working with the school to make small changes, and being involved and informed can definitely help your cause.

By implementing a few small, cost-effective changes, you can really reduce the harm that your school does to animals and the environment!

Alternative Provision Innovation Fund: Transforming the Lives of Disadvantaged Children

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Alternative Provision Digital Conference

The organisers of the Alternative Provision Digital Conference spoke with PRUsAP President Sarah Dove who shared her key insights into a pioneering initiative funded by the Department for Education: Alternative Provision Innovation AV1 project.

Julian-Thompson

The initiative aims to improve outcomes for children in alternative provision. In an exclusive interview with the Project Manager, Sarah Dove, they discussed the project’s achievements so far along with pioneering technological innovation to support those most vulnerable, their plans, and what is required to accomplish their major goals in transforming the lives of disadvantaged children.

Sarah Dove, President, PRUsAP & Project Manager, Alternative Provision Innovation AV1 Project

The Alternative Provision Innovation Fund Project was looking at whether telepresence solutions would support young people in returning to school. 90 AV robots were funded by the Department for Education.

We wanted to see whether this would assist in the reintegration of vulnerable children back into schools and if it would help them achieve their academic goals. An underpinning concern was around their emotional wellbeing and ensuring they were part of their school environment despite undergoing critical treatment as many children suffering from cancer or other life-threatening illnesses, as well as anxiety or depression, and patients within psychiatric in-patient hospitals.

One of the greatest challenges we faced was getting several academic organisations/schools to agree to take part in the initiative. This was a complex task as we had to on-board these schools all the way from Cornwall to Manchester, and beyond.

Sadly, during the project, several children passed away but even those that are no longer with us sought the benefits of the initiative as it enabled them to stay connected with their friends throughout all the turmoil they had to endure.

The biggest question we had to ask ourselves for these unfortunate children was not to do with their academic achievements but was simply ‘did they have fun?’ and the answer was ‘yes’. That was our greatest accomplishment, even though it is difficult to quantify.

Most children lived, attended school virtually, and did very well. At the start of the project, we assessed their personal wellbeing and that looked at their engagement with peers and staff and what we found was generally a substantial increase.

Overall, we saw children not only maintain their academic progress but also improve their emotional wellbeing. On top of this, we found that most pupils using these AV robots wanted to return to school full-time because they stayed connected to their friends.

The life of the project was 2 years, and we are currently waiting for governmental feedback from the Department for Education regarding information comparing this to other innovation-led projects to see how we fared.

In terms of next steps, we would love more funding, but it is also about making all solutions to absenteeism of vulnerable children within schools available and holding decision-makers accountable for implementing these.

COVID-19 has highlighted issues of isolation, but this is not a new story for these children. This has gone on for years and we can learn from these experiences and consider how we support children with medical needs in the future. We must use this information to drive forward change.

Join Sarah at this year’s Alternative Provision Digital Conference on Thursday 22nd April, broadcast live from Central London where she will be discussing Considerations Impacting Funding for AP.

Here is the full agenda:

https://bit.ly/3jVSapI

We are pleased to be able to offer 20% off registration for the conference. Use Discount Code UKEBZO-AP when you register.

Source: Sam Cartwright [email protected] for www.westminsterinsight.com

5 Reasons & Solutions For Students Losing Interest while Learning Online

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motivate-and-support-children-struggling-with-online-learning-from-home

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students had to switch to online learning. These changes caught some of them off guard. Nobody expected to go remotely starting in 2020, but since circumstances required us to, there was no other option available.

However, you can see how students could be easily confused by the transition process. Some of them quickly adapted to the new routine, while others became discouraged and lost interest in studying.

Let’s see why that happened, and how we can improve the online learning system.

Reason #1: They Struggle to Adapt

Switching from in-person to online can be a struggle for many students, especially the early years and primary students. Not everyone has been exposed to computer-based learning from early on, so adapting to a new situation in such a short amount of time without any training can be challenging. Using Course Management Systems or CMS is something that should have been taught a long time ago in schools. However, most students did not take any classes on computer adaptability. Their mindset is not working this way. Naturally, they need longer to adapt to the new circumstances.

Solution: educating the young by developing computer-based mindsets and digital skills within each individual from an early age.

Reason #2: They are not Technologically Prepared

Most older students are good with computers, but they may not be tech-savvy. That being said, they are not properly prepared to handle technological issues. Unfortunately, online classes require a great deal of technological preparation and know-how. Not everything runs smoothly all the time, so “fixing software” or “hardware” becomes a necessity.

Besides that, not all students are good with PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, or Excel. Younger students never took any classes on these subjects. They are not prepared to use all of these programs, so they naturally become discouraged to learn online.

Solution: get students signed up for basic computer-based classes online, where they learn the necessary how-to’s.

Reason #3: They cannot Manage their Time Right

Another important issue is time management. Not all students are organized enough to finish their tasks on timemanaging-time-and-tasks-from-school-at-home-for-better-remote-learning or order to manage their work effectively. Most of them rely on teachers or professors to manage their coursework for them. With online education things have changed. Students don’t physically go to class anymore, meaning they can study whenever they find it fit. For some, this is absolutely amazing, and it works. For other whatsoever, this is a big setback. Time flexibility does not match their disorganized behaviour.

Solution: setting up a regular schedule where they can track their work. Setting reminders and checking deadlines constantly. Buying a planner and writing down all their assignments. Many learning management systems also provide student calendars where all their assignments and tasks are stored with reminders.

Reason #4: They experience Technical Issues

Some students don’t have access to the Internet at all or only very limited, especially students in third-world countries or more deprived areas. If they cannot get online, they cannot access their online classes. And even if they could get online, they wouldn’t know how to use a computer. This significantly impacts their learning and development while schools are closed and it counts as another form of school absenteeism really. These students will require much more learning support upon their return to school to ensure they won’t fail exams or assignments. 

Solution: finding out what these kids need and providing them with the necessary gear. Learning exactly how to educate them with alternative ways like learning packs sent home for example.

Reason #5: They cannot Find Self-Motivation

Having worked for a professional essay writing service for four years, I know that a lack of motivation can be a huge downfall, especially when you’re working or studying remotely. Enrolling in online classes might be exciting, but it’s definitely a burden from all perspectives. As I mentioned earlier, technical issues can pop up, a lack of education on certain subjects can interfere with the learning process, or adaptability can be an issue. Finding motivation among all that is not easy; for some students, it’s impossible.

They’re constantly asking why, and they never get an answer. In-person schooling boosts their confidence and answers these questions. When you’re at home alone without any teachers or classmates, you’re naturally not as motivated.

Solution: John Carey, teacher, argues, “Teach kids to develop a positive attitude towards online learning. Talk about the pros of learning remotely and develop a mature mindset on the issue. Encourage asking questions and answer them carefully and mindfully.” In a nutshell, give them reasons to want to learn online!

Wrapping Up

E-learning has become important in every country of the world. But as long as we don’t educate kids on how to learn how to study, these changes might be overwhelming. We need to look at the problems and find a solution for each. I hope this article helped in this sense. Let’s change the world for the better, shall we?

Author Bio:

Jessica Chapman is a writing editor from Chicago. She works for best essay writing service uk and engages with students. In her free time, Jessica is into sport and politics, and enjoys travelling.

 

8 Blogging Tips for Students and Beginners

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how to monetize your blog as a beginner

There are a lot of success stories about making a good income from blogging.

If your blog is famous and it gets a lot of visitors, you can monetize it in a lot of ways. People will be willing to pay good money to advertise on your site. You will also be able to earn some decent money from displaying PPC ads.

If you are a student and want to generate a side income during your studies while working from home, writing about something you have a passion for is a worthy investment of your time.

Get started by following our 8 blogging tips for students and beginners and you’re on the right track.

1. Understand Your Audience

You should strive to understand your audience so that you can produce posts that they like to read. Every time you write a new blog post, you must promote it on social media like Twitter. On social media platform Twitter, ask your followers about their opinion on the blog post. This not only generates discussion on your social media, but it also helps you to gather ideas and suggestion for the next blog post. You must keep the conversation going until you have enough ideas. You can use these ideas as is or modify them for the new blog posts.

2. Write on Trending Topics on Social Media

Another way to get ideas for blogging is to write on trending topics on social media. To find out what is trending, you can follow and use hashtags or participate in social media chats that are relevant to your industry. Don’t just search on social media. There are also other social media platforms where you can do research and find out what people are talking about like Facebook or Pinterest.

3. Build An Email Subscription List

Starting from the first day, you should be building your email list with inviting welcome emails even if you are not yet selling anything. You are learning how to build your email campaign in the process when you do this. You need to get subscribed to a low-cost email subscription service to get started. Next, you must decide on the format of the email subscription box such as opt-in popups that appear after the visitor has been on the page for some time or smart lightbox popups which appear after the user has left the page. A feature box which requires the user to enter an email address before proceeding to the featured content is another option. You can test different calls to action in your email newsletter to see which one works best for you.

4. Include Call to Actions in Blog Posts

In all your blog posts, make sure that you include a call to action to encourage your readers to explore your content. When you want people to visit the related posts, don’t just put the links up, but describe the posts and give the reason why you recommend them to read it. In the last paragraph, you can request comments from the readers. The last paragraph is also the place where you post questions that can start a conversation and help your blog post to get a lot of comments from the readers. It shows that you care about your reader’s inputs.

5. Add Videos to Your Blog Posts

You can enhance your blog post with a video. For example, if you are writing a how-to blog Use social media, video, email marketing for bloggingpost, you can put a video tutorial in it so that people can watch and understand better the steps you are explaining. In every video that you post, you can use a video editor to include a call to action like adding annotations to encourage your viewers to watch other videos in the series. The CTA can also be an auditory request that encourages the viewers to take certain actions. You should be able to use the video editor to record the CTA with your microphone. Get more details on this service for Mac.

6. Give Away Freebies

You can give away some freebies as an incentive for people to come back and check out your blog. It is not necessary to spend money to get the freebies. The freebies can be obtained free from other sources. For example, you can contact people who are selling something to send some of their merchandise for free, and you will give them a link in return. They may ask for your blog stats so you must be prepared to show them proof from your analytics. You can ask the sponsor who tells you to write the post to promise a free sample of their products.

7. Write Catchy Headlines for Your Blog Posts

Every blog post you write must have a catchy headline and be reader-friendly to attract more readers. It must be a title that is specific and clearly explains what the content is about. You can use a bracket to add clarification if the title is not enough to explain the content of the blog post. You will want to keep the title of the blog post short to under 70 characters. If it is longer, it will get cut off in the search result on search engines. Short titles tend to get more shared on social media.

8. Keep the Blog Post Short

Lots of people say that long blog posts are the best as they get more scores from the search engine. However, the opposite is true. You should write a short blog post instead because they are the type of posts that people like to read. You also have to consider that people use smartphones and tablets a lot nowadays. People who have a habit of reading on a mobile device will favour short content since they cannot fix their attention for long. Short blog posts are also easier to cover as they narrow down a specific topic.  Generally, you need to keep your blog post to a minimum of about 300 words to get indexed by the search engines.

Get started today and become a top blogger. It’s not impossible as many students become blog writers that later build their career or business on their website. For more information about how to set up a blog step by step, check our ClickDo Blogging Guide or for WordPress bloggers check out this WP blog guide.

 

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