Creating a Welcoming Environment in a Tutoring Setting

Creating a Welcoming Environment in a Tutoring SettingCreating a welcoming environment in a tutoring setting is important. Students need to feel that they are respected and wanted, and need to feel like they have some place to go when they need it. If students know there is someone that they can go to for help, and that others are looking for them, then they will feel more secure and will want to come back and have their lessons.If you want to create a welcoming environment, it is easy to do. You can create a list of common questions that all students might have, so that the staff can help in answering those questions. Even if you don't know what questions students are asking and are only providing information, you can still build a welcoming environment.If you notice that your school has lots of students walking by the main entrance in the morning, or that there are lots of students outside of the building, then you can add up to that space and put a sign up that says, 'Meet people' . What this does is that you are providing an opportunity for students to meet people in the area.When students walk through the door, they will see that all the doors are open and say, 'Welcome to the tutoring center'. This creates a feeling of comfort for everyone and creates a feeling of belonging. All students know that they have a group of people that look out for them, and that they can get help from.The same can be done in the classroom environment as well. If there are students that are sitting at desks and not talking to anyone, you can put up a sign that says, 'I'm an incoming student and need assistance'.If you're starting an interaction class and want students to notice you, you can make sure that there is someone you can look up with information. If they get an outgoing student on the phone, then they will feel confident that you have someone to contact for their questions. When students get lost, and need directions, then you can always call that person up and let them know that you are looking for them.Creating a welcoming environment in a tutoring setting isn't as hard as you may think, but it is an important part of how you can make your class, or a tutoring class, successful. All it takes is just one little bit of effort to make a difference in the way that you interact with your students.

3 Reasons to Consider Private Tutoring

3 Reasons to Consider Private Tutoring Improving Academic Performance On the surface, there are many reasons why students and parents consider private tutoring, but in essence they boil down to three fundamental reasons. The general reasons for hiring a private tutor are listed here in order of reactiveness to proactiveness. 1. When There’s A Problem The majority of people looking for a tutor are hoping to solve a problem. These are parents seeking out tutors because their kids’ report cards are unsatisfactory, or college students looking for help after they bomb the midterm. The motivation for these sorts of people is primarily damage control, and once the problem is solved they intend to go back to business as usual. They see private tutoring as a last resort tactic, sort of like stopping at a gas station and asking for directions. 2. When You Want To Avoid Having A Problem Parents and students who fall into this category are often concerned with maintaining a high standard, perhaps with specific educational or career goals in mind. These are parents who want to ensure that their kids maintain a 4.0 GPA, or college students who want to be sure they get into a specific graduate program. People in this category often have a fixed plan for themselves or their kids and want to keep things within parameters. They are likely to seek private tutoring as a form of good grade insurance, largely for the peace of mind. 3. When You Want To Ensure Excellence And Build A Foundation For Long Term Learning This is the smallest category, consisting of students who want to take advantage of every opportunity to develop themselves and parents who want to maximize the value of their children’s education. The motivation here is not image or performance, but the joy of fulfilling one’s potential. They don’t even think in terms of problems, they take it for granted that they or their kids will do their best no matter what and seek only opportunities for growth. Realistically, which category do you fit into? Ideally, which one would you like to place yourself in? As a private tutor myself, I know how easy it can be to merely focus on solving and avoiding problems. I also know how much more fulfilling and empowering it is to focus on growth and opportunity, and I know which types of clients I prefer to work with. While it can be tempting to lament the state of public education, I choose instead to be grateful for the opportunity to further my own educational journey through the mentorship of eager and inquiring minds. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, '6baac2ae-05a3-4610-9d1f-265c8cbd809f', {});

Four Benefits of Reading Aloud

Four Benefits of Reading Aloud Teachers of young students often read aloud to them, but the truth is, its valuable to do so even with older students. Here are four powerful benefits of reading aloud: Youll model fluent reading. Hearing you read out loud shows students what fluent reading should sound like. Youll demonstrate good pacing, proper pronunciation, how to pause for punctuation, and how to emphasize words in appropriate places. Youll help students build their auditory learning style. Some students are naturally good listeners, while others could use the practice to strengthen their auditory learning skills. Reading aloud encourages your students to focus when you are speaking in order to retain what you say and apply it to what they already know. Youll promote literacy and listening skills. Especially from an early age, reading out loud to students helps them acquire many of the building blocks necessary to read themselves. It also helps students grow their vocabulary because they hear a wider variety of words in use. When possible, have students read along with the book or printed paper in front of them. This supports weaker readers who can follow the text while listening to you and builds all students comprehension. Youll bring stories to life. Theres nothing quite like reading aloud to bring your students together for a shared, special experience. When you choose a class book and carve out class time to read it, you instill a love of literature into your students and give them something to look forward to each day. Whether its detailed directions for an assignment or a class novel, keep reading aloud to your students when it makes sense. The benefits are numerous!

How to pass Maths GCSE

How to pass Maths GCSE GCSE maths is a core subject that you need to pass as it's a must-have for higher education qualifications, universities, apprenticeships and a wide range of careers. Passing maths GCSE requires knowledge of various mathematical basics, as well as more advanced maths theory. The following are all core areas both in the foundation and higher tier GCSE. (1) Number - fractions decimals, percentages(2) Algebra - quadratic equations, factorising, indices(3) Ratio, proportion and rates of change - compound measures, measurements(4) Geometry and measures - angle theorems, 3 D shapes, vectors(5) Trigonometry - Pythagoras theorem, congruency (6) Statistics and probability - averages, data, sampling Step one: Practice all the time Aside from tutors and teachers, there are many websites and revision guides that offer tips on everything you may come across in the maths GCSE syllabus. It's good to practice what you learn as you go as this helps with memorization. Read practice questions and familiarise yourself with how questions are asked and what various terms mean. A tutor or teacher can help here to understand what examiners want to see in your answers. Write down - this means no explanation is needed for an answer. Just answer. Calculate - this means solve, and show your working out Draw - this means plot accurately using the graph paper Step two: Use the official syllabus as a revision checklist If you don't know where this is, ask your maths teacher/tutor and read through each part so you have everything covered by the time your exam comes around. Step three: Show the working out on exam questions To get a high grade, you need to write down every step of your working out, when asked. This is because even if you get the answer wrong, you will get some marks for providing a partially-correct solution. Step four: Memorise formulas Both memorisation and practice that will bring you a top grade in GCSE maths. And the best way to improve memory retention is by repetition; keep doing practice questions over and over again. Step five: Revise everything you have studied That's everything from year 10 and 11 as you never know what questions you will be asked so check through all the key subject areas (see above). Step six: Read the questions properly Make sure you understand what the question is asking, as some will be 'multi-step' questions. For example, part (b) of a question might require you to know information from part (a). The number of marks is given at the end of each question or part question. Step seven: Check your answers It's really easy to make small mistakes when you're stressed, so always factor in some time to check your work and answers. Step eight: Ask and accept help Asking for help from a maths tutor or teacher doesn't mean you cannot do maths. It's simply a way of ensuring you have a good understanding of the subject knowledge and strategies around revision and exam technique.

5 Golden Trips to Ace Tests

5 Golden Trips to Ace Tests Students attending tests need to be well prepared in order to succeed. Each student may be of different type while studying and handling exams. For example, she may study well but face some problems while writing exams. Some may not focus on studies but score well in competitive exams. Here are few tips for students and personal tutors to focus on competitive exams and bring success. Five Golden Tips to Ace Test 1. High Self-Confidence You can take tests easily if you have confidence in yourself. Exams are not your enemies; it is through exams you are going to decide your career. Therefore never hate or fear for exams. Have belief that you can pass and aim for it. You won’t get distracted if you know your abilities and seek for success. 2. Plan Well and set-up a Schedule Once when you decide to take over the competitive exams then plan ahead of exams, may be a month before exams. Therefore you get enough time to plan and study accordingly. Prepare a daily study schedule and strictly follow it. 3. Prepare Necessary Study Materials This is one of most important thing to be followed. You can go to libraries or ask your friends, private tutors for competitive exams study guide. Speed in solving mathematical problems is necessary. You can solve the problems easily only when you have practices. 4. Put forth hard work to achieve success Focus on your goal and work for it. Initially try to learn for four to five hours per day. Then gradually increase your study timings. Also have regular reviews on already studied chapters therefore it brings confidence and satisfaction. 5. Get help from skilled tutors Guidance is important when you take up the exam for first time. Few students need help if they fail in competitive exams and trying to write it for next time. Get help from talented and reliable personal tutors. You can get individual attention in studies through them. To find tutors, you can surf some trust worthy tutoring sites and hire a tutor. Personal tutors play a major role while helping students to win in competitive exams. They need to follow certain essential things while tutoring students for exam. Here we can see the tips for tutors. Analyze students capability Don’t teach all chapters in first class itself, students feel frustrated and over dumped. Initially teach easy chapters and then gradually move on to tough subjects. This brings confidence and learning satisfaction among students. Be flexible in teaching Some students are playful and some are serious while studying. Therefore teach according to students mind set. Understand the student’s capacity and approach them by giving real time examples. Give regular assignments and tests: Through regular assignments and periodic tests, you can understand where students lack. Therefore you can teach those specific subjects again to make them understand and learn well. Track students progress for each test they undergo. Thus private tutors and students can walk together to bring success in career path.

6 Ways To Combat Pre-Interview Nerves

6 Ways To Combat Pre-Interview Nerves Image: The Ear Depot via https://unsplash.com/photos/9_JVMFW9Dys Get support from friends and family members Friends and family members  love you and support you. They want you to succeed and they know how worthy you are of getting the job. They know exactly what to say to cheer you on and make you confident in yourself. The night before the interview, arrange a small gathering of close friends and family members. Being surrounded by love and support will help you go into the interview with your head held high, no matter how it goes. They love you no matter what, even if the job does not pan out in your favor. Their love is (hopefully) unconditional. Know the company This may be obvious, but make sure you know about the company so that you are not blindsided. Do your research so that you can answer questions about why you want to work with the company and how your experience can help within your position. Look at their social media accounts and their website to see their latest projects or events. One of the questions is likely to be why you chose the company, and “I need money” is not an appropriate response. Being able to list things you like about the company or projects you feel like you could help with can help you stand out and be confident that you know what you are doing. Plan something fun afterward If you are nervous about the interview, it can be easy to dread it and feel like you are never going to make it through. However, having  something fun planned  after the interview can give you something to look forward to and can help things seem less daunting. Whether it is going out to eat at your favorite restaurant or watching your favorite movie with loved ones, having something planned will give you something to look forward to so that the nerves do not weigh you down too much. Practice common interview questions Sometimes, the scariest part of the interview is the thought of freezing up on the questions. While certain interview questions are different depending on the position you are applying for, there are some questions that are the same no matter what field you are interviewing for. Review those questions and come up with a basic answer that you can fill out during the interview. Memorize the answers and know exactly where you want to go with each answer. Even if the questions are not exactly the questions Arrive early There is nothing more stressful than the feeling that you are going to be late, especially for something as important as a job interview. Try to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time to allow yourself a chance to compose yourself and find where you need to be. You want to come across as confident in your abilities, so leaving yourself plenty of time to get to the place and find the room will help give you some time to take some deep breaths and go in feeling great. Be confident in yourself The most important aspect of an interview is how you sell yourself and your capabilities to show how your strengths and achievements can help the company. The best way to do that is to be confident in yourself. If you can believe in yourself, you can get the manager to believe in you too, so it is important to be able to be sure of yourself and your strengths. Sure, no one’s perfect, but use your flaws to show how far you have come and to be confident in what you have overcome. You got to the interview stage, so the hiring managers like what you have to offer. Own it and let your personality shine. Do affirmations the morning of the interview. Affirmations are just looking into a mirror and telling yourself positive things. The can include saying that you are worthy, good enough, and capable of mastering the interview. Though it sounds silly, telling yourself that you are ready and capable to rock the interview can give you the confidence to shine. You can do the affirmations in your home mirror or even in the car if you arrive early enough. Interviews can be intimidating, especially if it a huge step into your career. Nerves are natural, but there are ways to overcome them and use that energy to propel you into your future.

Nearing the Edge What You Need to Know About the Fiscal Cliff

Nearing the Edge What You Need to Know About the Fiscal Cliff Photo from Flickr.com by StockMonkeys.com  Why is the impending fiscal cliff causing so much worry among politicians and citizens alike? If the previously agreed-upon tax increases and spending cuts do indeed go into effect at the beginning of 2013, many fear that the U.S. will immediately face another recession. The reason for this is that the Congressional Budget Office estimates that if taxes were increased and spending cut, the GDP would fall by roughly four percent in 2013, causing negative growth, and therefore a recession. However, in this scenario, the deficit as a percentage of the GDP would be cut in half, which many will agree is a definite plus side. Another possible path for avoiding the fiscal cliff involves involves cancelling some (or possibly even all) of the scheduled tax increases and spending cuts, which would only add to the United States already substantial deficit. If the government decided to take this course of action, it is widely thought that America may find itself in a total economic crisis mimicking that of what is currently transpiring in Europe. Can compromise be reached before the beginning of 2013? It seems doubtful, given that compromise has not been the most popular concept in politics as of late. Thomas Kenny agrees, saying that the oncoming fiscal cliff is a concern for investors since the highly partisan nature of the current political environment could make a compromise difficult to reach. The reality of upcoming tax increases and spending cuts isnt an entirely new concept; lawmakers have been aware of it for about three years. But because of the general tension and lack of agreement in Congress, solutions for this problem have not been agreed upon. The main way to solve this impending problem involves bipartisanship, with members of both parties working together. With a decision of this magnitude that needs to be made before 2012 ends, politicians need to roll up their sleeves, lay their party affiliations aside, and engage in a concept that most people are taught in kindergarten compromise.