An Introduction to General Computer Tutors

An Introduction to General Computer TutorsGeneral computer tutors provide a range of courses for students who require them. You can find tutors for technology at colleges, schools and technical institutes that offer courses on particular subjects.Many students prefer to take a computer course because they are able to retain information better. The programs are more flexible and you do not have to wait for the answer to a question. Also, students can gain experience with the software in a faster manner.You will find that there are different types of learning programs that you can choose from. They are often classified into individual programs or classes. For example, there are beginner, intermediate and advanced level programs. These programs are structured as such:The beginner program has the most basic features but it is a step-by-step guide to the operating system and software. The intermediate program covers all the basics for more advanced computing needs. The advanced program co ntains more advanced features.The best option would be to opt for a class program since you can choose from a variety of options. The computer instructor will teach you the basics and once you feel comfortable with the program, you can move on to a more advanced program. Then, if you need to progress further, there are some classes where you can learn more about how to use your new computer.Before you start searching for a general computer tutor, you need to keep in mind that you need to evaluate the reputation of the tutors you are considering. You can do this by taking their resume and feedback on their personal website. By doing this, you will get to know more about their background and how well they relate to your needs.A general computer tutor can help students learn how to access their personal computers and functions. After this, you can find out what programs would help you become a computer specialist.

9 Important Blogging Tips for College Students - Private Tutoring

9 Important Blogging Tips for College Students BobbiM Sep 25, 2015 Blogging turns out to be one of the major online income generating avenues, especially for school and college students. I personally can do my essay online, post it on my blog and make some money. In pursuit of their blogging dreams, many students even miss classes in order to do research and write articles. This is bound to affect their academic performance. This article highlights nine important blogging tips for college students, to help them strike a balance between their studies and blogging. 1. Prioritize your studies In as much as blogging gives you fame and money, at the end of the day, employers will look at your academic qualification and not your prowess in blogging. Therefore, give your class attendance and studies the seriousness they deserve. 2. Sketch a suitable schedule It is important to have a timetable. Allocate blogging a suitable time frame, not beyond midnight. It is healthy to sleep for at least 6-7 hours. 3. Determine what time goes to blogging Again emphasizing on tip number 2, strike a balance between your studies and blogging after your class time. Follow your timetable to the letter. 4. Create personal publicity for your blog Make an effort to tell everyone about your blog. Give them your blog address to create an audience for your content. Seek for some feedback on your posts by asking them to fill in something in the comments section. 5. Count blogging as a valuable part time job Unlike other part time jobs that college students engage in, blogging generates much more revenue. It is advisable to seek out a renowned web publisher, showcase your work and be sure to increase your chances of getting a writing job, if and only if you are a proficient writer. 6. Establish connections in your city Seek out famous bloggers in your city, meet them and connect with them for a broad experience in the field. You can also attend blog camps and get a great opportunity to seek clarification on certain issues unclear to you. 7. Consider starting blogging classes in college With relevant and adequate experience in blogging, you can consult your head of department for permission to start blogging classes in college. This will give the other students a chance to learn about how they could make money through blogging. 8. Create an impression with your friends Blogging, as mentioned earlier, comes with some degree of fame. Take advantage of it by coming up with interesting articles, especially ones that could solve technical problems among your friends. 9. Be informed on blogs in your field. If you are an engineer, this blog whatengineers can be an example for you. If you are a student taking Art subjects, read blogs in that field to gain more insightful knowledge. Similarly, if you are a Science or technical-related student, read relevant blogs to build on your blogging experience. For instance, you could read Harsh Agrawal’s blogs.  With these few blogging tips, college students can make the best out of blogging. Other than making money, blogging serves as a good part time job, instead of lazing around or engaging in unhealthy behavior such as drug abuse during free time. Moreover, blogging is a great opportunity to harness creative thinking. The online media offers a broad platform for bloggers and other online writers to venture into. How could you use blogging in your world?  Let us know in the comments below!  And if you enjoyed this post, please share it on Twitter or Facebook, stumble it on Stumbleupon or pin it to Pinterest.

How Can Schools Find the Time for Tutoring

How Can Schools Find the Time for Tutoring With tightening budgets and a trend towards evidence-based decision-making, school leaders are under more pressure than ever to demonstrate additionality for their investments. Teaching staff are  increasingly overworked and  schools must find new answers to some familiar questions: which students should be targeted, how should we support them and who will provide that support? When it comes to tutoring, undoubtedly the main barrier for schools is cost. By using trained and experienced volunteer tutors the Tutorfair Foundation can bypass that issue, but the practical questions around organising support remain. Even when providing completely free tutoring to a school, there is one key issue that divides opinion, where school policies diverge the most and many different approaches are used. That is when should the additional support take place? The Foundation’s Director, Joss, gave us his thoughts on the problem of timetabling for tutoring in schools. Increasingly, the mainstream secondary schools I speak to are consciously moving away from requesting in-class support. This is not to say that they believe in-class support is not impactful or not welcomed by teachers; only that they’re aware that the impact of this intervention can be harder to show. Consequently, the well-publicised research into high-quality small-group tuition  (as well as its relative cost efficiency) makes this the more common approach â€" focused, high-impact and simple to monitor. So, let’s imagine we are planning to support a group of three Year 11 students with their maths. Their predicted grades are all 5, but they’ve been struggling with the fundamentals for a while and they’re at risk of falling behind where they need to be. We want to group them together and have them work with a tutor for an hour each week to work on individual difficulties, improve confidence and secure three good passes. Generally speaking, we have three main ways to deliver this. Firstly, we could arrange for students to have their maths tuition for an hour outside of teaching time. Sometimes schools will ask students to come in on Saturday mornings for this purpose, but more likely we’re looking at an hour after school or during lunch break. Secondly, we can take students out of their lessons in other subjects. Most often this means sacrificing an hour of P.E. or PSHE, but (depending on the student and the time of year) has sometimes included extractions from the non-core subject in which the student in question is least likely to achieve a passing grade. Thirdly, we can arrange for the sessions to take place during their timetabled maths lessons - for one hour per week they will go to a tutor instead of to their usual class. All three of these options offer obvious benefits, but each also has its pitfalls. So how can schools navigate their policies and make the right choice? Maths tutoring in non-teaching hours More than ever before I am speaking with schools who operate a strict policy of never removing students from their lessons for interventions â€" particularly in Year 11. Historically, it has been common practice for schools to operate a programme of extractions using their teaching assistants as an “informal” teaching resource for their most needy students. Although, undoubtedly, this was driven by efforts to provide additional support to the students who need it, evidence now suggests this is not best practice and is not the best use of teaching assistants’ time.   Perhaps partly as a reaction to this, I’m now more likely to speak with school leaders who are formally focused on keeping all students in their lessons and investing in interventions that directly improve or augment classroom teaching, rather than relying on a programme of extractions to address low-attainment. So, if students aren’t coming out of lessons, our Year 11s must have their maths tutoring after school or during lunch. The obvious upside of this is that it won’t disrupt learning in any other subjects â€" we’re only adding to learning time and never replacing it. But, of course, more learning does not mean better learning â€" evidence consistently shows that the quality of a provision (and our students’ engagement with it) has a much greater effect on outcomes than its quantity. The clear danger is that students asked to stay behind after school or miss lunch for additional maths support can feel singled-out and even punished as a result. This, in turn, limits the number of students for which the intervention will be effective. Only students that are highly motivated will settle to the provision long-term. Students that are anxious or disengaged with the subject will find it very hard to commit to and enjoy after-school support over a number of weeks, leading to issues with attendance and behaviour in the sessions. This also poses challenges for the tutor, who has to deliver their lesson appropriately to the situation â€" bearing in mind that the students may be predisposed to resent attending the sessions and may arrive either tired from a full day of lessons or needing to blow off some steam at lunch. A further problem is that (at least when considering our volunteer/tutor community) many successful tutors who would like to support a local school will be in high demand after 3pm and are likely to have their own clients booked for in-home lessons. As a result, we find that opportunities for after-school support are harder to recruit for than opportunities that take place during the day. Maths tutoring replacing lessons in other subjects Often, schools will operate a policy that allows for extractions from some subjects but not others. The usual suspects will suffer first (double P.E. here, a Careers lesson there) but, as exams approach, the number of lessons that can find themselves on the chopping block increases. This has always presented a problem in school; an understandable tension between departments as attendance begins to drop in one subject to insure against failures in another. All teachers are under pressure to demonstrate progress in their own subjects so, inevitably, grievances can occur when this method is used. As with tutoring after school, students can feel similarly singled-out and punished by being removed from other subjects â€" particularly when they enjoy those subjects more than they enjoy maths. More broadly, the notion that P.E., PSHE, history or computing should function as a reward for students who are succeeding in maths rather than important aspects of a students’ education in their own right is problematic â€" and not a notion that, in my experience, school leaders would stand by. But the time for interventions must come from somewhere and these decisions can be difficult. Removing students from lessons in other subjects enjoys the same benefit as tutoring during non-teaching hours (it means more maths support for struggling students) but faces many of the same drawbacks and more. Aside from the increased practical difficulty in timetabling sessions for a group of students that might be expected in a number of different subjects, it can put students off, stoke internal tensions and, most importantly, requires additional work to ensure that progress in tutoring sessions is meaningfully connected to the students’ maths lessons. Maths tutoring replacing maths lessons The final option to explore is removing students for tutoring during their maths lessons. This is an option that is more likely to be prohibited by school policy for students in later years â€" more popular as an intervention for KS3 students than those in KS4. The question posed by this method is that of where students should be during their maths lessons. Surely, if the maths provision at a school is adequate, the best place for students during their maths lessons is in their maths lessons! It’s hard to commit to the notion that they should be somewhere (anywhere) else during this time, but it’s obvious that in some cases students will benefit from more individualised help with the topics at hand. This approach carries the highest risk and the highest reward. The risk is that if an intervention is unsuccessful (whether because it fails to settle over a number of weeks or simply because the standard of tuition isn’t high enough) then not only have our three Year 11 students not been helped by the sessions, they’ve also missed crucial maths lessons that they would otherwise have attended. The reward stems from the fact that tutoring is so much more likely to be impactful if it is directly and meaningfully connected to teaching in the classroom. By taking students from their maths lesson to a small-group setting, tutors can start from the same themes, resources and approaches used in the lesson â€" offering individualised support with minimal divergence from the content of the lesson they’ve been taken from. This means their next maths lesson will follow on intuitively from the session and we’ll see impact from the tutoring more effectively translated back into the classroom. Ideally, this approach encourages a closer working relationship between the tutor and the maths department â€" where, for example, in after-school sessions there is no guarantee the tutor would even have met their students’ teacher, let alone regularly communicate and share resources. This approach will see the highest attendance and engagement from sessions and encourages students to see the support as augmenting their learning â€" not singling them out or punishing them for struggling. Choosing a route Whilst tutoring during scheduled lessons has the highest potential to be impactful, effective support that is directly connected to classroom teaching, we know that it has the highest risk and can challenge policies that rightly value classroom teaching as the indomitable provision. Once tutoring is underway and a relationship is established between tutor and tutee, however, it’s difficult to deny that more individualised support once a week would be a fantastic resource for any struggling student. Perhaps, where there is room to make a choice as to which route to take, it would be best to begin a programme of tutoring during non-teaching hours or via extractions from other subjects. After 3 or 4 weeks, once a relationship is established and the provision is judged to have settled effectively, the sessions could move to take place during timetabled maths lessons. This would capitalise on the likely increased impact of connecting to lessons, whilst mitigating the risk of an unsuccessful intervention. The burden on other subject teachers would be lessened, and students wouldn’t have to commit time after school or during lunch for the entirety of the provision. If you have any questions or comments or would like to discuss having our volunteer tutors support students at your school, feel free to get in touch us me at foundation@tutorfair.com. I’ll be delighted to hear from you.

How I Learned to Speak 5 Languages (and You Can, Too)

How I Learned to Speak 5 Languages (and You Can, Too) How I Learned to Speak 5 Languages (and You Can, Too) In August of 2015, I made one of the scariestâ€"but most rewardingâ€"decisions of my life.I decided to become a polyglot. I wanted to successfully speak five languages: English, Arabic, German, French and Berber.At the time, I only knew very little French vocabulary that I learned from school and had intermediate Arabic skills. I also spoke Berber natively.Its been a little more than two years since I made that ambitious decision.  Where do I stand today?Well, for one thing, Im able to write this blog post in English! Ive also met hundreds of German, French and Arabic speakers along the way and have communicated with them in their native languages. As of this writing Im an expert in Berber, upper-advanced in Arabic, advanced in English and intermediate in French and German.If youre an aspiring polyglot, Ill show you exactly what Ive been doing in the past two years to be able to speak five languages today. There are five key strategies I used to learn my target languages, which you c an apply to your own multilingual goals.Ready to join the polyglot club? How I Learned to Speak 5 Languages (and You Can, Too)1. Taking One-on-one Online Language LessonsLearning a language by yourself is an admirable (and totally possible!) goal. Solo education can also work for learning multiple languages, but if you have the time and some spare funds, one-on-one lessons make the process so much faster and more effective.A language tutor will help you tackle the most important facets of your target language(s) and identify your personal linguistic weaknesses. But as expert language educators, theyll also be able to help you accelerate the language learning process in general, with tricks you can apply to more than one languageâ€"whether its improving your memory for vocabulary words, finding cognates between languages, etc.Theyll also keep you accountable in your studies, always pushing you forward.To make learning fun, I always make sure I connect with teachers who share the sa me interests. I find this a crucial strategy to have a successful learning experience, especially as it minimizes um moments and keeps the conversation going.Just recently, I met a Spanish teacher from Catalonia and talked to her about her experience studying translation in Barcelona (which is something Im interested in) and she helped me learn more about the courses available in Spain. Throughout our conversations, shes taught me some basic Spanish vocabulary related to academics and translation.Besides Spanishâ€"which I dont speak fluentlyâ€"Ive also scheduled online language lessons for learning German and English.There are a number of great online platforms where you can find tutors in any language. In particular you might want to check out Wyzant, which allows you to find experienced, vetted tutors both locally or online. That gives you tons of flexibility for learning a range of languages, no matter where you are or what your busy schedule looks like.2. Making Language Partner s on HelloTalkLanguage partners are two people who each want to learn the others native language. For example, during a language exchange session between an English and Spanish speaker, the conversation could be in English for 30 minutes and then Spanish for 30 minutes, so both people get to practice their target language.After testing many language exchange  platforms, the mobile app  HelloTalk  stood out to me in particular.For me, what sets HelloTalk apart is the chat features (e.g. instant translation, voice-to-text recording, grammar correction, video and audio calls). Its language learning forum and huge user base (over 7 million members from all over the globe) also make it appealing.With the basic free plan, you can only communicate with learners of your native language and speakers of one target language. But if you get a pro subscription, which costs about $2 per month depending on length, youll be able to switch between multiple target languages.You may decide to chat in one language for a set period of time (say, a month) and then switch to another for the same period.To ensure I dont get ignored when I pitch prospective language partners, I usually include a hook in my first message. Heres one of the messages I recently sent to a language partner from the U.K.:Hi Jessica! They say an Englishman laughs three times at a  joke. The first time when everybody gets it, the second a week later when he thinks he gets it and the third time a month later when somebody explains it to him. Is this true?I only copied this joke from Reddit, but it was enough to leave a positive impression and win a new language partner.3. Watching Authentic Videos on FluentUDeveloping a native-level accent and comprehension skills is hard enough with one target language. How can you possibly achieve this for five separate languages?Fortunately, there are innovative online tools that make it totally possible. FluentU is one that I always recommend when my friends ask me how I le arn languages. FluentU will expose you to real-world videos, like movie clips, funny YouTube videos, news broadcasts and more, whichve been supercharged with interactive captions. Just click any word you dont recognize and youll get an in-context definition and native pronunciation.Each video also comes with flashcards and exercises to ensure that you retain the new words. Its an efficient and entertaining way to build your vocabulary, while absorbing your target languages the way they sound in real life.Best of all, its quick and easy to flip between multiple languages. Just select your language on the Settings page and FluentU will reload with the relevant videos. FluentU has videos in many Romance languages, Asian languages, English, German, Russian a polyglots paradise!4. Keeping a Language(s) JournalSince I set off on my language learning journey, Ive always kept a multilingual language diary to expand my vocabulary and improve my writing.My method consists of jotting down rand om words Ive learned throughout the day and then mixing them up to create a story, opinion or to capture an idea.Usually, I start off with English, then I translate the text into French and German.At the beginning, I was only capable of writing one to three sentences a day in each language, which sometimes has taken me up to an hour. But now, because I worked at this consistently, writing has turned out to be one of the easiest and most enjoyable daily language learning activities I do.In fact, I now  am able to write one to two pages of German, English or French text in just a few minutes.If you want to use this method, I highly recommend taking advantage of Google Translate (to translate idioms and words) or  Ludwig (to learn how to put words and expressions into context).Visual Thesaurus is another great tool for finding synonyms in English, German, Dutch, Italian, French or Spanish. Its especially useful for language learners because it creates animated, interactive word maps to show you how different synonyms are related.This is more memorable than a simple list of unfamiliar words that you get from a traditional thesaurus. You can even get the results displayed in multiple languages!5. Integrating Foreign Languages into My Day-to-day LifeIf you can make the move to regularly exposing yourself to a language’s vocabulary while going about daily tasks, chances are youll get them down pat more easily than with a textbook or grammar books.I first started integrating foreign languages into my day-to-day life using my devices. I changed the display language on my phone, computer, Facebook account and games I sometimes play. I also switched the language I used in my hobbies. For example, I watched YouTube travel vlogs in German.This can apply to you too. Whether you like watching football games, listening to podcasts, watching TV series or anything in between, you can always do those activities in one of your target languages.This technique is useful even if y oure only learning one languageâ€"applying it to learning five languages is very simple. Just head to your calendar and assign a different language to different weeks or months.  Because this learning technique is designed to give you an immersive language experience, its advisable to focus on one language for a set period of time.For example, I recently changed my email and Twitter languages to French, after Id used them in German for the last six months.Even though my language learning experience has totally improved important aspects of my life, I should admit that it wasnt all sunshine and rainbowsâ€"especially when I first started out.Therefore, if you also want to embark on a language learning journey, stay consistent and patient until you reach your target level.Stay fired up!Yassir Sahnoun  is a writer, polyglot and content strategist.  You can learn more about Yassir at  his website.

Private Irvine English Tutor 4 Apps to Improve Spelling

Private Irvine English Tutor 4 Apps to Improve Spelling Tips From a Private Irvine English Tutor: 4 Apps to Improve Spelling Tips From a Private Irvine English Tutor: 4 Apps to Improve Spelling Many students are tempted to forgo their spelling skills with the advent of programs such as ‘spell check’. However, it’s incredibly important to be able to spell at any age and this valuable skill starts in the preschool years. Because most preschoolers would rather be outdoors playing after school, its essential that any supplemental material to help them learn to spell is fun, interactive, and can hold their young attention spans. Additionally, its great for parents to have access to spelling apps that are completely free of charge. These apps offer just that to their users. They are engaging and interactive for the young student but wont break the bank for mom and dad. Although most of these apps have in-app purchases available, students can learn a ton from the free versions improve your childs spelling abilities with the help of a private Irvine tutor. 1. SpellingCity One of the best ways to get a kid to learn about spelling is to make it fun. SpellingCity offers several games within the app; some offered only to premium members, that can make this topic more exciting. Students can work with word lists including words that sound alike and compound words. Spelling TestMe reads the word aloud and uses it in a sentence; students are allowed to work at their pace to avoid frustration.  HangMouse is similar to the game of Hangman and allows users to practice spelling using one of our favorite traditional games. Missing Letter allows students, especially those of a young age, to attempt to figure out which letter is missing in a word.  Spelling in Standard American English can be tough because a lot of the rules dont make sense to a young learner. Because memorization is so important to spell words correctly, its essential to keep a student’s attention and make this long term activity fun and engaging (READ: 5 Reasons Why Students Should Blog). 2. Spelling Notebook This app allows students to create their own customized list of words they need to practice. This is a great option for students who are given a specific spelling list from their classroom teacher. Spelling Notebook allows users to hear the word without seeing it if it fits their particular learning style. This app also provides its own dictionary of words to be learned so that students dont accidentally type in a word incorrectly.  Although this app is relatively simple, sometimes simplicity is one of the best ways to work on a subject where practice makes perfect.  Although the initial app is free, there are in app purchases available. 3. ABC Spelling Magic (free) This spelling app helps users learn the sounds of certain letters as well as the spelling of words. There are two levels available so that students can continue to use the app as they progress. In the first level, users will have a limited alphabet in which they can build a simple word spelled correctly. The second level offers students the opportunity to use the entire alphabet to build words. This app focuses on phonetic sounds and short vowel words.  This is a good app for students who want a more interactive experience and who are engaged enough to create their own words from scratch (READ: 5 Tips for Success in English Class). 4. Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe Interactive Game (free) Kids of many generations enjoy playing tic-tac-toe so why not turn this game into a way of learning how to spell. This app does just that. Students can learn about vowel sounds and syllables while playing this interactive game that will allow them to stay more interested in spelling. This app offers a fast-paced environment to help students keep up with the ever fast-paced classroom and help them eventually recall how to spell words quicker. Writing and reading are two of the most important skills for every student. Make sure your child is performing at the highest level with the help of a private Irvine English tutor. Call us today for more information! All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Power-naps Make Students Smarter

Power-naps Make Students Smarter American students are chronically under-slept. An healthy and inexpensive solution to our tardiness are power-naps which make students smarter by retaining better information and boost productivity and creativity. As a nation we drink on single day 400 million cups of coffee a day to make up for our lack of sleep. But is coffee really a good solution of our sleepiness problem? Coffee consumption is associated with elevated risk of heart disease and elevations in cholesterol levels. A much better solution of being tired and sluggish are power-naps! They improve your creativity, productivity by giving your brain a break. Power-naps even lower your risk of heart disease and make you feel happier. Important to know is not all power-naps are created equal. After some naps you feel ready to greet the world. After other you feel disoriented, groggy and even more tired then before the nap. How come? Groggy power-naps come to be if you enter the deep sleep phase or REM stage. During this phase your body has completely shut down for sleep so to it is not healthy to wake up during this phase. Therefore, power-naps shouldnt be longer than 20 to 40 minutes depending how long it takes you to fall asleep. Moreover, long sleep messes with your circadian rhythm. Therefore, try to avoid napping after 3 PM. In a nutshell, power-naps make you alert again, improve your learning-ability and even your healthy. The key to successful power naps is do them mid-day and wake up after about 30 minutes. I wish you a glorious power nap today.

Neuro-what Why Neuroplasticity Is the Key to Making Your Smart Kid Even Smarter.

Neuro-what Why Neuroplasticity Is the Key to Making Your Smart Kid Even Smarter. Neuro-what? Why Neuroplasticity Is the Key to Making Your Smart Kid Even Smarter. What is neuroplasticity? Many of us can still remember hearing, “Don’t hold your breath until your face turns red! You’ll kill your brain cells and they’ll never grow back!” Growing up we knew our parents’ wisdom should typically be trusted, and you probably shouldn’t hold your breath until your face turns red. But as it turns out, we didn’t really need to worry about killing or stunting the growth of our brain cells. Not too long ago, even scientists thought the brain stopped developing in early childhood. It was commonly believed that genetics and genetics alone dictated our ability to learn. We’ve since discovered that the brain changes and develops throughout a person’s lifeâ€"a concept called neuroplasticity. Think of your brain like a forest. To navigate from one end of the forest to another, a deer cuts a path through the trees. As increasingly more animals follow that path, the grass gets worn down, and the path becomes clear and easy to follow. Without the repetitive steps of the deer and squirrels and rabbits, the path would become unpassable, overgrown with plants. A fox trying to cross the forest would not be able to find his way. As we learn, our brain grows by creating and strengthening pathways between brain cells. These pathways can be created and strengthened at any point in our life, but develop at a much faster rate in early childhood. We learn constantly when we are youngâ€"how to talk, how to walk, how to reactâ€"and pathways are thus continually created. As we grow, these pathways get pruned just as a gardener prunes a shrub, and our brain takes shape. The stronger the branch, the harder it is to trim. Developing strong pathways when our children are young can lead to lifelong benefits. How can you use neuroplasticity to help your children’s development? Treat the brain like a muscle. We know that children’s brains are ripe for development. Treat them like muscles and train them to get stronger. Just as consistently lifting weights will build stronger muscles, consistent study will build stronger pathways in the brain. Incorporate this daily practice into your routine by setting aside just a few minutes a day to complete daily math exercises , stick to a nightly story time, or practice flashcards. Before you know it, your children will be reading chapter books and multiplying fractions! Teach your children about the concepts of neuroplasticity and growth mindset. Simply teaching children that their efforts impact their abilities leads to increased learning! Growth mindset, a concept established by Dr. Carol Dweck, is the understanding that intelligence and abilities are not set in stone, but can be developed. As we’ve learned, this belief is proven through the science of neuroplasticity. And as Dr. Dweck learned, when students are taught about the concepts of growth mindset and neuroplasticity, they perform better in school. Here are some tips on how to teach your children: Recall a time they really struggled to learn something. “Remember the first time you tried to ride a bike without training wheels? You fell off so many times that your knees were all scraped up. Now you can ride circles around me!” Praise properly. Instead of praising a trait, “You’re so smart!” praise effort, “You worked really hard today!” Embrace mistakes. Let your children know that making a mistake is natural when they’re trying something new or difficult. Give an example of a time that you made a mistake, and how it helped you learn. It’s encouraging to know that we can continue to learn throughout our lives. You can teach an old dog new tricks after all! But why not take advantage of your child’s rapidly developing brain to maximize learning opportunities? Teach your children that they can learn anything if they set their minds to it, and they will benefit their entire lives. You might also be interested in: Motivating Children by Developing a Growth Mindset Mistakes Make the Student Ace the School Year with Kumons Study Tips Roundup Guest Tips: How to Make Your Sleep Routine Smarter for Your Child Neuro-what Why Neuroplasticity Is the Key to Making Your Smart Kid Even Smarter. Neuro-what? Why Neuroplasticity Is the Key to Making Your Smart Kid Even Smarter. What is neuroplasticity? Many of us can still remember hearing, “Don’t hold your breath until your face turns red! You’ll kill your brain cells and they’ll never grow back!” Growing up we knew our parents’ wisdom should typically be trusted, and you probably shouldn’t hold your breath until your face turns red. But as it turns out, we didn’t really need to worry about killing or stunting the growth of our brain cells. Not too long ago, even scientists thought the brain stopped developing in early childhood. It was commonly believed that genetics and genetics alone dictated our ability to learn. We’ve since discovered that the brain changes and develops throughout a person’s lifeâ€"a concept called neuroplasticity. Think of your brain like a forest. To navigate from one end of the forest to another, a deer cuts a path through the trees. As increasingly more animals follow that path, the grass gets worn down, and the path becomes clear and easy to follow. Without the repetitive steps of the deer and squirrels and rabbits, the path would become unpassable, overgrown with plants. A fox trying to cross the forest would not be able to find his way. As we learn, our brain grows by creating and strengthening pathways between brain cells. These pathways can be created and strengthened at any point in our life, but develop at a much faster rate in early childhood. We learn constantly when we are youngâ€"how to talk, how to walk, how to reactâ€"and pathways are thus continually created. As we grow, these pathways get pruned just as a gardener prunes a shrub, and our brain takes shape. The stronger the branch, the harder it is to trim. Developing strong pathways when our children are young can lead to lifelong benefits. How can you use neuroplasticity to help your children’s development? Treat the brain like a muscle. We know that children’s brains are ripe for development. Treat them like muscles and train them to get stronger. Just as consistently lifting weights will build stronger muscles, consistent study will build stronger pathways in the brain. Incorporate this daily practice into your routine by setting aside just a few minutes a day to complete daily math exercises , stick to a nightly story time, or practice flashcards. Before you know it, your children will be reading chapter books and multiplying fractions! Teach your children about the concepts of neuroplasticity and growth mindset. Simply teaching children that their efforts impact their abilities leads to increased learning! Growth mindset, a concept established by Dr. Carol Dweck, is the understanding that intelligence and abilities are not set in stone, but can be developed. As we’ve learned, this belief is proven through the science of neuroplasticity. And as Dr. Dweck learned, when students are taught about the concepts of growth mindset and neuroplasticity, they perform better in school. Here are some tips on how to teach your children: Recall a time they really struggled to learn something. “Remember the first time you tried to ride a bike without training wheels? You fell off so many times that your knees were all scraped up. Now you can ride circles around me!” Praise properly. Instead of praising a trait, “You’re so smart!” praise effort, “You worked really hard today!” Embrace mistakes. Let your children know that making a mistake is natural when they’re trying something new or difficult. Give an example of a time that you made a mistake, and how it helped you learn. It’s encouraging to know that we can continue to learn throughout our lives. You can teach an old dog new tricks after all! But why not take advantage of your child’s rapidly developing brain to maximize learning opportunities? Teach your children that they can learn anything if they set their minds to it, and they will benefit their entire lives. 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