Thursday, March 26, 2020

Finding a Tutor - Best Ways to Find a Good Specialist Online

Finding a Tutor - Best Ways to Find a Good Specialist OnlineFinding a special tutor is not easy to do as there are plenty of students who lack the interest to learn, and even if you find someone who is willing to help you out you might not want to pay for it, especially when the fees are already too high. In this article I will share with you some of the most effective ways on how to find a tutor who can help you out and be cost-effective at the same time.o Searching the Internet for different people: What I have found most effective when it comes to finding a tutor online is searching for feedback from different people, and seeing what their experiences were. This means first and foremost checking the reviews of the tutor that you are looking to hire, so that you can also get some insight on their qualities and capabilities. Another great way is to visit the tutor's website and see if they have any speciality of tutoring in the website itself. Make sure that they offer assessments f or your whole class, so that you can gather feedback.o Seeking help from your friends and family: For finding a tutor who can work well within your circle of friends and family is an easy task. You can start looking through the phone book or talk to the members of your circle of friends and ask them what they know about finding a tutor online. You can also seek information from your parents and ask them if they know anyone who can give you a recommendation.o Emailing people: There are lots of people who have a good knowledge about finding a tutor but have decided to leave it to others because they think that it is too hard. One thing that you should realize is that all these people who advise you on finding a tutor are just in the same boat. So if you are asking someone else how to find a tutor, make sure that you are giving them the necessary guidelines.o Talking to friends: One of the biggest reasons why people fail when it comes to finding a tutor is that they hesitate to ask for help from other people. When talking to your friends and family you should also make sure that you tell them what you need from them, or if they have any suggestions you need to hear, mention them here. This would allow you to ask the help that you need from them, and you can also look into different forums for discussing things about tutoring and all things related to it.o Calling local schools: Depending on the place where you are going to study you should probably ask a teacher at the school to get him to recommend someone that they can refer you to. You can even call the school for assistance on finding a tutor online, as most times the teachers and the administrators can give you valuable information on finding a tutor who can work well within the school atmosphere. This is especially true if you are currently taking a single subject at the school.After applying all these strategies you should see results as you are making more friends and you are giving the most important thi ng a shot, which is actually finding a tutor. Be it online or in the classroom you should not ever hesitate. Most people give up before they even try and eventually come up empty-handed.

Friday, March 6, 2020

The Guitarists Guide to Improving Your Rhythm

The Guitarists Guide to Improving Your Rhythm Train Your Ear as a Guitarist ChaptersWhat Do We Mean by Rhythm for the Guitar?Working on Your Rhythm without a GuitarHow Can You Develop Your Sense of Rhythm for the Guitar?“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” - PlatoWhen you learn to play the guitar, you’ll learn more about music theory, reading tablature, using a plectrum or a pick, and playing different notes. One thing that’s often overlooked is the rhythm.Music, after all, is all about rhythm, regardless of the style (funk, bossa nova, reggae, etc.).  Don’t think that you can’t do it if you’ve got no rhythm. You can always work on your rhythm.In this article, we've got some advice on how to work on your ear and work on your sense of rhythm. creativity on the guitar!Working on Your Rhythm without a GuitarRemind yourself that it’s probably unlikely that you have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever. A lot of guitarists and musicians have difficulties with rhythm when they first start attending guitar lessons for beginners, working with a private guitar tutor, or teaching themselves how to play guitar.Hum the rhythm wherever you are so that when you get to your guitar, you know how to play it. (Source: carlovenson)To work on your rhythm, you need to focus on two important elements: rhythmic perception, rather than the theory of rhythm, and the physical sensation of rhythm (which is a little harder to work on).The good news is that you can develop your sense of rhythm almost anywhere and at any time. You don’t need to wait until your next music lesson or online guitar tutorial to start making progress.You just need to listen to music and focus on what you can hear:Is the tempo slow or quick?Try tapping your foot or nodding your head along to the music.What is the rhythm of the guitar part like?Don’t hesitate to use your body to follow along with this rhythm.What are the stressed beats?Can you work out the time sig nature?This exercise may be complicated at the beginning, but keep at it and you’ll soon start seeing some progress.You don’t need to necessarily sit down and listen to music, either, as you can hear music on TV adverts, in the supermarket, or even in a lift!Music is almost everywhere so make the most of it in order  to train your ear!Improving how you listen is but one benefit of learning the guitar...How Can You Develop Your Sense of Rhythm for the Guitar?It can be difficult to start learning how to play the guitar?You may think you’ll never understand the basic chords, barre chords, arpeggios, improvising, etc.!Additionally, you need to learn how to set up your amp, change strings, and tune your guitar.  In reality, the technique isn’t really that complicated.Learning the guitar can be made a lot easier by understanding rhythm. Rhythm can become something instinctive. To work on it for the guitar, you need to concentrate and not go too quickly. As a beginner, you may feel like skipping a few steps in order to get to playing your favourite song sooner.However, you need to work on your rhythm, which can take a lot of time, patience, and concentration, all while also letting go! This might seem contradictory and it sort of is.You need to be aware of music theory without being a slave to it. You need to play a rhythm as naturally as possible without overthinking it.  Since rhythm is what makes a song musical, you can put your guitar sheet music to one side and get to grips with it just by listening.Tap Your Foot to Keep in Time with the MusicThere are plenty of good ways to help you understand rhythm. One way is by tapping your foot along to the music.Your feet are important when it comes to keeping time. (Source: Greyerbaby)This repetitive movement will become second nature to you and you’ll soon tap your foot along to everything.  The chords and notes will then fall into place. It doesn’t matter which foot you use. However, make sure you always us e the same one.Use Your HeadYou can nod your head along to the rhythm.  You can also count in your head. Most popular music is in 4/4 time (pop, rock, folk, etc.). This is probably going to be 99% of the music you play.If you play blues or jazz, you may use different time signatures but the advice is still applicable.  You can tap your foot and count in your head at the same time.Moving Your HandYou can also wave your right hand to count out the rhythm (or your left hand if you’re left-handed).  Your hand and foot should be in time with one another. When one moves, the other will move as well.This movement will come in pretty handy when you’re actually playing guitar.  It’s a good way to develop fluid and precise guitar playing.Working with a MetronomeThe metronome is a perfect tool to help you. To make sure that all the above techniques are working, set your metronome away and make sure you stay in time!Of course, make sure you’re critical of your own mistakes as that’s h ow you’re going to improve!Play Along to a SongThe advantage of music recorded in studios is that the drumming is almost always in perfect time. The tempo is always respected and doesn’t vary throughout the song.Playing along to a song is similar to playing with a metronome.Play in a BandPlaying guitar in a band  with a bassist and a drummer will also help you to keep time and listen to the rhythm.It's better to play guitar with other musicians to get an idea of the rhythm. (Source: andreas160578)In a band, all the musicians need to be able to play in time with one another in order to produce harmonious melodies.Rhythms to Learn for Acoustic GuitarHere are 10 useful rhythms to play on either classical or folk guitar:PopShuffleBaladWaltzCha chaCountryMarchCountryReggaeFunkTo play a rhythm, you need to be able to let go and stop thinking. You’ll struggle to do this at first but you’ll soon start understanding exactly what rhythm is.  Rhythm is an instinctive thing and shouldnâ €™t be thought about.So do you want to play like Hendrix or Clapton? Do you reckon you’re ready to start playing along to any rhythm?If you're struggling with your rhythm, don't forget you can always enlist the help of a private guitar tutor!Your tutor will certainly help you stay motivated in those times when you wonder why playing the guitar is so great...

Intermediate English Travel Vocabulary?? - Learn English with Harry

Intermediate English Travel Vocabulary?? - Learn English with Harry Well, summer is definitely here the weather is scorching hot (very hot) and it is time to think about a holiday. How to improve your vocabulary in English might not be on your priority list right now. But here is some intermediate English travel vocabulary, English words and phrases that you can use when talking about your holiday plans.I have prepared a short story for you. This story will help you practise your English reading comprehension. You will find the meaning of the bolded words below. Intermediate English Travel Vocabulary Story My holiday was booked  (organised it) several months ago. These days it is often a good idea to book well in advance  (as early as possible) particularly when looking around (trying to find) the cheapest airline tickets.For those of us lucky enough (fortunate) to live within the EU we get the choice of a number of low cost airlines (very cheap) such as Easyjet and Ryanair.These airlines are always offering low cost options  (choices) to any different destinations and you can pick and choose (decide) from a wide variety of destinations. It really makes planning a holiday so easy.In addition  (also) to that if you are not fussy  (do not mind) which day you leave or on which day you return  (come back) then you can get really cheap deals  (options) mid-week  (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday). This can save quite a bit of money!After you get the flights booked you need some accommodation  (somewhere to eat and sleep) depending on your requirements  (what you want) the options are endless  (there are many options).The traditional accommodation a 3 or 4 star hotel is still everyone’s preference as you get that extra luxury, perhaps a pool or a gym or a nice terraced restaurant. However, if you are looking for a cheap and cheerful  (low cost with simple comforts) option then many of us are now choosing form a wide range of Airbnb options.This mainly (normally) means you will get a room in an apartment or house in the city of your choice.The money you save on your air tickets  (flight costs) can mean you can go a little  upmarket  (more expensive choice) for your hotel or if you get a very good deal (low price) with Airbnb then you could perhaps rent a car and explore the area or eat out  (dine in a restaurant) more frequently than you originally intended. I have gone for the low air ticket and good value Airbnb accommodation so I am able to visit a part of Europe that I have never been to before.These cheaper airlines do have  restrictions  (limits) in relation to yo ur  luggage  (baggage, suitcases) so be prepared to travel light  (do not take much with you). This can be a problem when your other half   (your wife, husband or partner) decides to take everything but the kitchen sink!  (as much as possible!)So pack that bag, make sure to include your sun block  (sun cream) mosquito spray and your E-reader and you are all set  (ready to go). Don’t forget the phrasebook and of course you can probably get on your smart phone so more space available for other things.I am off (leaving) this week so I will catch up with you  (see you again) soon.How did you find it? Please let me know in the comments what other words you found difficult (if any). Thank you. Intermediate English Travel Vocabulary Words scorching hot very hotin advance as early as possiblemid-week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdayaccommodation somewhere to eat and sleepto travel light not to take much with youbuggage baggage, suitcasesto book to organise somethingto look around try to findlucky enough to be fortunatelow cost airlines very cheapto pick and choose to decidecheap and cheerful low cost with simple comfortsair tickets flight costsupmarket more expensive choicegood deal low priceto eat out to dine in a restaurantyou are all set   ready to goIf you are planning a holiday abroad, I really hope that my intermediate English travel vocabulary will be useful for you. Once you come back from your holidays, dont forget to check out English lessons by Skype packages.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Learning English with Television Series Two and a Half Men

Learning English with Television Series Two and a Half Men Another show that my students frequently mention as one of their favorites for learning English is Two and a Half Men. Once again, its a show Ive never watched before. I probably learned the most about it when Charlie Sheen had his public meltdown a few months ago.Anyway, I have to say the clip I link to here made be laugh a few times. Click here to watch the video on YouTube (they wont let me post their videos on our site).Here some listening questions to go with the video:1.   How does Alan know the phone call is for Charlie?2. What does Charlie confuse for the word Omelet?3. Whats the ___ ____ I dont cry when Im late.4. You didnt ______ to _____ her name, did you?5. Why does he say The stick turns blue.6. Go ahead, ___ ___ ___.7. What does #6 mean?8. Why does Charlie celebrate?9. What is the woman on the phone preparing to do?10. Boy, dont you ____ hate ____ ____ _______?

Many deaf students considering dropping out of University - Tutor Hunt Blog

Many deaf students considering dropping out of University Many deaf students considering dropping out of University due to lack of support Many deaf students considering dropping out of University due to lack of supportUniversitiesA recent poll carried out by the National Deaf Children`s Society (NDCS) suggests a lack of support for deaf students at university is driving many to actually consider abandoning their degrees. Martin McLean, the lead policy advisor at the NDCS, has expressed how unacceptable this situation is: `This is a tragic waste of talent and when you consider how much higher education costs these days, it`s an appalling waste of money.` A report published by the National Deaf Children`s Society (NDCS) back in 2016 disclosed some dismaying statistics about how deaf children fare in the education system. The publication revealed that 58.9% of deaf students failed to to achieve five good GCSEs, compared with 35.8% of children with no hearing impairment. But what help can deaf children hope to receive in regular state schools? Most pupils will use something called a radio aid - this is a device consisting of a microphone and an earpiece - the microphone will be placed on the teacher`s desk, and the student will be able to pick up what they are saying via a receiver and an earpiece. Though the device is well established and has utility outside the classroom, such as in banks and some cinemas, many students have complained that they feel self conscious about using it. The receiver must be worn on their person at all times, and it is extremely large and bulky - strapped conspicuously to the hip, it is like a permanent stat ement of being disabled. Though schools seem to be well equipped with radio aids, it seems that there are many universities that for some reason do not offer this feature. One can imagine that, in a spacious auditorium or lecture hall, there would be even greater need for this technology than in a classroom. Many students will have access to a network group, where they can go for assistance, and meet with other students who may have a similar disability. These groups will probably only be able to offer limited support though, and all too often it will be up to the individual to overcome any hurdles they may face. Max Barber, a deaf student at the university of Greenwich explained how frustrating it can be: `The reality is that not everyone understands. But it is vital to make sure you are heard when asking for support â€" otherwise you miss out on the valuable education you paid for.` The truth is that it can be hard for deaf students at university to secure any useful assistance at all. A recent poll conducted by the NDCS suggests that as many as half of all deaf students didn`t receive the help package they were promised at the start of their degree, despite having applied for the support many months in advance. Out of this group lacking support many still had to wait an inordinate amount of time for assistance, with nearly 60% waiting more than 2 months for help, and more than a quarter having to endure more than 6 months without any assistance. Sophia Watkins, a student at Sheffield Hallam University, said she was well into her course before she was assigned the interpreters she had been promised, and had seriously considered dropping out due to the lack of support. `Without the support I need, I feel depressed, worried, stressed and struggle to follow criteria to achieve high marks,` Over there the past few years there has been a growing shortage of specialist support workers, meaning deaf students are finding it ever harder to get the assistance they need. The Consortium for Research in Deaf Education (CRIDE) commissioned a report, which was carried out by the NDCS - it revealed a 4% fall in the numbers of qualified teachers of the deaf during the last five years, despite a 2% rise in the number of deaf children in schools. There is at the moment no clear policy determining who should pay for these support workers - should it be the responsibility of the local council, or should the universities themselves have to pay? With no clear rules in place students are often left in a limbo, having to wait months, or even years, for the help they need. With students paying such a huge amount in University fees - around £9000 a year now - it really is unacceptable that the most basic provisions, such as radio aids to help deaf pupils hear the lectures, often aren`t in place. 8 months ago0Add a Comment

5 Expectations College Students Should Have Of Their University President

5 Expectations College Students Should Have Of Their University President http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com 1. Easily accessible As a chancellor/president of a college or university, a lot of power and responsibility is held. This often gives off the impression to students, and even staff lower on the totem pole that the person holding this position is unattainable, unapproachable and generally hard to track down. This should not be the case with a university president. College students should feel like they can reach out to their president with any concern they have, whether its by email, contacting the presidents office or contacting the president directly by phone. Students should expect their president to be approachable. After all, without the students, the school would not exist. The students should be the presidents first priority. http://uhs.uniondaleschools.org 2. Highly qualified As with any major position, the person holding it should be expected to be more than qualified. The president of a college or university is the highest leadership position that can be held at a school, so the person holding the position should, before anything else, have past leadership experience. College students should expect their president to have shown leadership qualities before they even became president. They should expect that their president is highly educated, and has previous academic experience as well. Someone holding a position of this much power at a place like a university should know how to handle that power. http://crownheights.info 3. Responsible Going off of the last point, with great power comes great responsibility. The president should be responsible. They are in charge of and responsible for the entire universitys management, whether that be functions, managing staff, making major decisions, or being the voice of the university to the public. College students should expect their president to be highly responsible. They are making critical decisions each day on behalf of the university, and if they cant practice true responsibility, the integrity of the school could be lost. http://wellnessconsultinggroup.com 4. Politically savvy The president of a college or university holds the highest office of the university. That means that there is a hierarchy within the staff of the university, which means that its inevitable that politics will get dragged into certain situations. Money is also a major concern of colleges and universities, and the president, being the head, is the final say of that. Because of this, they should at least have some idea about how politics work, in the sense of the university itself. They should know how things work within the university, how things get done, who is in charge of what, and how to be the most effective at getting things done successfully. College students should expect their president to be politically savvy for the sake of being successful as a higher-up in a major academic institution. http://hamptonroads.com 5. Excellent communicator This one might seem pretty obvious. The president of a college or university is constantly communicating. They are the voice of the university to the public, meaning other universities, students and their parents, the press and any other source. They are constantly producing mass emails, giving speeches and are responsible for the schools reputation. Because of all of these everyday tasks, college students should expect their president to be in possession of some excellent communication skills. This might be the most important quality a president could have. Without being able to effectively communicate to mass audiences, a president loses all credibility.

2015 New Years Language Challenge Wrap-Up!

2015 New Year’s Language Challenge Wrap-Up! What a great way to welcome the New Year with the completion of the italki 2015 New Year’s Language Challenge! The Challenge was to complete 20 hours of language lessons on italki in 6 weeks (from January 15th to February 28th) to win a reward of 400ITC! (Click here for the Official rules) Challenge Recap! We did an analysis of this Challenge and it was similar to our previous Challenges (2014 October Challenge, 2014 World Cup Challenge, 2014 New Year’s Challenge). For this year: 48% of Challengers completed the Challenge! We had Challengers came from all over the world (representing 66 countries). These were the top 5 countries participating: 1. United States 2. United Kingdom 3. Russian Federation 4. Spain 5. Canada Wow! We had over 49 languages that were learned in the Language Challenge. The 5 most popular languages that our Challengers were learning were: 1. English 2. Spanish 3. French 4. Chinese 5. Italian We also had a lot of much greater representation from our less popular languages like: ? Armenian ? Bengali ? Esperanto ? Galician ? Icelandic ? Lao ? Mongolian ? Punjabi ? Tamil ? Telugu ? Urdu ? Zhuang Other interesting tidbits: ? 71% of Challengers who submitted a Public Video Pledge completed the Challenge. Compared to the 48% that finished from all the Challengers, this really helps! ? One hardcore challenge winner completed over 100+ hours (and you know who you are). This is doing more than 2 hours of language lessons a day! Wow! ? 11.5% of our challengers were also Community Tutors or Professional Teachers on italki so many of them were not only learning but teaching during the challenge! ? 3.9% of the challengers just missed winning by 1 hour or less. Ouch. ? Planning ahead pays off! In one of our surveys, 82% of successful Challengers had already chosen a teacher (or teachers) before getting started.   They were also twice as likely to have considered their Challenge goal and mini-goals. ? Confidence is not enough. Of Challengers who told us their confidence levels, those who did not finish the language challenge were just as confident as those who did!   Plan ahead to create a structure and study habits to help you commit. ? Josie, Karthik and Aime our italki staff completed the Challenge and really improved their Chinese. They all won the reward but their bigger prize was that was they got to keep their jobs (just kidding)! Again, while it’s great that 48% of you that finished the New Year’s Challenge! We wanted congratulate all the challengers who participated. Even if you didn’t finish, we hope that this was a positive experience and it helped you kickstart your language learning for 2015! Give yourselves a big pat on the back! If you missed this Challenge, don’t worry as we’ll have future Language Challenges. See you at the next Challenge! 2015 New Year’s Language Challenge Wrap-Up! What a great way to welcome the New Year with the completion of the italki 2015 New Year’s Language Challenge! The Challenge was to complete 20 hours of language lessons on italki in 6 weeks (from January 15th to February 28th) to win a reward of 400ITC! (Click here for the Official rules) Challenge Recap! We did an analysis of this Challenge and it was similar to our previous Challenges (2014 October Challenge, 2014 World Cup Challenge, 2014 New Year’s Challenge). For this year: 48% of Challengers completed the Challenge! We had Challengers came from all over the world (representing 66 countries). These were the top 5 countries participating: 1. United States 2. United Kingdom 3. Russian Federation 4. Spain 5. Canada Wow! We had over 49 languages that were learned in the Language Challenge. The 5 most popular languages that our Challengers were learning were: 1. English 2. Spanish 3. French 4. Chinese 5. Italian We also had a lot of much greater representation from our less popular languages like: ? Armenian ? Bengali ? Esperanto ? Galician ? Icelandic ? Lao ? Mongolian ? Punjabi ? Tamil ? Telugu ? Urdu ? Zhuang Other interesting tidbits: ? 71% of Challengers who submitted a Public Video Pledge completed the Challenge. Compared to the 48% that finished from all the Challengers, this really helps! ? One hardcore challenge winner completed over 100+ hours (and you know who you are). This is doing more than 2 hours of language lessons a day! Wow! ? 11.5% of our challengers were also Community Tutors or Professional Teachers on italki so many of them were not only learning but teaching during the challenge! ? 3.9% of the challengers just missed winning by 1 hour or less. Ouch. ? Planning ahead pays off! In one of our surveys, 82% of successful Challengers had already chosen a teacher (or teachers) before getting started.   They were also twice as likely to have considered their Challenge goal and mini-goals. ? Confidence is not enough. Of Challengers who told us their confidence levels, those who did not finish the language challenge were just as confident as those who did!   Plan ahead to create a structure and study habits to help you commit. ? Josie, Karthik and Aime our italki staff completed the Challenge and really improved their Chinese. They all won the reward but their bigger prize was that was they got to keep their jobs (just kidding)! Again, while it’s great that 48% of you that finished the New Year’s Challenge! We wanted congratulate all the challengers who participated. Even if you didn’t finish, we hope that this was a positive experience and it helped you kickstart your language learning for 2015! Give yourselves a big pat on the back! If you missed this Challenge, don’t worry as we’ll have future Language Challenges. See you at the next Challenge! 2015 New Year’s Language Challenge Wrap-Up! What a great way to welcome the New Year with the completion of the italki 2015 New Year’s Language Challenge! The Challenge was to complete 20 hours of language lessons on italki in 6 weeks (from January 15th to February 28th) to win a reward of 400ITC! (Click here for the Official rules) Challenge Recap! We did an analysis of this Challenge and it was similar to our previous Challenges (2014 October Challenge, 2014 World Cup Challenge, 2014 New Year’s Challenge). For this year: 48% of Challengers completed the Challenge! We had Challengers came from all over the world (representing 66 countries). These were the top 5 countries participating: 1. United States 2. United Kingdom 3. Russian Federation 4. Spain 5. Canada Wow! We had over 49 languages that were learned in the Language Challenge. The 5 most popular languages that our Challengers were learning were: 1. English 2. Spanish 3. French 4. Chinese 5. Italian We also had a lot of much greater representation from our less popular languages like: ? Armenian ? Bengali ? Esperanto ? Galician ? Icelandic ? Lao ? Mongolian ? Punjabi ? Tamil ? Telugu ? Urdu ? Zhuang Other interesting tidbits: ? 71% of Challengers who submitted a Public Video Pledge completed the Challenge. Compared to the 48% that finished from all the Challengers, this really helps! ? One hardcore challenge winner completed over 100+ hours (and you know who you are). This is doing more than 2 hours of language lessons a day! Wow! ? 11.5% of our challengers were also Community Tutors or Professional Teachers on italki so many of them were not only learning but teaching during the challenge! ? 3.9% of the challengers just missed winning by 1 hour or less. Ouch. ? Planning ahead pays off! In one of our surveys, 82% of successful Challengers had already chosen a teacher (or teachers) before getting started.   They were also twice as likely to have considered their Challenge goal and mini-goals. ? Confidence is not enough. Of Challengers who told us their confidence levels, those who did not finish the language challenge were just as confident as those who did!   Plan ahead to create a structure and study habits to help you commit. ? Josie, Karthik and Aime our italki staff completed the Challenge and really improved their Chinese. They all won the reward but their bigger prize was that was they got to keep their jobs (just kidding)! Again, while it’s great that 48% of you that finished the New Year’s Challenge! We wanted congratulate all the challengers who participated. Even if you didn’t finish, we hope that this was a positive experience and it helped you kickstart your language learning for 2015! Give yourselves a big pat on the back! If you missed this Challenge, don’t worry as we’ll have future Language Challenges. See you at the next Challenge!