Why Study Spanish at School

Why Study Spanish at School Reasons to Learn Spanish at School ChaptersWhy Learn Spanish as Soon as you Can?Studying an International Language like SpanishLearn Spanish at School Because it isn't too Dissimilar to EnglishThe Benefits of Learning Spanish: An Increasingly Important LanguageTake Spanish Classes at School to Quickly Become BilingualStudy Spanish to Hang Out with Your FriendsWhen you go to school, you'll probably be given the option to choose from one of several foreign languages.  Though it may seem trivial at first, this could be one of the most important choices you make.It’s also a choice you don’t get much time to make. Are you thinking of taking Spanish like most people do?  It’s a good choice! There are many benefits of learning Spanish, and it is a language that is spoken in many places around the world.In fact, current estimates suggest that there are around 440 million native Spanish speakers in the world, with 20 different countries having Spanish as an official language.The number of Spanish speakers is expected to increase over the next few decades, not just in terms of those who speak it as their mother tongue, but also in terms of those who learn it as a second language.Given the number of speakers of Spanish that there are in the world, the language holds a global importance. This means that there are plenty of reasons to learn Spanish, and learning it from a young age at school could set you ahead of the rest. TadeoSpanish Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickSpanish Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PeterSpanish Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (8) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MartaSpanish Teacher 5.00 (6) £22/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SharonSpanish Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TanyaSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Jose manuelSpanish Teacher £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhy Learn Spanish as Soon as you Can?The earlier you start, the easier learning Spanish will be. Your overall proficiency will be better than everyone else's in your age category as you get older, and you pronunciation and fluency will both improve considerably.In fact, efficiently mobilising your language skills can boost your career prospects  further down the line. But this is a process that should start at school. Even if you don't have Spanish lessons directly with at school, studying on your own for a small amount of time every week will still put you above the rest when you get to university and beyond.You'd be surprised how many friends you can make in your Spanish classes at school. (Source: pixabay.com)The earlier you pick up the Spanish language, the better your advantage will be over your classmates later on at school, or even at university. You’ll have a head start when it comes to vocabulary (words and phrases) as well as Spanish grammar, conjugations ( verbs and tenses), speaking, the Spanish alphabet, and even some aspects of translation.If you decide to take some Spanish courses outside of school, either at a Spanish language school, or with a Spanish teacher, then your tutor should give you plenty of time to learn each new concept. Tutors can adjust their classes to you, focus on the things that you want or need to learn, and go at your own pace. You don’t need to rush! You have a number of years before you go to university, so you don't need to worry about that just yet.By starting earlier in life with your Spanish education, you can get to grips with the basics which will put you in a great position to learn business Spanish, for example, later on in life.Studying an International Language like SpanishDid you know that Spanish is one of the most important languages in the world? The history of Spanish has made it widespread  today, particularly through Spanish colonisation over the centuries which led to the language being spoken in a large number of different places. In fact, in its heyday, the Spanish empire was one of the biggest in the world and covered much of the west of what is now the United States, Mexico, the majority of South America, and parts of western Africa and Asia.So where is Spanish spoken? By simply taking your language learning to a conversational level, you could undertake a Spanish immersion experience in countries such as:ArgentinaCosta RicaPanamaColombiaMexicoCubaChilePeruDominican RepublicNicaraguaGuatemalaHondurasEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEcuadorThere are so many places you can go to learn the language of Miguel de Cervantes. Each one has a slightly different take on the language and culture, meaning that the Spanish speaking world is a place that will constantly offer you something different if you want to move abroad, or if you simply want an immersion experience in the Spanish language.Spanish is spoken far beyond the borders of Spain. (Source: pixabay.com)Let’s not f orget about Europe where you can find Spanish-speaking communities across the whole continent.Furthermore, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers. Chinese is first, which means that there are actually more native Spanish speakers than there are English native speakers.Spanish is one of the most popular languages in the world today. It is used as an official language in a number of international organisations including the United Nations and the European Union.  It’s also one of the top 3 languages for international communication and business alongside the English and French languages.If you are still wondering why you should learn Spanish, then you only need to look at the proportion of the world that the language will open up for you, not just in terms of travelling, but in terms of job opportunities, to see that it is a language that is definitely worthy of your time and commitment. TadeoSpanish Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1 st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickSpanish Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PeterSpanish Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (8) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MartaSpanish Teacher 5.00 (6) £22/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SharonSpanish Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TanyaSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Jose manuelSpanish Teacher £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsLearn Spanish at School Because it isn't too Dissimilar to EnglishA huge amount of English vocabulary has the sames roots as Spanish vocabulary. Of course, these words have changed over time but since half of English vocabulary is either directly from Latin or indirectly (via French), learning Spanish might be easier than languages like Russian or Chinese.  Once you see some of these words, you’ll recognise them without having to think too much.Therefore, by picking up Spanish at school, you could excel in a subject that could also give you some great skills to use later on in life. After all, who doesn't want to get the best grades possible whilst at school? Spanish is one of those subjects that could offer you that opportunity.Of course, while usually easier than less similar languages, Spanish is no walk in the park.While the words may look similar, there are a number of things about Spanish that might trip you up. Let’s not forget the false friends, either.This is another reason to learn Spanish from a young age. By doing so, you will give yourself a better chance to overcome certain difficulties such as irregular verbs, direct object pronouns, and the subjunctive, but to name a few.A Spanish course at school will either teach you these things, or set you up perfectly to learn them further down the line.So while certain aspects of Spanish can be difficult, the language is a good choice for a lot of English speakers. And this is especially true of a younger learner where it is widely recognised to be easier to learn a foreign language.The Benefits of Learning Spanish: An Increasingly Important LanguageSpanish-speaking countries do business with the whole world. They account for 6 of the world's top 50 economies, with Mexico being seen as one of the economies that will grow most rapidly in the near future.Knowing Spanish can take you to a lot of fascinating places! (Source: pixabay.com)If you’re thinking about working in business or tourism, speaking Spanish will also look great on your CV. As we said before, speaking Spanish will be really useful in a lot of different situations. Being a native English speaker is the cherry on top.If you want to stand out when applying to jobs, it’d be a good idea to start learning Spanish as soon as you can. Start thinking about your future by choosing a language that’s becoming increasingly important and make sure you listen to your Sp anish tutor! Mastering grammar, conjugations, vocabulary, and expressions can be harder than it looks.Obviously you can start learning Spanish at university. But if you start studying Spanish at school, you will have the upper hand when it comes to applying for graduate jobs as your level of Spanish will be higher than other people competing for the same jobs.This is especially true if you want to work in a Spanish-speaking country, as your level will need to be a lot nearer to complete fluency, which is not something that you are likely to achieve over the course of just studying at university.Take Spanish Classes at School to Quickly Become BilingualA number of Spanish speaking countries have seen their fair share of dark days over the last 100 years. The Spaniards had to deal with the rule of Franco between 1939 and 1975, the Argentinians had the Dirty War between 1974 and 1983, and the Colombians have only recently signed a peace deal to end their 50 year civil war.Such events h ave led to a widespread diaspora of native Spanish speakers across the world. You might even have Spanish or Latin American ancestry in your family, and by learning Spanish you could be reconnecting with the language and culture of your grandparents or great-grandparents.After all, the path to becoming bilingual isn't just about studying grammar, verb conjugations, and vocabulary. You also need to learn the cultural context in which these things are set. You cannot learn a language effectively, without simultaneously paying homage to the history and culture of that particular language.But by studying the history and culture of the Spanish language, you will have a lot better understanding of how it works, which will lead you closer to the end goal of becoming bilingual.As a young learner, if you take classes with a native Spanish speaker, they can impart their cultural and historical knowledge to you during your Spanish classes. This will be invaluable to you if you want to speak Sp anish fluently.Study Spanish to Hang Out with Your FriendsOne last reason to study Spanish whilst at school: Your friends probably will, too.If you’re still not decided about studying Spanish, this argument should tip the scales. Learning Spanish could be what keeps two children united who have been friends since they were very young, but have subsequently gone to different schools. They will both have this common experience which they can relate to, even as other things around them are changing as they make new friends.If you study Spanish as part of an exchange program, you could spend time in beautiful cities like Barcelona and make new friends. (Source: pixabay.com)What's more, studying Spanish at school allows you to partake in exchange programmes with schools all around the world (depending on the school that you go to). Not only will taking part in such an experience be great fun and allow you to experience a new country and culture, but you will also be paired with someone who has similar interests to you.This could be a chance to make a new friend, and someone who might turn out to be a friend for life. At the end of the day, who wouldn't want a friend in Madrid, Buenos Aires, or Bogotá who you can go and meet and stay with as and when you want?Of course, the best reason to take Spanish lessons near me is because you love the language. Whether you want to learn Spanish, French, German, or whatever, go for it! You don’t need any more reasons than that.That said, we think you’ve got enough reasons to choose Spanish. Whether it’s your first foreign language or your second... Don’t miss your chance to start learning it. This means you’ll have a lot of time to master the language and travel to a Spanish-speaking country and become bilingual.There are advantages to each Spanish learning method, but one thing that they all have in common is that you will benefit from them more if you start with them from an early age. So don't hesitate, start le arning Spanish at school today!

Is it Possible to Sing Well Without Taking Lessons

Is it Possible to Sing Well Without Taking Lessons Suzy S. If youre wondering how to sing well without lessons, youll want to check out this guest post. Here, Washington, DC voice teacher  Jacqueline E.  shares her thoughts Is it possible to sing well without taking voice lessons? In a nutshell, my answer to this is a firm “no.” So, what does it look like for someone who genuinely wants to learn how to sing well, but can’t take lessons, for whatever reason, and just commits to self-teaching through various methods? The different opportunities to learn how to sing well, then, are observing famous singers in each  genre on YouTube or in concerts, listening to recordings, and reading books/articles on vocal pedagogy. While all of these can be great tools, I’d like to address the problems associated with self-teaching in singing. Understanding Your Voice First, when a student watches a good singer, there are so many things about that singer’s body to observe: the jaw, mouth, lips, cheeks, neck/throat, chest, shoulders, abdominal area, etc. But the voice is not an instrument that you can see. The vocal cords and the other parts of the internal vocal mechanism demand an experienced, knowledgeable teacher who can give you immediate feedback based on what he or she hears about the sound you produce in relation to what physical sensations you experience when you sing. Developing Your Unique Sound If you learn how to sing by imitating what you hear, no matter how good your ears are, you will most likely end up sounding like the singers you listen to â€" not yourself. Furthermore, because of the structure of our skeletons and heads, we cannot hear ourselves the way others hear us, which is again another reason to have another set of ears assess your singing. A good voice teacher will bring out YOUR authentic voice, which is beautifully unrepeatable. Correcting Bad Vocal Habits Books on vocal pedagogy can certainly be helpful if you want to go in depth about the vocal mechanism. Listening to good singers is a great habit to get in to. But then, how will you know if you are picking up the correct vocal habits? What if you ingrain bad vocal habits over a long period of time? If you have never had lessons at all, you cannot know by yourself if something you watch or hear a singer do is going to be the right way to sing for YOU or if the way that “famous singer” is singing is actually the healthiest way to sing. (One should not equate “fame” with “sings in the healthiest way.”) Developing Correct Vocal Habits By all means, I do support the use of YouTube and vocal pedagogy books to help you discover the truth on what healthy singing is (and by contrast, what unhealthy singing is), but ultimately, it cannot be the only route you take. If you gather and synthesize all of this information by yourself, you will direct yourself toward developing bad habits because a live person did not give you feedback. Neither a book nor the Internet can teach you how to identify certain physical sensations while singing (because singing is more about feeling and less about listening), how to develop strong, healthy technical habits, and how to help you get rid of bad ones. A good teacher can. When you do find a good teacher, my advice is to make sure that person is an accomplished singer who knows not only how to sing, but also how to teach about the vocal mechanism. Being accomplished means having had a lot of professional performing experience (not paying to perform) and if that teacher is old enough, even having students who have had a lot of success. Knowing how to teach means showing you they have a deep understanding of how the vocal mechanism works and can give you a clear cognitive and physical understanding of your instrument. Vocal technique is inherited from a teacher and develops over long-term study. In short, if youre wondering how to sing well without lessons, consider this advice. If you truly want to be a good singer with healthy habits, I highly recommend working with a singing teacher  â€" and not just any teacher, but one with good ears and who meets your individual needs!  Jacqueline E. teaches singing, music performance, and music theory in Washington, DC. She is a  classically trained lyric-coloratura soprano, currently working on her Bachelor of Music degree in General-Choral Music Education from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC in May 2015.  Learn more about Jacqueline here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Berklee Valencia Campus

GMAT Question of the Day #311 - Data Sufficiency

GMAT Question of the Day #311 - Data Sufficiency GMAT MBA Admissions Blog For today's GMAT Question of the Day, we have an AD/BCE Value Question, relating to question #311 from the Official Guide for GMAT Review, 2017. See below for a clear, step-by-step example and explanation. We need to find: Obviously, we need information about Guy’s gross income and his deductions. Because you’ve already scanned the clues (right?), you know that this is a CE question â€" clue (1) only mentions gross income, and clue (2) only mentions deductions. So, eliminate A, D, and B AD/BCE (1) and (2) Let’s try some examples, and let’s use multiples of $100 to keep calculations simple: Note that I only changed the deductions and I didn’t actually calculate the percent change for each example. It’s plain to see that they are not equal. The correct answer is E. Takeaways: Be on the lookout for CE problems (see 246 and 255 for examples of easy CE problems). Don’t create more examples than you need. In this case we only changed the deductions. Use multiples of $100 in percent problems that don’t include actual value Don’t calculate unless you have to! John is a Senior MyGuru GMAT tutor based in Chicago, but is also the founder of Owl Test Prep . We encourage you to check out their web-site and YouTube channel.

Five Reasons to Try Online Tutoring

Five Reasons to Try Online Tutoring Improving Academic Performance Over the past year, we’ve begun offering online tutoring, in addition to our core in-person tutoring. We’ve noticed something interesting â€" online tutoring seems much less popular among students than it should be (in our opinion). Every once in a while, someone requests an in-person tutor but we don’t have one available, and we thus suggest they try online tutoring. However, in almost all cases, even when we offer free online tutoring for one hour to encourage them to give it a try, they decline to do so and search for a tutor from a different company that they’ll have to pay full price for. However, in the few cases where a student requests an online tutor directly, or in the extremely rare case where a student agrees to try online tutoring when they had originally requested an in-person tutor, the actual tutoring experience seems to go very well. In fact, our online math and physics tutor, Sam, has now done over 15 hours of online tutoring with one particular Calculus 3 student who had originally requested an in-person tutor â€" but this is rare. This suggests to us that, even with all of the incredible technology available today, which makes online tutoring a very real, viable competitor to the in-person tutoring experience, most students aren’t willing to try it out. However, there are five clear reasons why you should try online tutoring: #1 Online Tutoring Platforms Are More Effective, and Cheaper, Than Ever The most important reason to try online tutoring is that technology has reached a point where the experience tends to go very well. With lightning fast internet speeds widely available, you can see or hear your tutor through internet video or audio chat, see a virtual whiteboard, upload PDF homework files, and share screens easily. At MyGuru, we also equip our tutors with electronic pen/tablets, so they can effectively write on the screen, just like they are writing on paper. We even equip some of our students with such tablets. So, both parties can “mark-up” materials they are viewing on the screen (via the annotate feature). At MyGuru, we use WebEx for online math, physics, statistics, and test prep tutoring, but many other programs, such as GlobalMeet, GoToMeeting, and JoinMe, are available. Of course, you can also use Skype or Google Hangouts. We created a video to highlight the online tutoring experience at MyGuru here. At the end of the day, many of the online tutoring platforms, and in particular, the ones that require you to pay a reasonable monthly free, come pretty close to approximating an in-person tutoring experience. #2 Online Tutoring is Incredibly Convenient Consider a situation where you are meeting a tutor just five minutes from your house. You still have the 5 minute commute there and back. Plus, you can’t just show up exactly on time, in case you hit traffic or are otherwise delayed on the way. So, on average, you need to be there 5-10 minutes early. With online tutoring, you avoid all that. Each one hour session probably saves you 15-20 minutes in “travel” time. In addition, when you begin working with a new tutor, you avoid that awkward initial introduction, or the need to let a stranger into your home for the first time. You can get tutored in your pajamas, if you prefer. #3 You Get Access to the Best Available Tutor At MyGuru, I have a particular GMAT tutor who I wish every new potential GMAT student lived closed to, because he’s the best GMAT tutor in Chicago that we have available. I’d like to match everyone with him. Now, if everyone was willing to try online GMAT tutoring, that would be a reality. As it stands, unless you’re comfortable traveling to Lincoln Square for GMAT tutoring, it’s difficult for us to match you with John (the aforementioned expert GMAT tutor). #4 Sessions are Recordable, and Can Be Reviewed Later One of the little known benefits of online tutoring is that many online tutoring platforms (or, at least many of the ones that you pay for) allow you to record each and every session. As a student, this means you can go back and review the session on your own. This is a particularly powerful studying strategy, and reduces the need to vigorously take notes during a session. Instead, you can simply focus on listening to your tutor, and go back to review the session via video if you need to. #5 Online Tutoring is More Cost Effective Finally, at the end of the day, I admit that in-person tutoring is slightly better than online tutoring. You can see your tutor’s face in person, read body language, etc. With in-person tutoring, a glitch in your internet service doesn’t result in a lost audio or video feed, and interrupt the tutoring session. But, that’s why, at least at MyGuru, we price online tutoring at a 10-15% discount to in-person tutoring, saving you money. On balance, we are surprised that more students don’t ask or at least consider online tutoring. What are your thoughts regarding online tutoring? Visit our online tutoring page for more information and to request an online tutor!

A-Level Biology

A-Level Biology Demand for one-to-one private tuition for A-Level Biology stands at second place (after Maths) on our search statistics this week. Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms together with their characteristics and behaviours. How species and individuals come into existence and the interactions they have with one another and with their environment. Contrary to popular belief, biology can be quite numerical so a basic understanding of maths is beneficial, if not essential. AS level Biology introduces you to the basic principles of biology, and this final mark makes up 50% of the final A-level grade. Biology is one of the most popular A-Level subjects in the country. Many students enjoy the subject so much they eventually choose a biologically related degree course. Obtaining an A-level in Biology will provide you with a broad knowledge of how living systems work, including the principles of genetics, molecules, taxonomy, global warming, bacteria and viruses just to mention a few. Biology is applied in a wide range of careers: veterinary, medicine, food science, environmental management, bioinformatics, genetic engineering and nano-technology. It is very much a science of the future that can offer exciting career opportunities. If you are looking for guidance with your A-level studies, First Tutors can assist! We have Biology tutors that can help you obtain the A-level grade you need. Take a look at the profiles below. Best of luck! https://www.firsttutors.com/uk/tutor/patrick.chemistry.biology.english.history https://www.firsttutors.com/uk/tutor/m.-sohaib.biology.maths.chemistry.medicine.physics https://www.firsttutors.com/uk/tutor/rachel.english.biology.chemistry.combined-science.medicine.study-skills

Innovative Language Review Is It Worth the Cost

Innovative Language Review Is It Worth the Cost Innovative Language Review: Is It Worth the Cost? There are just no two ways about it.Hands down, Innovative Language is the best there is.(Or so they say.)For the longest time, Innovative Language has been touting itself as the “fastest, easiest and most fun” way to learn languages.They claim that students will be speaking native-level conversation within minutes! With their powerful learning tools, clients will spend less time studying and more time actually speaking the language.But is that true?In this Innovative Language review, Ill dive deep into the nuts and bolts of the language learning software and see what the fuss is all about.This post includes affiliate links that will earn us a commission if you click on them and make a purchase (at no additional cost to you). All products and services are thoroughly tested. We provide an honest review based on our experience and not influenced by commissions. The Basics of Innovative LanguageIn December 2005, Innovative Language launched its first language learning program:  Ja panesePod101.com.Within a year, the site garnered a membership of 10,000 active learners, signaling to founders Peter Galante, Eran Dekel and Aki Yoshikawa that they must be doing something right.In August 2007, they launched their second language program: Korean. Over the course of a little over a decade, the company reached a cascade of milestones and achievements.Today, Innovative Language offers 40 languages, including popular options like French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and Chinese.Innovative Language provides curated content for every type of language learner, from beginner to advanced. In fact, they cater to nine language levels: Introduction, Absolute Beginner, Lower Beginner, Beginner, Upper Beginner, Lower Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate and Advanced.When you become an Innovative Language member, you receive fresh language material (audio or video) every week.Once you join any of the language programs, you’ll automatically get free, f ull access to all the premium content for that language course. This unrestricted access lasts for seven days, giving you plenty of opportunities to look under the hood and take the program for a spin.After seven days, your account automatically reverts to the “free lifetime” category, where you now have only limited access.There are four Innovative Language subscription levels: free, basic, premium and premium plus.With the free membership, you no longer have all the lessons at your fingertipsâ€"you now only have the first three lessons of each series.A basic subscription ($8 per month) will give you full access to the lessons, but it lacks many vocabulary learning tools youd have with a premium membership, such as “Word Bank” and “Voice Recording Tools.”A $25 monthly premium subscription will give you access to all the lessons and all the tools for that specific language course.Premium plus, Innovative Language’s highest-tiered subscription, is $47 monthly and gives you the chance for one-on-one training. The access to a language teacher ensures that every lesson is tailored to your needs and that a professional manages ongoing assessments of your progress. (And yes, there will be assignments!)Truth be told, Innovative Language often has sales, special offers and discounts. So the amount you actually pay may vary depending on the price reductions you find. Also, unlike other language learning programs like FluentU, languages are priced separately. So if you want to study multiple languages, youre going to need multiple subscriptions.Now that you have a grasp on the languages and membership options, its time to figure out how Innovative Language actually works.Innovative Language Review: Is It Worth the Cost?Methodology: Innovative Languages Core BeliefsFocus is on the communicative approach  to language learning.The folks behind Innovative Language believe that language is best learned through meaningful interactions with others. Thats why they urge you to speak in the target language from the very first lesson.It doesn’t matter if your pronunciation is off-target or if your sentences violate a dozen grammar rules. It’s all about practice! The important thing is that the target language is being employed to convey real communication. Students opening their mouths and purposely practicing in the target language is the main goal.You learn a language by using it. For example, you may have to ask for directions to the nearest exit. Or perhaps you need to tell a native speaker that the train has already left.Tasks and other communicative situations give rich context to the language. After all, context is what makes language meaningful.When Innovative Language  teaches you grammar, it only does so for clarity of communication. You’ll notice that grammar is taught in the context of a communicative task or dialogue.The examples and illustrations given are relevant and practical. You don’t get unicorn sample sentences that don’t exist in real life, like The green dog jumped over the small bear.Non-repetitive repetition is the mother of all learning.Innovative Language believes that for the lessons and insights to stick, you have to see the material repeatedly. However, they know they have to do it in interesting, non-repetitive ways so students don’t drift off.There are around a half dozen functionalities to help students remember vocab in the target language. You have flashcards, powered with spaced repetition technology. You have a word bank that allows you create a personal roster of handpicked terms. You have your “Word of the Day,” the “100 Most Common Words” and the “2,000 Most Common Words.” All these are geared to hone your vocabulary skills.True to tradition, lessons come at you through different modalities for maximum impact. You get a potent mix of videos, audio and text. You’ll have access to written notes and complete transcripts. Hosts talk about the topic and relate i t to an interesting cultural tidbit.Lessons come at you again and again, and at different angles to make ideas stick.There’s plenty of built-in repetition. But each go-around has a different flavor to it.Learning is on your own terms.Folks at Innovative Language make sure that students have almost complete control of the learning process. This core belief is reflected in every facet of their language courses.You choose your own language, level and topics. Because each student learns differently, Innovative Language casts a wide net, employing different modalities (audio, video and text) to deliver the lessons.Students can set their own pace. And you can go back, move forward, rewind, fast forward or pause within lessons.Innovative Language has collections of videos called Pathways. Each Pathway has topic-related lessons, such as dining out, shopping, travel, animals or body parts. And even certain lessons in Pathways can be skipped or viewed out of order!Innovative Language is als o flexible in that you can use it on practically any device. Study on your web browser, iOS device or Android device.What Are Innovative Language’s Features?The dashboard: Taking control of your learning    The dashboard is pretty much the first thing you see after you set up your account. It’s the starting point of your language-learning journey. On the web version, you’ll see the options to go to “Lessons,” “Vocabulary” and “My Teacher.”The “Lessons” section will probably be your first stop. Here you’ll find the treasure trove content Innovative Language is famous for. Go to “Lesson Library” and you’ll have a list of topics (or “Pathways”) as well as the number of lessons under it. There will be a lot to choose from, so I recommend you sort the list according to popularity so you identify series that other language learners have found useful.Once you’ve zeroed in on a Pathway or topic, click on it and you’ll see the full list of lessons under the category. Before starting your first lesson, don’t forget to click the “Add to Dashboard” button so the next time you log in, you can readily see the Pathway on the dashboard. (This will essentially allow you to pick up where you left off.)Going back to the Dashboard (web version), you’ll also find the “Vocabulary” menu. This houses all the vocabulary tools Ive already mentioned. Generally, there are two types of vocabulary aidsâ€"the ready-made ones and those that you gradually build yourself.The Word Bank” is one you build yourself by populating it with words as you go through the lessons, while the “Vocabulary Lists” are pre-made decks you can study immediately. “Flashcards,” on the other hand, is both. There are pre-made decks, but you can also make your own.“My Teacher” is another dashboard menu you’ll find. You can only use this if you’re subscribed to the Premium Plus ($47) tier of the course, which gives you access to one-on-one language les sons.For the app interface, youll see similar options: Browse Lessons, Newest Lessons, My Library and My Teacher.These sections are pretty self-explanatory. “My Library” is where your downloaded lessons are stored. Downloading content allows you to study anytime and anywhere, without being at the mercy of a Wi-Fi connection.Youll learn even more about the dashboard in the next section.Dialogue: The heart of the lessonMost lessons will involve two podcast hosts, who’ll serve as guides. They’ll be talking to each other and discussing the lesson. Its kind of like listening to amped disc jockeys on your morning commute.At the heart of many Innovative Language lesson is the sample dialogue.One of the hosts will say, “Hey, why don’t we listen first to this conversation?” Then comes a pre-recorded dialogue.The dialogue can be about anything. It can be about a guy talking about his family, asking another fellow about his job or making plans for the weekend. The hosts will refe r to this dialogue over and over throughout the lesson, using it to show the communicative aspects of the target language. For beginner lessons, the exchanges are usually less than eight lines.The recorded interaction between native speakers may be short and sweet, but youll be dealing with this material throughout the whole lesson in various ways.Maybe you’ll hear the exchange a little more slowly the second time, or with translations given after every line. Or maybe you’ll access a PDF of the important phrases in the dialogue, showing the vocabulary used in other contexts. (This is the second core belief in action!)The whole conversation will be fleshed out, with the two hosts even talking about their personal experiences on the topic. For example, if the lesson is about calling for taxi service, one of the hosts might share an interesting story of when she called to be picked up at a restaurant.Students are able to milk the dialogue for every language lesson it hides. You’l l get pronunciation practice, vocabulary, key phrases, cultural tidbits and even a shot of grammar. You’ll come out of lessons knowing the lines like the back of your hand.The lesson format: the web version and the appThere’s a little difference in how the lessons are presented in the web version and in the app. Let’s take a look at the web version first.In your web browser, a lesson usually has five standard parts: Dialogue, Vocabulary, Lesson Notes, Lesson Transcripts and Comments.DialogueAs mentioned, the heart of each lesson is the dialogue. So the conversations transcription will be the first thing you’ll see.Beside each line are two icons: the speaker icon and the microphone icon. Pressing the speaker icon will bring up the audio so you can listen to a native speaker deliver the line.Pressing the mic icon brings up a voice recorder. Here you’ll record yourself delivering the line so you can actually compare your pronunciation with that of the native speaker.Vocabular yThis section picks out the key words and phrases from the conversation.This time, there will be three icons beside each entry: two speaker icons and one microphone icon. The first two have the same function as in the previous section. The third icon (which is a speaker icon but with “X0.5” written below it) plays the audio at half speed, helping listeners follow the conversation.At the far right of each entry, you’ll see the word “Example/s.” Clicking on this will pull down some example sentences of how the keyword can be used. (The English translations are provided, as well.)At the bottom of the Vocabulary section are some of the study options available for you. There’s “Add to Flashcard Deck,” “Add to Word Bank,” “Slideshow” and “Take Quiz.”Lesson notesThis section is an in-depth dive into the grammar-related topics you can learn from the conversation. If youd like to pick up on your target language’s syntax, conjugation rules or acceptable synonyms, you’ll find it here. You’ll be taken behind the scenes and pointed to the nuances of the language.For example, if there are formal and informal forms of the language, and the informal one is used in the dialogue, you’d find the formal alternative here. This would also come with a brief explanation of when each form is appropriate.Lesson transcriptRemember the two podcast hosts who act as your guide throughout the lesson? This section is the transcript of their dialogue. So if your teachers/hosts speak too quickly or have thick accents, you can still follow along.The only annoying thing about the Lesson transcript section is that Innovative Language has buried it deeper in the lesson when it would be super handy to have on hand from the very first second.Anyway, more on my frustrations later. My advice is to proceed to this section as soon as you press “play” on the podcast.This is also where cultural gems are hidden. Hosts often share their personal experiences as well as observations of native practices and traditions. This is where you’ll learn just how friendly Italian men can get or how warm Spanish-speaking locals are.CommentsThe Comments section simply lets you feel that you arent alone on this journey. Yes, this is a self-paced and self-taught program, but youre definitely not going at it alone. You’ll find kindred souls here.The support team also shows up and posts stuff from time to time. You can pick up lessons and insights even in the Comments section.That said, let’s now turn to the app interface. It has both similarities and differences with the web version. Each lesson contains the: Audio, Dialog, Review, Line-by-line, Vocabulary, Expansion, Lesson notes and Lesson transcripts.“Audio”â€"This refers to the lesson itself, where hosts banter and explain the lesson.“Dialog”â€"This is the short, pre-recorded dialogue/conversation that forms the basis of the whole lesson.“Review”â€"This is where you practice pronunciation. The host will prompt you to enunciate words and phrases.“Line-by-line”â€"You can practice each line of the conversation here.“Vocabulary”â€"Instead of lines, it’s the words and phrases that are highlighted in this section.“Expansion”â€"Here, you’ll have usage examples of the vocabulary taken up in the previous section.“Lesson notes”â€"Same as in the web version.“Lesson transcript” â€"Same as in the web version.Innovative Language: The Pros and ConsOf course, no language learning software is perfect! Lets look at what Innovative Language does well and where it struggles.The pros of learning with Innovative LanguageThe communicative approach to language learning is a game-changer.The folks at Innovative Language did their subscribers a solid when they decided on the communicative approach to presenting the lessons. The communicative approach to language has been shown to be more effective than traditional approaches.Why? Because this approach is interactive in nature.You cant just read about a language to learn how to speak it. You have to actually practice speaking it in the context of a communicative task.Lessons dialogues allow students to witness authentic, meaningful interactions. By putting students in a position where they have to negotiate meaning and make inferences about the target language, Innovative Language pushes students to become more invested in the lessons.Even though the focus is on communication, this language learning software did not forsake grammar! Innovate Language does an excellent job of presenting grammar rules exhibited in each dialogue. This gives learners the whole picture and achieves maximum impact with every lesson.Youll never run out of content.Innovative Language is one of the most prolific producers of content. Week after week, they ply you with fresh material.You’ll probably notice early on that there’s a lot of material to digest. I mean, a lot! You’ll definitely have your fill of the target l anguage and won’t come away thinking, “Is that all?”The lessons are practical and relevant.When studying a language, have you ever thought, “This example sentence will never come up in real life.” Maybe the textbook is throwing you lines like “The ducks went to school” or “The blue ape ate the apple.”In this program, you’ll have practical examples that will prove useful in your regular interactions with native speakers. Lessons arent there for lessons’ sake. They have a communicative purpose, which means the vocab and grammar are likely to come up in your normal conversations.By integrating lessons with cultural insights, it hits two birds with one stone.You cant divorce a language from the culture, so Innovative Language has made a point of including cultural tidbits in its lessons. This is often done through the banter between hosts as they try to deconstruct and flesh out the details of the sample conversation.Let’s say the lesson is about meeting stranger s. The hosts give you a short primer on the dos and donts between strangers in the culture, such as the cultural expectations of meeting a significant others family in Italy. These cultural gems are priceless because they give you an insider’s look at the traditions, beliefs and practices of a group of people.So you really get more bang for your buck! Culture is expertly weaved into your lesson and you come away appreciating more of the language because you’ve come to appreciate the people who speak it.The cons of learning with Innovative LanguageThe lessons could use much better organization.I’ve said that there plenty of course content to digest, right? Well, this is really a two-edged sword.Because of the volume of content involved, you might actually be at a loss on where to start or where to go next. You can feel bombarded with so many choices and end up indecisive about which Pathway to stick with.Its kind of like the “Netflix Effect,” when you spend more time browsi ng through titles than actually watching the movie. (There’s just too many to choose from!)For example, in the Spanish program, you’ll have lessons that deal with elements of Peruvian Spanish, Puerto Rican Spanish, Mexican Spanish and European Spanish. Do you want to go through each one of them, or just one? And if just one, which one?The lessons could use a much more instinctive organization so subscribers have an easier time choosing what to study next.The dashboard could benefit from more purposeful design.I have no beef with the appâ€"I think it’s organized and designed pretty decently. The issue is the web version.The dashboard is the first thing a student sees, so it’s important that it be visually appealing. It should be easy to follow, and your eyes should automatically be drawn to the most important elements of the page.Unfortunately, nothing stands out and everything seems flat. Nothing about the design jumps out and says, “Boy, youre going to have an awesome exp erience learning Italian!”This isnt just for aesthetic reasons. If a student is supposed to spend hours and hours studying content, it would be much easier for them if the web interface possessed an inspired and inspiring design. It really affects motivation and engagement.Lessons could be bolstered by more engaging videos.In my opinion, Innovative Language relies too much on audio material and podcasts.Dont get me wrong, the listening material is great. But the language learning software could be made even better with more video content.Innovative Language does provide the occasional video, but if they put time into developing even more content, I think their videos could make them one of the most effective resources for language learning out there.Students can achieve so much by watching videos! A video stimulates multiple parts of the brain, making the content more vivid and memorable.It can set the proper visual cues for the conversations, as well. It would also really be cool if students actually get to see the faces of their hosts or teachers. Watching someone speak in a foreign language can make it a thousand times easier to understand them, so this would be particularly helpful for beginners who struggle to comprehend listening material.If you like Innovative Languages audio content, lessons and flexible styleâ€"but want the benefits of more video materialâ€"then youll love learning with FluentU.FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. It shares a lot of features with Innovative Language, so you could use it in lieu of Innovative Language or as a supplemental resource.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothin g but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Like Innovative Language, you can access FluentU on your web browser, iOS device or Android device.The quality across language programs isnt consistent.To be fair, this is one of those things that’s very difficult to pull off, but it just really needs to be said.The language learning software does relatively well with many of major languages, but its hit or miss with the lesser known dialects. For example, theres plenty of room for improvement with their Vietnamese and Arabic programs. The development team needs to put all the languages on equal footing so that each becomes an excellent language program in its own right.The good news? All of Innovative Language’s programs are continually being updated and improved. So hopefully, all the language programs will be amazing over time!After all is said and done, is Innovative Language worth the tab? I would say yes! And if you bring in additional resources like FluentU, you have great potential to become fluent.Of course, the volume of content alone from Innovative Language will give you your money’s worth.But keep this in mind: When you subscribe to a language program, you get out what you put in.There are no shortcuts to becoming fluent in a language. You have to do all the leg work. And you know what they say Dont skip leg day!

Is University for Everyone - Tutor Hunt Blog

Is University for Everyone Is University for Everyone? Is University for Everyone?UniversitiesEver since the era of Tony Blair, it has become an expectation that every young person should - indeed must - go to university. The previous Prime Minister was passionate in his idea that university was for everyone; and in the era before university fees, it certainly seemed reasonable that university was simply the next mandatory step for students who had just completed their A-levels, or an equivalent qualification. Mr Blair`s logic seemed to be that, with even more highly educated people, possessing degrees and Phd`s, the economy would somehow become boosted. What he perhaps failed to realise was that, just because you create a highly skilled workforce, the the jobs unitising their skills will not just magically appear. The truth is that almost 25% of all 21 year olds leaving university with a degree are left unemployed. There are simply not enough jobs to supply all the highly qualified students leaving university. Research conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has revealed the disheartening information that six out of ten university graduates are over qualified for the jobs they are doing. There is a simply a shortage of high skilled vacancies. The report goes on to warn that graduation qualification has reached a `saturation point,` and that there is an overabundance of people with specific, highly skilled qualifications, with perhaps no real hope of ever finding a job that calls upon all their skills. The result of this over education, and lack of specialised jobs, means we have a growing body of dissatisfied young people, who have studied diligently for many years, and racked up thousands of pounds in debt, only to find themselves stuck in menial, low paid jobs. It is not uncommon for people who have spent time at university, and left with a degree, to find themselves worse off than their friends who entered the job market the moment they left school; and after three years of work these academically lower qualified friends will have had time to progress in their profession, while those with a degree will be starting from the bottom, while also likely encumbered with considerable debt. The CIPD found that, amongst European countries, only Greece and and Estonia have more graduates working in jobs they are over qualified for. Countries that favour vocational training, such as Germany, have only 10% of university graduates working in non graduate professions. Britain possesses the second highest graduation rate in Europe (just behind Iceland), with 54% of those leaving education possessing a degree. The CIPD has been called on to help produce a `productivity plan,` in the hope of creating both more high skilled professions, and also ensuring graduates are guided towards sectors of the job market where their skills will be put to best use. The Chief Executive of the CIPD, Peter Cheese, has said that `The assumption that we will transition to a more productive, higher value, higher skilled economy just by increasing the conveyor belt of graduates is proven to be flawed. This sentiment clearly highlights the short sightedness of Tony Blair`s ambition of ensuring every young student goes to university: you need the infrastructure already in place before you supply the workforce. You can`t simply create tens of thousands of specialised, highly skilled jobs by saturating the market with an abundance of university graduates every year. Peter Cheese went on to say `The government needs to ensure its productivity plan includes a specific focus on creating more high-skilled jobs and work with employers, particularly SMEs, and with key stakeholders like Local Enterprise Partnerships and Business Growth Hubs to help build organisations` capability to achieve this.` If students wish to go to university they certainly should not be dissuaded from doing so: education enriches life, broadens the mind, and opens more doors than just those leading to their dream profession. But since they may be burdened with considerable debt at the end of their course, and might find themselves seeking in vain for employment that unitises the skills and qualifications they have spent years working for, students shouldn`t me made to feel compelled to attend university. They deserve to be informed, in a clear and concise way, about the job opportunities the degree they are contemplating will leave them with. 3 years ago0Add a Comment