How To Fix American Schools

How To Fix American Schools There has been a lot of talk and buzz about how bad the American education system is, why its so bad and whose fault it is. And on the fault side, nearly everyone who is connected to education has been blamed for the lackluster system. But, what happens when we stop talking about why it stinks, and start trying to make it better? The District Administration tried to answer that question. The 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) compared the achievement gains between American and foreign students. It found that American students were not achieving as quickly or as strongly as many other foreign countries, thus starting a nationwide panic around Americas educational system. The most important take away from the report is that the strategies the most successful countries are using with only a few exceptions are not being used in the U.S., Marc Tucker, president and CEO of National Center of Education Economy (NCEE) and author of the NCEE report, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: An American Agenda for Education Reform, told the District Administration. Tucker outlined several reasons why Americas education system is lackluster, most notably he claims that the system has become a business, designed after Americas mass production model. He argues that education was concerned primarily with driving costs down as low as possible, and the quality of education became secondary. However, Tucker offers suggestions on how to actually fix the education system. The following are from Tuckers Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: An American Agenda for Education Reform and the NCEEs report. Aligning the Curriculum: Students should take gateway exams between different levels of education. Most high-achieving countries administer gateways exams to help students transition from basic education to upper secondary education, from upper secondary education to university, from basic education to job training and from job training into the workforce. There is some form of external national assessment at each of these points. In many countries, students cannot move on to the next level unless they pass the gateway exams, which are designed so students cannot study for them. The only way to pass is to truly master the material. Raising Teacher Standards: Many other countries teacher-training programs are much tougher than Americas to get accepted into, thus making it much more competitive to actually become a teacher. However, America cannot raise their teaching standards until the raise interest in the field. America first needs to attract more people to the teaching industry. Many countries pay their teachers better and offer better incentives. Shanghai waives charges for teacher education tuition and offers early admissions to students applying to teacher education programs, which makes teaching very attractive. Shifting Financing for Equity: The NCEE states that school financing should be moved from the local level to the state level. Local financing is simply not fair because many schools districts have a lot more money than others. A state-run system of distributing nearly all funding and resources could create more financial equity, giving all students a chance to achieve, regardless of their schools neighborhood.

Stanford Offers Free Artificial Intelligence Class Online

Stanford Offers Free Artificial Intelligence Class Online Two Stanford professors have announced that they will offer a free online class on artificial intelligence, according to an article in theNew York Times. Stanford professors, Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig two of the worlds best-known artificial intelligence experts will teach the course. Over 112,000and counting people have already enrolled in the class, which is nearly six times the entire Stanford student body. Students range from high school to retirees, and the course will represent students from 175 countries. Thrun and Norvig said that they will teach this course as part of an education experiment. They are trying to use technology to extend knowledge beyond Stanfords elite student body. The vision is: change the world by bringing education to places that cant be reached today, said Thrun. Stanford will offer two additional free courses. The first will be an introductory course on database software, taught by Jennifer Widom, chairwoman of the computer science department, and the second will be an introduction to machine learning, taught by Andrew Ng. Students will not get grades or credit for the course, but they will be ranked in comparison to other students in the class, and they will receive a statement of accomplishment. Students do not need to pass a test to get into the class. But to keep up, they may need some higher math classes like linear algebra and probability theory. This class is great for any high school student interested in going to Stanford. It probably wont significantly affect your chances of being accepted, but its a perfect opportunity to get on Stanford'sradar and show them youre interested. Even if youre not interested in Stanford, participating in this class can only help your college application. Not many other students will be able to say that they took a class at Stanford. The rapid commercialization of high-speed Internet access has created a new wave of education experiments. Many other professors have recorded their class lectures and uploaded them to YouTube for free. The Stanford courses will be taught in a similar way. The three classes will use streaming Internet video for lectures and interactive technologies for quizzes and grading. Stanford has used this structure to teach smaller groups of students in the past. The professors will use a Google moderator service that will allow students to vote on the best questions for professors to respond to in an online chat or streaming video. They are exploring possibilities to personalize exams to help eliminate cheating. The Stanford professors are hoping to use the Internet and other technological advances to extend education. Ng said that he hopes to see the equivalent of a Stanford computer science degree on the Web someday.

How To Learn Italian Online

How To Learn Italian Online Massive Open Online Course To Learn Italian ChaptersLearn Italian: What is MOOC?Why Learn Italian?What Should An Italian Teacher Do?What Do To Do After Taking Italian MOOC?Learning a foreign language is always a good idea, especially when it comes to dealing with different areas of everyday life. Work, travel, meetings, everything is a pretext for memorization, immersion, or even progress, whatever the language. Italian is an integral part of a language course and learning to speak it is a perfect way to make rapid progress in foreign languages.Progressing slowly is absolutely acceptable, but why not become bilingual quickly, thanks to an Italian teacher, or simply through online Italian courses. MOOCs offer exactly that, for language courses that are as simple as they are effective. Indeed, 82% of British people consider that MOOC has enabled them to develop useful skills in their work.Different uses of this language learning, which make it possible to see Italian as a fertile ground for multilingual people. So, shall we go f or it?Learn Italian while in the Italian peninsula. DanielaItalian Teacher 5.00 (9) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LuciaItalian Teacher 5.00 (4) £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarilùItalian Teacher 5.00 (8) £22/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarcoItalian Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AntonellaItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GiusyItalian Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EnricoItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FedericaItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsLearn Italian: What is MOOC?You may have already heard about MOOCs, especially if you have already decided to learn Russian, take English courses online, or take Spanish courses. It is, in fact, the acronym for Massive Open Online Course, which has now completely become part of the language of everyday life in the UK, since th is name is now an integral part of our dictionaries.There are also sometimes other names to describe this way of learning a new language, such as Italian. Indeed, you will most likely encounter names such as Open Online Training for All (FLOT), but also Open and Massive Online Courses (CLOM). In any case, the fact remains that any student, any learner, wishing to become bilingual in the Italian language, will find his happiness with the MOOCs.In a more concrete way, MOOCs are divided into two types of courses: xMOOCs and cMOOCs. The first aims to validate skills through an Italian certificate of success, while the second opens up the field of possibilities more broadly, through freer learning and broader content.CMOOCs base their learning of Italian on the link, but also on an open pedagogy, which will be achieved through networks, connectivity, but also through an exchange. The idea here is to have a kind of collaborative community, via a forum, via social networks, so that learnin g Italian will become a real pleasure.Get started and learn all the Italian phrases, Italian words and Italian verbs you can.Dante is credited with linguistically unifying Italy. Source: Wikimedia Commons)A MOOC is, therefore, a type of online course, limited in time, free of charge, whose training objectives and themes are defined by teachers, but also by participants. This is the fertile ground for this type of course, which will make the educational journey a true path of knowledge.From a practical point of view, there are also videos and online content, for which a quiz will validate the progress every week.Check out how to improve your Italian accent.Why Learn Italian?Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced level, the Italian courses taken online are the guarantee of adopting an open and progressive attitude towards language learning. Indeed, MOOCs offer many advantages when it comes to becoming bilingual in Italian. Some of the benefits of this type of course incl ude:Save time with online courses,An exchange between the different learners,A real progress every week, validated by a quiz,Exclusive content, that we control as we see fit,A schedule that can be adapted according to our desires, our activities, our needs,A certificate issued at the end of the training if necessary,And many more!Among the most important objectives and interests represented by the Italian language learned online is the promotion of work. Yes, MOOCs are often highly appreciated, as they provide a solid linguistic basis, which can also be combined with a job. It should be noted that 28% of learners consider that the certificate is valued by employers, which is a significant basis, we all agree!What could be better than to feel supported and helped by Italian language skills? On the agenda: increased self-confidence, hard work and motivation, and significant efficiency. Being multilingual is always a good idea!Learning a new language, its vocabulary, its grammar,  phra ses, verbs and pronunciation is often easier when you experience a complete immersion through language and culture, conversation and listening so why not go on a trip to Italy.In addition, Italian courses London taught in MOOC, such as those at the University of Siena, are based on the principle that sound and image are the basic tools for effective progress. The interest will consequently be to feel supported in the most beautiful way imaginable when learning the language of love!What Should An Italian Teacher Do?Your Italian teacher is, at the beginning, a figure of support, a guide, who will project us upwards, make us progress in a significant way, thanks to his help and his listening. You should be able to rely on them when it comes to mastering the grammatical basis in Italian, for example.But when you take Italian courses thanks to MOOC, it turns out to be a little more vague, less palpable, for the simple reason that these are online courses. And online  courses mean differe nt support, which does not necessarily replace the basics of an Italian course in person. Yes, here, the courses are given in a freer, more autonomous way, and the teacher rather acts as an adviser.A counsellor who, although doesn't seem to be present, is there when you need him, and perhaps even more so than in private lessons. This is the advantage of an online course: more freedom, but also availability, whether it is the Italian language learner or the Italian teacher. What could be more satisfying than to progress without feeling oppressed?Even beginners can make great progress and learn to speak Italian quickly with language lessons. Everyone can study Italian and learn some conversational basic Italian words and phrases.It is important not to neglect the role of the student who, if he/she shows open behaviour, eager to discover a thousand and one facets of Italian, and ready to be corrected regularly (especially during the weekly quiz), will be able to establish a healthy and effective relationship with his/her teacher. This relationship will then allow him to progress simply, in full confidence and in full possession of his faculties! So it's not that complicated, Italian!Even modern Italian is home to many different dialects. Source: Wikimedia Commons)What Do To Do After Taking Italian MOOC?Let us face it, after a MOOC in Italian, the main idea is, as stated previously, to be bilingual. So yes, it would be a dream to be fluent in Italian, to be able to converse naturally with locals, to take a one-way ticket to Rome and watch series in the original language, but that's not the only advantage of MOOCs, and many positive points will come out of these courses.Learning Italian at a MOOC also means having the confidence to stand out from the crowd during a job interview. Because certainly, Italian is a language that we all know, since it is a European country, not too far from the UK, but few are those in the UK capable to speak it, and even less are those who are completely fluent! In this way, the MOOCs could guarantee you to add a string to our bow, at least to your professional profile!To prepare for the entrance exam to a major school, what could be better than to have an additional linguistic knowledge, which you would have learned in parallel. This is the advantage of online courses: being able to have a normal life while learning a foreign language. Mother at home, manager, civil servant, student, anyone can learn Italian with MOOC!Enjoy Italian culture by speaking Italian.Learn it, but use it too! Indeed, after the MOOC courses in Italian, it may also be a radical change of life, which would then be possible. Yes, as more and more British people decide to move abroad, all this would then be possible in Bologna, Palermo or Venice. These cases are obviously rarer, but let us also think of travel, which will then be considerably simplified.As you will have understood, MOOC courses in Italian are this type of course that allows you to benefit from a rich, varied and free teaching environment while making significant progress. Nothing and no one prevents you from enrolling in this type of course, and it gives you an open, accessible and resolutely modern image of foreign languages! Come on, let's have the Milanese cutlets and lasagna! Ciao!

Critical Reasoning Question 4-Critics of Promotional Gates - Private Tutoring

Critical Reasoning Question 4-Critics of Promotional Gates BobbiM Jan 31, 2014 Critical Reasoning Question 4 Critics of strict promotional gates at the grade school level point to a recent study comparing students forced to repeat a grade with those promoted despite failing scores on an unscheduled, experimental competency test. Since there was no significant difference between the two groups scores on a second test administered after completion of the next higher grade level, these critics argue that the retention policy has failed in its expressed purpose of improving students basic skills. Which of the following best expresses the argument made by critics of promotional gates? A. Anxiety over performance on standardized tests often hinders a students ability to master challenging new material. B. A students true intellectual development cannot be gauged by his score on a standardized competency test. C. The psychological damage a child suffers by repeating a grade outweighs the potential intellectual benefits of a second chance at learning. D. Strict requirements for promotion do not lead to harder work and greater mastery of fundamentals among students fearful of being held back. E. Socioeconomic factors as well as test scores influenced whether a given student in the study was promoted or forced to repeat a grade. Think you know the answer? Correct answer: D Since the critics claim, based on the studys results, that the policy of leaving students back doesnt improve their skills, the best restatement of their view is (D). (A) fails for two reasons: one, the critics never hinted that test anxiety was the reason for poor performance, and two, (A) discusses challenging new material, whereas the tests in question assess students basic skills. In (B), were not interested in students true intellectual development-again, its their mastery of basic skills. Anyway, (B)s criticism of standardized test scores tends to go against the critics argument, which is based on those very scores. The psychological damage of being left back, raised in (C), is well beyond the scope; the critics never hinted at this. Finally, (E) fails because the critics never discussed socioeconomic factors at all-just test scores.

Back to School Tips

Back to School Tips Our practical top tips on starting a new school year! Get Organised Your child’s school will usually provide a list of stationery and supplies such as; number of folders/binders for each subject, plastic wallets, lined paper, coloured pencils, fountain pen, scientific calculator, a geometry set etc. Go shopping together, and let your child pick out her own back to school stationery as this will allow them to take ownership of it (meaning she is more likely to take care of her new things) and get excited about the new school year. TOP TIP: Check that your child is comfortable using her new supplies e.g. the scientific calculator, or protractor as this can help ease anxiety in lessons. Get everything ready before school starts, ask your child to pack his school bag, and lay out his uniform the night before so there isn’t a manic panic in the morning! Get Back into the Routine Slowly get back into a routine so that it isn’t a shock to the system come the first day of school. Structure the day by waking up early, setting meal times, and bed times. Read our blog “The Importance of Sleep”. Switch off Screens! Gradually reduce TV time, this also includes use of the computer, tablets, games consoles and phones. Get creative and think of some other activities that your child can do during the day e.g ball games, art project, family walks, gardening. School Friends Having a friend over can help ease ‘back to school blues’ and anxiety. Ask your child ring to up a few parents and find out which children will be in the same class this year. Organise a few playdates, or a cinema trip so the kids can reconnect before school starts. Set Goals To help your child get into the right head space before starting school, sit down together and discuss his goals for the new school year. Examples might include: hand in homework on time, revise for exams in advance, raise a grade in maths. Setting goals will help structure a plan for the school year and keep to the routine. Try to avoid rewarding work that they should be doing anyway, but maybe discuss prizes for putting extra effort in. Homework Designate a space and time for homework. This space must be free from distractions so your child can focus. Try to encourage kids to have a snack and then do all of their homework right after getting back from school. This way they are still in the ‘zone’ and can relax right after. Develop Relationship with teacher Open up a dialogue with teachers at the beginning of the year. Take the time to meet them in person before or after school. Teachers are the best source of information when it comes to your child’s academic performance, however remember that the start of term can be busy so let them pick a time. Stay on schedule Familiarise yourself with your child’s school schedule. This will be provided on the first day of school, however you may also be able to request it form the school office before school starts. Sitting with your child, make note of keys dates such as field trips, school project deadlines, exams etc. By helping your child to keep on top of their schedule with gentle reminders, it will prevent last minute rushing and cramming the night before.

The certification youll need to land an online English teaching job

The certification you’ll need to land an online English teaching job So, you’ve realized all the amazing benefits of teaching English online - like being able to earn a living from your couch - and you’re ready to go get an awesome-paying, flexible online English teaching job. Recommended reading: Want to teach abroad? Try teaching English online first. This calculator shows how much you can earn teaching English online Or are you? Before you start applying to home-based online English teaching jobs, you need to know what the requirements are. What are the requirements for most online English teaching jobs? We’ll be quick here - you will usually need to hit these basic requirements for starters: A bachelor’s degree (your undergraduate major doesn’t matter) Native (or native-equivalent) English language skills - and some employers do prefer a North American accent An ESL certification (like a TEFL certificate) And that’s pretty much it, folks! If you have some sort of experience working with kids, that’s an added bonus. A teaching license, online teaching certificate, advanced degree, and oodles of teaching experience, while all factors that can seriously boost your hourly rate, are not strictly required across the board. There’s also some tech requirements you need to cover to teach online, like a computer and fast internet connection (but you’ve hopefully got those in the bag!) Sign up to Teach Away today for access to the latest teaching jobs around the world. What certification do I need to teach English online? You’ll definitely need to feel comfortable actually teaching English - employers will need to know that you can actually do the job. A good way to show off your English teaching skills on your resume is by getting TEFL certified. Even if it’s not specifically listed as a requirement on the job posting, it could be that extra “something special” that gets you the job over other applicants. Here’s just some of the online English teaching companies that require a TEFL certificate: Panda ABC SayABC Hujiang SinceWin Fluency Tutors English Ninjas Voxy Lingua Airlines Magic Ears Kaifu English UtalkABC 61kidz BiteABC Nicekid EnglishTutorOnline English Everywhere Talk Bean EOstudy Kampus World And here are more English teaching companies that consider a TEFL certificate a strong asset: DaDaABC VIPKID Gogokid Teach Away iTutorGroup 51Talk Boxfish BlingABC SayABC Qkids PalFish ALO7 Orange Talk SmileABC If you have years of experience teaching English language learners, these companies will still be eager to hire you, with or without a TEFL. But if you’ve got no real teaching experience and you’re not a certified teacher? You’ll be competing against people who are, and who will probably go to the effort of getting TEFL certified if they don’t. Raring to go? Get started by checking out some of the best companies that let you teach English online from home today!

Help Your Teen Adjust to Fall Semester - TutorNerds

Help Your Teen Adjust to Fall Semester - TutorNerds 5 ways to help your teen adjust to fall semester Teenagers have just gone back to school and are undergoing the adjustment from summer vacation back to the classroom environment. This can be a tough time for both teens and their parents because academic expectations become higher as students get closer to their senior year. There are lots of things parents can do to help their teen successfully adjust to the fall semester and help them be successful academically. Whether a student needs help with organization or a particular subject, its better if the first few weeks of school are low stress and positive our private Los Angeles tutors are here to help your teen adjust to fall semester. 1. Keep organized After enjoying summer vacation, most students will have forgotten the organizational tools that worked for them the previous year. Its beneficial if students have a little help getting started with their organization but still be independent enough to make choices that work for their schedule and learning style. Students might need help keeping subjects separate, keeping track of due dates, or concentrating on challenging topics. Planning is one of the keys to a successful semester and can make the entire year a better experience (READ: 5 Ways to prepare for the ACT this fall). 2. Supplemental education As students progress through high school, their academic workload will get heavier, and the assignments will become more difficult. Many students benefit from supplemental education services to help them stay on track and tackle challenging topics. Whether a student is working on college prep or dealing with core subjects such as math or English, working with a one-on-one tutor can make their academic life a lot easier. Tutors can help teens tackle stressful elements of a particular course and can help them efficiently prepare for exams. Whether a student works with a tutor for a few hours here and there or has a regular weekly appointment, supplemental education can benefit nearly every teen. 3. Keep education social Students often enjoy working together and have great ideas to share with one another but may start to feel overwhelmed by their current workload and shy away from group study. Being part of a study group of motivated students, however, is a fantastic way to keep education social and keep teens interested in discovering new topics and ideas. When students work together and have similar goals, they can also encourage each other to stay on track and keep their grades high. 4. Develop a healthy routine Its important for every student to have a routine that helps them stay on track academically but this becomes even more important as students progress through the teen years. Students should have enough time to complete their homework successfully, study for exams and prepare for college, enjoy extracurricular activities or work a part-time job, and have sufficient downtime to rest and recuperate from their academic assignments. This is a lot easier said than done and requires a delicate balance. High school students should be sure only to take on the responsibility they can handle and adjust to new responsibilities slowly so they can successfully adjust to each change in their schedule. 5. Get to know the teachers As students get older, they will have several different subject teachers rather than just one teacher in a classroom. Teachers are one of the best resources students can utilize to understand the material and be successful, but they often shy away from asking the teacher questions or contacting them outside of class. Teens are encouraged to write down any questions they have about assignments or a classroom lecture and make an appointment with the teacher during their free period or email them after school to stay on top of assignments and exams. Have you booked your private Los Angeles tutor for the fall semester? Whether its for test-prep, college admissions, or academic tutoring, TutorNerds has you covered. 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.

Costa Mesa Tutoring Improve Study Skills Over the Summer

Costa Mesa Tutoring Improve Study Skills Over the Summer Improve Study Skills Over the Summer With These 5 Tips From a Costa Mesa Tutor School kids are out and about enjoying their first taste of freedom for the summer. They need a break from all of the hard work theyve been doing throughout the school year so they can enjoy a little bit of the sunshine and some time with friends and family. In most cases, the last thing kids are thinking about is how to improve their study skills but, summer is actually a great time to think about how to study more efficiently so that students can spend less time on busy work and more time achieving their goals while still having a work/life balance throughout the school year our private Costa Mesa summer tutors are here to help you catch up and get ahead this break. 1.   Search for keywords One of the best things students in early and middle grades can do to cut down unnecessary study time is learn how to search for keywords. Many students read through an entire chapter to find the definition of a vocabulary word only to find that it was in the very last paragraph. This can be very frustrating and take up unnecessary time. Alternatively, students can look for keywords that give them a clue as to which particular paragraph or chapter might contain the desired information. One-on-one tutors are great at helping students develop this skill, which can save hours over the course of a term. 2. Organize math formulas Students might think that, since its summer, they’re done with math forever when, in fact, theyre only done with math for a few weeks. If students are lucky, their classroom teacher will review formulas at the beginning of fall term, but the review may or may not be as extensive as is necessary. Students are encouraged to sit down with a parent or tutor and spend a couple of hours organizing all of the math formulas they learned throughout the year. 3. Experiment with concentration Developing right concentration is not as easy as it might seem because there isnt one particular strategy that works for every student. Summer is a great time to experiment with concentration and helps kids understand why they have difficulty focusing and what they need to do to improve. Students can practice by reading a chapter book or doing research that would take multiple hours from start to finish. Parents can observe how many minutes a student can focus until they start to become distracted and they can also look at what type of environment a kid focuses best in. For example, are they happier in the peace of their room or do they study better at the kitchen table? 4. Organize assignments General organization is a key to success when it comes to effective study practices. One thing many younger students struggle with is keeping their homework assignments organized in a backpack or binder. Assignments, both finished and unfinished, tend to get lost in backpacks and students often cant remember which chapters they were supposed to read because they forgot to write it down. Summer offers an ideal time for students to sit down and figure out a system that works for them and will keep things organized throughout the school year (READ: Costa Mesa Private Tutoring Tips: 4 Reasons to Multitask While Studying). 5. Motivation Determining how best to motivate a younger student is one of the most difficult things a parent or educator will face. However, highly motivated students tend to study more often and more efficiently, so its worth taking some time to investigate the situation. Most commonly, students lose motivation because theyre overly tired, uninterested in a particular subject, or unable to figure out the practical applications of a particular topic. Because students dont have academic obligations over the summer, its an ideal time to start figuring out what will help them be motivated to work toward success. We have great news! You can have fun this summer AND stay on top of your academic studies. With the help of private Costa Mesa tutoring, you can catch up on a subject you didnt do so well in, or prep for any upcoming tests (ACT, SAT, you name it). 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.