Wednesday, March 25, 2020

How To Become A Computer Science Teacher

How To Become A Computer Science TeacherIf you are thinking about taking up a career in the U.S. but are not sure whether to go to a university or take up a job, it might be a good idea to apply for a computer science tutor position. All the universities are now offering programs that focus on the basic skills and knowledge required for today's technology-driven society. If you have taken up a bachelor's degree in computer science from a U.S. college or university, you may find it a good idea to enter into a computer science tutor program. These are ideal for those who want to learn how to code and automate their computers.You can start your career as a computer science tutor by attending one of the online education programs offered by the colleges or universities. This will allow you to interact with students from different parts of the world through the internet and interact with them while teaching them a variety of subject areas. The online learning has allowed students from diff erent countries to learn at their own pace and determine the course they wish to pursue from the subject matter areas that interest them.If you have never taken up a job before in your life, you can choose to study as an intern at a U.S. university or a college or the call upon your work experience. You can visit a library outside your place of residence and check out books about how to become a computer science tutor and learn how to become one. You can get training in software development from the community colleges or online universities and get taught how to use the latest programs like Microsoft Office and Mac OS. There are different types of online tutoring opportunities available.A science tutor can either be called upon for specific classes or for a few weeks each semester. This can be done if you want to focus on specific courses or if you wish to learn how to teach others. It is a great way to make more money and to gain experience, especially if you decide to move to anot her country and enter into a computer science teaching profession.Computer science is the study of computer programming. This course will give you the knowledge and skills that you need to start your own company and offer you the chance to make a difference to the global economy.As a science teacher, you will learn how to make things easy for students to learn. You will be able to customize your own lesson plans based on the needs of the students, giving them personalized access to the material. This can help you keep your classes interesting and engaging, especially in the course that involves creating applications. You will be able to provide tailor-made learning experiences.The growing demand for science teachers is also leading to an increase in demand for those who can teach others how to become science teachers. They have a broad range of knowledge about the subject matter and have a broad base of experience. But they are also the people who understand the importance of having a virtual classroom environment where the students can interact with one another. Thus, getting the right information on how to become a science teacher can be a good way to make a difference in the world.

Friday, March 6, 2020

How to Balance Work and Grad School

How to Balance Work and Grad School Congratulations on your decision to attend grad school! According to the Census Bureau, just 9.3% of American adults over 25 have earned a masters degree. Pursuing a masters degree is no easy task, but it is an endeavor that can yield a number of benefits. Grad school allows you to explore your academic passions on a deeper level, participate in cutting-edge research projects, make valuable contacts in your field, and strengthen your employment prospects. Some graduate students choose to work and study at the same time, while others do so out of necessity. In any case, a proper balance between both responsibilities is indispensable and can be achieved through the following advice. Heres how to balance work and grad school: Balance work and grad school by communicating with your supervisor To balance the demands of academia and work simultaneously, you must first and foremost learn how to manage your time. Grad school is quite different from your undergraduate years, so although you may have held a job while you worked toward your bachelors degree, your experience juggling both this time may present unexpected challenges. As you work toward your masters degree, your work schedule should remain fairly predictable. You should have a clear idea each week of which days and times you will have off; this way, you know exactly when and for how long you will be able to work on class assignments. Your boss should absolutely be aware of your plans to attend grad school, so talk to them as soon as possible to avoid scheduling disasters. If it is impossible for you to have a consistent schedule given the nature of your job, you should at least aim to keep your number of work hours steady. Open communication with supervisors is key to maintaining a healthy balance between work and school. [RELATED: What I Wish I Knew Before Starting Business School] Balance work and grad school by taking your study materials to work Work and grad school are two enormous responsibilities on their own. When you also consider all the other chores and errands you must tend to in a week, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed. It is for this reason that you must make the most of your downtime at work. During breaks, for instance, may be a great time to get ahead on class readings, studying, and other assignments. Take portable study materials to work, such as lightweight textbooks and flash cards, that you can easily look at in your free time. Since using your cell phone may be frowned on at work, it may be best to bring printouts, rather than electronic copies, of texts. [RELATED: How Students Can Improve Their Research Skills] Balance work and grad school by making some social sacrifices To maintain your job and your grad school average, you may need to make some social sacrifices. This implies that you might have to decline invitations to friendly gatherings at times. If it is Friday evening and you have a big project due on Monday, it may be wise to stay at home and work on your project rather than go out with your friends. You should not, however, give up your social life completely because of a demanding schedule. Seeing friends and interacting with others is not only enjoyable, it is essential to our emotional well-being. So, stay in contact with those you care about. Just make sure social outings do not interfere with work or study time. [RELATED: How Do Undergraduate and Graduate Theses Differ?] With effective time management skills, balancing work and grad school is a quite feasible task. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

English Comparatives Video with Exercises

English Comparatives Video with Exercises In English, we use comparatives to talk about the differences and similarities between two things. They are an important part of English, but students tend to make a lot of small mistakes with them. Here are some common mistakes English learners have:Brazil is more bigger than Spain.Clowns are more funner than mimes.New York is more small than São Paulo.*Note that fun and funny are more fun and funnier in their comparative forms. Also good, better and bad, worse are two other irregular comparatives.Here are some examples of sentences that use comparatives correctly:Clowns are  funnier than mimes.Brazil is bigger than Spain.Learning English is more interesting than going to the dentist.Do you know why we use more in the last comparative? Why does funnychange to funnier in the first sentence? Watch the video below, then see if you can do the exercises.Change the word in parentheses to a comparative. You can write your answers in comments and we will respond.1. New York is ____ (big) t han Chicago.2. Florida is _____(sunny) than Montana.3. Soccer is _____ (interesting) than baseball.4. The Higgs Boson is ___ (tiny) than a proton.5.  Is English _____ (hard) to learn than Spanish?6. Mandarin is _____ (difficult) to learn than Portuguese.7. China is _____ (populated) than India.8. My cat is _____(fat) than yours.9. Your dog is ____(skinny) than mine.10. Learning English is ____(easy) thank you think. Felipe Brito 1. New York is bigger   (big) than Chicago.2. Florida is sunnier (sunny) than Montana.3. Soccer is more intersting (interesting) than baseball.4. The Higgs Boson is tinier (tiny) than a proton.5.  Is English harder (hard) to learn than Spanish?6. Mandarin is more difficult (difficult) to learn than Portuguese.7. China is more populated (populated) than India.8. My cat is fater (fat) than yours.9. Your dog is skinnier (skinny) than mine.10. Learning English is easier (easy) thank you think. I like very much this classes U are fantastic ! This teacher is m ore intelligent than my Englishs teacher Success and a lot of money XD Bye !   Olga  i think cat is fatter not fater) LOIEnglish Nice work Olga! You are correct. We double the consonant when the word is one vowel + one consonant. Although, there are some exceptions:i.g. low lower LOIEnglish Felipe,  Olga is correct. Fat changes to fatter. You need to double the consonant when adding er at the end for comparatives when the word is one vowel + one consonant.  i.g. big -b-i(vowel)-g(consonant) biggerThank you for watching our videos. Check out the video on word order and possessives.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

How can I evaluate achievement in a Business English course

How can I evaluate achievement in a Business English course Businesses use a variety of effective advertising strategies. They can take the form of audiovisual media like videos and radio ads and print media like posters, brochures, business cards, and flyers. Business glossary and card game Flyers can be single-sheet promotional tools that list products, descriptions, and prices. Flyers are simple yet compelling ways of helping businesses to announce sales and specials to their target audience. What makes flyers so enduring? Well, flyers are among the most versatile and flexible printed marketing materials. They get your customers attention by neatly summarizing whats on sale. Flyers are instantly recognizable. Everybody knows what they are for and how they work. Furthermore, flyers make effective posters pinned to bulletin boards, stapled to phone poles, or taped to the inside of elevators. The development of flyers is cost-effective, and they are cheap to print in bulk. Flyers can be handed out on a street corner, junk-mailed, or stacked neatly on a counter for customers to pick up and take home with them. They are recyclable and compostable. Colour is optional but preferred, and now to save on ink and paper, flyers can be emailed in PDF format. Like it or not, flyers are everywhere, and they are here to stay. Picture by User:Ld. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)] Instructions Follow the ten steps below to prepare for an integrated writing and speaking evaluation. By the end, youll have a sales pitch with flawless grammar and pronunciation, and youll have a beautiful product brochure to share with customers. Step 1: Create a free account on VirtualWritingTutor.com (VWT) Step 2: Using the VWT’s essay outliner and the essay Heavenly Bananas, create a prioritized list essay outline. Heavenly BananasDownload Step 3: Print out the outline you created for the essay Heavenly Bananas and show it to your teacher. Step 4: Create a list of products your (imaginary) company sells. Step 5: Create a prioritized list essay outline pitching the products you listed. Be sure to include prices and an example of the unreal past conditional. If + had + past participle +, + would have + past participle.Past unreal conditional Step 6: Create a flyer using the Microsoft Word DOCX Flyer template. Virtual Writing Tutor flyer templateDownload Flyer template for Business English students Heres how to place your own product images into the flyer template. How to add images to the flyer template Step 7: Write a prioritized list essay using the products on your flyer. Check it for errors using the virtual Writing Tutor grammar checker. Step 8: Generate an MP3 using the VWT Text-to-Speech. The Virtual Writing Tutor can generate an MP3 to download of any text. Step 9: Rehearse and memorize your prioritized list sales-pitch essay. Step 10: Upload your essay outline, essay, and flyer to labodanglais the day before your presentation. Evaluations Present your prioritized list sales pitch brochure at your scheduled presentation time. Refer to your one-page outline during your presentation if you wish. However, students who deliver their presentations without referring to their outlines will score better than those who do. More workplace-related lessons The evaluation described above is being used at Montmorency College in conjunction with Actively Engaged on the Job. Designed primarily for B-block beginners who need lots of fluency practice, On the Job has proven to be a versatile course book for multi-level groups. Its packed with interactive activities that keep absenteeism prone students coming week after week. Actively Engaged on the Job The 100B level textbook is structured around a series of grammar lessons laid out in the usual order, starting with prepositions and the present tenses, moving through past tenses to conditionals, and ending with modals and future tenses. The big difference is the way this book contextualizes the grammar practice through weekly writing assignments. Students work in groups to imagine a fictional company. Each student is responsible for writing about the goings on at the company from the perspective of one of the employees there. Each week, they write a section of the story incorporating the grammar and the vocabulary from the lesson. They submit their writing on Labodanglais.com and anonymously peer review two classmates stories. In this way, grammar practice is communicative and contextualized. Additional vocabulary and grammar practice activities are available on Labodanglais.com in the form of fill-in the blank and error-find-and-correct exercises. Again, the emphasis is on meaningful context that lead to productive use. Find out how you can use Actively Engaged on the Job with your students by contacting BokomaruPublications@gmail.com . Find out how you can use Actively Engaged on the Job with Business English Students: bokomaruPublications@gmail.com Actively Engaged Online For intermediate levels, perhaps you would like to help students to learn professional writing through a blogging project. After all, every business has a blog, and every business is looking for new employees who have the digital literacy to communicate in the new economy. If you are interested in giving such a course, Actively Engaged Online can help. It has everything you need to get students writing introductions, glossaries, career summary blog posts, screencasts, listicles, and hypertext narratives. Written for people who have never blogged before or who have never taught blogging before, it is one of the easiest and most satisfying courses for students and teachers. Instead of writing a hypertext narrative with the Virtual Writing Tutors Hypertext Narrative Creator, perhaps you would prefer to teach students to write cover letters. If so, try the Virtual Writing Tutors new cover letter checker. There is a blog post explaining how to use the formative cover letter evaluation system to help students write the most complete and effective cover letter ever. Please follow and like us:

Apartment Friendly Cardio Workouts

Apartment Friendly Cardio Workouts Photo by cumiciki on flickr.com I live in Austin, a pretty fitness-obsessed city. Because of my own personal  schedule and lifestyle, I only have an hour a day for a dedicated work out, and  am definitely not willing to go to a gym for it. And since I live in Texas, where an  average day is 100 degrees, nothing wilts my motivation more than looking at the  sun and just wanting to give up. For those of you who aren’t willing to shell out upwards of $50 dollars a month to  go to a gym or who don’t like to exercise outside, working out at home is the only  other option. If you’re lucky, you live on the first floor and can jump and stomp  around as loudly as you please. But, if you’re like me and you live on the second  or even third floor of an apartment complex, cardio is pretty much forbidden. Everyone knows that you have to incorporate a mixture of strength and cardio  exercises not just to lose fat, but also to maintain general fitness. Here are some  cardio exercises that will get your heart pumping without making your neighbors  wonder if they’re living next to the Juggernaut from X-Men. Elbow push-ups Get into push up position. Bring your right elbow to the floor, then your left, so  that you’re holding yourself up with just your elbows and feet in plank. From that position,  push yourself up back into push up position by first placing your right hand  exactly where your right elbow was, and following with the left hand. That entire  cycle equals one elbow push-up. Stationary shadow boxing Get into a wide squat, keeping your back straight and chest strong. Alternate  punches, going as hard as you can in intervals. Allow yourself some rest time in  between. This is a great way to get your heart rate up while producing as little  noise as possible! Stationary Lunges To amp up the intensity, get into a deep lunge and pulse your body up and down.  Switch legs and repeat. Your thighs should be burning by the end! You can also  get into a deep lunge with the right leg forward. Your left leg should be stretched  back straight. Touch the knee of your left leg to the floor and then back into its  original position, trying to keep the rest of your body still. Switch legs and repeat.  This one’s also a killer on your glutes. Hoverjacks Get into plank position, hands right beneath your shoulders. Jump with your legs  in and out, the same way you would a jumping jack, only you’re holding yourself  in a plank with your arms. Mountain Climbers Get into plank position, hands right beneath your shoulders. Bring your left foot  forward as close to your chest as possible, keeping your right leg straight back.  Jump to switch leg positions so that your right foot is forward and your left leg is  straight back. To modify this move, simply step instead of jumping. Modified plyo moves If you absolutely have to jump in your workouts, try to land as softly as possibleâ€"this can actually increase the difficulty and intensity of your workout. Alternatively, try doing some exercises in short bursts. The Tabata method is  a great variation of a high intensity interval workout that only takes 4 minutes.  Pick an exercise that challenges you (boxing, push ups or half-cobra pushups,  crunches, lunges) and go as hard as you can for 20 seconds. Then allow yourself  10 seconds of rest, and repeat this seven times. Additionally, add weights to your  workouts to increase intensity and burn even more!

8 Fitness Routines You Must Try This Spring

8 Fitness Routines You Must Try This Spring pixabay.com What are you waiting for? Here are eight fitness routines you must try this spring. 1. Outdoor  Boot Camp With spring cleaning comes spring fitness. If you’re really looking to get that winter body into summer shape, you might be looking for something like an outdoor boot camp. A class like this is sure to work your whole body and kick yourself into high gear! Many of these classes are held outdoors (weather permitting) to utilize large amounts of space for running and other exercises. Plus, if you’re going to be sweating in the newfound spring heat, you may as well be burning some calories! 2. Sunrise Yoga If winter took a serious toll on you, you might be wanting a fresher, calmer outlook for spring. Adding some yoga and meditation to your life might be just what you need to get your body and mind back in shape. It’s relaxing, and if you take a sunrise yoga class to start your day, it’ll set a great tone for the hours of work ahead. If you’re lucky, some sunrise yoga classes are even held outside at actual sunrise so you not only get to enjoy the benefits of yoga, but the beauty of a sunrise as well. 3. TRX If you’re looking for something to work out your whole body in a totally new way, you may be looking for a TRX class. These classes often combine lots of different techniques from body weight exercises to weighted interval exercises. They also use various suspension training techniques to target things like balance and flexibility. The benefits can range from arm and leg strength to core and overall muscle tone. 4. Parkour Are you a daring individual? For someone on the fearless side, spring might urge you to take up some parkour. As a series of jumps, runs, flips, and twists, parkour is not for the weak hearted. Getting really good at this fitness exercise will ultimately take some practice, but the benefits include getting outside and being able to utilize your surroundings in a productive way, as well as perfecting some serious moves to impress your friends. Parkour can be done alone, but many towns and fitness centers have clubs that meet often to train together. 5. Kickboxing Ready to kick those winter blues? If you’re looking for a class that really brings the intensity, a kickboxing class could be the class for you. For many people, kickboxing is a great stress reliever and helps knock out all the frustrations of someone’s day. With a great instructor, you’ll be motivated to give it your all during a kickboxing workout. In fact, you’ll probably end up surprised at how much tougher you are than you originally thought. 6. Zumba If something aggressive and intense isn’t really your style, you may enjoy a fun dance-based class like Zumba (and who doesn’t want a dancer’s body?). Zumba isn’t necessarily a new fitness craze, but a tried and true class that always leaves its participants smiling while they sweat. Who knows! Maybe if you’ve got some tropical vacation plans over the summer, you’ll be able to show off some of your Latin-based Zumba moves down on the beach. 7. PiYo If yoga is putting you to sleep, but you want all the benefits of yoga, you should check out a class called PiYo which stands for Pilates Yoga. These classes utilize classic yoga movements like sun salutations and downward dog, but combine them with fast-tempo Pilates movements to really push up the cardio. A PiYo class is just about as relaxing as a roller coaster. The upbeat pace of the class is sure to keep you engaged and sweating bullets. You’ll have that summer body in no time! 8. Ultimate Frisbee You may be searching for something a little more oriented toward play rather than games. If you like working as a team, I suggest searching out a unique sports group to play with outdoors. Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that most people can pick up and that anyone can get into. It will really get your blood moving and maybe even get your competitive juices flowing. Remember, not everything has to happen at a gym to be considered fitness. Whether you love dancing or riding bikes, enjoying spring and getting in shape is as easy as you want it to be. Don’t be afraid to get creative when it comes to keeping yourself healthy. Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

5 reasons why you need a TEFL certification to teach English abroad

5 reasons why you need a TEFL certification to teach English abroad If you’re just starting to research teaching English abroad â€" and don’t have all the lingo down yet â€" you may be asking yourself: what’s a TEFL certificate? Well, if you’re dreaming of teaching English abroad and seeing the world, a TEFL certificate is your ticket to making your dreams come true â€" it was for me! TEFL is short for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, so (as you may have guessed) a TEFL certificate qualifies you to teach English in non-English speaking countries. If you want to learn all about TEFL certification, you’ve come to the right place! Keep reading to find out more about what it is and why it’s so essential to landing a teaching job abroad. Before we dive deeper into all things TEFL, I’d like to clear up something that often causes confusion: the difference between TEFL and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). These two terms are often used interchangeably, even though they technically have different meanings. Sometimes TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is also thrown into the mix, causing even more confusion. What’s the difference between TEFL, TESL and TESOL? TEFL = teaching English in non-English-speaking countries (e.g. teaching children in China) TESL = teaching English to students in English-speaking countries whose first language is not English (e.g. teaching new immigrants in Canada) TESOL = general term that includes both TEFL and TESL When you start looking for a job abroad with your TEFL certificate in hand, you’ll likely find that many job posts are for “ESL teachers,” but don’t worry! If the position is in a non-English-speaking country, then it’s actually for an EFL teacher â€" which you’re perfectly qualified for. You’ll see the terms used interchangeably on our job board, so make sure to keep this in mind during your job search. Ok, time to get down to the task at hand and talk about why you need a TEFL certificate to land your dream teaching job abroad. 1. A TEFL certificate is a common requirement for most teaching jobs abroad. Job requirements for ESL teaching jobs abroad vary across countries, but for the most part, a TEFL certification is a required qualification for most jobs at reputable schools. A Bachelor’s degree is also a very common requirement across the board, but you don’t need a degree in education or previous teaching experience in order to teach English abroad. For instance, after majoring in history and political science in university, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and quickly landed an English teaching job in China solely based on my completion of a TEFL course. Also, keep in mind that the ESL job market is highly competitive. So without a TEFL certificate, you’ll be at a distinct disadvantage. Even for job openings where the hiring school has not explicitly listed a TEFL certification as a requirement, it is always noticed and could be the deciding factor between hiring you or another teaching candidate. Good schools are looking to hire teachers with proper training, so they won’t consider you to be a viable candidate if you don’t have a TEFL certificate. 2. A TEFL certificate trains you on how to teach English to foreign students. Even for native English speakers, figuring out how to teach English to speakers of other languages is not so simple. There are many things that come naturally to us, which are difficult to explain â€" English grammar in particular. When interviewing for teaching jobs abroad, you‘ll be expected to demonstrate a strong grasp of fundamental English teaching skills â€" skills that can only be gained through getting TEFL certified. A TEFL course covers the ins and outs of ESL teaching, including lesson planning, classroom management and how to teach English language skills like reading, writing, speaking, listening, pronunciation and grammar. It also equips you with essential skills for the foreign language classroom, like how to identify different learning styles and adapt lessons to suit different student needs. 3. A TEFL certificate can help you develop the confidence to command a classroom. If you’ve never taught before, standing in front of a classroom full of students can be pretty intimidating â€" especially if you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing. This is amplified by the fact that your students may not speak a word of English, so you’ll likely have no idea how to communicate with them. When I first started teaching in China, I had classes of young learners (some as young as four years old) who not only didn’t speak English, but some of them had never even met a foreigner before. They were super cute, but the language barrier was so overwhelming for them that at least one student ended up in tears by the end of each lesson. Luckily, my TEFL training had prepared me for this scenario and I was able to (mostly) keep things under control. Taking the leap to teach abroad can be scary, so make sure you’re as prepared for the challenges you will inevitably face teaching students who don’t speak the same language as you. Completing a TEFL course is the best investment you can make if you want to be as prepared as possible. It’ll set you up for teaching success by giving you the knowledge and confidence to lead engaging lessons and command a classroom. 4. A TEFL certificate can help you tailor your resume to your desired international teaching job. Some TEFL courses, such as the OISE University of Toronto TEFL course, offer specialization course options in areas like business English and teaching English to young learners. You can even specialize in teaching English to students whose first language is, for example, Arabic or Chinese. These specializations all allow you to tailor your certificate to certain locations or types of teaching positions. Depending on the country you want to teach in, having a relevant specialization under your belt can really make your resume stand out, strengthen your job prospects and improve your abilities in the classroom. For example, if you want to teach English in China to young learners, these OISE TEFL specializations will make you an ideal candidate: Teaching English to Mandarin (Chinese) Speakers and Teaching English to Young Learners. 5. A TEFL certificate can help you develop skills for working and living in a foreign country. When you first move abroad to teach, you may experience some culture shock â€" whether you expect it or not. That’s why some TEFL courses, such as the one from International House (I-House) UC Berkeley, equip you with intercultural skills that will help you navigate smoothly through life in and outside of the classroom in a foreign country. For instance, the I-House UC Berkeley TEFL course offers six modules focused specifically on “International Teaching and Global Effectiveness.” Topics covered in these modules include examining how perceptions are shaped by culture and how adapting effectively to a new culture is aided by understanding cultural values. How to get started with a TEFL certificate Enrolling in a TEFL course is super easy! There are no prerequisites and you can start online right away. Even if you’re a student planning your next step, you can even get TEFL certified while you’re still in school. But you may want to do some research first. Personally, I wish I had done more research before signing up for an in-class TEFL course, which was unnecessarily intensive and not as informative as I had hoped. Mind you, that was 11 years ago, so my TEFL course choices were limited. Nowadays there are so many choices out there that picking the best one can be tricky. So make sure to research how to choose the right TEFL course for you. Don’t forget that a TEFL course is an investment in your future, which will help you land a well-paying teaching job. Not only can you earn a lot, but also save money, while enjoying living abroad. Sounds pretty awesome, right? I can honestly tell you from personal experience: it really is! One last pro tip: keep an eye out for discount promotions that some TEFL companies offer every so often. You’ll likely save more than you’d expect. And you can put that money towards your travel fund!