What Is It That Chemistry Tutors Fail To Teach Their Students?

What Is It That Chemistry Tutors Fail To Teach Their Students?The good news is that with the right techniques you can make it through that chemistry tutor exam. The bad news is that this article is written to make that Chem 1 Final Exam a walk in the park, or at least a far cry from becoming an administrator's nightmare.Before we get into the details of what to do for your Chem 1 tutor exam, let's discuss what exactly is meant by a Chem that has no room for errors and with no room for mistakes. If you need to spend a substantial amount of time in the lab setting up and running experiments, then you will need a Chem that meets the standards set forth by the Association of American Universities.Because there are several standard types of answer types, you must choose the answer types that will best suit your students. In this article I will focus on two question types which are the multiple choice and the fill in the blank type. Using the correct answer types to your students will help to ensure that they learn how to properly express their ideas, and that they understand the concepts behind the experiment.A multiple choice type of test will ask your students to answer a variety of different question types. These include; True/False, Multiple Choice and Fill in the Blank. It is not difficult to answer any of these question types.But it is the Multiple Choice type of question that can be the most difficult and requires that you incorporate some types of verbal responses and some type of chart work. It is because this test type is so important to your student's success that we will give you some suggestions as to how to answer these questions.In addition to answering the true/false questions, you can make it a point to go over the lab's rules and procedures. Explain to your students that a good research lab follows a system that is transparent to all of its students.If you give your student's correct answers, you will need to be sure that they understand the concep ts behind the experiment. When they are done with their tests, you want to make sure that they are fully prepared for the real thing. By following these easy steps you will be well on your way to making your Chemistry tutor exam a breeze!

A Brief Review of the New SAT

A Brief Review of the New SAT ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog Three little letters: SAT. For many years now, those three little letters have evoked feelings of dread, fear and anxiety in the minds of countless high school students across the country. We are speaking of course, of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. It is a standardized exam offered by the College Board used in determining college admissions and, in many cases, scholarships to a given institution. The ACT (American College Testing) is also offered and accepted at all four-year institutions just like the SAT. As many of you may know, the SAT has been around for quite some time now, with the first test being administered on June 23, 1926. To this effect, for the first time in 11 years, the writers of the exam figured it was time their exam was updated and thus, the newly reformatted SAT hit test-takers desks March 2016 for the first time. This article will give you the full scoop on this new exam, its structure and breakdown, and more specifically, what you need to do differently to make sure you succeed on this new test. The first thing you probably want to ask yourself with this test just being released last month is, “does this even apply to me?” That’s a great question. This depends on when you are applying to college and if the SAT is the right test for you. It is popular with schools on the East and West Coast as well as many private institutions. If you’re shooting for the Ivy League, this test is definitely preferred in coast schools. But remember, all 4-year institutions take both the SAT the ACT. If you are applying to college in the Fall of 2016 or later, then you can utilize the new SAT! Now, that said, what if you want to use your old scores? Well, are you currently a junior in the class of 2017? Don’t worry! Old and New SAT scores will be accepted for the class of 2017. This is likely because the exam switched halfway through the year. There’s a small catch though. Many students like to call this score adjustment tactic colleges use “Superscoring” where colleges use multiple exams and pick out the best score in each section, assembling a “superscore” that is the highest from each section, thus raising your composite score higher than any one complete exam. This will NOT occur between the new and old testing and scoring formats since they are different exams that are scored differently. Okay, so if you’re currently a junior graduating in 2017, you’re fine using your old SAT scores to apply. If you’re in the class of 2018 however, I strongly urge you to check with your colleges because there’s at least one Chicago school that has officially stated they will not accept old SAT scores for their class of 2018. Northwestern University has officially stated they will not be accepting the old SAT for the class of 2018 and beyond. So the moral of the story is: if you’re graduating in 2018, check with you r institutions of choice if they will be requiring the new exam scores. But what about the actual test? What changed? Is it harder or just different? And, of course, everyone’s concern: Scoring! Let’s delve a little deeper into what changed and the structure of this new exam. Time for some good news: the new SAT has been getting good reviews from test-takers everywhere! Students are saying that the new exam is more straightforward, less ambiguous, and contains less strange vocabulary words. I know at least for me that would be a huge relief were I to take this exam again since it definitely had the uncanny knack of throwing some crazy words at me. The test will still test the same subject areas (Reading, Writing Math), however, now the reading and writing sections are termed “Evidence-based Reading Writing”. The idea is this new content will better analyze ones skills in acquiring information and making quality decisions using that evidence-based information given. Another big relief to students is that the essay portion is now 50 minutes long and optional. Students should check with their individual and prospective institutions to see if they require the SAT with Essay or without. Test makers insist that the multiple-choice section of the test “deeply predicts” one’s academic success in college while many institutions did not find the written portion as helpful as a predictor. If you choose to opt for a test with an essay, the structure of the exam is very similar to the previous exam and will run about 3 hrs and 50 min (compared to the old exam which was 3 hours and 45 minutes). If you opt-out of the essay, then your exam will run you only 3 hrs. There is continued emphasis on reasoning like the older exam, while taking a new approach to focus more comprehensively on skill, knowledge and understanding of those imperative skills for college readiness. Thus, after what seems to be lots of deliberation and research, the new SAT is claimed to be a far better predictor than the old one! There is still one last element that underwent a major change, and this element is arguably the most important one to all the students reading this paper: Scoring. The new SAT is scored much differently than its older counterpart. Instead of being out of 2400 points, this exam offers a total of 1600 points split between the “Evidence based Reading Writing” and Math sections, each 800 points. Like before, the worst you can do on each individual section is to get a score of 200 making the lowest possible score 400. However, one very exciting element of this new test is their new guessing penalty…or rather, their lack thereof! The new SAT does not penalize you for guessing. Incorrect or blank answers do NOT result in any points lost. This does mean one very important strategy change: Answer everything! Make sure every last bubble on that exam is filled in because no guessing penalty means if you don’t answer a question you miss out on a perfectly good chance to get points without the risk of losing any if you’re wrong. Previously, you were cautioned against guessing due to the older exam deducting points for wrong answers. This time however, go for it and make sure you leave enough time at the end to a nswer all of them. Figure 1 at the end of this article is provided by the college board and details very colorfully, the individual score/subscore breakdown of the content on the SAT. Please reference it for further analysis of what will be on the exam and how it will be organized. The final note I will make on this subject of the new SAT is that the most important factor in preparing for the exam has not changed: you gotta practice, practice, practice! The way to achieve the best score possible is to take as many practice exams as you can. To take these exams, you need to build up your skills and familiarity with the exam so you are ready to constantly get in the ring and battle it. Like a boxer training for his big fight, this exam can make a big impact on your application. MyGuru offers unique insight into test prep services and studies show that one on one time with a tutor during test prep can truly make an extraordinary difference. Study hard and keep your eye on the prize, that’s the recipe for success! Figure 1: New SAT Score Breakdown: Breakdown shows the Analysis in Science History/Social Studies will expand over both sections, thus their scoring is termed “cross-test scores”. Subscore section details the specific concepts that are evaluated in each section. Image Credit: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/new-score-structure

English Love Idioms and Phrases with meanings - Intermediate English

English Love Idioms and Phrases with meanings - Intermediate English The majority of  people believe that French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese are the most romantic languages in the world. This might be true. However, there are many English love idioms and phrases that you  could use.  If you want to impress someone (particularly if your partner is a native English speaker), try using one or two of them in your conversation. 12 English Love Idioms and Phrases   1. THE LOVE OF MY LIFE   the most important person in your life the person you really love at a particular timeex. It was obvious that Ann was the love of his life.2. LOVE IS IN THE AIR you can almost reach out and feel the love, when shops are decorated with signs of love (hearts/ flowers etc)ex. In early February of every year, love is in the air.3. LOVE IS BLIND when a person or persons are deeply in love they do not see some obvious weaknesses or negatives about their partner, love is blindex. I dont understand why she likes him so much? He is so selfish and doesnt treat her well. Well, love is really blind.4. ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR whether we are dealing with matters of the heart or to do with politics or war everything we do is acceptable in matters of such importanceex. He refused to give me my seat, stating that he was there first and that all was fair in love and war.  5. A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE usually used as a joke to describe someone who is not very attr activeex. Although, he had a face that only a mother could love, and he snorted and snored, Penny adored him.  6. A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP one person has very strong positive feelings for another person and the other person feels exactly the oppositeex. They had a love/hate relationship for 5 years. However, deep down they really did care about each other. 7. LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND with out love where would we be love helps us get through lifes little problems,  love helps everybody and everythingex. Love is the principal force behind human life. Love makes the world go round.8. HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE when someone falls deeply in love with another person, as if they actually fell over they were so much in loveex. Peter met this French girl on a study trip and fell head over heels in love with her.9. ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER when we do not see a person we love for some time (weeks or months) we grow more fond of them during that absence a sign that we really missed their presence in our lifeex. People think sceptically of long-distance relationships but absence does make the heart grow fonder.10. TO FIND MR OR MRS RIGHT to find the person best suited to us the person we have been waiting forex. Jim is not married. He is always  in search for his Mrs. Right  wherever he goes.11. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT to fall in lov e with someone at the first meeting with them or when we see that person for the first timeex. He saw that girl and he couldnt take his eyes off her, it was love at first sight.12.  TO HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE   to find someone attractive and think about this person all the time, usually describes  teenage infatuation.ex. He had a crush on her for years but she didnt pay much attention to him.   English Love Idioms - Infographic Enjoyed this infographic? Here’s what you can do next: Share on telegram

Writing Your Way to Language Fluency

Writing Your Way to Language Fluency Guest Post by Allison VanNest, Grammarly.com Even if your goal is just to be conversant in a new language, don’t neglect reading and writing in favor of speaking and listening. These four aspects of language acquisition all work together to forge new pathways in your brain. Incorporate daily writing practice into your routine to learn faster. Here’s how: Be Social. Find a writing buddy who speaks the language you are learning, and offer to trade writing samples.  italki’s notebook feature allows you to post short pieces of writing for correction by a community of native speakers. It’s a social way of learning that helps you develop your language skills at your own pace. Master Idioms. Some of the most difficult things to master in any language are the idiomsâ€"regional expressions that can’t be literally translated. For example, in English you might greet someone informally with “What’s up?” but if you translated that expression word-for-word into a foreign language, you might get some funny looks. Writing lets you explore those expressions and incorporate them into your speech. Practice Grammar. Native speakers tend to instinctively know when words are in the wrong order or the incorrect pronoun appears in a sentence; however, even similar languages such as Italian and Spanish have differing grammar rules. It’s much easier to figure out the ins and outs of grammar by writing and reading. You can take your time and correct mistakes that might go unnoticed in speech. Develop Your Vocabulary. When practicing conversation in a new language, you tend to fall back on the limited stock of words you’ve already masteredâ€"if you’ve only learned the words for apple and banana, you can’t ask for an orange. Writing allows you to explore a richer vocabulary since you aren’t limited to the words on the tip of your tongue. Make it Personal. Keeping a journal or diary in the language you are studying is a great way to learn. Since you’re writing about your life in the real world instead of practicing made-up scenarios, it helps to reinforce the connection between your brain and the new language. Get Creative. You don’t have to stick to writing about the mundane. If you don’t want to journal about your day-to-day life, trying writing a piece of fiction instead. You’ll develop more vocabulary when writing creatively, and you may discover that it’s more fun, too. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you might participate in NaNoWriMo this November, a month-long challenge to write an entire novel in 30 days. If that sounds too overwhelming, Grammarly has a group novel project, GrammoWriMo, for participants to each contribute up to 800 words. Write, Then Translate. When you’re learning a new language, you still think in your native tongue. Try approaching the written word the same way. Write a page in your journal in your native language first and then translate it into the language you want to learn. Take a Picture. Ryan North, the creator of Dinosaur Comics, shared examples of his six-panel comic strip that had been captioned by foreign language students. The Japanese and Korean students used the pictures to tell their own story. You can try the same thing by taking a comic strip and blanking out the text, watching a cartoon with the sound off and making up a story for the characters, or even just looking at a picture or movie still and describing the characters and action. It’s okay if it’s silly; in fact, that just makes it more fun! Keep a Sense of Humor. You’re going to make mistakes. That’s okay. Learning a new language is tough, and if you accidentally use the wrong word or mangle a sentence, remember that every mistake is a learning opportunity. When a native speaker corrects your grammarâ€"you meant to say something about the weather but accidentally asked to pet their uncle’s cowâ€"laugh it off and learn from it. Next time, you’ll get it right! About the Author A self-proclaimed word nerd, Allison VanNest works with Grammarly to help perfect written English. Connect with Allie, the Grammarly team and its extensive social media community on Facebook or Twitter. And don’t forget to sign up for Grammarly’s group novel project to begin this November at www.grammarly.com/grammowrimo. Writing Your Way to Language Fluency Guest Post by Allison VanNest, Grammarly.com Even if your goal is just to be conversant in a new language, don’t neglect reading and writing in favor of speaking and listening. These four aspects of language acquisition all work together to forge new pathways in your brain. Incorporate daily writing practice into your routine to learn faster. Here’s how: Be Social. Find a writing buddy who speaks the language you are learning, and offer to trade writing samples.  italki’s notebook feature allows you to post short pieces of writing for correction by a community of native speakers. It’s a social way of learning that helps you develop your language skills at your own pace. Master Idioms. Some of the most difficult things to master in any language are the idiomsâ€"regional expressions that can’t be literally translated. For example, in English you might greet someone informally with “What’s up?” but if you translated that expression word-for-word into a foreign language, you might get some funny looks. Writing lets you explore those expressions and incorporate them into your speech. Practice Grammar. Native speakers tend to instinctively know when words are in the wrong order or the incorrect pronoun appears in a sentence; however, even similar languages such as Italian and Spanish have differing grammar rules. It’s much easier to figure out the ins and outs of grammar by writing and reading. You can take your time and correct mistakes that might go unnoticed in speech. Develop Your Vocabulary. When practicing conversation in a new language, you tend to fall back on the limited stock of words you’ve already masteredâ€"if you’ve only learned the words for apple and banana, you can’t ask for an orange. Writing allows you to explore a richer vocabulary since you aren’t limited to the words on the tip of your tongue. Make it Personal. Keeping a journal or diary in the language you are studying is a great way to learn. Since you’re writing about your life in the real world instead of practicing made-up scenarios, it helps to reinforce the connection between your brain and the new language. Get Creative. You don’t have to stick to writing about the mundane. If you don’t want to journal about your day-to-day life, trying writing a piece of fiction instead. You’ll develop more vocabulary when writing creatively, and you may discover that it’s more fun, too. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you might participate in NaNoWriMo this November, a month-long challenge to write an entire novel in 30 days. If that sounds too overwhelming, Grammarly has a group novel project, GrammoWriMo, for participants to each contribute up to 800 words. Write, Then Translate. When you’re learning a new language, you still think in your native tongue. Try approaching the written word the same way. Write a page in your journal in your native language first and then translate it into the language you want to learn. Take a Picture. Ryan North, the creator of Dinosaur Comics, shared examples of his six-panel comic strip that had been captioned by foreign language students. The Japanese and Korean students used the pictures to tell their own story. You can try the same thing by taking a comic strip and blanking out the text, watching a cartoon with the sound off and making up a story for the characters, or even just looking at a picture or movie still and describing the characters and action. It’s okay if it’s silly; in fact, that just makes it more fun! Keep a Sense of Humor. You’re going to make mistakes. That’s okay. Learning a new language is tough, and if you accidentally use the wrong word or mangle a sentence, remember that every mistake is a learning opportunity. When a native speaker corrects your grammarâ€"you meant to say something about the weather but accidentally asked to pet their uncle’s cowâ€"laugh it off and learn from it. Next time, you’ll get it right! About the Author A self-proclaimed word nerd, Allison VanNest works with Grammarly to help perfect written English. Connect with Allie, the Grammarly team and its extensive social media community on Facebook or Twitter. And don’t forget to sign up for Grammarly’s group novel project to begin this November at www.grammarly.com/grammowrimo.

How the italki Language Challenge prepared me for the Olympics

How the italki Language Challenge prepared me for the Olympics Patineuse (left) at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics acting as a volunteer translator. I completed the 2014 italki New Year’s Language Challenge. The challenge was to take 20 lessons in 6 weeks.  I actually finished the Challenge in a record 10 days!  The Challenge was great for me because I was going to the  2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and it was the perfect opportunity to improve my Japanese, French and English.  I wanted to improve these languages to at a level where I could help out as a volunteer translator. I want to thank my favorite teachers JapaneseTutor, Jéròme, Altini and Lloyd. It was not only my Challenge, but also theirs as well ?? At the Sochi Winter Olympics, I was preparing to volunteer as a translator at Iceberg Palace where I would be translating for figure skating and short-track speed skating contestants.  Im a native Russian speaker and am fluent in English, Japanese and French.  However, I wasnt at the level where I could translate specific figure skating and speed skating vocabulary.  I needed to really improve my translation abilities in these languages very quickly.  Even though my teachers were all native speakers in their respective languages, they had to put in extra time to learn the specific vocabulary around these sports.  I really appreciated all the extra preparation that my teachers put in to learn about figure skating and short-track speed skating.  You can say that they are now experts in these areas.  They really showed their professionalism and sincere wish to help me during the Challenge. What I got out of the Challenge was even more confidence and a greater understanding of these languages. One my personal highlights of the Games was that I helped translate for Olympic Champions Yuzuru Hanyu  (in the picture above with me!), Yulia Lipnitskaya and Adelina Sotnikova. I also acted as one of the translators for Canadian short-tracker Charles Hamelin. There were many athletes that did not need any translating help, but as I was always nearby I was able to listen in on their interviews (of course I completely understood what they were saying). It was amazing that I had the opportunity to take part in such a historic event!   I could not have been there without improving my language abilities on italki.  The italki Language Challenge kept me motivated in my language learning and I didnt have to spend a lot of money! So again, I finished the Challenge. But Im not stopping there.  I am sticking with my long term goals to continue improving my foreign languages skills.  After the challenge, Ive actually set a new goal I want to participate in the Olympic Games in Korea and Japan not only as a volunteer, but as a paid translator! So, I will continue learning foreign languages and I am looking forward to the next Language Challenge. For everyone at italki, I wish all your dreams will come true! Patineuse joined italki in 2011 as a student.  In Feb 2013 she became one of our Community Tutors where she helps others learn Russian.  If youre interested in learning Russian from a Olympic-level Polyglot, please contact her! How the italki Language Challenge prepared me for the Olympics Patineuse (left) at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics acting as a volunteer translator. I completed the 2014 italki New Year’s Language Challenge. The challenge was to take 20 lessons in 6 weeks.  I actually finished the Challenge in a record 10 days!  The Challenge was great for me because I was going to the  2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and it was the perfect opportunity to improve my Japanese, French and English.  I wanted to improve these languages to at a level where I could help out as a volunteer translator. I want to thank my favorite teachers JapaneseTutor, Jéròme, Altini and Lloyd. It was not only my Challenge, but also theirs as well ?? At the Sochi Winter Olympics, I was preparing to volunteer as a translator at Iceberg Palace where I would be translating for figure skating and short-track speed skating contestants.  Im a native Russian speaker and am fluent in English, Japanese and French.  However, I wasnt at the level where I could translate specific figure skating and speed skating vocabulary.  I needed to really improve my translation abilities in these languages very quickly.  Even though my teachers were all native speakers in their respective languages, they had to put in extra time to learn the specific vocabulary around these sports.  I really appreciated all the extra preparation that my teachers put in to learn about figure skating and short-track speed skating.  You can say that they are now experts in these areas.  They really showed their professionalism and sincere wish to help me during the Challenge. What I got out of the Challenge was even more confidence and a greater understanding of these languages. One my personal highlights of the Games was that I helped translate for Olympic Champions Yuzuru Hanyu  (in the picture above with me!), Yulia Lipnitskaya and Adelina Sotnikova. I also acted as one of the translators for Canadian short-tracker Charles Hamelin. There were many athletes that did not need any translating help, but as I was always nearby I was able to listen in on their interviews (of course I completely understood what they were saying). It was amazing that I had the opportunity to take part in such a historic event!   I could not have been there without improving my language abilities on italki.  The italki Language Challenge kept me motivated in my language learning and I didnt have to spend a lot of money! So again, I finished the Challenge. But Im not stopping there.  I am sticking with my long term goals to continue improving my foreign languages skills.  After the challenge, Ive actually set a new goal I want to participate in the Olympic Games in Korea and Japan not only as a volunteer, but as a paid translator! So, I will continue learning foreign languages and I am looking forward to the next Language Challenge. For everyone at italki, I wish all your dreams will come true! Patineuse joined italki in 2011 as a student.  In Feb 2013 she became one of our Community Tutors where she helps others learn Russian.  If youre interested in learning Russian from a Olympic-level Polyglot, please contact her!

8 tips for home-schooling

8 tips for home-schooling Home-schooling your child has become an ever-increasing trend, with more and more parents opting for the less traditional way of educating their child. Some parents find that their child thrives in a home-school environment where following the national curriculum is not compulsory. Parents do not need to be teachers or necessarily have teaching experience and there are plenty of private tutors out there that can help stimulate the subjects your child is really interested in. Home-schooling your child can be very rewarding but can also be a difficult and daunting task; following a few simple tips can make the process a far smoother one. 1. Read Read; in all senses of the word. Read to your child, have your child read to you, read aloud together. We all know that reading plays a great factor in your child's development and the more they read the more they will both enjoy it and learn from it. Take the time to explore different books at your local library and make sure you are members there so that you can borrow books and return them on a regular basis. Incorporated into your schedule this will become an important part of your routine. It is also vital that you, as the parent, reads about home-schooling and different teaching methods. The more informed you are the more your child will benefit. 2. Decide on the best approach The great thing with home-schooling is that there are no real rules to follow and you have the freedom to decide what your child will learn and how you will go about teaching it to them. Learning life-skills is often more important to parents home-schooling their children than teaching them a foreign language or chemistry. Knowing how to use a washing machine, change a car tyre or ride a bike are important skills that children will take with them into adulthood. Take the time to discuss with your child things they would like to learn about then decide the best way to approach these lessons. There are plenty of free resources that can give you advice on the different approaches people use when home-schooling their child. Take the time to try different methods and go with those that best fit your child. 3. Have patience Patience is something that goes hand-in-hand with home-schooling. Like anything new, home-schooling your child successfully will take time for both you and your child. It is perfectly natural to try methods that do not necessarily work for you both; having the patience to persevere is the key to success here. Your child will of course grasp some things more naturally than others and this will also require a good amount of patience on your part. Always praise your child's efforts and if something is difficult for them find a different method of explaining it to the until they feel comfortable enough to move on. A private tutor is the perfect solution for some of the problems parents face with home-schooling. If your child has difficulty with certain subjects, needs some extra help or simply needs more stimulation then a private tutor is your answer. 4. Get in touch with other home-schoolers Home-schooling always seems to bring the feeling of unsociability and loneliness but it doesn't need to be this way at all. There are home-schooling communities all over the UK where parents get together with their children and plan different days out or joint lessons. Being social is an important part of growing up and children will always need other children their ages to interact with and talk to. Join different groups and meet people that are also home-schooling their child. Aside from meeting new people you will have the chance to exchange ideas and plan visits together. 5. Learn about different home-schooling styles Finding the best method to home-school your child can often be challenging and it is important to find the one that best suits both you and your child. The more options you have available to you in regards to different methods and styles the more prepared you will be to make decisions. There are many great books out there that are available for parents to read and better understand different home-schooling styles. These 3 books are great reads for home-schooling parents: No Sweat Home Schooling: The Low Stress Way To Teach Your Kids by Kelly Wallace The Everything Homeschooling Handbook: All you need to create the best curriculum and learning environment for your child by Sherri Linsenbach Children's Book of Experiments: 30 Incredible Experiments for Young Scientists by Jaroslaw Wasilewski 6. Know your child's learning style Learning styles play a major part in how your home-schooling journey will go and knowing our child's learning style will almost certainly ensure a happier learning environment. Whether you child learns best through auditory, visual or kinaesthetic methods, knowing how they learn best will be a great way to figure out the best teaching methods. To find out more about learning styles read our blog on 'Understanding Learning Styles - is your learning style compatible with online education?'. 7. Keep a home-schooling plan A great way to get into a good home-schooling routine is to have a plan. Home-schooling is all about flexibility but having a good plan of subjects and topics you want to cover and educational visits and outings will keep you ahead. A great book for home-schooling parents is 'Simple Homeschool planner'' by Schoolhouse Heaven. A simple way of keeping a schedule and organising your days. 8. Be creative One of the best things about home-schooling is that you can be as creative as you like without having to follow rules. Have a budget that will allow you to do different activities with your child and plan them together. With home-schooling the world is your oyster so use imagination as freely as possible. Visit fire-stations, forests and beaches, join support groups and take long trips to places your child has never seen. Your options are endless and with some careful planning and lots of creativity, learning can be a truly wonderful experience.

The Essential Guide to Building Your Personal Brand

The Essential Guide to Building Your Personal Brand via Pixabay What Does Personal Branding Mean? Just how companies and business have a specific brand that people recognize when they see a logo or product, people have them too. A personal brand is what you put out for the public to see. It’s a way for strangers to get to know who you are, what you stand for, and what kind of value you can provide. When someone sees your name, they should think of content you’ve created or an industry you enjoy working in. Clean Up Your Social Media Before you even start thinking about building your personal brand, go through all of your old social media posts. Clean up your social media by deleting posts and pictures you wouldn’t want important people to see. All of those pictures with red solo cups and climbing on things that weren’t meant to be climbed should be taken down. Controversial or petty statuses should be deleted. The rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it, then delete it. It’s More Than Just Likes and Followers A common misconception about building your personal brand is that the number of likes and followers you have measures the success of your brand. While it’s a great feeling to get hundreds of likes and have thousands of people follow you, it doesn’t always mean your personal brand is good. Building your personal brand means creating successfully getting your message out to the world and creating valuable content that shows off your talents and knowledge. Building your personal brand is more than just having a large following. Find Your Niche Now comes the hard question: What do you want to do with your life? It’s a heavy question for someone who is just starting out. However, in order to build your personal brand, you’ll have to figure out what type of industry you’d like to work in. Once you have that figured out, it’s time to pick your niche. It’s essential to pick a niche that is specific enough to become an expert in, but broad enough so there are a lot of people who will need your expertise. An example of this would be someone would like to work in the marketing industry, but their niche is social media marketing. They have an overall knowledge of the industry, but hone in on one aspect and become an expert in it. Once you find your niche, it’s time to start building your personal brand. Graphic by Brittany Loeffler Pick Your Platform In the age of social media, there are a variety of platforms you can use when building your personal brand. However, each platform serves a different purpose and attracts different audiences. It’s important to choose a primary platform that caters to your content, target audience, and your industry. That’s not saying that you shouldn’t have more than one social media platform for your brand. It just means that you should focus solely on one platform while updating other platforms with the same content as your primary platform. Facebook You can use Facebook as your primary platform if you would like to easily interact with your followers. It’s a great platform to post content that is shareable and is interesting to many people even outside your niche. It’s also a useful platform if you are interested in Facebook paid advertisements down the road. LinkedIn For all things professional, LinkedIn is your go-to primary platform. It’s a community of working professionals of all industries that share the same goal of networking and inspiring each other. If your niche is more business-content focused, then this is the way to go. Instagram Maybe your personal brand is more photo-focused. Instagram would be the best way to show off your talents and work. This is great for photographers and anyone in the food or fashion industry. The role of hashtags on this platform offers a great way to get your brand noticed. YouTube If you feel that videos are the best way to capture your personal brand, then your primary channel should be YouTube. You can get creative with your content when filming videos. It also doesn’t limit you to 15-second or 1-minute clips. Medium When the best way to build your brand is through the written word, Medium is the way to go. This platform is helpful for reaching an audience with blogs and articles. Your writing will be categorized and shown to people who are interested in the same topic. Podcasts Though it isn’t a social media platform, it’s a way to build your personal brand and share content with your audience. This is great if you enjoy talking rather than writing and can hold conversations. It also provides an excuse to conduct interviews. Pinterest Depending on your target audience, Pinterest may be the most effective platform. Women make up the majority of the site’s users. It works best if your content includes appealing graphics that leads back to a blog post or article. Quora Show off your knowledge for your niche by answering questions people post on Quora. This will build a repertoire for your brand and people will trust your insights and knowledge the more you engage with people. Build Your Website It’s essential to have a website when building your personal brand. Your website is home to all of your content, contact information, and everything your that is your personal brand. Having your own website is more professional than just having a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile. It doesn’t have to be a fancy website with widgets and savvy graphics, so don’t get too carried away. You can use simple programs such as Wix or SquareSpace to make your site. Make sure to create an email account using your website’s domain and add your website to your email signature. This will also enhance professionalism and draw more traffic. Design Your Personal Brand Building your personal brand means creating something that embodies you and your message. This can be done through the design of your brand. Choose a color scheme that represents your brand and industry to use on your website. Create a logo for yourself. If you aren’t experienced in graphic design, you can find someone on Fiverr to create one for just $5. When you have a logo, people will associate your brand and message with it. Create Content Now it’s time to actually start building your personal brand. Creating content is how you build a brand and show people what you can do. Content can be in the form of many things. It can be blog posts, ebooks, videos, photos, or podcasts. Get creative with your content and topics. You want to draw people to engage with it and share it with their network. By creating content, you are communicating your niche and showing off your talents to potential employers while growing a following and successfully building your personal brand. Provide Value Have you ever clicked on an article because it had an interesting headline but found reading it was a waste of your time? Good content will provide value to its audience, which is exactly what you want yours to do. Your content should share your knowledge and ideas that some people may not know. Teach your followers something new or entertain them. In order to create quality content, your audience must get something out of it. Get Your Personal Brand Out There It’s useless to have a personal brand and nobody to see it. You have to get your personal brand in front of people so they become interested and eventually follow you. This can be done a number of ways. Share your website or primary platform on social media. Ask your friends and family to share your content. Join relevant social groups on Facebook and share your brand with them. The more visibility the better! A personal brand is useless if it doesn’t draw attention. You want people to see it and consider hiring you in the future because of it. Network Network with other people in your niche. It’s as easy as sending someone you admire an email just to say hello. Start and grow relationships with other experts in your niche and grow your connections. These connections can someday land your dream job! The only way to network with these people is by building your personal brand. When you get your name out there and people recognize it, it will be easier to network. When people already enjoy your content and know what you stand for, they will be more interested in meeting with you. Collaborate with Other Brands The best way to get more brand awareness is by collaborating with other people and brands who already have a following. This could be in the form of guest posts on a blog or be interviewed during a podcast. The more you collaborate, the larger the audience your personal brand will reach. Collaborating with other brands is another form of networking. These connections can introduce your brand to their connections and so on. You never know who will see your content! via Pixabay Interact with Your Audience After you have built a foundation for your personal brand, it’s time to keep up with it and engage with your audience. They follow you because they are interested in what you have to say and what you can offer them. Show them that you value their interest in you with interactions. This can be in the form of answering emails they send you, replying to comments, or even hosting a QA. One of the most powerful things social media has to offer is interacting with people. Start a live stream video and invite your followers to watch and ask you questions about yourself or your niche. They’ll appreciate you acknowledging them. Embrace Your Brand The number one thing to remember is to be yourself when building your personal brand. You want your personal brand to be authentic and stay true to who you are as a person. People can spot someone being fake on social media a mile away. Since you are building your personal brand to one day land a job in the future, you don’t want to lie about things. You should be truthful in what you say and genuine in your ideas. You don’t want someone to hire you for something you aren’t. You also don’t want someone expecting more out of you than you can actually accomplish. Land Your Dream Job By building your personal brand, it puts you one step closer to landing your dream job. It shows potential employers that you are an expert in your niche and can add value to their company. Building a personal brand also shows that you are dedicated and creative. Not everyone takes the time to build a personal brand and keep up with it. Building your personal brand says a lot about who you are and it’s more than just what you put online. When you work hard and stay dedicated to your niche and making connections, it will one day reward you with your dream job.