Learn English On Mobile Phones With These Awesome Apps

Learn English On Mobile Phones With These Awesome AppsThe fact is that the number of individuals seeking to learn English on mobile phones has risen in recent years. This increase has occurred as more people are looking to avail an opportunity to make their mobile devices a valuable part of their lives.Mobile applications provide an excellent means of learning a new language and improving the way one lives their daily lives. There are many options available, each one with different features and prices. It can be hard to decide between the many options.The first mobile apps to come onto the scene games, particularly when it came to languages other than English. Many of the options out there are games and some are educational. Both can prove to be beneficial to the learner. In this article we will examine some of the more popular options available to learners today.Lingo Play is a highly rated app that allows users to interact with an animated character from another language to enable them to build vocabulary words. For those learners who wish to try their hand at language learning this is a popular option. Lingo Play is a free download available on the iTunes store.Bilingual Chinese Language Games is another bilingual Chinese language games that offers a good deal of interactive benefits. As the name suggests, this is a very good option for those looking to improve their English language skills. The app is free to download and involves interacting with another player to develop vocabulary words. The free download is only available for Apple computers.Language Games English Learning is another game which allows you to practice your English language skills. The developer has received many accolades for creating this highly regarded application. Language Games is available for free download from the iTunes store. The developer has also developed a series of other language games to be found on their website.Using these apps in the online community provides numerous advantages to those using them. In addition to helping you develop your own English language skills, these apps can also be useful in enhancing the quality of life for those who learn Spanish, French or Italian.

Heart Math Tutoring Celebrates Successful Volunteer Drive! - Heart Math Tutoring

Heart Math Tutoring Celebrates Successful Volunteer Drive! - Heart Math Tutoring Heart Math Tutoring Celebrates Successful Volunteer Drive! Heart Math Tutoring Celebrates Successful Volunteer Drive! September 19, 2016 Many thanks to our volunteers and partner organizations throughout our community for your amazing support to make our volunteer drive a big success! To date we have secured tutors for 550 elementary school students at 12 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools during the 2016/17 school year. We are in great shape to kick off the school year, but we still need additional volunteers to serve 600 students. There’s still time to sign up to volunteer, but we encourage you to sign up sooner than later since students are behind and need tutoring right away. Tutors are needed at Piney Grove Elementary, Greenway Park Elementary and Highland Renaissance Academy. For more information or to sign up, visit http://hearttutoring.org/volunteers/become-a-volunteer/. We’d like to thank companies and volunteer representatives that went above and beyond! The following organizations supported Heart’s 2016/17 volunteer drive by inviting us to lunches, ice cream socials and meetings to give presentations to help recruit volunteers: Barings (formerly Babson Capital Management) Bank of America CHARLOTTE/ONE Charlotte Bridge Club Madison Park Neighborhood Association McGuireWoods Pamlico Capital Patterson Pope Social Venture Partners SouthPark Rotary TIAA Teach For America UNC Charlotte Elementary Education Program WakeCharlotte Community Wells Fargo Several Media Outlets in Charlotte This was the third year that Pamlico Capital and Wake Forest each hosted a luncheon for any guests willing to learn more about Heart’s work. Current tutors were there to share firsthand accounts of the experience. Eric Eubank of Pamlico Capital says, “We look forward to the Heart recruitment lunch each year. Every volunteer we can recruit has a huge impact on a young student, particularly in math â€" an area with significant implications for a student’s ability to thrive in school and in the workforce. Read the full Press Release here. Pamlico Lunch courtesy of Heart Math Tutoring

Popular English Words and Expressions related to Work

Popular English Words and Expressions related to Work Here are some English words and expressions related to work.Work (the job we do) and working takes up a significant part of our day, week, month and years.  If youre still unsure whether to use work or job, learn the difference between job and work.As much as we complain about it the majority of us actually enjoy working. Without it what would we do?We all dream about winning the lotto and perhaps never having to work again but in reality we would miss it if we did not have to get up in the morning and travel to our jobs.God makes work for idle hands is a well known English expression.If you are idle (not doing  anything) it will not last a long time as someone will ask you to do something very quickly!So lets learn some words and expressions related to work. English Words and Expressions related to WORK WORKING SCHEDULE This is the timetable or the duties you have to complete daily. Sometimes it can  be referred to as a roster or more informally as a to do list.ex. When I started my new job my boss  gave me my working schedule. I was working in the mornings from 8 to 1pm from Monday to  Thursday then from 4 pm to Midnight for Friday and Saturday. I only had one day off per week.WORK TO RULE   When the workers are in dispute with their employers and are demanding better  conditions the trade union representing them will suggest that they work to rule. This will put  pressure on the management. Work to rule means working the hours according to your contract but  not doing anything more.ex. We had been in dispute for almost 4 weeks with no sign of any agreement.  Our union then advised us to work to rule. We were not allowed to work overtime and we had to  take our breaks and lunch hour. Everybody left the office at 5 pm every evening. The management  got tired of this after one week and they agreed to most of our demands very quickly.WORKING CONDITIONS one of those expressions related to work that you often hear in the news or read in newspapers. This relates to everything connected with your employment. It covers (includes) issues such as your hours, your holidays, your place of work and how generally you are  treated by the company.ex. My friend got a new job last week. His working conditions were much  improved. He got his own office, he started at 9 am and left before 6 pm everyday.OVERTIME   When you are busy and all of the work cannot be finished in your normal working hours  your boss might ask you to work late for a few days to get the orders completed. This is referred to  as overtime. It is usually official overtime when the boss agrees to it as normally you are paid extra  for working non sociable hours (hours when other people are at home with their families).However, many people work unofficial overtime when they stay late to complete their work and get  no additional pay.ex. I work overtime at least twice a month to get the orders completed. I do not mind as I  get double pay (twice the hourly rate) when I work past 6 pm in the evening. It, however, has to be  approved by my boss otherwise I get nothing. English Expressions related to Work WORKAHOLIC Most people like their work. Some people can do nothing else. They work as many  hours as they can including weekends. They are addicted to their work and we refer to them as  workaholics in the same way as we refer to someone addicted to alcohol!ex. When Peter started his new job he lost interest in everything else. Now he works six days a week and  on his time off he works form home. He is a real workaholic.TAKE TIME OFF WORK Most people in work (a job) get specific days off as holidays. Most people also  work only from Monday to Friday so enjoy the weekends relaxing. These holidays and weekends are  official. Sometimes we need additional time away from work because we are ill or someone close to  us has died or we have some personal issues deal with.   These days over and above the  official holidays and weekends is referred to as time off work.ex. My wife gave birth to our first child.  The boss was very good. He recommended that I take a few days off work to help my wife when  she got out of hospital. This time off work was a real bonus.Other English words connected with work can include:COMMITTED this is an adjective to describe how much someone loves his work and works as hard as  he can to be successful.ex. He is really committed to his work. He always has his mobile phone  switched on and is constantly sending emails to his bosses and their clients.DEDICATED Another adjective similar in meaning to committed. Dedicated means that an individual will do all  that he/she can to fulfil his targets, achieve his goals and will not let anything else get in the way.ex. David was  a dedicated employee. Working at weekends was not a problem for him. In fact he even took his laptop with him on holidays and worked remotely from his hotel.RELIABLE Another adjective to describe that someone can depend on you to do as they promised. In  relation to work it means you will arrive on time, work hard when needed and deliver as your boss  requires.ex. Colin was a very reliable employee. He worked most of his lunch hours and when the boss required some overtime to be done he was  always the first to volunteer (to agree). He was really reliable.TO BE UP TO YOUR EYES IN SMTH   to be very busy doing somethingex. Im up to my eyes in work this week, I have to finish this report before month end.TO BE SNOWED UNDER to have too much work to deal withex. We dont have enough employees in our department, everybody is completely snowed under.

GCSE Grading System - Tutor Hunt Blog

GCSE Grading System GCSE Grading System GCSE Grading SystemSecondary SchoolsFrom this summer the new GCSE grading system will be introduced. This will replace the traditional A* - G grades numbers: one through to nine, with nine being the equivalent of an A*. Initially this new system will only apply to maths and english; but it is expected - perhaps as early as next year - that the rest of the GCSE subjects will also be graded numerically. The motivation behind this change is to drive up standards, though it is perhaps hard to see how a simple change in nomenclature can have anything but an arbitrary effect. The Education Secretary Justine Greening has explained that a grade five will be classified a strong pass, while a grade four will be a standard pass. Direct references with the old system are discouraged, with the exams watchdog Ofqual cautioning against `direct comparisons and overly simplistic descriptions.` This transition to a new grading system has certainly not met with universal approval: NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers) has said the reforms have already created `huge uncertainty.` At the NASUWT` annual conference in Manchester there was general disapprobation over the numerical grades, with many saying it was a confusing system, with uncertain grade boundaries. Paul Daly, a maths teacher from the Whitworth Park school in County Durham seemed to raise some legitimate concerns when he said:`We`re giving (our pupils) mock exams and then telling them `we think that your grade might be a four, or might be a five, or it might be a six, or it could be anything because we don`t know because we haven`t been told anything about grade boundaries. All we know is, compared to last year, the marks are very, very low and very few people are scoring very high marks in the exams.` This is really the last thing pupils need at this very stressful time in their lives. They should have the confidence that they will be graded accurately - or rather, the grade they receive, the accolade that they are awarded with, will be one that they has a clear value attached to it. It would be disrespectful to pupils to ask them to study their very best for two years, and then present them with a grade whose quota is uncertain. Mr Daly went stressed the point further when he said `We still haven`t got our head around what the grade boundaries are because no-one will provide us with any.` We can only hope that these uncertainties have not reached the ears of pupils who are currently studying for their impending GCSE exams this summer. I can well remember how stressful it was revising for so many subjects; and I can be retrospectively grateful that my anxieties were solely concerned with my understanding (or misunderstanding) of my classwork. I cannot recall being concerned that the grades I received would be anything but stark and clear in their classification of me as a pupil. I have always felt sorry for the students who are compelled to trial out a new aspect of the education system. It is likely that for the next couple of years many will have to make do with a mixture of the old and the new; both letters and numbers will measure their academic achievements, as the various subjects gradually adopt the numerical grading system. Candy Mellor, a languages teacher from Marden High School in Tyneside mail centre expressed her displeasure at how the current year group are not ready for the changes:`I feel very sorry for the Year 10s who have only got two years` preparation for this new exam that we`re still learning about. We are making up examinations that we think that it`s going to be like for our Year 10s to practice - but we just don`t know what it looks like. But I can start thinking about my Year 7s, so they`ll get five years` preparation, whereas the Year 10s have got two where we`re still working it out and confused.` A change to any established practice is difficult - in time this new marking system may well prove effective. The Department of Education has beed steadfast in its conviction as to its merits, saying that it would facilitate a `greater stretch` for the academically gifted, while more generally:`These changes will help young people to compete with the best in the world and deliver the skills that employers tell us they need.Nothing has changed with regard to schools being held to account for the proportion of children achieving a strong pass and we are working with Ofqual to support teachers as we implement the new system.` 2 years ago0Add a Comment

How to Build a Community in Business School

How to Build a Community in Business School pexels.com There are many ways to find and build a community in business school. One of the most effective ways to build a network of colleagues is to join or create a business-related club. Schools have a plethora of clubs to choose from, and if they dont have one that fits your specific interests, its usually pretty easy to start one yourself. There are a few great things about clubs, one of which is getting a group of like-minded people to collaborate and discuss shared topics. Being a part of a business-related club can be useful even after college as well because, in many cases, the connections you make in college are still relevant after graduation. Another perk to being a part of clubs is that it looks great on your resume, especially if you start the club or hold a position on the clubs leadership board. Join a club and work to hold a position in it this will up your resume and give you access to greater connections. Another way to create a fruitful community in business school is to cultivate relationships through group projects for class. Group projects are notorious for making students moan and groan, but they can be incredibly helpful if done using the right approach and mindset. Instead of viewing group projects as torturous, try and see them as an opportunity to expand your network. Work hard (dont be That Guy in the group who slacks off) to produce the best outcome as possible and try hard to connect with other members in your group. Take the extra step and ask them to meet on an individual basis outside of the normal group meetings to try and establish a professional friendship with them. Dont view other students as your competition; instead, see them as assets and opportunities to gain new perspectives. Additionally, dont write off other students that may not have the exact same interest or vision as you do. Having blinders on can be extremely damaging to your education and growth. Just because another student is interested in art management and youre interested in economics, doesnt mean that you cant have a meaningful professional relationship with them. Its easy to get stuck in a bubble of your own interests, but its important to expose yourself to anything and everything. Business school is the best time to explore all career areas because you truly have the freedom to. Talk to people in introduction classes that may not have the same interests as you, or even take a class in something that you never had thought about before! Even if nothing comes from relationships with people in different career paths, its still beneficial to be exposed to all different points of view and areas of business to establish a well-rounded view of the industry. In addition to other students, your professors are your biggest outlets to the outside world, aka, the job market. Make the effort to cultivate relationships with your professors and, in essence, suck them dry of advice. Put in the effort to learn from your professors outside the classroom by going to office hours and even inviting them out for lunch. Many professors used to or still do work in the business world and are amazing sources of information about the job market that you will be entering. Not only that but if you work hard and really show interest in the subject, your professors have many contacts that they could put you in touch with. This is an amazing way to make contacts who are working in your dream companies and to cultivate a network of mentors. pexels.com Another way to grow your network is to flex your social media muscles. Using social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter is an amazing way to establish yourself in an online business community. Social media is not just about pleasure anymore it can be an amazing way to connect with other professionals in your field. Using social media is also a great way to network for possible future jobs. By getting your name out there and established in a group of professionals, the chances of your name popping into the head of someone hiring is much likelier than if you didnt engage in professional social media at all. LinkedIn is an amazing way to grow your professional network, and its incredibly easy to start using. Because LinkedIn is built for professionals, you dont need to navigate all of the personal posts as you do with Twitter or Facebook. Make sure your LinkedIn is updated and, once it is, actually use it! Join groups and comment on posts to establish yourself on the platform as someone who is interested in their area of study. The relationships that you make in business school can, and probably will, last well into your career. Having a well-rounded business network can give you opportunities that you never imagined before, and can provide a huge array of contacts to bring into your projects. Dont cruise through business school take advantage of every opportunity you have to build a strong community! Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

10 Errors in Language Learning and How to Avoid Them

10 Errors in Language Learning and How to Avoid Them 10 Errors in Language Learning and How to Avoid Them Learning a new language can feel like youre walking in a minefield and trying to avoid errors at all costs.Theyre everywhere, and if you stumble on one, youre sure that everything you know about a language could blow up.Well, language errors might not be life-threatening, but its important to stay on the right path.There will be forks in the road and the wrong decision could lead you towards errors that will make you stumble in the learning process.Knowing what they are might help you dodge them.Thats where we come in!Keep your eye out for these 10 common errors, and you can safely enjoy the language learning journey ahead! Whats the Difference Between an Error and a Mistake?Its important to distinguish between mistakes and errors. Mistakes occur when you know a rule but violate it accidentally.  Hopefully, youll notice when this happens and correct yourself.Committing  an error means  unintentionally deviating from whats true.  These are a bigger issue.This post will be discussing the following two types of errors:Linguistic errors â€" A linguistic error happens when we lack knowledge of the rules of the language were trying to learn.  We havent learned enough about that language so we incorrectly implement rules.Much academic research exists on how and why these errors occur. If youre interested in the topic, you might read this article about the  types, causes and treatment of language errors.Perspective errors â€"  There can also be errors in the way we think about learning a language. Without knowing or understanding the process of learning a language, we assert false beliefs.Both of these are detrimental to language learning and should be avoided at all costs.10 Errors in Language Learning and How to Avoid ThemLinguistic Errors1. First language interferenceFirst language interference occurs when rules from your native language sneak in and affect your second language.Positive interference can actually improve your language skills. This occurs when you a ccurately apply rules from your first language that line up correctly with the rules of your second language.Negative interference is what you need to worry about. This occurs when you apply rules from your first language that dont match rules of your second language. This interference can create errors in your second language.Typically, these will show up in your speaking and writing when you try to implement structures from your first language like word order, grammatical gender or certain verb tenses.And although its impossible to know everything there is to know about your target language when you first start studying, you do want to find answers relatively quickly.That means that the best way to avoid these errors is through focused study. Ask yourself whats giving you the most trouble and make sure to set some time aside to get answers to your questions.As you get further into your language education, youll have an easier time distinguishing between the rules of your first and second language.2. PronunciationSome sounds in one language dont correspond to sounds in another, so these unfamiliar sounds can be hard to pick up.For instance, you may have noticed that many native Spanish speakers from Latin America struggle to make the th sound. Although you might hear this sound in Spain, the th sound doesnt naturally occur in Spanish in other regions.Whatever your target language might be, most native speakers will probably understand what you mean even if you dont pronounce every letter correctly. However, (especially in languages that use tones),  mispronouncing some words can cause confusion and will certainly be a clear signal that youre not a native speaker.The best way to combat these errors is through listening practice. The more you hear the sounds, the clearer theyll be. For particularly tricky sounds, you might even look for targeted lessons that focus on problem sounds. Many YouTube lessons cover tricky sounds, even going so far as to explain where to put your tongue.3. GrammarGrammar errors are the bane of any language learners existence. Theyre often a result of incomplete or inaccurate studying.For instance, Latin, Russian, German and Greek use the case system, which basically means that word endings change depending on each words role in the sentence. Since modern English has no equivalent, case systems are often difficult for native English-speakers to grasp.All the words can be the same between sentences, but if one word is in the wrong case, it can completely change the meaning of the sentence.To avoid grammar errors, its important to study not only grammar rules but also exceptions to these rules. Many languages have irregular verbs or other tricky rules that seem to violate the basic rules of grammar. While we can adjust to this fairly easily in our native language, it can be harder in a second language.The only way to learn and remember these rules is through careful study.4. VocabularyVocabulary errors occur when y ou lack a clear understanding of specific words. Even if youre an expert in grammar rules, not having enough words in your arsenal, or a clear understanding of a term, will impede understanding (false cognates, anyone?).While circumlocution (describing the word when you dont know the exact term) is one tactic when youre unsure of a word, more vocabulary study is a helpful way to prevent vocabulary errors. To ensure you use vocabulary properly, its particularly helpful to use resources that show you vocabulary in authentic contexts.FluentU is an ideal way to learn new vocabulary in context. FluentU uses authentic videos like movie trailers, music videos, news and more to improve your language skills. Each video is captioned, and the captions are annotated to provide you with a definition, associated image and example sentences. This is a perfect way to see how vocabulary is used in context. You can download the FluentU app for iOS  and Android or use FluentU online.5. Imbalance of sk illsBalance isnt just for yogis. Language learners need it, too.Lets pretend that you dont know how important each component of language is, so you skip over one entirely when you study. You prepare for your trip to Russia by speaking with a native speaker on a language exchange platform almost every day, but you neglect your reading skills. After a frustrating day around Moscow, you almost have a meltdown in the middle of Red Square. You cant read any of the signs!Be sure to make reading, writing, speaking and listening a priority in your target language studies in order to communicate fully. This is especially important if youre teaching yourself. You can do this by combining several resources or by finding a resource that focuses on a well-rounded education.Perspective ErrorsYou might have had a poor experience trying to learn a language before and need a slight attitude adjustment or some clarification. Some of the errors below might sound familiar to you and, hopefully, we can clear the air!6. Wrong languageWhen you choose what language to learn, youre choosing a life partner, so dont make the decision lightly.Choosing the wrong language can be demotivating and lead to you never meeting your goals. Thats why its important to consider your goals carefully before you start your learning adventure.For instance, if youre looking to learn a language for business, you might select a different language than you would choose if you were learning a language for travel. Motivation is key to language learning success and choosing the right language will keep the experience engaging.To ensure you select the right one, it helps to take some time to assess your objectives. If you need a little help, you might try this  advice from the Washington Post.7. Unrealistic expectationsIf youve tried to learn a language before and were unsuccessful, you might have unrealistic expectations. A lot of people expect immediate result, but this just isnt going to happen.So you werent able to have a full conversation with that German exchange student in college after one semester of German, and that upset you. But learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint.As long as you keep this in mind at the beginning, you can celebrate your successes rather than dwelling on how long it can take. If you go into it expecting immediate fluency, youre likely to be disappointed.How long it takes to learn a language will vary based on the difficulty of the language and your skill, focus and commitment. However, the Foreign Service Institute  estimates that languages take between 575 and 2200 hours of study to learn.8. Huge financial or time commitmentA lot of learners are turned off by perceived obstacles. Language-learning can seem too expensive or too time-consuming.However, this error in thinking can be quickly resolved. There are a plethora of options for language learners. If you truly want to learn a language, you can find the right resource for your needs.There are op tions for learners on a budget  and there are options that take only minutes a day. You dont need to let time or money stop you from fluency!9. Inability to understand native speakersThe first time you listen to a native speaker speaking your target language, you might just have an anxiety attack. Youre sure youll never understand them. This is particularly true if you listen without any supportive texts or translations.Language barriers exist, but you can overcome them. Its important to remember that everyone starts somewhere. Michael Phelps swam for many years before receiving any Olympic medals.Similarly, natural rates of speech seem significantly slower the more you study a language. What once seemed impossibly fast will one day feel like a normal pace.10. Dull resourcesSome learners have no idea that there are a variety of resources to choose from for learning languages and make the mistake of choosing the wrong one. You think about that old high school or college language text book and you shudder.Fortunately, youre not restricted to that anymore. Technology advances every day, which gives us an endless supply of resources to choose from. Or, if you prefer resources like that old  textbook, you have more than one option to choose from.Whatever you choose, its important to select your resources carefully. Youll want resources that exercise your reading, listening, speaking and writing, but youll also want to make sure these resources hold your attention and appeal to you. If you like a personal touch, you might try a private tutor.Watch out for these errors as you begin your studies in your target language.If you carefully weave your way through the treacherous path to learning, fluency will seem like a walk in the park! And One More ThingIf you really want to kick the dullness and problematic artificiality out of your language learning routine, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news a nd inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! It`s Labor Day here in the United States, the symbolic end of the summer, so I just wanted to take a second to tell those of you celebrating Labor Day to have a great day! I hope you are enjoying a day off and planning a  party, picnic  or  BBQ. And to those of you who are  spending time in the library doing homework.I suggest to use some  learning help from our experienced tutors. As for me, I  plan to spend time with my  family and friends today. Enjoy the moment, be happy, and  smile!