How To Find A Physics And Maths Tutor

How To Find A Physics And Maths Tutor Looking To Improve Your Knowledge Of Maths And Physics With A Maths And Physics Tutor? ChaptersWhy Is It Worthwhile Having A Maths And Physics Tutor?Finding A Physics And Maths Tutor Doesn’t Have To Be DifficultWhat Can I Expect To Learn With A Physics Tutor?There’s no getting around the fact that there are so many reasons to study physics. If you plan on studying a physics course at university, or even want to pursue a career in physics, it’s vitally important that you get the best marks possible in respect of any pieces of coursework or exams that you have to sit.In order to give themselves the best chance possible for academic success, it’s not uncommon for some students to hire a tutor to help them with their knowledge of physics and maths.There are lots of reasons why hiring a tutor can work for students. Whether you’re thinking about upcoming physics exams at GCSE, A-Level, or beyond, or you’ve found yourself struggling to keep up with the content of your physics lessons, a tutor can really help you to focus your learning efforts and hopefully improve your academic performance overall.If you’ve decided that tutoring might be for you, then one of the first hurdles you’ll have to overcome is figuring out where to find the best tutor for you. As we’ll see below, there are plenty of places where you can find a tutor, so hopefully, your search will be as quick and easy as possible.You might want to consider hiring a maths and physics tutor, given how prevalent maths is in physics. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, Pixaline, Pixabay)Calculations often feature as part of a physics exam; andYour knowledge of algebra and calculus may be required for certain aspects of your studies in physics.As a result, some students find that one of the best ways to improve their marks in physics and improve their understanding of the curriculum is to make sure that their knowledge of maths is on par with the requirements of their physics course.This can be achieved by hiring a tutor that can not only teach you about topics that may feature on a physics cu rriculum, such as electromagnetism or Newtonian physics, but who can also make sure you practice and develop the numerical skills required to succeed in this subject.Additionally, you have some say over the way your tuition is delivered as well. For example, you might want one on one tutoring, or you may feel more confident having tuition in a small group or with an online tutor.There's no single correct choice when it comes to how your tuition is delivered, so remember that it's more about finding a learning strategy that works for both you and your physics and maths tutor.You should be able to find a physics tutor that meets your requirements by looking online. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, FirmBee, Pixabay)Finding A Physics And Maths Tutor Doesn’t Have To Be DifficultThere are a variety of different strategies you can employ to find a physics and maths tutor to help you with your physics studies. A few of the most popular ways are outlined below.Ask A FriendOne of the easiest ways to find a tutor is to simply ask one of your friends if they know of any physics and maths tutors that they would recommend who can help you with the areas in physics that you're struggling with.Ideally, your friend should also be taking physics lessons, as that would mean that they have an understanding of the challenges of your syllabus and what they found most useful from tutoring.If your friend has experience using a particular tutor, then so much the better, as you could try and reach out to that tutor and see whether they would have time to also tutor you.Check In With Your School Or UniversityAnother relatively simple way to find a physics and mathematics tutor for you is to ask your physics teacher or university lecturer whether they are open to tutoring you in their spare time.If not, you can also ask them whether they know of any colleagues who would be prepared to provide tutoring services to you, or whether there are any master's or PhD students who are willing to take on students for tuition purposes.The good thing about speaking to your physics teacher about getting some extra tuition is that it should also give you the chance to ask them about your performance in the subject and ask them whether there are any particular areas that they would recommend you focus on during tuition sessions.This can be one way to help you improve your marks in physics and further develop your knowledge of areas you might not be too comfortable with at the moment.Having this feedback should then enable you to let your new tutor know which areas of the syllabus you’d like to concentrate on, thereby giving you the best chance of furthering your academic success in the subject.If your physics teacher is not able to provide tuition services after school hours themselves and doesn’t have any suggestions for potential tutors, then it might also be worth speaking to a maths teacher to see if they can help instead.Getting assistance from a teacher or tutor who specialises in mathematics can also really benefit your studies in physics, particularly if you struggle with the more mathematical side of the subject, such as solving an equation or understanding a particular formula.Look OnlineThis option is perhaps one of the easiest of all ways to find a physics and maths tutor. This is because:You can look for your next physics and maths tutor from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you have access to the internet;You can look for a suitable tutor on a variety of different tutoring websites; andYou can often find tutors that are willing to provide one to one tuition, remote tuition, or a combination of the two, so you’re not limited by location when choosing a tutor.For example, Superprof lets you search through a wide database for potential tutors. All you need to do is enter your postcode and the subject you’re looking for a tutor for, and you’ll be shown all the available tutors in your area. You can also see which tutors are happy to pro vide remote tuition.Equally, websites such as Superprof don’t solely specialise in the provision of physics or maths tutors, so if you’re looking for multiple tutors â€" for example, one for physics, one for chemistry and another for business studies â€" then you can also find the best tutors for you for those subjects on the site. This makes it a great one stop shop for all your tuition needs.You can learn so much about physics with the help of a physics tutor, such as the general principles governing our world and the universe. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, stokpic, Pixabay)What Can I Expect To Learn With A Physics Tutor?Ultimately, what you learn from a physics tutor is up to you, as you’re the one in control of things such as:How many lessons you’d like to have;What learning outcomes you’d like to achieve; andWhether you’d like to focus on specific skills, such as exam performance, or you would rather develop your knowledge of your entire physics syllabus.This degree of fl exibility and control is partly what attracts many students to the prospect of hiring a tutor in the first place.If you let any potential tutor know upfront what you’d like to get out of your lessons, then that tutor can let you know whether they are able to accommodate your requests, while also giving them ideas for what kind of materials to cover during your tuition sessions.Equally, if you don’t like the way that your tuition is going, or would rather focus on other areas in physics, whether that’s particle physics, quantum mechanics, or something else entirely, then don’t be afraid to let your tutor know so they can make the necessary adjustments to your learning programme.Remember that the key benefits of having private tutoring are that you are able to have your own qualified private tutor to help provide flexible instruction in a way that complements your learning style and gives you additional confidence in a physics classroom, while completing your homework, or duri ng a physics exam.If you found this useful, why not check out our blog on how much does a physics and maths tutor cost!

Best Boxing Equipment for Different Disciplines

Best Boxing Equipment for Different Disciplines Boxing Accessories: The Ultimate Guide to Boxing Gear ChaptersFrench Kickboxing: Accessories to Get Your Hands on!Standard Boxing: How to Choose your Boxing KitAmerican Boxing: Essential Boxing Accessories!Thai Boxing: Best Boxing Gear!'You don’t have to be in a boxing ring to be a great fighter. As long as you are true to yourself, you will succeed in your fight for that in which you believe.'?  Muhammad AliAs any boxing enthusiast will know, selecting boxing equipment according to the type of combat sport or martial arts that you are about to undertake is like covering oneself in an emergency foil blanket after an accident. Choosing boxing training gloves, inner gloves, a boxing helmet and boxing accessories (a mouthguard, shin guards, elbow guards and ankle supports) are all ultimately a way of encasing oneself in a protective layer pre-match.According to scientific research carried out by Sahlgrenska Academy of the University Göteborg in Sweden, so-termed ‘English boxing’ (standard boxing with no kicking involved as opposed t o American or Thai kickboxing) undertaken by boxing professionals can cause cerebral lesions that are similar in nature to lesions in those with Alzheimer’s.Are you looking to do some amateur boxing or basic boxing fitness training? Even beginner level boxing enthusiasts require basic boxing gear and will need to compare the prices of different boxing training sports items.This is our mini guide to sports equipment for boxers. wrist strap  and inner gloves/boxing mitts are a great combo), padded  headgear, a protective cup, a mouthguard and a pair of standard boxing shoes.  Obligatory in combat, boxing gloves are just as important for boxing training as they are for proper boxing matches and fights. During training, they can be used for hitting punchbags, boxing mitts and boxing shields. Boxing gloves are selected according to the weight and height of the boxer, which is calculated in ounces (one ounce =  28.3495g) from 6 to 18 ounces.To preserve your pair of boxing gloves and ens ure they remain durable, you should also cover your hands in boxing wrap. Boxing wrist wraps and hand wraps are multifunctional and apart from guaranteeing the durability of your boxing gloves, will also let air circulate when sweating and protect your phalanx (middle finger) and metacarpal bones.Face punches can be quite aggressive during fights and hitting your head on boxing ring mats does not cushion the blow as much as you would think, therefore you should also choose durable and reliable headgear.   The choice of headgear depends mainly on your head size, the amount of inner padding that is used, the tightness of the chin piece and the visibility it offers.Next, you will need to grab a mouthpiece to prevent your teeth banging together or biting/perforating your tongue when your opponent aims uppercut and hook punches at your jaw. Shock Doctor is a good affordable brand to go for if you want to save your teeth and some money!Finally, as boxing is a sport where you will be const antly bouncing on the balls of your feet and hopping from one foot to the other, a good pair of boxing shoes with soft soles and strong ankle support are required.In order to choose your boxing kit for standard boxing, it is always best to first ask yourself the following questions:What is my budget?What  level of boxer am I?What is my aim (to try out the sport, do some intensive boxing training or compete in boxing matches)?How often do I plan to go to the gym to box?What extra protection will this or that product offer me?Which item best suits my needs and taste?You should budget for approximately £50 to £150 for your initial set of beginner’s boxing equipment, then £250 to £300 for better quality boxing gear suited more to intermediate level boxers and finally, about £400 to £500 for a complete high-quality boxing kit once you have reached a more advanced level of boxing.And yes, those bargain boxing accessories by  Domyos  available for £30 or so definitely won’t offe r the same quality and finish as  Venum, Fairtex or  Everlast  with their range of very professional products!American Boxing: Essential Boxing Accessories!'In boxing, it is about the obsession of getting the most from yourself: wanting to dominate the world like a hungry young lion.'  â€"  Anthony JoshuaAmerican boxing â€" otherwise known as full contact boxing or kickboxing â€" is a type of boxing that involves leg kicks without hitting the opponent’s legs.It is probably fair to say that American boxing is a fusion of standard boxing and Savate.Kickboxing â€" a violent sport? Not if you are well protected! (Source: Visual Hunt)Like standard boxing and martial arts, punches can reach the opponent’s head or chest, which is why kickboxing necessitates good full-contact boxing gear to prevent injury,Boxing gloves, protective headgear, a mouthguard, chest protector, shin-pads and boxing trainers should be top of your shopping list when considering what kind of boxing kit would be best to fill your gym bag with.Even if there is not really a lot of physical contact between boxers during training, protective boxing equipment is there to prevent possible accidents, such as bruises, contusions or fractures. What you might think was a gentle blow could be perceived as quite a powerful and violent strike by your boxing opponentI mean, who would really want to box with bare hands as if hitting a brick wall and risk breaking bones?  Boxing gloves (brands like Title,  Venum, Montana, Fairtex, Twin and, Adidas boxing) increase the power of punches all whilst spreading the impact across a larger surface area of skin â€" the thicker and heavier the padding, the more the impact is spread.The price of full contact boxing gloves ranges from £7.99 (trust old Decathlon, of course!) to £169 (Title).To know what size to pick, apart from one’s weight, you should think about what kind of an impact you want to have. Make a preference for heavier gloves (10 to 12 ounces) if yo u want to do some light sparring matches with your sparring partner. Prioritise thinner gloves if you are looking to harden your hands as part of a fight or boxing match practice where you need to be pulling punches at great speed, for example, when training with a punch bag or punching ball.As you are allowed to use your feet in kickboxing, you will also need to wear a boxing cup or groin protector ( £9.99 to £49.75) to cover your genitals. You want to protect them at all costs, as everyone knows they are one of the most sensitive areas of the human body and a kick in the balls is not something to which you readily want to expose yourself!It is worth noting that while standard boxing requires only a pair of boxing shorts (usually made of nylon), full-contact kickboxers should wear kickboxing trousers similar to the tracksuit bottoms worn in Savate. Boxing trousers are more modestly priced and ( £10 to £30 approx.) and the flexible fabric used allows for large, loose and roomy mov ements. Nylon and polyester sportswear is great for kickboxing as it is lightweight and durable.To equip yourself with a complete boxing kit, you should budget for approximately £200 for basic boxing accessories and around £350- £450 for more sophisticated high-quality equipment.    The price-tag is not that pretty, but remind yourself that good quality boxing accessories only needs to be replaced every five to ten yearsTo know what’s what when making a purchase, here is a comparative table of prices and brands for the different boxing accessories available on the net that are needed for American. Superprof dons its hat as a rational economic man!Find out more about American boxing equipment.Thai Boxing: Best Boxing Gear!Are you dreaming of becoming a pro in Thai boxing?This impressive unrestrained sport is a cross between military training and martial arts, moulding the physical skills of a Muay Thai boxer that are really rather athletic.What a game of legs! Thai boxing is the most ferocious of all kickboxing. (Source: Wikimedia)A military sport formerly imposed by the ancient kings of Thailand, Muay Thai is kept alive today by the more than 200,000 people in the Land of Smiles who practice it today. What’s more, this type of boxing is such an all-around sport and workout that it is also practised by thousands of people outside of Thailand.If you want to learn self-defence, there is no better physical preparation than Thai boxing.Muay Thai training equipment also includes a handful of indispensable boxing accessories that no Thai boxer can do without.First things first â€" Thai boxing gloves  Kickboxing gloves to a Thai boxer are  like a bandsaw to a carpenterWhilst people have been boxing with bare hands since the dawn of time, boxing gloves became an obligatory part of Thai boxing in 1920. The law was introduced to limit the risk of injury during sporting events. Thus, Thailand followed in suit of Savate and boxing in terms of boxing rules and regula tions.Next, somewhat of a technical novelty for kickboxing, Thai boxing requires a breastplate, elbow pads and ankle supports.Don’t forget that in Muay Thai, kicks, punches and blows to the knee and elbow are all permitted. As the saying goes, anything goes in Thai boxing (almost); very few blows are prohibited. This is why it is one of the most dangerous forms of boxing.The bones around the knees and elbows protrude away from the body and are particularly fragile and prone to injury during boxing matches, which is why it is necessary to wrap them in padded material that has been adjusted to one’s size. It’s important to wear protective sportswear even if your competitors don’t!What type of equipment do you need forkickboxing? You could find out by signing up for  kickboxing classes London or any big UK city!To choose your equipment (boxing gloves, mouthguard, protective boxing headgear, groin protector, breastplate, Thai boxing shorts, elbow pads, knee pads, shin pads) you should bear in mind a number of factors: What price am I prepared to pay?What material will help best to soften any blows (synthetic polyester, leather, plastic, etc.)?Which boxing accessories will be most comfortable?For how long do I plan on keeping my boxing training equipment?Fight outlet, Ringside Boxing, Sports Direct and Adidas boxing are going to be your new favourite places to shop!Here's a comparison of fight gearType of Boxing AccessorySeller of Boxing Equipment (UK)Boxing Equipment BrandPrice RangeBoxing GlovesBlitz, Fitness Superstore, Selfridges, Active Instict UK, Yokkao, Made 4 FightersAdidas, Lamyland, Everlast, Blitz, Fairtex, Harlton, Twins, Ringside £14.99 to £1,995Mouth GuardBlitz, Made 4 Fighters, Valour Strike, Newitts, SelfridgesBlitz, Shock Doctor, Under Armour, Valour Strike, Lamyland £3.49 to £19.99Protective Boxing HeadgearDecathlon UK, Fruugo, Amazon, RDX Sports, Flight Equipment UK, Olympia Fightwear, Made 4 FightersDomymos, Adidas, Rival Boxing, RDX Sports, Fairtex, Pro-Box, Lonsdale, £14.99 to £149.00Elbow PadsBlitz, Just Keepers, Tredz Bikes, Fruugo,Blitz, Nike, Fairtex, Ion, Title, Adidas Boxing £6.99 to £47.99Thai Boxing Breast PlateMartial Arts Kit, Bytomic Martial Arts and Fitness, Boxfit UKTokaido, Bytomic, Cimac £14.99 to £42.99Boxing ShortsAdidas, Blitz, Reebok, eBayAdidas Boxing, Blitz, Reebok, Fairtrex £19.99 to £35.95Knee PadsAmazon UK, RDX Sports, Fruugo,Venum, RDX Sports, Fairtex, Cliff Keen £7.99 to £29.99Shin PadsFruugo, RDX SportsUFC, Twins, Fairtex, RDX Sports £8.99 to £78.99

The Best Places to Learn Guitar Online

The Best Places to Learn Guitar Online The Best Websites for Learning How to Play the Guitar ChaptersWebsites for Learning to Play the Guitar: Tabs4acousticShredAcademyArtistWorks Guitar CampusUltimate-GuitarJammitJustin GuitarMusicRadariMusicSchoolOnline Private Guitar TutorialsAdvice for Learning an Instrument OnlinePrivate Guitar Tutorials“Music is the strongest form of magic.” - Marilyn MansonIn recent years, electric guitar sales have dropped. However, people are still interested in playing the guitar. Perhaps people are choosing to play the acoustic guitar, folk guitar, or jazz guitar instead.Whatever the reason may be, learning to play the guitar takes time, patience, and perseverance, especially when going it alone, without guitar tutorials, music theory, or a teacher to encourage us.Fortunately, the internet is here to save the day! There are plenty of free guitar lessons available online as well as resources that you'll have to pay for. The advantage is that you can work on your guitar scales at any time of the day.In this article, we're going to take a look at some of the websites you should definitely visit whether you've just started playing the guitar, are looking to learn new techniques, or an advanced player looking for something new. PeterGuitar Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EdgarGuitar Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PaulGuitar Teacher 5.00 (12) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DanielGuitar Teacher 5.00 (3) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToddGuitar Teacher 4.75 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamueleGuitar Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KurtGuitar Teacher 5.00 (3) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RyanGuitar Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWebsites for Learning to Play the Guitar: Tabs4acousticTabs4acoustic is for classical guitarists.  The site has 30 video courses, 10 hours of professional videos for each level, from beginners to experts. You’ll find theory work and technical activities as well as lessons dedicated to different topics like reading music, playing chords, reading guitar tablature, blues music for beginners, slide guitar, and an introduction to guitar scales.Your laptop might be your best resource when it comes to learning to play the guitar. (Source: Free-Photos)There are video lessons with a written part to help you better understand certain aspects. There are exercises to work on to help you improve.There’s also tablature available in another tab. The 5 most popular tabs are:Hotel CaliforniaNothing Else MattersZombieHallelujahRedemption SongPerhaps you could start with these?Tabs4acoustic also includes FAQs, a forum, a riff library (for finding nice riffs), backing tracks (for improvising), and challenges.  You’ve got everything you want and it’s free!Take your guitar learning on the go with these best guitar apps!ShredAcademyEvery guitarist should add this website to their favourites. If you want to play guitar, this is one of the first websites you should start with.There are over 100 online guitar lessons for beginner guitar techniques like strumming and picking.  Once you've worked out how to play guitar, you learn to play their licks of the week, which are great for improving as a musician both in terms of technique and music theory.Whether you're playing guitar for fun, a professional musician, playing blues guitar or rock guitar, make sure you regularly pick up your instrument and head over to ShredAcademy.ArtistWorks Guitar CampusWe'll start with the bad news first, you have to pay for this site. However, you will get your money's worth for it.Unlike some of the other sites we mentioned where you consume the content and learn guitar on your own., with this website, you get an instructor who will provide you with online guitar lessons. The money you pay is for actual guitar instruction, rather than access to videos and articles like on some other sites.Don't forget that you can also access websites and apps on your smartphone! (Source: stevepb)You can spend a lot of time on some sites looking over a guitar lesson and not actually becoming a better guitar player. This isn't the case here as you'll have someone helping you and providing you with guidance and feedback. This will ensure that you don't pick up any bad habits, which often happens with self-taught musicians.Read some of the best guitar blogs, written by guitar players!Ultimate-GuitarIf you can't read sheet music, this site needs to be put into your favourites bar now.Ultimate-Guitar is arguably the best website for tablature. Since guitar tabs are user-submitted, there are often several versions of each one. However, users also rate the tabs so you can quickly find the best tab according to other users votes.Learning guitar is much easier when you get to play your favourite songs and you'll probably find the tabs or the chord progressions for them on this site. To be fair, if you can't find it on Ulti mate-Guitar, it probably doesn't exist!  Every time I want to learn a new song on the guitar, Ultimate-Guitar is the first place I visit.There are also lessons and an accompanying app for mobile devices and tablets so that you can take Ultimate-Guitar with you anywhere.JammitJammit is a website and also an app for iOS, Mac, and PC. If there's a certain song you're trying to learn on the guitar, this is probably the place to go. You can find a song you like, slow it down, loop a tricky section, and jam along until your fingers are dancing on the strings just like your favourite artists. If you're struggling with a certain solo, open up the tabs on Ultimate-Guitar and jam along with Jammit! PeterGuitar Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EdgarGuitar Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PaulGuitar Teacher 5.00 (12) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DanielGuitar Teacher 5.00 (3) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Todd Guitar Teacher 4.75 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamueleGuitar Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KurtGuitar Teacher 5.00 (3) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RyanGuitar Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsJustin GuitarThis website is all about learning how to play the guitar. There are tonnes of great lessons and resources to get you practising regularly. If you want to learn how to play guitar, this site is worth your time.Practice makes perfect! (Source: guvo59)If you aren't attending a guitar course, you should definitely be spending a lot of time on this website. Fortunately, you won't have to pay a penny to access the site and start enjoying all the lessons available.Additionally, the website is regularly updated so it's still worth visiting once you've got the hang of the guitar as you can still learn different techniques and more about the underlying theory.With recommendations from Mark Knopfl er and Steve Vai, you don't need to take my word on just how good this website is.MusicRadarAfter being taught on a proper music course or by the best guitar tutors, YouTube is the next best thing. MusicRadar has beginner guitar lessons. Be it a pentatonic scale, a chord progression, strumming patterns, power chords, or ear training, you can learn more with the free guitar lessons on MusicRadar.As we said, though, make sure that you don't pick up any bad habits as there's nobody there to correct you when making a mistake. While free guitar lessons can be really useful, it's always a good idea to have an actual guitar instructor or an experienced musician come in and check you're doing it right.iMusicSchoolThere are beginners, intermediate, and advanced, and theory classes on iMusicSchool. 100,000 students have already taken classes. There are 60 artists and specialists offering their expertise on the site.You can also choose which guitar teacher you’d like video lessons from. You can also try the course and ask the teacher questions before paying for it. You can gain unlimited access to the courses.You can subscribe for a year or just a week in order to try it out. This is a site you could use for a very long time.Online Private Guitar TutorialsWhile we've mentioned websites you should visit, you can also use the internet to interact with real people. For example, on Superprof, you can find private guitar tutors who offer tutorials via webcam. This is great if you happen to have an awkward schedule or other commitments stopping you from attending guitar lessons or getting a private tutor.If you want to become a rock star, you're going to have to use every resource available to you! (Source: Free-Photos)The advantage of online private tutors over websites is that they can correct you when you make mistakes, adapt their lessons to your learning style, and tailor their course to exactly what you want to learn and how you want to learn it.While all these website s are fantastic resources, they can't replace having a real person in charge of your musical education. Even though online private guitar tutorials aren't free, they tend to be cheaper than hiring a private tutor as they don't have to travel to you and they can work whenever.I'd recommend starting with some of these websites, seeing how you get along.Advice for Learning an Instrument OnlineResearch into online tuitionA recent  report into online tuition  by The Tutor Pages has demonstrated that music teachers tend to be quite sceptical about the prospect of teaching a musical instrument or singing online. Apart from the obvious auditory, visual and kinaesthetic limitations of teaching via the internet, survey participants expressed concern over other less quantifiable elements such as presence, motivation, rapport and support.Having said that, music teachers were also quick to recognize that there were significant advantages too, such as not having to travel, being able to access a wider student base, and having more flexibility in scheduling (by being able to teach pupils abroad during the day, for example).Only 16% of musicians in the survey had taught online before. So, what is it like, and can it work?Teaching the cello over the internetWhen people find out I have a Skype pupil, the same questions tend to come up: why doesn’t she go to a local teacher? How did they find you? What about the time difference? How does it  work?I first met the family at a two-day course I was teaching on in London. They were visiting from Germany, and were very keen on the Suzuki method for learning the cello, having started with it several months earlier at a summer course in Dorset. They asked if I might consider teaching Lena over Skype and I agreed. Neither of us was quite sure how it was going to work out, but since there were no Suzuki teachers within travelling distance from where they lived in Germany, this was really their only option.More recently the family moved to India, and one of the great things about our situation was that a move of thousands of miles to a different continent made no difference to us. We have had to overcome poor internet connections, dying microphones and overly curious house pets, but somehow it works.We generally try to have a lesson once a week, but the day and time varies according to both our schedules, so sometimes that can mean an 8.15am lesson at my end to accommodate the time difference.The role of touch in teachingThere has been some debate over the past few years about the role touch should play in instrumental lessons, but it’s clear to me from my own experience that not being able to adjust posture during a lesson slows the process of learning considerably. Lena’s mother is a cellist herself, so she is able to be my hands â€" and sometimes even my ears.  Without her pre-existing knowledge and expertise, I honestly don’t think the set up would have worked.The family are extremely committed and they try to visit the UK at least once a year, so I am also able to give a series of lessons to Lena in person. These periods are vital times to catch up, both technique-wise, and also relationship-wise. You might call this a ‘hybrid’ model of online/face-to-face tuition, which is an approach mentioned by a number of teachers in the report.Finding a real connectionNot everyone will agree with me, but I feel that something is lost in the human connection between people if you only interact via video link. The subtleties of communication are missed, which can be difficult. I can’t always tell when Lena is tired or unfocussed, and so fail to adjust my lesson style appropriately. In ‘real’ life, this would not be a problem â€" it’s much more obvious! So when we actually meet (often on a summer course) it’s a chance for me to get to know Lena properly again, and for her to do the same with me.Skype is an amazing tool, but I think it will be a long time before distance learning c an truly rival face-to-face lessons for instrumental teaching. Having said this, as my experience with Lena shows, online tuition can give students learning opportunities that would otherwise be closed to them.Private Guitar TutorialsIf you want to take your learning offline, private guitar tutorials are definitely the best way to learn. They come with all the advantages of online private tutorials, with the exception that your tutor is actually there in front of you and can physically show you techniques.That said, a private tutor will probably still recommend some of these websites for you to browse at your leisure between their lessons to make sure that you're not rusty the next time you see them!If you're looking for guitar tutors, you can search for both online and offline tutors, browse their profiles, and get in touch via Superprof!So are you ready to start learning to play the guitar?  Then you might enjoy our top picks for the best websites to learn guitar...

New Season of Serial Podcast

New Season of Serial Podcast If youre looking for a great podcast to improve your English listening skills, look no further, Serial has released their second season. This is a well produced, high-quality podcast that does a single, very in-depth story each season.Last season the covered the story of a man who said he was wrongly accused of murder. I discovered the episodes about two weeks before the last one was released, and binged on them until I caught up. For a few days, I seemed to have my earbuds glued to my ears.This seasons story is about Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier who left his base in Afghanistan in June of 2009, and spent 5 years as a prisoner of the Taliban. The Bergdahl story has been somewhat controversial and mysterious, and got political when the Obama administration traded him for 5 Taliban prisoners that had been held in Guantanamo Bay. If its anything like last season, once you start listening, you wont be able to stop.To listen to these, youll probably want to have at least upper-inter mediate level English. Were going to create a lesson series to go with the episodes. If youre interested in taking these lessons, let your teacher know (or register for classes).Heres a quick listening exercise based on the first 5 minutes of episode one. Listen and see if you can answer the questions below.Click here to listen to the audio.Answer the questions below in comments, and well respond.He was the U.S. soldier who was captured by the Taliban and held captive for ___ ___ __ 5 years.What does the phrase above mean?What does the narrator say Bergdahl  looks like? What do you picture from her description?One or two of the guys ___ __ to where Bergdahl is sitting.What does she say its like when the 2 sides meet and shake hands?What do you learn about the controversy surrounding Bergdahl from the audio clips?We hope you enjoyed the rest of the podcast! Let us know if youre interested in lessons that follow this story.

Homework A Getting Things Done® Approach for Teens with ADHD

Homework A Getting Things Done ® Approach for Teens with ADHD For 15 years, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen, has influenced the way millions of business executives manage their time, keep track of everything they need to accomplish in a day, and maintain their productivity despite constant interruptions. Teens with ADHD arent busy executives, but they do have hectic lives that often leave them feeling overwhelmed, struggling to manage information overload, and juggling an ever-changing number of assignments, tasks, and commitments. These are the very challenges that an organizing system, like Getting Things Done, is designed to target, whether youre an executive at a Fortune 500 company, or a busy teen managing school, extracurricular activities, and a social life. All teens struggle to keep up sometimes, but most teens intuitively adopt strategies that help them manage their day-to-day lives relatively effectively. Teens with ADHD, on the other hand, typically feel like they simply cant keep up, and lack the required executive functioning skills that are needed to intuitively manage their daily influx of assignments and responsibilities. As a result, teens with ADHD become anxious and avoidant when they think about tackling their growing to-do list, and they continue to fall behind. To overcome their executive functioning challenges, and break out of an anxiety and avoidance cycle, teens with ADHD need to learn specific strategies and systems for recording assignments, ideas, and tasks, and seeing them through to completion. Getting Things Done is a system designed to turn the ideas and tasks floating around in our heads (and causing anxiety) into actionable items that can be completed efficiently. In fact, the Getting Things Done slogan is, Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. Getting Things Done is based on 5 key steps that can easily be adapted to meet the needs of almost any teen with ADHD, especially when it comes to getting homework done! The Five Key Steps to Getting Homework Done: Capture Record everything that you need to get done. Every teen with ADHD has hundreds of thoughts, ideas, and to do items bouncing around in his or her head. It is simply not possible to rely on memory alone without forgetting items or missing due dates. Its essential that every single assignment, upcoming test, or task (like getting a permission slip signed, or bringing supplies to school) be written down. In addition, each of these items needs to be recorded in the same place. Too often some assignments are captured as reminders in text messages or emails (sent to yourself), while others are noted in a Word document, or in the schools online homework system (like Blackboard), or on random sheets of paper in notebooks or stuffed in the bottom of a bag. Pick one location and stick with it whether its a Word or Evernote document, a paper notebook, or a notes section of the schools homework assignment system. If its not captured in writing, its probably not going to be done well and on time. Clarify Turn assignments into action items and next steps. Simply recording your assignments in one place is an accomplishment when you have ADHD! Mastering this first step is essential, and will help you stay in control of your assignment list. But, to finish your assignments quickly and on time, there are a few more steps youll consistently need to take. Clarifying exactly what you need to do in order to complete each assignment is the next essential step. Creating a checklist of assignment action items provides you with a roadmap for your work and breaks bigger projects down into smaller manageable chunks. For some assignments, the checklist list will be short. For example, Complete Math Worksheet may have only two items on the checklist, (1) complete worksheet, (2) doublecheck for errors. More complex assignments, like Write Spanish Essay will require longer action item checklists: (1) develop topic, (2) create outline, (3) write thesis statement, (4) write the body, (5) write the introduction, (6) write the conclusion, (7) revise, (8) p roof read. Organize and Prioritize Group your action items together into meaningful categories. Using a homework whiteboard, a Word or Evernote document, or an online project management tool, like Trello, organize and prioritize your action items. Getting Things Done recommends using only three categories: Now Tomorrow and Later. For assignments with a Later due date, make sure you enter a reminder into your calendar. Then, look at the action items for the project, and see if there are any steps you should be starting today or tomorrow, and add them to the appropriate list. Review and Reflect Do a weekly review of your lists to clean-up, update, and clear your mind. With your assignments displayed visually, you are now able to easily scan your categories and see if there is anything that needs to be moved from Later into Now or Tomorrow. I recommend scanning this list once a day to make sure youre not missing anything, and so that you have a very clear sense of how much youll have on your plate in the coming days and weeks. Engage Simply Do. Use your system to take appropriate actions with confidence. Now that you have very clear action items on your list, and a knowledge of what needs to be done when, you can dive in and get started. For many of the kids and teens that I have worked with, simply completing the first step of a project (no matter how small that step is) makes it much easier to overcome procrastination as the project due date approaches. The project feels less overwhelming because its already been started! For smaller assignments, like completing a math worksheet, the act of quickly completing the task and crossing it off your list will give you a great sense of accomplishment and will help you feel motivated to tackle the next action item. Incorporating a structured system like Getting Things Done into a homework plan will help all teens with ADHD get assignments completed efficiently and on time. This is a huge benefit, but just as importantly, it can help teens with ADHD develop a sense of competence and control over their academic life. Anxiety will decrease, and time with friends and family becomes more relaxed and fun! To learn more about Getting Things Done, visit David Allens website at https://gettingthingsdone.com. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

4 Organizational Apps to Help Combat Senioritis

4 Organizational Apps to Help Combat Senioritis The 4 Best Organizational Apps to Help Combat Senioritis The 4 Best Organizational Apps to Help Combat Senioritis The end of senior year is not that far away. Honestly, it cant come soon enough for seniors who are overwhelmed by months of advanced placement classes and college applications. Students are getting their college acceptance letters, and their minds are already focused on their freshman year of college. Everything seems exciting, everything that is other than staying organized through the end of the year. However, its essential that seniors maintain their GPA and finish the year strong to ensure a successful graduation. With distractions coming from every direction students are encouraged to use todays many organizational apps geared towards helping them stay focused and on task. Some of these apps are specifically meant for students while others are for a broader audience but can be easily utilized by students in high school. 1. Penultimate Penultimate is simple yet effective. Its a way for students to take handwritten notes on a digital platform. One important feature of this app is that it can sync with all of the student’s devices so they dont have to worry about accidentally leaving their laptop or tablet at home. Every teen will have their cell phone with them no matter what so they can always access their notes. Students can take handwritten notes for any class or assignment and quickly save and organize these notes for a later date. Penultimate is designed for iPad and is free (READ: 3 Warning Signs of Senioritis). 2. Rescue Time Rescue Time is a digital tracking system that can help students or anyone for that matter, keep track of the amount of time they are online as well as which websites they visit frequently. Often students will look up at the clock to discover that they have spent two hours working on an assignment that should have taken 45 minutes. Where did that time go? Many students spend a ton of time on social media or may have gotten distracted by pop-up ads or unhelpful websites when they were conducting online research. Rescue Time will give users insight into where they need to focus their self-control by giving them an itemized report of which websites they visit and for how long. This app is a little bit expensive starting at $9 per month. However, it can be worth it for students to pay for a couple of months to learn about their study habits. 3. Google Docs Google Docs is an excellent app for students who need to organize multiple papers, assignments, and drafts throughout the semester. Google provides a large amount of free storage on a laptop and helps students stay on task through user-friendly organization. Additionally, Google Docs allows students to share documents quickly with their study group or tutor. Members of the study group will have a color-coded identity where they can edit in real time, view each others ongoing and recent changes, and make suggestions or permanently edit. Google Docs is free (READ: 5 Tips to Remember Those Tricky Test Questions). 4. Awesome Note 2 Awesome Note 2 is a great simple tool where students can take basic notes to help them stay organized with assignments. Users can take notes during class as well as add in pictures and voice recordings. This app also provides a to-do list and calendar so students can keep track of assignments with long-range due dates. Students can customize the app to their personal needs by creating different folders and their own background. Awesome Note 2 is $3.99. Our experienced private Orange County tutors know all of the best organizational tips for students. Book your private O.C. tutor today! All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Expand Your Vocabulary With These Daily Activities

Expand Your Vocabulary With These Daily Activities You may want to increase your vocabulary for personal or academic reasons. However, a strong vocabulary has been linked to higher income. No matter what your motivation, with commitment and practice, you can add words to your vocabulary every day. Read. The more you read, the greater the number of words you're exposed to. Keep the level of the material that you are reading in mind: the New York Times, Economist, Atlantic, and New Yorker will expose you to more new words than a general-circulation newspaper. Reading literary material - novels and short stories - will grow your vocabulary more quickly than most non-fiction texts will, and may improve your character as well. Seeing a word in context supplements flipping through a dictionary quite well. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus on hand. Multiple apps are available for your phone. When you discover a new word, go to the dictionary to determine its meaning - or meanings - and pronunciation. Then check the thesaurus to locate similar words and phrases, as well as synonyms and antonyms. Play games. Challenging word games include crosswords, anagrams, and boggle. Many games are available for your phone or ipad. Put that thumb-twiddling time now wasted on Candy Crush to good use! Consider the roots. One of the best things you can do to expand your English vocabulary is to study Greek and Latin roots. Prefixes, roots, and suffixes in these languages contribute substantially to English and will help you learn new words.Write in a journal. Maintain a list of the new words you've added to your vocabulary, with definitions, to keep track of your progress. Reviewing the list will help embed them in your memory, and seeing the mass of new words in one place can provide motivation. If you'd rather maintain a spreadsheet, feel free, but note that you will remember the words more effectively if you write them, longhand, in a journal. Try to pick up at least a word a day. There are word-a-day desk calendars and websites to visit, as well word-of-the-day email services. However, simply reading a new word and its definition won't store it in your long-term memory. Write out both the word and its definition. Say it out loud. Write sentences that use the new word in context. Then recite these sentences out loud. Try to incorporate your new vocabulary in your conversation, or make them the topic of conversation between you and a friend. Your new vocabulary will start making unprompted appearances in your daily speech - and improving your academic performance - before you know it.

6 Ways to Deal with Workplace Conflict

6 Ways to Deal with Workplace Conflict image via Isorepublic.com Try to resolve it before it escalates When a conflict is left unresolved and allowed to escalate, it can cause people to bottle up emotions and to be passive aggressive. After some time, someone might burst from holding in all those emotions. This will not be pretty, and of course, it will affect the quality of your work. So, try to resolve the conflict before it gets to that point. This will save you from many headaches! Try to resolve it among yourselves before involving anyone else Try talking through the conflict, just the two of you, before involving anyone else. Your boss and your company’s HR department are busy, they don’t need to deal with yet another employee conflict. Instead, talk to each other in a neutral space (in other words, not your office and not their office) that’s free of distraction. If you two can’t come up with a solution on your own, then feel free to involve other people, higher up in the chain. Try to get to the root of the problem Many times, in order to solve the conflict, you need to look past the surface. If you just look on the surface, you will only be solving the symptoms, not the problem itself. On the other hand, if you figure out the root of the problem, you can focus your energy on solving that, rather than just resolving the symptoms. In the next few points, we’ll talk about how to get to the root of the problem, so you can reach an effective solution. Listen to the other person with understanding Part of resolving a conflict is communicating, which involves listening to the other person with understanding. Let them speak uninterrupted. Obviously, we are all different, and we have differing points of view. Try to understand theirs. Do your best to step out own head. Focus on the problem rather than on the person. Of course, expect the same respect from them, conflict resolution must be mutual. Again, seek someone higher up if you can’t resolve it yourselves. Use the common strategies for conflict resolution According to Chron, there are five main conflict management strategies. Read about each of the strategies and figure out which one works best for your particular situation. Accommodating: one person submits to the wants of the other person. In other words, you let go of what you want so the other person can have what they want. (This strategy works if you realize the problem is not that important anyway.) Avoiding: ignoring or putting off the conflict. (This is not the best strategy, as I mentioned earlier that unresolved conflict can lead to bottled up emotions!) Collaborating: multiple people come together to create a new solution to the conflict. Compromising: both people agree to give up a little bit of what they want, but they also receive a little bit of what they want, too. (This is the most popular conflict resolution strategy.) Competing: one person wins, the other person loses. The losing side submits to the wants of the winning side. (This strategy works best if decisive action needs to be taken immediately.) There is a reason these strategies for conflict resolution are so popular. Choose one to apply to your situation. Try to avoid getting involved in conflict in the first place Now let’s discuss the best way to resolve conflict: avoid getting into it in the first place! Here are some ways to help you avoid getting into a conflict at your workplace. Only talk about professional matters while you are at work. Avoid telling your co-workers much about your personal life. Do not participate in any form of gossip. Just listening to gossip is participating in it. Plus, if they are talking about someone else to you, then they’ll likely talk about you to someone else. These are the people that will start drama and conflict. Avoid them! Do not talk about other people. This goes with the previous point, but it’s worth restating. If you talk about someone else, it’s easy for your words to be twisted and to start a conflict. To prevent this, have a general policy of not talking about other people. Be positive. You don’t have to be cheerful all the time (because no one is!), but don’t be constantly complaining or being a “negative Nancy.” This will just cause conflict. Prevention is the best way to avoid getting involved in a conflict. Don’t be a gossip or a bully, and don’t hang out with gossips or bullies. Unfortunately, we are all likely to fall into a conflict sooner or later. But the good news is that these conflicts can be resolved! Follow these tips and the conflict resolution strategies, and you should be good to go.