Thursday, March 26, 2020

Chemistry and the Names of Food Items

Chemistry and the Names of Food ItemsChemistry has been the driving force behind bao name research. This is because a name is not only a personalized gift but also one of the most significant activities for both consumers and restaurants alike. The more specialized food items the restaurants serve, the more popular they are to the community.Bak Choy (also known as Bancho and Ling Li) is the common name for a small Chinese herbaceous perennial plant. There are several variations of this plant, but they all have similar characteristics. These plants are hardy, fast growing, and require little care. They can grow up to six feet in height and four feet in width.The bao can be cooked as either a stir fry or as a vegetable or meat. The vegetables include: zha and, is mian, gan bing, luo jia, wen qi, goi oh, suan mian, in fen, and jia jun. A stir fried version can be made by adding some soy sauce, water, sugar, and chili oil. Cooking the veggies is a lot faster than the stir frying method.T he most popular bao in China are the stir fried varieties. Some of these ingredients are from the Thai dishes used for stir frying. Since bao name research shows that the majority of Chinese have very little knowledge about the ingredients, a name will continue to expand and gain in popularity.Another common use for bao is in replacing the meat portions in traditional Chinese meals. Sometimes the restaurant serves a dish, such as crab, that does not need pork or beef for flavor, and can be substituted with the vegetable bar.To be successful in personal chemistry research, it is essential to identify what ingredients are present in the typical Chinese meal. It is also important to see what other cooking methods are used in recipes. This includes how many uses the ingredients have.Because the bao have already been selected by a customer, it is more likely that the bad name will be shared. The more individuals the ingredients are shared with, the more likely the bao name will be seen i n the future. This will make for a more interesting bao name chemistry project, as well as giving a more organized bao name for restaurants and establishments.

Friday, March 6, 2020

All You Need To Know About Taking Maths A Level

All You Need To Know About Taking Maths A Level Help for A-Level Mathematics: A Complete Guide ChaptersWhy Learn Maths A-Level?A Level Maths â€" What To Expect From The SyllabusPast Papers And Revision Guides For A Level MathsExam Timetables And Opportunities To Re-SitTaking A Level Maths As A Mature StudentThe Value Of Maths In Everyday Life MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhy Learn Maths A-Level?As you may already be aware, in the UK, there are three core subjects that you need to get by in most walks of life: English, Maths and Science. That is not to say, however, that you have to excel in all of these areas to get a good job, but you must display a certain level of academic ability in the three areas if you want to progress in both your education and career.In any job application or interview, you will be asked to provide proof of your qualifications to date, with a focus on English and Maths. Photo by Robert Sheie on Visualhunt.comYou might have experienced, for instance, entry exams to get a place in your chosen secondary school. You may even have been asked to come in for an interview by your prospective sixth form college, during which they will no doubt discuss your level of education, including areas which you are doing well in and ones which you have clearly struggled with.Remember that your all-round grades are more likely to be scrutinized in detail if you are looking to take the International Baccalaureate, as opposed to the familiar A Level, which requires you to take Maths, English, and a Science as higher or standard level subjects.These individual areas, along with three additional subjects (usually Arts, Business Studies and Humanities subjects) are marked out of 7, and candidates must receive a minimum of 24 points to pass the course. This means that you must do relatively well in all subjects, achieving on average a 4 in each.If you are applying to study a technical subject at college, then your Maths GCSE will almost certainly be a deciding factor in whether you can proceed on this route. Budding mathematicians will in no uncertain terms have to prove that they are cut out for the challenging next level of this area of study.Read our top 10 tips for A level maths revision.Key Skills Developed By MathsBy studying Maths, you can develop a range of skills that are sought after by employers and that will also help you throughout your day to day life.For example, Maths encourages logical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving.The Emphasis On M aths In The WorkplaceFurthermore, if you haven’t already got a part-time job, you may not yet have completed an application form.You’ll soon see that, on any professional application form for any type of role, you will be asked to confirm your qualifications to date, with a particular focus on the three aforementioned subjects. This is so that establishments can get a feel for your overall academic competencies, which reflect a number of key skills in business such as effective communication, adequate numeracy and logical thinking.To add to that, Maths is a key area of study for those seeking a career in the Finance, Engineering and Information Technology industries. Just some jobs that are directly related to a Maths qualification are Chartered Accountant, Investment Analyst, Systems Developer and Secondary School Teacher of Maths.A Level Maths â€" What To Expect From The SyllabusDue to government-led changes to the education system in Britain, A Levels (like GCSEs) have underg one some changes in recent months, which are now beginning to emerge across the country.For example, many of the principal exam boards have had to significantly change their course structure to create new qualifications designed to be the best and most rewarding experience for students. While the new changes represent the biggest in a generation, one of the main improvements is said to be the freedom offered to young mathematicians.Thanks to recent changes to the syllabus, the teaching of Maths is said to offer students more freedom. Photo by blondinrikard on Visualhunt.comThe AQA A Level Mathematics (7357), which was taught from September 2017, with the first exams being sat in 2018 onwards, covers a broad range of Maths themes. Some of this content includes Trigonometry, Sequences and series, Exponentials and logarithms, Differentiation, Integration, Vectors, Statistical hypothesis testing, Kinematics as well as Algebra and functions.Teachers of this specification will be encourag ed to help students to make links between these various areas of Maths so that they can seek to apply their mathematical skills across all modules.In addition, new resources and exams contribute in making the study of the themes clearer and more consistent so that teachers and students alike can feel confident that they have done all that they can before the exam.This particular specification is assessed across three exams, each making up a third of your final grade. The exams are written assessments which last for 2 hours and include a mixture of question styles, from short, single-mark questions to multi-step problems racking up more in the way of points. MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsPast Papers And Revision Guides For A Level MathsAs with most subjects and courses, the best revision resources can often be found on the trusty exam boards’ websites! Take AQA, for instance, which has a dedicated page for past papers.Since students on the current specification have yet to be tested, the exam board cannot offer past papers for you to look at. Instead, they have a collection of specimen question papers, along with notes and guidance along with mark schemes to give you an idea of what you can expect when it comes to your exams.It is not only the exam boards that have been busy carrying out updates, academic publishers like CGP Books have subsequently had to edit their materials to reflect these changes. As such, as recently as this October just is gone, new revision materials were released by the publishing house for A Level students enrolled on the new AQA Maths course.These paperback revision tools can be purchased online from a range of stockists, including the publisher’s own website, but are also available in some retail stores and bookshops.Don’t leave it until it is too late to start revising, start thinking about past papers and revision guides now in preparation for your mock or real exams next summer!Exam Timetables And Opportunities To Re-SitWhile we hope that you don’t wind up feeling disappointed with your end result, we understand that re-sits are inevitable within this area of study because of the significance of Maths to many, mainly for the reasons mentioned above.The existing conditions for re-sitting exams are that you have the opportunity to re-sit an exam as many times as you feel necessary, in line with the exam’s shelf life. This means that, if the syllabus was to undergo further changes that led to an adapted course and assessment, then you may no longer be liable for a re-sit.The main reasons for students re-taking exams are that they didn’t revise enough the first time around, they struggled to keep up with the course content, they didn’t quite achieve the grade they needed to progress in their education or they were affected by circumstances out of their control such as sickness or family problems.Read our top tips for A level maths revision.Taking A Level Maths As A Mature StudentFor some adults, a less than perfect grade back in their youth plays on their mind and affects their pride. Meanwhile others may have done a complete U-turn in their professional direction and now need a specific qualification to complete their training.If you are one of these people who, for whatever reason, wants to revisit your A Level education and either take or re-take Maths, then you will be relieved to hear that is a relatively straightforward process.While you have the opportunity to simply sit an exam with only independent study or professional maths tutors to maths help you along the way, you do so at your own cost.We would, however, advise that you enrol on a course either online (with the relevant teaching resources included) or at a nearby college.No matter your age or circumstances, you can still go back and study towards a Maths A Level. Photo by University of Minnesota Duluth on VisualHuntMany courses for mature students offer flexible learning patterns to work around your existing responsibilities and with varying lengths to accommodate your educational needs.The Value Of Maths In Everyday LifeMaths is a highly useful subject to have, even if your anticipated degree path isn’t directly related to the area of study.Maths lends itself to a range of transferable skills which could benefit you in your chosen subject, even if only to help you to apply a rational thought process. What’s more, basi c Maths is also relevant to your everyday life as a student, including budgeting for rent and groceries.Maths additionally makes a great joint subject, because it is so neutral and can offer a nice balance in your student life. It is easily combined with courses like History, English, Music as well as languages.Moreover, if you do decide to throw yourself into your Maths studies and take it as a joint or individual degree at university, you could be looking to receive a better financial reward further down the line than some of your peers.The prospects for Maths graduates are pretty high, especially if you study at an establishment that is highly-rated for its Maths department.Careers involving Maths are usually permanent, which is promising if you are keen on finding a stable career, not to mention the fact that Maths graduates earn on average a much higher starting salary than other industries.Along with this fantastic introductory pay package, the potential to move up the salary scale is a huge advantage for those number-crunching professionals.

Advanced Vocabulary Booster #1

Advanced Vocabulary Booster #1 Next 12 words? Welcome to the first installment of the Virtual Writing Tutors Vocabulary Booster. On this page, you will find a dozen randomly chosen, low-frequency, high-impact vocabulary words that you can integrate into your speaking and writing. If you are preparing for the IELTS or the TOEFL exam, using these words correctly will give the examiners a good impression of the size and sophistication of your active vocabulary. Scroll to the bottom of the page to download a PDF of these words arranged onto cards. Print them out, cut them up, and play a guessing game with friends and family. See below for instructions. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); sensational /sen-SAY-shun-nul/ Adjective Calculated to produce a startling impressionIntended to thrill obnoxious /obb-NOCK-shuss/ Adjective OdiousObjectionableOffensive vindictive /vin-DICK-tiv/ Adjective VengefulCharacterized by a desire for revenge or retribution prudish /PROO-dish/ Adjective Excessively modest, demur, or primUptight deter /de-TUR/ Verb Discourage and stop by inciting fear or doubt erotomania /ee-ROT-uh-MAY-nee-uh/ Noun Madness caused by sexual excitementAbnormally strong sexual desire feasible /FEE-sib-bull/ Adjective Capable of being donePossibleViable solicitous /so-LISS-si-tuss/ Adjective AnxiousApprehensiveDeeply concerned desolate /DESS-so-luht/ Adjective Solitary, lonely, miserableUninhabited, abandonedRhymes with “chocolate” fastidious /fass-TID-dee-us/ Adjective Hard to pleaseEasily disgustedSqueamish obese /oh-BEES/ Adjective Very fat callipygian /kall-lip-PID-jyan/ Adjective Of, pertaining to, or having shapely or finely developed buttocks Download and play the card game Download and print the cards and the card backs on a double-sided sheet of paper. Cut the cards along the lines and place them in a pile facedown. In groups of 3 or 4, take turns selecting a card from the top of the pile, reading the definitions. Player One takes a card from the pile and reads the definition and part of speech. The other players try to guess the word first. The first player to guess correctly gets the card, placing it faceup in front of him or her. The player to the left takes the next turn. If no one can guess the word from its definition, the player whose turn it is reads the answer and returns the card to the bottom of the pile, and selects another card from the top of the pile. The player with the most cards (and therefore the best vocabulary) at the end of the game is the winner. Advanced vocabulary card game pages 1-2Download More words ? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Please follow and like us:

Thursday, March 5, 2020

30 English Idioms Describing Character and Personality - Effortless English

30 English Idioms Describing Character and Personality - Effortless English You are already familiar with some of the adjectives that describe people. Today lets have a look at some English informal expressions and idioms describing character and personality. Some of you might have heard one or two (or maybe 10!) idioms describing character and personality. And Im sure that most of you have met or heard of someone who matches one of the below definitions. 30 English Idioms Describing Character and Personality 1. Pain in the neck â€" an irritating, annoying personEx. Sarah is such a pain in the neck these days.2. Bright spark â€" a clever personEx. He is a real bright spark in the class.3. Party animal â€" someone who likes to attend parties oftenEx. Are you going out again tonight? You are such a party animal.4. Cold fish â€" someone who has very little emotions, who is regarded as hard-hearted and unfeelingex. John said nothing at all when I told him about my problems. He is a cold fish.5. Dark horse â€" someone who has greater abilities than he shows or than other people are aware ofEx. I didn’t know Nick could play the guitar so well. He is a real dark horse!6. Lone wolf â€" someone who prefers his own company and does not like socialising. We can also say a lone bird.Ex. Jack became a real lone wolf since his wife passed away last year. He never goes out.7. Nerd â€" someone who is very interested in science or technology, particularly in computersEx. He spends all weekends at his la ptop, he is such a nerd. 30 English Idioms Describing Character and Personality? - Infographic Enjoyed this infographic? Here’s what you can do next: 8. Moaning Minnie â€" a person who complains a lot about insignificant things.Ex. Oh stop being a Moaning Minnie! Just concentrate on your homework.9. Happy camper â€" a person who is always happy and satisfied. ‘Happy camper’ is often used in the negative.Ex. The apartment was much smaller than I expected, I was not a happy camper.10. Smart cookie â€" somebody who has got a strong personality or who is quite smart.Ex. Katie is such a smart cookie, she can make any project a success.11. Wet blanket â€" a person who ruins other people’s fun by staying pessimistic and complaining all the time.Ex. Katie is so negative about everything, she is such a wet blanket.12. Chatterbox â€" a person who talks a lotEx. My son always gets detentions in school for talking in class, he is such a chatterbox.13. Crank â€" a person whose behaviour or way of life is regarded as strange. We can also say an oddball/fish/bird or a weirdo (very informal).Ex. Peter never eats green vegetables, he thinks they make him sleepy. He is such a crank!14. Rolling stone â€" a person who moves from place to place, job to job, without staying anywhere longEx. My brother was a rolling stone until he met his wife.15. Rough diamond â€" someone who seems impolite or is not well-educated, but who has a kind heart and good character.Ex. Mike may be a rough diamond, but he is kind and always willing to help. 30 English Idioms Describing Character and Personality 16. Life and soul of the party â€" someone who is energetic, and good fun during social occasions.Ex. It was a great night, Jim was life and soul of the party.17. Wallflower â€" a shy person, usually a girl who has no one to talk to or dance with at a partyEx. Jane is a bit of a wallflower, she is very shy when she is around a lot of people that she doesn’t know.18. Wimp â€" a weak person, someone who lacks confidence.Ex. I always avoid confrontations, I am such a wimp.19. Golden boy â€" a winning person that everyone is fond of.Ex. Wayne Rooney is the golden boy of English football.20. Bunny boiler â€" a girl who behaves improperly after a relationship break up.This expression comes from the film “Fatal Attraction” in which the character kills and boils her ex-boyfriend’s family pet rabbit.21. Slave driver â€" someone who makes other people to work really hardEx. My boss is such a slave driver, I had to work two weekends in a row.22. Early bird â€" a person who wakes up, arr ives to work, etc. before the usual timeThis expression comes from the English proverb “The early bird catches the worm”.Ex. My Mum is the early bird in our family, she gets up at 5 o’clock in the morning.23. Tearaway â€" a person who behaves in a stupid or wild manner, and frequently gets into trouble.Ex. Jack was a bit of a tearaway in secondary school, always getting into trouble.24. Busybody â€" a person who expresses great interest in other people’s private livesEx. My next door neighbour is a real busybody.25. Scrooge a miserable person who hates spending money.This expression comes from a character in “A Christmas Carol” novel by Charles Dickens.Ex. My last boss was a real Scrooge, for years we never received a Christmas bonus.26. Daydreamer â€" someone who is having dreamlike thoughts when they should be focusing on the presentEx. I’ve always been a bit of a daydreamer in school.27. Skiver â€" someone who is absent from school or work without a good reasonWe c an also say ‘someone who is pulling a sickie’.Ex. He didn’t bother to turn up for work on Monday, he is a skiver.28. Clock-watcher â€" someone who has no interest on the current activity, and keeps watching the timeEx. I hate to be a clock-watcher, but I can’t wait to get out of here.29. Big mouth â€" someone who is not able to keep a secretEx. Never tell her a secret, she’s got a really big mouth.30. Creep â€" a nasty person, someone who is trying to impress higher authorityEx. What a creep this guy is.

One Week Traveling in Malaysia

One Week Traveling in Malaysia One Week Traveling in MalaysiaIf you teach abroad in Southeast Asia, you’re bound to have enough time off to explore more of your surroundings. Vibrant cities, a diverse culture and extraordinary natural beauty make for a perfect week-long vacation in Malaysia.Day 1 â€" Experiencing Kuala Lumpur To start off your week in Malaysia, explore Kuala Lumpur. Visiting the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin building in the world, will give you a stunning view of the city. If you’d rather take a look at the Petronas Towers from a distance, visit the Menara Tower, another one of Kuala Lumpur’s unique landmarks. While you’re already in the heart of the capital, one of the following activities should be on your travel itinerary of Malaysia:Visit Aquaria KLCC, a large aquarium featuring a 300-foot underwater tunnel and over 5,000 animals from Malaysia and around the world.Go shopping and experience Malaysia’s diversity. The Pavilion and Berjaya Times Square offer anything you could be lo oking for, from designer goods to Malay restaurants. Complete your shopping experience in Kuala Lumpur by exploring Chinatown and the Wet Market, a colorful market where you can find rare food items and cheap electronics.Meet exotic birds that have made the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park their home. This public aviary gives visitors the chance to view an abundance of exotic birds in their natural habitat.Day 2 â€" Temples, Caves and Golden StatuesMalaysia is a diverse country, heavily influenced by Chinese and Indian immigrants, thus featuring a multitude of temples, shrines and mosques. Thean Hou, Kuala Lumpur’s most popular Buddhist temple, astonishes visitors with its exquisite Chinese architecture and is famous for its excellent view of the city. After a relaxing morning at the temple, head to the Batu Caves. These caves are said to be 400 years old and feature a collection of Hindu shrines. The 140-foot golden statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity, is bound to take your breath away.Day 3 â€" Cameron HighlandsHeavily influenced by the British rule, the Cameron Highlands allow visitors to escape the heat and explore buildings from the colonial era. Tea, coffee, and fruit plantations are enclosed by lush hills and provide a sudden contrast to Kuala Lumpur’s metropolitan feel. You will find golf courses, missionary manors, and the truly British Smokehouse Inn.Day 4 â€"PenangExcite your taste buds and learn all about where these spices come from. A visit to Penang’s Tropical Spice Garden will appeal to all senses. Small paths lead guests past waterfalls and through lush spice gardens. To truly appreciate the variety of exotic tastes, stroll along Gruney Drive and try the rich variety of hawker food offered here. At night, take a trip to Batu’s popular night markets.Day 5 â€" Georgetown and Places of WorshipNo trip to Malaysia is complete without wandering through Georgetown. This open-air museum features a collection of historic buildings from the colonial era incl uding many sites of worship. The Buddhist Kek Lok Si Temple, Hindu Sri Mahamariamman Temple, St. Georg’s Church and the Kapitan Keling Mosque are all in walking distance and worth seeing. Additionally, if you’re not afraid of snakes, take a trishaw ride to the Snake Temple.Day 6 and 7 â€" Langkawi IslandEnd your vacation in Malaysia by relaxing at one of Langkawi’s numerous beaches. Fine sand, clear water and some amazing resorts allow visitors to soak up the sun for a while. For some variety, observe jugglers and snake charmers in the Oriental Village, take the cable car to the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls and visit the Crocodile Adventureland.Travel in Malaysia to explore metropolitan cities, majestic mountains and hills, historical sights and marvelous beaches. Most of Malaysia’s incredible sights are bound to take your breath away, so why not look into teaching abroad in Malysia?Dorothee Rembold is an intern at Teach Away Inc.

4 ways to prepare for your teach abroad job interview

4 ways to prepare for your teach abroad job interview After you make the decision to teach abroad, the next step in the process is to land a job at a school that meets your life and career goals. To that end, you might opt for applying for jobs online with a recruiter like Teach Away or decide to attend a teacher job fair or some in-person interview sessions. Regardless of which path you take, however, one thing is certain: You will be interviewed at some point in the hiring process - whether it’s over phone, Skype or in person. Congratulations, your teaching credentials and experience landed you an interview and now it's time to seal the deal. Depending on your level of experience, you may have attended many, many interviews in your time. Or maybe your last interview was your first. No matter which bucket you happen to fall into, I wanted to share my first-hand experience and advice for anyone interviewing for a job teaching abroad. Hopefully, this will give you some idea of what to prep for when interviewing for what (hopefully) will turn out to be your very own dream job teaching abroad. I’m not going to give you a laundry list as there are so many resources out there already. For example, as I was preparing for the job fair, Teach Away hosted a webinar that gave advice and tips for job fair interviews (just an FYI that the job fair experience can be very different if you have never attended one). I also found these three posts helpful, so I recommend checking those out if you’ve got time: 6 interview tips that will get you the job - straight from a teach abroad recruiter Preparing for an international teaching job interview 11 tips for a successful teacher phone interview Below, I’ve listed some of the things that I felt really helped me make a strong impression throughout the interview process: 1. Do due diligence on the school you’re interviewing with. Hopefully, you have already done a lot of research before the interview process to decide on where you want to teach and live. If you haven’t, I recommend you do so. Each country and region has their own unique culture, and it is important to have an idea which fits you and/or your family’s lifestyle. Next, you need to do the research to familiarize yourself with the prospective school’s vision, mission and curriculum philosophy. Research on the school can be beneficial in two areas. First, it gives you an opportunity to see if you would be a good fit for the school. Second, it will give you valuable information you can use and reference when answering questions in the interview. Teach Away will usually have a page on their site with key school information If not, you can also google and find the school’s official website. At the Teach Away job fair, I was also lucky enough to get the chance to sit in on info sessions held by the hiring schools in attendance. I made sure to take notes on key areas, such as the school’s philosophy, to ascertain how it matches my own strengths and values as an educator. Watch this video: This is what schools look for on your Teach Away profile 2. Don’t be afraid to self-reflect and sell yourself. After doing your research, take a look back at your past teacher evaluations and your career as an educator. For some that might be a long career, others very short. Either way, it is important to self-reflect in order to truly understand your strengths and areas where you can improve as an educator. After all, we all have room to grow. Many of the schools that I interviewed with during my job hunt were interested in me teaching Advanced Placement (AP) classes or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes. If you are a secondary content teacher and have AP or IB experience that will increase your stock. I, however, do not have AP/IB experience, but many schools pay for professional development. I was open and honest in interviews about my lack of AP/IB experience. However, I made it clear that I was willing to attend PD sessions and continue to grow professionally in those areas. Being honest about the areas that you can improve when asked in an interview is really important, especially if those areas are bound to be brought up as the school is doing reference checks. Although you want to be honest about the areas that you can improve, it is also important to sell yourself. Two of the most common questions you will get in a teacher job interview are (although asked in different ways) are: Why do you want to work at our school? What would we see if we were to walk into your classroom? These are two unmissable opportunities to sell yourself as an educator. The first question is where your research on the school is crucial. As you’re answering, you have the chance to get across just good a fit for their school you are by conveying how your philosophies and strengths align with the school’s mission, vision, and curricular programs. The second question is where your self-reflection can help you sell yourself as a classroom instructor. Be prepared to give specific examples of teaching strategies you use in the classroom. You are good enough for this job, so don’t be afraid to tell the school why. Sign up to Teach Away today for access to the latest teaching jobs around the world. 3. Practice makes perfect. Like anything else, interviewing is a skill that can be mastered with practice. Of course, just like most other things, interviewing comes easier to some than to others. Whether you feel like you’re a natural or you’ve come to dread the interview process, practicing before a real interview will not only help prepare you for the possible questions that could be asked, it will also go a long way in helping battle those pesky nerves that tend to sneak up as the interview date looms. The questions I shared above are a great place to start. Have a friend, spouse or colleague ask you questions specific to the teaching job you’re in the running for and practice responding to them. You don’t have to memorize your answers verbatim but it’s a good idea to jot down your responses so you can work on refining them as you do your interview preparation. It’s also worth practicing for an interview with a formal administrative colleague that can share some valuable insight into the common questions they like to ask during the interview process. You can either review these questions or conduct a mock interview with them. I’m very fortunate to have a father who is a former administrator who is always happy to help me run through my interview responses. During past interviews, I have foundIdo have either a tendency to get caught in those annoying ummm...uhhhhh...pauses when questions catch me off guard, or I. Oy to avoid any awkward silence so I s at allstart speaking before I’ve really thought my answer through. With enough practice, however, I was I can start tonate my awkanyrd pauses and keep my cool if I happened to momentarily thrown by a tricky question. 4. Practice getting comfortable in front of the camera. Video interviews are common practice when recruiting teachers from overseas, largely due to convenience, flexibility and the money-saving benefits for schools. As a result, practicing interviewing in an online setting is important. Interviews online or over Skype have a completely different feel from in-person interviews. For example, depending on how reliable your internet connection is, the video quality might be spotty and you might find it difficult not to talk over each other in the interview. Due to financial and family constraints, my wife and I were unable to attend the teacher job fair together. Instead, I flew out to the fair while Grace stayed home with our two boys. However, Grace was able to interview with the same schools I did - just over Skype. We even interviewed as a team in some instances - I was physically in the room and while Grace was sat next to me on a laptop (which was a unique experience for everyone involved!) Grace and I also had multiple Skype interviews following the fair. She’s an elementary teacher and I’m a secondary teacher, so it stood to reason that both principals wanted to meet with us. I think it’s safe to say we’re old hands at Skype interviews by now! So here are some of our basic tips when interviewing over Skype: Dress professionally, just as you would for an in-person interview. Make sure your technology is up to scratch. Test your interview location and camera angle by calling a friend. (The last thing you want is something embarrassing being visible in the background.) Be on time. Make sure you know who’s calling who. Take care to articulate your words clearly and speak a touch louder than you normally would in an in-person interview. Be sure to look right into the camera as much as you can. (This is the Skype version of making eye contact, however unnatural it might feel!) Take the quiz: Where should I teach abroad in 2018? If you’re currently gearing up for an interview to teach abroad, remember that preparation is key for a successful interview, whether it’s face-to-face or via Skype. Hopefully, the tips and tricks provided above will help you land your dream job teaching abroad this year. And if you’ve already had a call saying you’ve gotten the job offer, that’s awesome! I know first hand that accepting a new job teaching abroad is a life-changing decision, so be sure to read this blog about what should be included in your teach abroad contract before you sign on the dotted line! In the meantime, if you’re not preparing for an interview to teach abroad, I recommend you continue to self-reflect and build your instructional knowledge by incorporating best practices into your current classroom. That way, when you do start to prepare for your very first teach abroad interview, you’ll be able to draw on those instructional strengths in your interviews as well as your future classroom.

My New Year Language Challenge Totalmente Italiano

My New Year Language Challenge Totalmente Italiano The following post originally appeared on Fluent, a great language learning blog written by Kerstin Hammes. Reposted with permission. Click here for the original post. Now that the new year has begun, I bet youre feeling fired up to take more language lessons, spend more time studying and set all kinds of new goals. And as a language tutor, you know where I stand on the issue: You should at try working with a 1-to-1 tutor. Good language teachers are the ultimate key to unlocking language learning. While italki is certainly not the only place for you to find a good tutor, they are definitely one of the most encouraging. For 2015, italki is relaunching the Language Challenge. Sadly Im too busy to get involved this time, but Ive found a fearless roving reporter in my friend Tanja. Tanja is taking the Challenge and reporting on her Italian learning progress here on Fluent, and hopefully youll feel encouraged and get involved in the Challenge too. You can read more below and sign up until Jan 31st. Something New Learning to be Fluent My name is Tanja, and I have loved languages ever since my very first English lesson, aged 10, but sadly never turned into a “polyglot”. At school, I also took French and Latin while trying, at the same time, to teach myself Spanish at home, with tapes and a book (yes, tapes). At uni, I finally did an intensive Spanish course, followed up by a fairly advanced course in Girona. Ever since, I have been trying to boost my French and Spanish skills, to no great avail. My main achievement is that I own a lot of books in the languages. Some of the French ones I have even read. I also started courses in Swedish, Dutch and Ancient Greek, but never got past greetings. Fluency Fluency, for me, has a lot to do with speaking. I have come to realise that I am simply not fluent in more languages because I am too worried to make mistakes. Of course that’s wrong after all, I moved to England aged 18 and therefore personally experienced that immersion works. I am a certified TEFL-teacher, I have been teaching classes for decades, not a single lesson passes in which I don’t tell my students that it’s okay to make mistakes. One of my students was “healed” from not speaking when I told her to pay attention to how many times a day, she can’t think of a word in German, doesn’t finish a sentence etc., in her mother tongue. I know the tricks of the trade, I understand how learning progresses, and I am aware that knowing a language isn’t just about being able to read books in it. My retirement vision of living in a house in France (with a big library) has long been marred by the realisation that I won’t be able to negotiate the contract and that my win e-fuelled discussions with my imaginary lovely neighbours will likely never happen if I don’t say more than “Bonjour, madame!” So why Italian? In the late summer of 2014, I decided to learn Italian from scratch. Though I still wanted to become fluent in French and possibly Spanish eventually, I made a choice. This time, I would go about it differently. I wouldn’t repeat and revise what I had already studied several times over the course of twenty years, but would start over. I wanted to apply all that I knew about language learning, and I wanted to give the communicative approach basically, the belief that it is essential to speak and hence, communicate, from the very beginning another try. Having had a very grammar-focused language education, this was bound to be hard for me, but it would be okay, especially because the other approaches clearly hadn’t worked. I can’t say I have always wanted to learn Italian. In fact, I never wanted to learn Italian. I thought it was too similar to French and especially Spanish and it would confuse me more than help. I refused to holiday in Italy because it seemed more useful to go to places where “my” languages were spoken but when in Spain or France, I very rarely used them. Nonetheless, I was fascinated by Italy: the history, the culture, the writers, recently even the politics were of great interest to me. After all, with the Front National being so successful in France, I might have to move my retirement home to Tuscany. Bonus: Italian food is glorious. So in August, I vowed to a friend that I’d learn Italian, and become fluent fast. What I Tried Once the idea had hatched, I checked out the language very theoretically. I also booked a trip to Rome for New Year. By then, I wanted to be able to speak well enough. I tried to find a tandem partner via Couchsurfing and sort of did, but we never managed to meet up. It was a busy September, so I didn’t do much except practise on Duolingo. My plan was to fit a course into my full-time job schedule, and I had my eyes set on one that would be Fridays from 2-6pm, starting mid-October. This was meant to get me to B1-level in a semester. Shortly before the course was to commence, I bought the set course books. Then it was cancelled. This was the point at which I’d normally move on to another hobby but not this time. I had made a promise to myself and further decided it would be good for my own teaching to feel like a newbie for a change. I searched online and found an offline teacher. The first time I sat in front of R., I was able to say absolutely nothing, Duolingo notwithstanding. I got homework though, and three days later, I had already improved. By the next week, I could write sentences in two tenses. I was hooked, but felt like I was doing most of the studying by myself. I then, having first registered in October, decided to actually use italki. In November I had my first trial sessions both were very good, and in addition to being super-supportive, my second teacher somehow got me to talk. How I Learn So far, since late November, I have had one offline lesson a week (90 minutes) and one to two italki-sessions. I will be participating in the italki language challenge from January 15th, so that’ll mean three hours a week on average. In addition, I study some of the grammar we talk about in the classes on various websites (e.g. scudit.net,http://parliamoitaliano.altervista.org). I also use my prematurely purchased course book, especially for the offline course. My teacher on italki prepares Anki  cards for me after every lesson. I downloaded free Italian Kindle books (though I haven’t read them yet) as well as some learning guides. Since I already know a decent amount of French and Latin words, I have assembled lists of cognates there are several online for English speakers. I hope these will be more helpful when my grammar has improved a little. Apart from human interaction, my favourite exercise so far is writing just a few sentences a day into my new Italian calendar. In the next few blog posts, I will reflect on how well I am getting on with the different tools. So far, so good I think it’s going well I am determined to succeed in the challenge, if only because Kerstin so kindly gave me the opportunity to share this adventure with you out there. After only four weeks of learning, I am able to understand a lot of Italian and I always got the pizza I wanted in Rome. A presto! Quick italki Language Challenge Overview For this Challenge, Tanja is committing to taking 20 hours of language lessons between Jan 15th and Feb 28th thats just 6 weeks! All lessons count, even free community ones, so you can try out as many tutors as you like. This is about building a habit. Learn ANY language at all maybe even get to level C2 this time! Theres also a reward, as italki is giving away 400 ITC to successful takers at the end. My New Year Language Challenge Totalmente Italiano The following post originally appeared on Fluent, a great language learning blog written by Kerstin Hammes. Reposted with permission. Click here for the original post. Now that the new year has begun, I bet youre feeling fired up to take more language lessons, spend more time studying and set all kinds of new goals. And as a language tutor, you know where I stand on the issue: You should at try working with a 1-to-1 tutor. Good language teachers are the ultimate key to unlocking language learning. While italki is certainly not the only place for you to find a good tutor, they are definitely one of the most encouraging. For 2015, italki is relaunching the Language Challenge. Sadly Im too busy to get involved this time, but Ive found a fearless roving reporter in my friend Tanja. Tanja is taking the Challenge and reporting on her Italian learning progress here on Fluent, and hopefully youll feel encouraged and get involved in the Challenge too. You can read more below and sign up until Jan 31st. Something New Learning to be Fluent My name is Tanja, and I have loved languages ever since my very first English lesson, aged 10, but sadly never turned into a “polyglot”. At school, I also took French and Latin while trying, at the same time, to teach myself Spanish at home, with tapes and a book (yes, tapes). At uni, I finally did an intensive Spanish course, followed up by a fairly advanced course in Girona. Ever since, I have been trying to boost my French and Spanish skills, to no great avail. My main achievement is that I own a lot of books in the languages. Some of the French ones I have even read. I also started courses in Swedish, Dutch and Ancient Greek, but never got past greetings. Fluency Fluency, for me, has a lot to do with speaking. I have come to realise that I am simply not fluent in more languages because I am too worried to make mistakes. Of course that’s wrong after all, I moved to England aged 18 and therefore personally experienced that immersion works. I am a certified TEFL-teacher, I have been teaching classes for decades, not a single lesson passes in which I don’t tell my students that it’s okay to make mistakes. One of my students was “healed” from not speaking when I told her to pay attention to how many times a day, she can’t think of a word in German, doesn’t finish a sentence etc., in her mother tongue. I know the tricks of the trade, I understand how learning progresses, and I am aware that knowing a language isn’t just about being able to read books in it. My retirement vision of living in a house in France (with a big library) has long been marred by the realisation that I won’t be able to negotiate the contract and that my win e-fuelled discussions with my imaginary lovely neighbours will likely never happen if I don’t say more than “Bonjour, madame!” So why Italian? In the late summer of 2014, I decided to learn Italian from scratch. Though I still wanted to become fluent in French and possibly Spanish eventually, I made a choice. This time, I would go about it differently. I wouldn’t repeat and revise what I had already studied several times over the course of twenty years, but would start over. I wanted to apply all that I knew about language learning, and I wanted to give the communicative approach basically, the belief that it is essential to speak and hence, communicate, from the very beginning another try. Having had a very grammar-focused language education, this was bound to be hard for me, but it would be okay, especially because the other approaches clearly hadn’t worked. I can’t say I have always wanted to learn Italian. In fact, I never wanted to learn Italian. I thought it was too similar to French and especially Spanish and it would confuse me more than help. I refused to holiday in Italy because it seemed more useful to go to places where “my” languages were spoken but when in Spain or France, I very rarely used them. Nonetheless, I was fascinated by Italy: the history, the culture, the writers, recently even the politics were of great interest to me. After all, with the Front National being so successful in France, I might have to move my retirement home to Tuscany. Bonus: Italian food is glorious. So in August, I vowed to a friend that I’d learn Italian, and become fluent fast. What I Tried Once the idea had hatched, I checked out the language very theoretically. I also booked a trip to Rome for New Year. By then, I wanted to be able to speak well enough. I tried to find a tandem partner via Couchsurfing and sort of did, but we never managed to meet up. It was a busy September, so I didn’t do much except practise on Duolingo. My plan was to fit a course into my full-time job schedule, and I had my eyes set on one that would be Fridays from 2-6pm, starting mid-October. This was meant to get me to B1-level in a semester. Shortly before the course was to commence, I bought the set course books. Then it was cancelled. This was the point at which I’d normally move on to another hobby but not this time. I had made a promise to myself and further decided it would be good for my own teaching to feel like a newbie for a change. I searched online and found an offline teacher. The first time I sat in front of R., I was able to say absolutely nothing, Duolingo notwithstanding. I got homework though, and three days later, I had already improved. By the next week, I could write sentences in two tenses. I was hooked, but felt like I was doing most of the studying by myself. I then, having first registered in October, decided to actually use italki. In November I had my first trial sessions both were very good, and in addition to being super-supportive, my second teacher somehow got me to talk. How I Learn So far, since late November, I have had one offline lesson a week (90 minutes) and one to two italki-sessions. I will be participating in the italki language challenge from January 15th, so that’ll mean three hours a week on average. In addition, I study some of the grammar we talk about in the classes on various websites (e.g. scudit.net,http://parliamoitaliano.altervista.org). I also use my prematurely purchased course book, especially for the offline course. My teacher on italki prepares Anki  cards for me after every lesson. I downloaded free Italian Kindle books (though I haven’t read them yet) as well as some learning guides. Since I already know a decent amount of French and Latin words, I have assembled lists of cognates there are several online for English speakers. I hope these will be more helpful when my grammar has improved a little. Apart from human interaction, my favourite exercise so far is writing just a few sentences a day into my new Italian calendar. In the next few blog posts, I will reflect on how well I am getting on with the different tools. So far, so good I think it’s going well I am determined to succeed in the challenge, if only because Kerstin so kindly gave me the opportunity to share this adventure with you out there. After only four weeks of learning, I am able to understand a lot of Italian and I always got the pizza I wanted in Rome. A presto! Quick italki Language Challenge Overview For this Challenge, Tanja is committing to taking 20 hours of language lessons between Jan 15th and Feb 28th thats just 6 weeks! All lessons count, even free community ones, so you can try out as many tutors as you like. This is about building a habit. Learn ANY language at all maybe even get to level C2 this time! Theres also a reward, as italki is giving away 400 ITC to successful takers at the end.