Chemistry Ray Chang - Do You Know About Him?

Chemistry Ray Chang - Do You Know About Him?Chemistry Ray Raymond Chang and Buckminster Fuller, co-founders of the Futurists of Science (FOS) movement, argued that science could 'transcend the boundaries of locality, time, and space.' In contrast to more mainstream scientific thinkers of the time, who focused on a limited and particular problem, the Futurists saw science as the tool through which the entire universe could be accessed and understood.It was within this context that I first came across Chemistry Ray Chang. As a recent graduate student, I had just started a research lab at a top-ranked university. At first, I found the work they're interesting, but eventually, when I was working on my dissertation, I realized I had no idea what was happening in the rest of the world of science. But, I had some friends that I considered 'Futurists' and they recommended that I read a book called 'The Illustrated Physics of Things.'This book was about artists from the Dallas Fine Arts Depar tment of the University of Texas. I thought this was very intriguing, because many of these artists were writing about how science was going to bring about a new era of understanding and truthfulness, and they mentioned a book by a person named Chemistry Ray Chang, and this was his name.I finished reading the book and came across Chemistry Ray Chang's essay, 'Earthtime,' in which he discussed how science was going to be a tool to communicate truths about the nature of the universe, and what is true and what is not. The essays that followed were equally as interesting, and I remember picking up the book one day, and thinking to myself, 'Wow, I'm really interested in science, and in time and space!'As a graduate student, my mentors took me to visit The Old Man and the Sea, a museum in London where these kinds of essays were featured. And I was amazed at the relevance of some of the historical statements made by the Futurists, especially by Raymond Chang and Buckminster Fuller. There w ere so many similarities between their writings and mine, and I realized that I wanted to be a part of this movement of thinkers that were asking questions about science and trying to understand the nature of the cosmos and the nature of reality.I knew that in order to do this, I would have to pursue science as a career, so I took my first chemistry class and got really into it. I was also attracted to the fact that Chemistry Ray Chang was giving workshops at science museums around the country, and teaching people about the importance of science.I eventually graduated from school and got a job as a chemical engineer, and then later I decided to go into environmental science, and work with chemicals, and this is where I am now. I've spent many years traveling the world to teach science, and I've seen a remarkable transformation in the attitudes of the general public. It's been a long journey, but I never took it lightly, and now, I look back at my first encounters with the Futurists of Science, and see what an impact it has had on me, and on my life.

5 Benefits of Developing Great Teamwork

5 Benefits of Developing Great Teamwork 5 Benefits of Developing Great Teamwork Working as a team is something that every student will have to do throughout their K-12 experience and promotes valuable skills that will help them conquer college and career. For the most part, students are graded based on their abilities, and so they sometimes get frustrated when they work as a team. Alternately, some students love working with peers especially those with similar interests and abilities. Either way, developing great teamwork is one of the best ways students can be successful in a practical environment. 1.   Practice for the future Once students finish their education and go out into the working world, they will work as part of a team on a regular basis. Students who develop these skills early are likely to be more successful when they get out into the real world. Many teachers assign group projects so that students have the opportunity to work on this skill during the early and middle grades. Getting along with different personality types is one of the best ways to achieve a complex goal and meet important deadlines in either school or career. 2. Sharing responsibility Students who develop great teamwork can split up tasks and play to their set of strengths. This allows members of the group to help each other out and share responsibility so that they can finish a particular assignment or reach the desired goal. Teamwork isn’t just for group assignments, in fact, students might want to start a club, organize a community service project, or help plan a field trip. When students work together, they can achieve more with less individual effort (READ: Costa Mesa Tutoring Tips: Improve Your Studying Skills Over the Summer). 3. Communication Working as part of a team also helps kids learn how to communicate effectively and will help them out in every part of their lives. Communication skills are essential in the K-12 environment but will also encourage success in the working world as well as student’s personal lives. There are so many instances where clear communication can resolve a conflict with classmates or friends, but most kids need to work on these issues before finding the right words to say. Kids who can communicate well tend to do better in school, have more friends and be able to ask for help more easily. 4. Personal encouragement When students work as part of a team, they also encourage each other to be successful and focus on important study habits that will help them throughout their education. Kids who work as a team can help each other with academics, be great role models for each other, and provide a peer support system when students start to become overwhelmed with homework assignments or test prep. Once students get into the college prep years, personal encouragement will become more important than ever as students persevere through this stressful but important time in their education. 5. Group projects Students who develop great teamwork skills will also be successful when it comes to group assignments. Many teachers want to see how well their students can work together and will assign points based on good teamwork. Teachers want to see that students can get along and share responsibility rather than just be successful when working as an individual. Every student will have the opportunity to complete a group assignment all the way from first grade through the end of college. Whether students are working as part of a team to complete a 2nd-grade science project or getting together with classmates to organize a brand new college level club, teamwork is a helpful skill that propels students towards success. Build your social and team-working skills with the help of a private Los Angeles academic tutor from TutorNerds. Call us today to learn about our special Los Angeles summer tutoring deals. 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.

5 Tips for Creating a Rock Solid Foreign Language Reading Habit

5 Tips for Creating a Rock Solid Foreign Language Reading Habit Wanna get hooked on phonics?Its easier than you might think!Reading in a foreign language can be intimidating at first.Thats understandable.The good news is that once you start reading in your target language every day, you wont want to stop.Many  language learners get discouraged at the beginning, and avoid reading practice at all costs.Theres a reason why: they didnt have us to start them off on the right foot.Weve got some awesome tips, resources and habit-forming activities thatll get you in the foreign language reading zone, permanently! 5 Tips for Creating a Daily Foreign Language Reading HabitThese tips will help you steer clear of common pitfalls, and head towards all your language learning goals faster than ever. Theres nothing too complicated about them they might almost seem too easy. You might be left wondering, hey, why didnt I think of that?Well, thats the way it should be. Were going to get you reading in a way that feels simple, natural, fun and easy. Before you kn ow it, reading in foreign language wont be a chore or an obligation itll be your daily dose of entertainment!1. Choose Fun Things  Youd Read in Your  Native  LanguageDon’t force yourself through boring materials you think are “important.”One of the most common mistakes I see language learners make? When it comes to reading in a foreign language, theyre always forcing themselves to read  through uninteresting topics and materials that theyd never consider reading in their native language.For example, Ive had many English students who painfully work their way through difficult articles in The Wall Street Journal or The Harvard Business Review because they think these materials are important for their English abilities, even though the content bores them to tears.While such resources certainly offer exposure to lots of business-specific vocabulary, the value of this input is extremely low if one looks on the task as a chore instead of a treat. Our understanding and retention ten ds to be much higher when we read content we genuinely enjoy.Which leads to the next pointFind foreign language reading material about your  existing  interests.Perhaps you (unlike some of my former English students)  love The Harvard Business Review  and are already a regular subscriber.For you, it would make perfect sense to find a business-centric magazine in your target language. But if biz articles arent your jam, dont feel obligated to read them. Youre in control of your language learning journey, so find reading materials that fit  your  unique interests.Look at the blogs, magazines, books, cartoons and other materials that you read already and try to find foreign language equivalents. Read food and cooking blogs from Taiwan. Get yourself some Japanese car magazines. Buy a German book on carpentry. You name the interest, and theres bound to be a blog, magazine, book or other piece of reading material that serves it in most major languages.Learn a new skill or hobby in your ta rget language.In addition to finding materials about your  existing  interests, another great strategy is to pick up a  new  skill or hobby through your target language. The highly contextual nature of such learning will help you make lots of new linguistic connections without having to constantly rely on a dictionary, and will fill in gaps in vocabulary much more quickly than more passive forms of learning.2. Choose Digital Materials Whenever PossibleI freaking love the look, smell and feel of physical books. But when it comes to learning a foreign language, the advantages of digital materials far outweigh the sensory advantages of print.Digital materials are  faster.One of the  greatest advantages of digital materials in language learning is the ability to instantly look up unknown words or characters, saving you precious study time that would be wasted looking up words in a paper dictionary. Paper books also require you to  carry around a separate dictionary, a weight disadvantag e I discuss more below.If reading articles online, install a pop-up dictionary  browser extension like the Firefox extension  Pera Pera Kun for Japanese or the Chrome extension Zhongwen for Chinese.In the Kindle app (available for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and more), you can download dictionaries for most major languages. As you read Kindle books in your target language, you can then just hold a word to reveal its definition and pronunciation.On  iOS, select a word and then tap Define from the contextual pop-up. If no definition is shown, tap Manage and then download whichever additional dictionaries you want.On OSX, select a word and tap with 3 fingers to bring up its definition. To add  additional dictionaries, open the built-in Dictionary app, go to preferences and check whichever you want to add.Similarly,  saving  new words and phrases for later review is much faster when reading digital materials:The pop-up dictionary Pera Pera Kun, fore example, allows you save words you loo k up so that later they can be downloaded.Some online dictionaries,  Tangorin.com for example, allow you to save words you look up and categorize them in  different lists, which can each be exported in a format that easily imports into the Anki flashcard app. Lots of exporting and importing involved there, but you catch my drift.More simply, you can always just copy and paste words or phrases into an app like Evernote  for later review.MosaLingua, which offers apps for Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese, has a web version that gives you access to specially-selected online native materials, such as e-books. In addition, you can easily take words and phrases you come across that you dont know and make them into flashcards, which you can then review on the mobile app as well.Last but not least, digital materials are faster than print since they allow you to instantly find specific words or passages using the search function. Instead of wasting hours flipping through a prin t book to find that quote you loved or that word you wanted to look up, you can just type in the search field and tap  Find. Ah, modern convenience.Digital materials are cheaper.In addition to being faster than their print counterparts, digital materials are also  cheaper, if not free:Kindle books are  usually fairly inexpensive on Amazon, while paperbacks tend to be twice the price.Many international magazines and newspapers offer their articles for free online.Books in the public domain are available as free eBooks  from sites like  Project Gutenberg.You can then put all the money youve saved towards tutor fees  or a plane ticket abroad!Digital materials are lighter and take up less space.Bits are lighter  than atoms.  My back still doesnt forgive me for all the harm I did hauling around textbooks, manga  and massive dictionaries back in college. Had I begun learning a language today instead of in the relative Stone Age of the late 90s, I could have carried all the reading and ref erence materials I ever wanted right in my pocket on a smartphone or tablet.Today, you never need to choose which books to take and which to leave on the shelf as you can  take them all with you wherever you go in digital form.3. Listen to Materials Youve Previously ReadReading alone won’t improve your listening and speaking skills.While reading is extremely important, its imperative that you keep your reading time balanced with the other three core language skills: listening, speaking, and writing.While teaching English in East Asia, I observed that most students felt much more comfortable reading and writing, while they struggled greatly with listening and speaking. This makes perfect sense since language classes in that part of the world (if not the world over) tend to focus most of their time on reading tasks, translation and so on with very little time spent actively  listening and speaking.We get better at what we practice most, so naturally reading will make you better at r eading but will do very little for your listening and speaking abilities.Youll improve retention when you consume the same content in multiple formats.In addition to helping improve both your listening and reading skills, consuming the same material in more than one form of input will increase  your retention of new words and build stronger connections between previously learned materials. Its also more interesting to repeat the same content in multiple formats than it is to simply reread the same passage over and over again.Listen to the content youve been reading.So whats the best way to  listen to content youve previously read? Here are 4 suggestions:Watch videos with subtitles. FluentU  has huge collections of real world videos in multiple languages, and we even kick things up a notch weve made our subtitles interactive so you can view definitions of individual vocabulary words on-screen  while theyre being spoken. Youll be sure to never miss a thing!  You can also use  DVDs an d Netflix movies with subtitles in your target language, YouTube videos with CC captions and so on.Find podcasts with transcripts. Podcasts are some of my favorite language learning tools as they cover a wide range of interests, tend to be short and are almost always  free. Many podcasters include show notes or transcripts right alongside the MP3 file that can be revealed with just a tap on your smartphone or a click on your computer.Get both the ebook and audiobook version of your favorite books. While this may be an expensive proposition if buying copyrighted books, the benefits are well worth the cost. But keep in mind that you can also try finding ebook/audiobook pairs using Project Gutenberg and Librivox.Get custom audio recorded. You can ask a native speaker friend or tutor to record a given piece of text, or you can use the power of crowdsourcing with a site like Rhinospike. You simply submit some text you want read aloud in your target language, you record something for some one learning your native language, and then you can download the MP3 you requested when your submission is ready.4. Dont Linger Too Long Over DetailsStopping and starting is difficult for building smooth comprehension. Try reading an entire page or paragraph before stopping to look up any words.Avoid the dictionary black hole.”As I mentioned above, being able to quickly look up new words is a major advantage of digital materials. But this  pro can quickly become a con if you allow yourself to fall into the dictionary black hole. This is when you look up a word which leads you to a related term, and then another and another, until you forgot what you were doing in the first place.Dont break the  semantic flow.Stopping to look up every other word not only makes it more difficult to follow the flow of a story, but it also significantly slows you down. While skipping unknown terms may mean that you miss a little of whats going on, it offers many advantages:It increases your reading sp eed.It builds fluency.It encourages you to make educated guesses.5. Commit to a Painless Minimum Page Count Per DayYou are more likely to procrastinate on bigger goals.As I discuss in my post on self-teaching languages like a rock star, simply setting goals isnt enough. To have any chance of success, your goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound).To this end, I recommend starting with an  absurdly small daily reading commitment.For example, I commit to reading  1 paragraph every day. Youll likely go on to read much more on most days, but starting with an easy task helps ensure completion. If you were to commit to reading an entire  article per  day, on the other hand, chances are good that youll put off the task, fearing the time and work involved.Read small chunks any chance you get.Just as you should commit to a tiny daily reading goal, you should use any tiny chunks of free time you find each day to fit in a little reading:If you take public transportation to work or school, use that time to read in a foreign language.If youre waiting in line at the store, whip out your smartphone and read a few sentences of a blog post.If youre stuck in a boring meeting, read a few news headlines from your favorite online foreign language newspaper while pretending to stare at the mind-numbing PowerPoint.Don’t let yourself miss a day.A key part of making reading a part of your daily routine is to not let yourself miss a day. The longer your unbroken chain becomes, the more youll want to keep going. But when you let yourself miss just one day, youre that much more likely to miss the next day, and the next, and the next, until your reading habit has completely fallen out of your life.So, keep the ball rolling with consistently good work!See my article  5 Killer Language Learning Strategies Guaranteed to Help You Make Time for more about habit formation.

What Every Student Should Know About Scholarships and Tuition Discounting

What Every Student Should Know About Scholarships and Tuition Discounting via Pexels What is tuition discounting? This is a term that some of you may be unfamiliar with, but tuition discounting generally refers to grants and scholarships that colleges and universities give students. In some situations, it is put into practice when colleges and universities charge high tuition and then offer large “discounts” (aka merit aid) to their qualified candidates. Why is tuition discounting put into practice? Tuition discounting is most prevalent in small, private colleges and universities, and was originally put into practice to allow students to attend college without the price tag, or their families’ financial situation, preventing them from doing so. Having started out as need-based financial aid, tuition discounting now encompasses merit-based aid as well (such as merit scholarships). As tuition discounting often makes a private college or university much more affordable, it helps these private schools attract and enroll more students over time. This potentially raises the question of why all schools don’t just make their tuition or sticker price more affordable in the first place an act that would, in many situations, eliminate the need for tuition discounting. However, a school that offers tuition discounting actually appears more attractive to college applicants, based on surveys that found both parents and students prefer schools with high costs that offer large discounts instead of schools with a lower original cost. Why, you may ask? It’s because of an idea that has become ingrained in the minds of the general public: that the higher the price, the higher quality it must be. As a result, schools that have high sticker prices appear to be “better” in the eyes of college applicants and their parents, which leads to more applications, more scholarships being given out, and ultimately, more enrollment. Offering tuition discounts is a win for private colleges and universities, and receiving such discounts is seemingly a win for the students as well. What are the disadvantages of tuition discounting? On the flip side, tuition discounting can lead to some pretty negative consequences, both for schools and students. Some colleges and universities offer such large discounts to their students that it’s eating into their revenue, which is certainly not sustainable in the long run. What’s more, the high cost/high aid model can sometimes discourage low-income students from attending costly private institutions, mainly because some of these students and their families are unaware that financial aid is available. How do you receive a tuition discount (e.g. a scholarship)? There are a number of ways to receive a tuition discount. One way is to qualify for a tuition waiver based on your family’s income level. If your family’s income falls below a certain threshold, you may be able to qualify for a tuition waiver. Another option is to see whether the college and/or university you’re applying to offers legacy scholarships. If you have a family member who once graduated from that school, it might be worth looking into a possible legacy scholarship. Another totally classic and viable way to receive aid is by actively applying for scholarships. With so many different kinds of scholarships out there, you have many options to choose from. For example, there are a number of academic scholarships that you can apply for, which are based on your academic performance, including your GPA as well as standardized test scores (such as the SAT and ACT). Other types of scholarship options out there may include athletic, community service, minority, creative, and other unique scholarships. Where can you find them? Lucky for you, finding scholarships isn’t the hard part there are so many places you can look. One option is to visit your career center and inquire about available scholarships. Another option is to look to organizations in your community and find out if they’re offering scholarships for college students. Even if they’re not large companies or organizations, some local businesses in your neighborhood or community might have an annual scholarship that they give out. If you want to search for scholarships from the comfort of your own computer, there are many websites at your disposal, such as Fastweb.com. When it comes to applying for and receiving tuition discounts of any sort, it’s important to be informed about what it can do for you.

Am I Fluent Answer These 6 Questions and Find Out!

Am I Fluent Answer These 6 Questions and Find Out! Am I Fluent? Answer These 6 Questions and Find Out! Its a question that has plagued mankind since the beginning of time.Okay, maybe the beginning of time is a bit of an exaggeration.But its a question thats probably plagued mankind for the last 50,000 to two million years in other words, as long as language has been around.Am I fluent?For language learners, the struggle is real. As you take more and more online language courses  and strive to  learn a language fluently  or  get fluent faster, chances are youll always be wondering where youre at.Am I already fluent? If not, when will I be fluent? How will I even know?  Sadly, theres no billboard to announce your fluency. There wont be a large scale balloon release to celebrate your accomplishment.That doesnt mean, however, that you cant determine whether or not youre fluent.All you need to do is ask yourself the six valuable questions below. The Challenge of Defining FluentThe first problem with defining fluent is that theres no set definition. While your average dictionary often tri es to define fluent as being marked with ease using a language, ease seems vague, at best. This makes the definition highly flexible.Plus, there are different degrees of fluency. Language classification systems  and  language proficiency tests  attempt to quantify levels of fluency on clear scales, so if you really want to approximate your level of fluency, a test can help.Finally, the word fluent can (and does) mean different things to different people. Since the main idea is that you need to speak a language with ease, everyone can hold a different idea about what this means. To some people, this might just mean being able to hold a basic conversation. To others, it means being able to communicate or understand nearly any idea on any topic.So your friend who claims to be fluent in French may only be able to order a croissant, while your friend who claims shes nowhere near fluent in Chinese may be able to hold conversations and conduct business, but struggle with some specific voca bulary sets.That all being said, there are some basic questions you can ask yourself to get an idea of how close you are to whats commonly accepted as fluency. So lets find out how fluent you are!Am I Fluent? Answer These 6 Questions and Find Out!Do I translate in my head?Considering whether or not you translate in your head is a helpful way to measure fluency. If you translate between your target and native language in your head continually, chances are youre not what most people would consider fluent. Thats because full fluency generally requires an ability to think in your target language. Thinking in your target language is important because it saves valuable time, improving your ability to interact fully.Looking to jump-start your ability to think in your target language?Consider immersing yourself in the language. One popular way to do this is to travel to a destination where your target language is widely spoken.If that isnt feasible for you, you might consider at-home media immersion with FluentU. FluentU offers authentic, real-world videos like movie trailers, music videos, news and more. All videos are captioned, and the captions are annotated, putting word definitions, associated images and example sentences at the tips of your fingers. You can even click words to see how theyre used in other videos on the site.Another easy way to transition towards thinking in your target language is through journaling.  Each day, set aside 15 minutes to write about your day so far, what you did and how youre feeling in your target language. Doing this will encourage you to think in your target language and save you the effort of translating in your head.Additionally, if you know youre going to write in your target language at the end of the day, you might find yourself thinking about your feelings and activities in your target language during the day to prepare for your journaling time.How quickly can I speak?Some people speak slowly even in their native tongue, b ut if you speak much more slowly in your target language than in your native language, chances are youre not fluent just yet.Having to speak slowly is usually a mark of inexperience speaking the language. If you want to improve your rate of speed, one key way to do it is to find a language learning buddy for conversation practice. The more you practice, the more your speed will naturally improve.To find a language learning buddy, you might check your local university or school system.Still no luck? Reddits language learning community might help you connect with someone whos studying the same language as you. Once youve found the right match, you can practice via Skype.How quickly can I understand?Perhaps even more important than the ability to speak quickly is the ability to understand quickly. When you hear your target language spoken, do you immediately understand what you hear, or does it take you a moment?One good way to measure this is to think about your last conversation in y our target language. After the other speaker finished, did you already know what theyd said, or did you have to go over it again in your head? Immediately understanding your target language with little effort points towards fluency.Does it still take you a while to understand the language? One way to improve your ability to understand spoken language quickly is to  watch TV and movies in your target language.Luckily for you, Netflix is a treasure trove of foreign language programming. If youre still a ways off from fluency, you might want to start watching with subtitles. As you get more comfortable listening to your target language, remove the subtitles.But how will you know when your listening skills are strong enough to be considered fluent? One surefire way is to watch unfamiliar material in your target language without subtitles and see how things go. If you can fully understand even rapid-fire dialogue without pausing, chances are you can consider yourself fluent.How hard do I need to think about what I want to say?If you need to think through anything you say or write out carefully, chances are, youre not yet fluent.For full fluency, you should be able to speak or write off-the-cuff, like you can in your native language. This is a clear marker of ease in using the language, which is a sign of fluency.One way to practice thinking your words out less is to post on social media in your target language. After all, social media is clearly the place for ill-thought-out communication!You might want to start a separate account on a social media outlet like Twitter, dedicated solely to your target language. You may want to avoid using your real name so that if you mess up too badly, you can distance yourself from the account!Then, whenever something happens that you want to react to, simply post quickly in your target language without thinking out the language youre using. Over time, this will get easier and easier.Can native speakers understand me?If you really are fluent in your target language, native speakers should definitely be able to understand you. Do your native speaker friends ask you to repeat what youve said? Do they look confused whenever you speak? If so, youre probably not fluent just yet.Since the goal of learning any language is to be able to communicate effectively in that language, its a big obstacle if native speakers cant understand you. It could be an issue with pronunciation, accent, vocabulary or grammar, but regardless of the root cause, this problem can definitely keep you from being fluent.One way to determine what exactly is stopping native speakers from understanding you is to hire  a native-speaking tutor.Italki can help you find a tutor to assess your areas of weakness and help you become more fluent. If youre not sure if a native speaker can understand you, a tutor will be able to tell you. If you know native speakers dont understand you but dont know why, a tutor can also help pinpoint whats causing this i ssue and work with you to correct it.How comfortable am I with my target language?Yes, comfort counts when it comes to fluency! If you can speak your target language as comfortably as your native language, thats a great sign that you might be fluent. If you still get twitchy when you have to actually use your target language, theres a strong chance youre not quite fluent.One way to improve your skill and comfort level is to find a language exchange partner whos a native speaker. Language exchange partners will help you practice their mother tongue in exchange for help practicing yours.Language exchange services like Tandem are a helpful way to connect with your ideal conversation partner.To get the most out of language exchange, keep a list of things you want to talk about. For instance, if youre struggling with a vocabulary word or grammar structure, you might jot it down so that you can talk to your conversation partner about it. Same thing for topics you struggle with. For exampl e, if youre going on a business trip, you might ask your conversation partner to simulate a business meeting with you to make yourself more comfortable using this specific vocabulary set.Regardless of how you do it, interacting more in your target language can massively increase your confidence, so this is a surefire way to get more comfortable and closer to fluency.Are you fluent? With these six questions, you might be able to finally answer that.And if the answer is no, hopefully you have a good idea now of how to work on moving towards that goal! And One More ThingFluentU can help you with all aspects of your fluencyâ€"all from the comfort of home!With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, including movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful exam ples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive Transcripts You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.

Choosing a Private Tutor For Private Calculus

Choosing a Private Tutor For Private CalculusPrivate calculus tutoring can be a wonderful option for anyone who desires to pursue higher education. The tremendous flexibility of private tutoring allows students to complete any degree program, any time they choose, in the comfort of their own home. Private tutors help students learn algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and more.Private tutors usually offer classroom instruction on Saturdays but often can vary the schedule based on the student's convenience. They often work with students to meet individual needs. When making a decision about which private tutor to use, students should carefully consider the following factors:Learning style: Students may like to work independently or collaboratively. Each type of learning style requires different ways of completing a course, whether it is a rigorous lecture class or a fun online chat course. Students should discuss how the tutor will work with them individually. Each type of learn ing style requires different activities to keep students motivated.Important dates: Tutors have to meet or exceed some dates during the semester. A student can easily miss a date if it is not in sync with the tutor's schedule. If one is attending an online forum, a tutor may be a lot more flexible about this because the tutor does not have to worry about being away from home.Scheduling outside the school year: Many schools allow a student to study in the evening, but some only allow an hour in the morning. There are classes during the day and at night, and many students prefer to study later in the evening or early in the morning. Different schedules are better for different types of students. The instructor should determine a schedule that suits the student's schedule. Also, a scheduling conflict may prevent a student from taking a certain class.Class time: Students should schedule a class in a room that allows time for independent work. A student should ask the tutor what the best times are for independent work, because sometimes time constraints may prevent working from home. Most tutors have much more flexibility with their schedules than with academics. Students should contact the instructor for a list of preferred times.Students should carefully weigh their schedules to choose the right tutor. Depending on the student's level of achievement, there may be better options for learning. Once the student has chosen a tutor, the next step is to work on meeting the tutor's schedule.

Help for Students with Poor Math Skills

Help for Students with Poor Math SkillsOne of the finest school districts in the country is New York City, and it has an exceptional public school system, but that's not the case in the greater New York City region. The nation's largest city has, for many years, had a system of affordable school tutoring for students who need help in their education. From elementary school through high school, students in New York City receive academic assistance from experts who specialize in the subject of math.This kind of support and tutoring is carried out at Columbia- MD. The tutoring programs are completely independent, with no one who works at the New York City public schools coaching the students. In fact, any teacher or school official can be employed as a tutor, since there is no connection between a public school and the program.A training session is conducted annually by the tutoring experts at Columbia-MD, where the children are taught to solve their own problems in mathematics. Student s are tested at the end of the first year to see whether they have improved. Some parents want their children to get college credit for their participation in this program, but it is up to the schools to decide whether a student can receive credit for his or her participation in this program.A brief review of the materials is offered at every session at Columbia-MD. Most of the books used in the program have already been used by other students in other classes. There are also many books on different subjects, such as economics, history, geography, languages, and more.A child should never have to spend money on books that are only useful to the public school system. In addition, there are many DVDs and videos that the students can use during the course of the program.This system of offering tutoring to students has been effective for many years, and it is used by many students who may not be able to afford private tutoring. Many of the tutors who work in this program are former publi c school teachers, and many of them are very good at what they do. Columbia-MD is a recognized institution of the American Association of Schools of Education, and they also award accreditation to the tutoring programs.These programs are being used by many students who cannot afford private tutoring. The students who use the programs are very motivated, and they get a lot of help from the tutors. The result is that a student can obtain a good grade without having to get help from a traditional teacher.

Learn About the Origins of the Arabic Alphabet

Learn About the Origins of the Arabic Alphabet How to Learn to Write in Arabic ChaptersThe Arabic Language Is One of the Most Spoken in the WorldLearn the History of the Arabic Alphabet in Order to Understand it BetterLearn Arabic Script OnlineLearning the Arabic Alphabet on YouTubeSmartphone Apps to Help You Learn Arabic WritingLearn Arabic Lessons With a Private TeacherTo Summarise:With almost 25 countries where Arabic is designated as an official language, and many others where it’s a common second language, there are many people around the world reading the Arabic alphabet.With  290 million native speakers and over 130 million non-native speakers of  Modern Standard Arabic, also known as literary Arabic, and spoken dialects, Arabic holds an important place in the modern world. Therefore learning Arabic is of the upmost importance, and this is a process which starts with the very basics; the alphabet.But where does the Arabic alphabet come from? What are its origins  ?Historians have struggled to pinpoint the exact date when the Arabic language first origi nated.But there are a few traces of the language throughout history which help us track its evolution over the centuries. We’ll go over that history below  because when you learn to write in Arabic or the strokes of the Arabic script, you get a little glimpse into the past. Here are our different tips to learn Arabic online or via an app!its Holy Book, the Quran, is written in Arabic and is revered by an estimated  one billion worshippers around the world.The number of people speaking Arabic, whether at a lower level, or bilingually, is enormous.However, as a mother tongue, Arabic is the 5th most spoken language, behind Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Indonesian.A number of countries use Arabic script, and have designated Arabic as an official language. They are  :The 22 members of the Arab League  : Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen, Palestine, Libya, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Sudan, Lebanon, Djibouti, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Maurita nia, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Comoros, and Algeria,Israel,EritreaChadArabic has influenced the modern world in many different ways in the past, but today the number of Arabic speakers is growing rapidly around the world. Even if it isn’t as mainstream as Spanish or French in most countries, its stature internationally is drawing attention which is reflected by the increase in blogs and online courses dedicated to helping people learn the languageFind Arabic courses London.Learn the History of the Arabic Alphabet in Order to Understand it BetterThe Origins of Arabic ScriptLike many foreign languages, Arabic has gone through many perturbations. The first written record of the language comes from poets recording their work (we’re talking about classical Arabic, not spoken dialects here). The Arabic alphabet letters and its script hasn’t always looked the same as the one we know today, however.Arabic historians and linguists believe that the script originated from the Aramaic script, which is itself based on Phoenician. One variation on Aramaic script Nabatenen. However, Arabic is not the only modern day descendent of Phoenician. Their alphabet also gave birth to Hebrew and Greek, which is why all three scripts have some similarities.It’s generally well established that the Arabic alphabet is based on Nabatenen, a variation of Aramaic. Looking at the two scripts it’s easy to see similarities, much more than if you compared Arabic to standard Aramaic.The First Arabic Records in SyriaIt isn’t until 512 AD that we have the first written record of the Arabic language; the famous ‘Zabad inscription’ in Syria. This is the first written trace of Arabic script. Prior to 512AD, if you squint, you can just make out the historical origins of Arabic.Today Arabic is strongly associated with the Muslim religion, but in 512AD the first Islamic writings were ChristianIt seems that the Nabatenen began using a form of Arabic in the 5th or 6th century BC, in the region now known as Petra, in Jordan. But there’s no hard proof that this happened.It isn’t until the 2nd century AD that there’s any trace of Nabatenen - based on Aramaic, it contained several Arabismes. The latest recordings of Nabatenen date from 355, and then there’s nothing between 355 and the Zabad inscription in 512 in terms of Arabic history.One justification for this lack of historical record is that the Nabatenen script was generally written on papyrus and heavily influenced the Arabic script. As papyrus is not very durable, it is very likely that the records that did once exist have simply disappeared over time.The Evolution of the Arabic AlphabetThere are plenty of records of Arabic alphabet from the 7th century AD, and you can even notice traces of Aramaic, which was at that point mostly dead.And it was just at this time that the Arabic alphabet underwent one of its most important developments. The letters and forms at that time weren’t sufficient to record all the c omplexities of the Arab language. And this is when the number of Arabic letters increases from 22 to 28. There are therefore just 28 letters to learn if you want to learn Arabic…or perhaps you want to learn the Arabic numerals?It was therefore necessary to create 6 new letters, which were created by adding markings over or under existing letters. The markings helped to distinguish the new letters from the old ones. And this is where one of the main difficulties in learning classical Arabic and the Arabic alphabet comes from.How to learn Arabic, the script, the letters, and their variationsWhen you want to learn a foreign language - and its especially true if you’re learning a language that doesn’t use the latin alphabet - the vowels and consonants of that new language are the first thing you need to wrap your head around. Learning the consonants and vowels, and their pronunciation is key. And in the case of Arabic, you also need to know how to form the letter in Arabic script - there’s something very artistic about learning to write in Arabic!Learning all the different forms of each Arabic letter is an art form.In order to learn Arabic, it is crucial that you learn each of the 28 letters. Each letter has its own pronunciation, some of which are relatively easy for English speakers. But others are much more guttural than we’re used to.Above all, (and this is the most difficult thing about Arabic) is that there are three versions of each letter. Similar to Latin, where words change depending on the declination and their position in the sentence, each Arab letter changes depending on its place in the sentence. In order to learn the Arabic alphabet and its script, you should know that in written Arabic each letter has its own form depending on if it’s:on its ownat the beginning of a sentencein the middleor at the end of a sentenceHow you write each letter therefore depends on where it falls in the sentence. If you’re good at math, you’ll have alrea dy realized that you’ve run into your first obstacle to your goal of learning Arabic. The Arabic alphabet may have just 28 letters, but each letter has 4 versions! That’s 112 letters to write altogether.Vowels are very important in the Arabic language.Even if it might be possible to bypass written Arabic and just learn everything phonetically, improving and becoming truly bilingual in Arabic will require you to learn all the letters.That’s all we wanted to say about the history of the Arabic alphabet and its script. Now let’s move on to the studying!Learn Arabic Script OnlineLearning Arabic online has become a totally achievable goal these days. It’s still difficult, but not impossible, thanks to all the Arabic classes now available on the internet. But before you sign up for a more hardcore class, it’s best to learn the Arabic alphabet!Luckily, there are plenty of easy ways for people just starting to learn Arabic to master all of the letters. There are some great table s that go through each symbol and letter in detail, as well as their pronunciation and the different versions of each letter depending on their place in the sentence. It’s a great way to quickly learn the Arabic alphabet. And it isn’t too bad; as you may have realized already, the different versions of each letter all relate back to the stand alone form.Most online teaching hubs will have a combination of pronunciation and symbols for each letter.In order to write in Arabic on your keyboard, you can download a new keyboard or order new key covers to make it easier.Al-DirassaThis site lets you download entire books for free Arabic classes, and is great for total beginners, or people hoping to improve their level of Arabic. The lessons on Arabic writing cover:The letters of the alphabetshort vowelsdouble vowels at the end of wordslong vowelsmissing vowelsdouble letterscombined lettersreading in ArabicThe method for each lesson is the same and marries writing with pronunciation. It is possible to listen to the pronunciation of each letter, vowel, consonant, word, and combination of words to get the right sound.The website also offers lessons in Arabic literature, studying the Quran, and Islamic conversions, or you can sign up for personalized classes for a fee.Advantages:Simple and easy to use siteFreeMarries writing and pronunciationFun with ArabicThis website is perhaps more appropriate for children, but easily walks you through the different Arabic letters and numbers with a downloadable flash app.There’s also a video of people singing the Arabic alphabet, and lots of games and quizzes to help make your learning more fun.Advantages:Basic siteChild friendlyFun and interactiveArabic StudioThis website has a free complete course to walk a complete beginner through the first steps of learning to read and write Arabic script.There’s a downloadable PDF, as well as a series of videos which help you master the pronunciation of all the letters. There’s also a follow up course in basic Arabic grammarAdvantagesclean and modern websitevideos help with pronunciationclear and easy to understandLexilogos.comThe whole Arabic alphabet is available with:lettersnames of lettersthe different forms for the different letter positionsthe pronunciationThe site also has videos to help you work on the shape of your mouth and the muscles to use for each letter, and explains how to write each letter properly in Arabic script.Advantages:Simple siteexplanatory videosCute Arabic AlphabetThis app doesn’t just help you to read Arabic and learn the letters of the alphabet, but also teaches you to write the script! This innovative app is kid friendly but also helpful for mature learners of Arabic.Like most of the other apps, Cute Arabic Alphabet walks you through all 28 letters and the numbers, their different forms, and their pronunciation.However, its uniqueness comes in its ability to also teach you Arabic script by tracing your finger on a touchscreen. Bes t done on a tablet, the app even corrects you as you go to help learn the best ‘writing’ position possible!Advantages:FreeTeaches you to write Arabic and corrects you too!Recognize all letters and numbers, and learn pronunciation.While you are exploring some of the apps in the app store, it’s worth keeping in mind that there are also many other apps to help you learn Arabic. Different apps can help with Arabic grammar, conjugating verbs, vocabulary, phrases, pronunciation, translation….Learn Arabic Lessons With a Private TeacherPrivate classes are often the best way to learn at your own pace!It’s often quite difficult to teach yourself something - you struggle to stay motivated, misunderstand information, can’t keep to a schedule, and feel defeated just trying to learn the basics. In these cases, it’s a good idea to find a private teacher who can help you learn to read and write Arabic properly.You can easily find a teacher near you on our Superprof platform, as we hav e a wide database of Arabic teachers. You’ll find that private classes are often a great way to learn Arabic quickly. Lessons are totally adapted to your needs and level, and you can quickly start to see improvements while also tackling your weak areas.Arabic lessons with a private teacher, will help you avoid all the interruptions and disruptions of group classes. And when faced with a professional Arabic speaker, you’ll be forced to stay focused. It’ll also be easier to learn the Arabic alphabet, before you move on to learning Modern Standard Arabic.On Superprof, students can find teachers based on cost, location, or level of knowledge.To Summarise:Arabic is considered sacred for many Muslims and is spoken by more than 420 million people globally. The Arabic alphabet is based on Nabatenen writing, and underwent several changes over the centuries before assuming the forms we’re familiar with today.If it seems easier to learn French than Russian, Chinese or Arabic, a lot of that probably has to do with the alphabet! As an English speaker, it’s generally easier to learn another language that also uses the Latin alphabet.In order to learn Arabic, it’s really important to learn the alphabet, widely recognized as one of the most difficult in the word. It isn’t just learning the letters, but you also need to understand the different symbols and recognize the different forms of each letter depending on where they fall in a sentence.It is possible to start learning Arabic via a website to start to get a feel for the alphabet and some basic vocabulary. Try Arabic Studio for a complete course in writing.The YouTube channel of Salahad Din is a great resource to help learn the pronunciation of the different letters. Watching a teacher pronounce each word will help you do so too.There are also many apps to help you learn Arabic! Our favorite is TenguGo Arabic Alphabet.And finally, if you feel like learning Arabic on your own is a challenge too far, or if you need any more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our teachers at Superprof who’ll be happy to help you learn one of the most popular languages in the world!

Maths Tuition How to Motivate Students to Learn Maths

Maths Tuition How to Motivate Students to Learn Maths Whether you're a Maths Tutor or Maths Teacher, Using Math Strategies can Help Motivate Students! ChaptersMaths Strategies to Help Bring Your Students OnAlleviate Mental Blocks With Maths StrategiesDifferent Methods for Learning Maths Have Fun with Maths GamesOnline Maths WebsitesMaths has never been the most popular of subjects. Whether it's fractions, geometry, algebra, or just basic maths, everyone has a weakness. In fact, it’s usually one of the biggest problem areas for school children â€" and adults too!It is a subject that can make people tear their hair out, at any age and level, from GCSE to A-Level, and even through to everyday adult life.If you took a walk through a school playground, there’s a pretty slim chance you’d hear pupils getting excited about having maths next period â€" it’s generally followed by a large sigh, or an outright groan of anguish.There is a distinct lack of enthusiasm and excitement for maths, and many students have a mental block or a full-blown dislike for the subject.In the classroom, maths is often a case of being given different form ulas and mindlessly plugging in values to arrive at the answer. This is hardly thrilling work for most learners, and can trigger very negative feelings towards the subject.Maths doesn't have to be black and white. Source: VisualhuntA report carried out by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education in the UK) investigated the problems in primary and secondary mathematics in schools in England, and why the amount of students carrying maths through to post-16 level education was so low.The report showed that pupils weren’t receiving enough maths help and support to catch up if they had fallen behind. It found, as well, that younger pupils or those in the lower ability sets had the weakest teaching, sometimes even deemed ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.Lastly, the report showed that the brightest students simply weren’t fulfilling their potential at secondary school, even those who were overachievers in primary school. Many schools enter students early for GCSE maths, not giving them enough time to get their level up and achieve the highest grades.This is why private maths tutoring is so in demand. Many students find that they are not motivated to learn maths, simply because they find it difficult and it’s not always taught in a way that suits them personally.This is a concern that doesn’t just come from students and parents, but from the UK school inspection office as well.Having a personal teacher for maths tuition at home means that students can learn in an encouraging and supportive environment, without the pressure of keeping up with or being in competition with other students.At the end of the day, people want to learn things that are relevant and interesting. If you can put maths into a context that students will understand and appreciate, you’re halfway there!When trying to motivate your students to learn maths, there are a few things to think about. You’ll need to ask yourself:How can I make maths more fun for my student?How can I alleviate thei r mental block when faced with learning maths?What different methods can I try to help my student learn?What kind of games we can play?What resources are available to help with tutoring maths?As a home math tutor, it is your job to get your student past the feeling of not being good or clever enough, and alleviate their mental block so that they can achieve academic success â€" and, more importantly â€" so that they can see the fun and value in learning maths! 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 tutorsMaths Strategies to Help Bring Your Students OnSometimes the trickiest part of maths is not having an understanding of the basics before moving on to the more complicated activities. This can make students feel lost and confused, and maths becomes a chore.The first step in getting your students motivated to learn maths is by re-contextualising it, by putting it into accessible and relevant situations in order to make it comprehensible, as well as fun and engaging.Whether your private tuition is aimed at primary school, GCSE, A-Level, or even university, there are many ways to appeal to students at all levels and find out how they can thrive in what is currently a problem area.Start by spending some time with your student to really work out what it is about maths that troubles them. Is it a specific topic? Is it the way it’s taught in school? Is it because they just aren’t succeeding?It might be that your students is struggling particularly with mental maths, or they find linear equations tough to get their head round. Whatever the problem, there is a solution.Once you can hone in on the issues, you can start exploring what would make maths more fun during your home tuition sessions.Experiment with fun and games when teaching maths! Source: VisualhuntIntroducing play into learning, especially with younger students, is really important for their development and understanding of a subject or challenge. Consider using things such as games, videos, music, interactive websites â€" as long as it’s age appropriate and gets your student interested and engaged in the activity, the sky’s the limit!Just by putting maths into a different context, you can help your student look at it with fresh eyes. Whether this is through games, mock transaction activities, cooking, or whatever method your student might enjoy, the crucial goal is making maths relevant.This is where you can start getting cre ative with your home tutoring sessions, personalising them to the individual needs of your student. Play around with different learning techniques that can be carried out through fun activities, and take note of what your student enjoys.The world - and more specifically, the internet - really is your oyster when exploring fun ways to teach maths. Carry on reading to find out more about different learning methods, as well as games and activities, that you can try with your student.Alleviate Mental Blocks With Maths StrategiesFor so many people, maths is a bit of a headache. Putting up this mental block during childhood can often stay with you for the rest of your life, so it’s best to nip it in the bud as early as possible and show students how important maths really is.Often it’s the problem of students simply not being able to visualise what they are trying to understand. It can be really challenging to learn when you can’t picture how things work on a physical level.You can help alleviate your student’s mental maths block by making the maths accessible, by showing them a physical representation or model. This will allow your student to see and contextualise what they are learning, and it will make it easier to apply this knowledge to other situations or problems in the future.A massive part in helping your student see the fun and value in maths is how you speak to them, the words you use to talk about the subject. If you use encouraging, positive and reassuring language, your student will become more open to maths, and will eventually feel more confident and motivated.If you can connect maths with language, it will make it more comprehensible and manageable for students who don’t have a natural affinity for numbers. Some students can just look at numbers and start feeling slightly anxious or frustrated â€" but as a great home tutor, you can remedy this problem.As soon as a student realises that maths is accessible and can be actively enjoyed, their mental block and frustration will slowly fade away, leaving room for new, exciting challenges.You want to get your student to a stage where they no longer have the notorious maths headache, but where they associate maths with fun and enjoyment.You might even look into books about maths to inspire your students through a medium that they are comfortable with. Find a method that suits how your student learns on an individual level, and watch as they start to bloom and thrive as mathematicians! 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 le sson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDifferent Methods for Learning MathsWork out how your student learns on an individual level. Perhaps they are good with words, or particularly creative. You can play around with different models â€" be it algebraic, graphic, literary â€" to see how they can best understand maths problems.There are so many ways to introduce mathematical concepts to your student, and the more creative the better!Explore the different types of maths resources, trying different activities. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of trial and error â€" this will help you understand how your student learns best and what they find the most enjoyable.Think about using resources that will stimulate and interest your student. Pictures, music, cards, art and everything in between can have stimulating effects on the brain, especially when your student is more creatively inclined, or a visual learner.Maybe your student had a particular interest in another subject, or maybe they have a wonderful talent or hobby. Try to create an environment that mimics what you know they enjoy â€" this could mean playing games that reflect their interests, or using music or pictures to appeal to their preferred way of learning.Perhaps your student is an avid musician: you could try using or making music to help them approach maths in a way that they are sure to enjoy, which will help them retain information.Or maybe they are a budding baker, and you could have a go at some cooking to get them to understand measurements, conversions and sums. A batch of cookies is always a great incentive to learn!The important thing is finding a system that works with your student’s way of learning. Often in maths students lack confidence as a result of incorrect answers and bad grades. By using games and varied learning stimulants, you can teach your student how to arrive at the right answer through methods they can enj oy.With many maths problems given in the school curriculum, marks are awarded for showing method, as well as giving the correct answer. It’s important to check what is required of a student according to their syllabus and exam, in order to prep them correctly.If you are an online private tutor, there is arguably more of a challenge when trying to motivate your student. When teaching through a screen, it is harder to create a certain atmosphere, or make your lessons interactive.When teaching maths online, you will need to try different methods and resources that can be easily used and communicated in your lessons, which will most likely be conducted via video chat. Your student will need encouragement and stability in their lessons so that they can overcome their difficulties.So, in order to provide excellent online tuition, you will most likely need to explore the different websites and online resources available to help you carry out engaging lessons. You can of course send your student worksheets or activities that you have prepared ahead of time so that you can work through them together.Make sure that your student is really benefiting from their personal teacher. There are many advantages of online tutoring lessons, which can be conducted over various applications and websites, especially as they can be recorded and played back by your student later on. Making sure your lessons and resources are available will motivate your student to go back over work and keep pushing themselves.Have Fun with Maths GamesWith younger students of primary or early secondary school age, there is a much wider scope for what you can do in terms of fun and games. Your student is at an age where playing is still necessary for learning, so you can use this to your advantage.The most crucial part about playing games is that your student sees how fun maths can be, and how it can be applied to everyday life. In showing your own positivity and love of maths, it will rub off on your student too.Make your student aware of the various daily activities that use and rely on maths. You can think about how you might turn these activities into games that you can play with your student.You can use any games you like â€" and board games, puzzles or card games are a great place to start. Try adding in little maths problems for your student to solve, or play games involving money. A bit of competition is a great motivator â€" and a prize is always fun!Maths games are all about visualising the methods and the application. For example, if you’re teaching your student to tell the time, get hold of a clock â€" you can buy pretend clocks with moveable hands, so that you can call out times and your student can adjust them accordingly.Games are a great way to overcome challenges! Source: VisualhuntWhen learning how to handle and count money with younger students, there are lots of fun ways to engage them and put their learning into practice. You might decide that you could hav e a go at a setting up a shop, or go on a little spending spree, all in the comfort of your home!By designing a pretend shop or café, you can make money and transactions fun. It helps, of course, if you’re playing with real tea and biscuits too! Outline a budget, menu and prices, and let the games begin.If you want to make things a bit more challenging, why not introduce some vouchers and have a go at working out discounts and percentages. Swap places as you pay, so that your student can understand about both sides of a transaction.There are all sorts of games available online too. Have a look at different websites from the section below, and explore the different games, quizzes and puzzles available. This is a great way to interact with your student if you are an online tutor, as you can send your student links and review the results together afterwards.Don’t shy away from making your own game resources too. You can easily create documents and recordings of games for your stud ent to access and refer back to outside of your private lessons. You can also prepare quizzes and tests to spark a little sense of healthy competition with themselves.By incorporating a sense of play into extracurricular work and any homework you set your student, you can encourage their enjoyment of maths in their free time, and alleviate the feeling of maths being a chore or unpleasant challenge.You could also look for apps that offer maths-related games or challenges. There are ample fun and free apps to choose from, from Sudoku, puzzles and brain-training, to digital card or board games and everything in between.There are some really great maths apps available to download to smartphones and tablets, so that your student can have fun with maths and play games on the go. They are available for various age groups, and are sometimes designed to help with exam preparation too.Many apps are free, or are fairly inexpensive, and can be a wonderful way of making maths an enjoyable challe nge. Have a look at the iOS App Store or Google Play to see what’s out there!Online Maths WebsitesAs a private teacher, your tuition services will benefit from great websites and helpful online maths resources to mix up your lessons and make them more fun for your students.Einstein said: ‘Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate, and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination.’ So we have it on good authority that computers can be a great tool for learning!There are loads of games and apps to help teach and learn maths. Source: VisualhuntYou can use computers and the internet in all sorts of ways, from helping you, the teacher, to plan and conduct lessons, to helping your student engage with the areas they find challenging and change the way they approach problem-solving and calculations.There are endless websites, apps, programs and resources available online to start constructing fun and creative home tut oring sessions.You can start by using some free online tools with your student, to help them learn different ways to calculate and solve problems in maths. Sites such as Wolfram Alpha  and software such as Geogebra  can be really helpful when teaching different mathematical topics and methods.Websites such as Educators Technology have information specifically designed for teachers, with various lists of resources and links to other sites and apps that will help you plan and carry out your lessons. Have a look at their list of free maths websites, with great ideas of activities and games that you can try with your students.A brilliant website for both students and teachers in the UK is BBC Bitesize. Simply pick an education level â€" from key stage 1 all the way through to GCSE â€" and choose your subject. The site is available for the education systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so the content is specifically tailored to your student’s curriculum.Their maths section is broken down into topics, which then breaks down further into corresponding subsections. BBC Bitesize is a great way to set your student homework and challenges, especially if you are an online tutor and already teach via internet.If you create your own resources, there are various ways of sharing them online for your students to access and refer back to when needed. You could do this using Google Docs or other similar sites, so that you can build up a record and an archive of your lessons, which might come in handy for future students too!Perhaps you record your lessons, either as an audio file or a video, or you might even make videos that go beyond your lessons. If you feel as though a wider audience would benefit from your videos, why not share them using sites such as YouTube, or other social media?YouTube has a wealth of educational videos that provide enjoyable and often quite funny lessons on pretty much anything. If you’re not much of a presenter, and wouldn’ t want to make your own videos, have a look at what’s available and might work well in your own lessons.For older students, it might be an idea to show them some TED talks. TED talks are recorded mini lectures given by experts of all fields, and there are some really motivating speeches worth a watch. Have a look talks on maths that might spark an interest with your student â€" even if it’s just to show them how vast and creative maths can be!As you can see, the possibilities are endless when trying to make maths fun and motivate your students. Be sure to explore all the options - especially online - and you'll convert your student to liking maths in no time!