Where to Find a Good Tutoring Service in Austin, Texas

Where to Find a Good Tutoring Service in Austin, TexasWhether you want to work with children in your community or perhaps the kids in another community, there are a number of options available to you, and most are very reasonable. You can find a number of tutoring services out there that provide parents the chance to do just that, but the challenge is how to choose the right one. There are a number of websites that offer these tutoring services, however, it can be hard to sift through all the offers. When choosing a tutoring service online, there are a few things that you will want to keep in mind to help you narrow down your options.When it comes to choosing a school, you will want to make sure that you visit the school before making a decision. The best tutoring services are those that are located within the community that you would like to tutor in. If you live in an area that does not have any good community colleges or high schools, this is probably not the right school for you. If you decide on a school that is situated close to your neighborhood, it should be convenient to get to and would offer the educational program that you are looking for.Depending on what your needs are, you will also need to decide on how many hours a week you will be able to attend. You will need to make sure that you set up your schedule such that you have time to spend tutoring. This can be easy to accomplish if you take classes at the same time as your tutoring sessions. However, if you have enough time, you may want to consider splitting up your classes to ensure that you have plenty of time to devote to your work.Your online experience will be different than when you visit a regular school, because you will be able to take more classes. You will want to make sure that the online tutoring is relevant to the subject that you are taking, if you do not learn much at the beginning. While some tutoring sites offer you assignments and tests for free, you will need to provide your o wn study materials and homework. This can be a real benefit if you learn a lot while you are taking your courses.While you are considering which tutoring service you are interested in, you will want to make sure that you review the services that are offered by other students in the school. What you learn at school about the subjects and other activities that you can participate in will be relevant to your experience with tutoring. What you learn in a tutoring session is going to be more important than the information that you learned during the actual lessons. You want to make sure that you are getting the information that you need, and this is one of the reasons why the online tutoring is so popular. You are able to take advantage of the convenience of being able to watch the sessions whenever you want, or during work breaks, when you have a bit of extra time.Even though online tutoring may be convenient, you should make sure that you understand how to use the service properly. One of the best ways to learn how to use the software and how to use the online tools that the tutoring company provides is to spend some time on their website. They will have video tutorials, written guides, and other resources that you can use to become better acquainted with the system. This way, you will know exactly what you need to do to be successful.When it comes to finding a tutoring service in Austin, you will want to make sure that you use the website listed above to determine what you want to accomplish and when you need help. Be sure to research on the various tutoring services that are available to find the ones that offer the level of education and training that you need to be successful.

Tips for Being Introverted in an Extroverted Work Environment - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Tips for Being Introverted in an Extroverted Work Environment - Introvert Whisperer Tips for Being Introverted in an Extroverted Work Environment Working in an office has its benefits. As an introvert, I have difficulties staying focused in an upbeat work environment. It is a learning process to cope with a workspace that doesnt mesh with your personality type. Hopefully these tips can make life a little easier to be an introvert in an extroverted workplace. Find a Quiet Place Some offices have the luxury of a quiet room, or a place where people can go to work with a little less noise. Making use of that resource is important. If you do not have a quiet room it is important to find a space where you can step away and take a break for a moment. This will allow you to recover and refresh a little bit. This is also useful for processing and absorbing information after a meeting. I find that taking walks is a good way to get some fresh air, and help me wind down from the hectic office space. Plug In Bringing headphones or a headset to work is key. Even if you have trouble focusing while listening to music, cutting down surrounding sound can also be beneficial. Trying different genres of music that are softer or on a low volume can be helpful for dulling the noises around you. Change Desk Locations At my work, we do not have cubicles. Instead, we have desks arranged in blocks and groupings. You are always working directly next to coworkers. If you are in a similar position, moving to a desk that is against a wall or farther from people can be helpful. If you get distracted by movement then try to have a desk that is facing a wall. That way it limits distraction when people walk by your desk. Focus on Listening Introverts are typically good listeners. It is much easier for introverts to absorb information in quiet environments. I find that if you have a lot of meetings to go to it is helpful to listen rather than get worried about having to speak up. Being able to think about the meeting and reflect on it is more productive. Later you can discuss the topics of the meeting in a more comfortable environment. But Speak Up Also   As an introvert you may not be inclined to be outwardly engaged in conversation, but if you have a good idea or a witty comment dont be afraid to speak up. Introverts have awesome and creative minds so it is good to let people know what you are thinking sometimes.  If you know you need to talk during a meeting it is best to go over what you are saying. Plan on what you need to cover and try not to get too worked up about talking. Overall Do what makes you feel the most comfortable and productive. Being able to manage working in an extroverted workplace can be a useful skill for everyday life. We all see introverts and extroverts every day so understanding work style is beneficial to both personality types. A good balance is important and the creative introverted mind is never something to take for granted. Author bio: McKinley is a 22-year-old recent graduate from The College of Idaho.  She is a freelance journalist who enjoys hanging out with her cat Meeko. Her pastimes include blogging, snowboarding, and playing Mario Kart. You can usually find McKinley on the couch watching 300 (her favorite movie).   CAREER ACCELERATION Do you know what your next career step is? Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today: CLICK HERE!

10 Real Tips for Improving Your English - Do This To Improve English

10 Real Tips for Improving Your English - Do This To Improve English Im frequently  asked by students and by people who join  me on  my channel, how do I speak  better English.  How can I improve my  English and is there an easy way?Well, you wont be surprised if I tell you  that there is no easy way.  The only way  that youre going to be able to improve  your English is to work hard and to  practise.But there are certain tips that  I can give you.And Im going to give you  a list of 10 tips. If you follow  these tips Im sure youre going to be  able to improve your English.Theres a little story  about the person wandering around London, and hes trying to find the Albert Hall  which is a beautiful music event in  London and he stops this stranger and he  says to the stranger:  â€˜How do I get to the  Albert Hall?’  And the guy looks at him and  he says:  â€˜Practice.’And its the same with your English. You have to continue and  practise and practise.  Practise repeat. Practise and repeat.And its the only thing that will help you improve your English .So these are the  tips that Im going to give you. Share, help other students to improve English: 10 Real Tips for Improving Your English TIP 1Know exactly what your level of English is. Theres no point starting to learn English if you dont know what level youre at because you either get books or teachers that are too easy or youll get something that is too difficult. And if its too easy, you’ll get bored. And if its too difficult, you wont have the motivation.Once you establish your level, then youll be able to set a plan for yourself to improve your English.  TIP 2is  about vocabulary.  Everybody wants to  improve their vocabulary  in English.Everybody is told that if you have a  wide and broad vocabulary,  its a good  sign that youre able to speak good  English.  Well,  yes thats important but  what do you do with it?  I see and I hear  teachers teaching English telling  students learn ten words a day,  eight  words a day. Memorise the words.  Thats  rubbish. It just doesnt work.  As soon as youve  memorised them and as soon as youve  repeated them to the teacher  within a  day youve forgotten the words.  The only  way that you can use vocabulary is when you know how to use the words. So dont just  swallow a dictionary,  dont just learn the meaning by heart.  Learn new vocabulary words in context. Practise putting words into sentences with your teacher. When you put words together, we can communicate with one another. You dont see people in the street ust talking: moon, dog, tree, whatever. No. Theyre putting the words in phrases, in sentences and then that way theyre communicating.   Things You Can Do to Improve English TIP 3is about reading and this is how I get my students to improve their English. Pick an article based on your level. Something thats not so difficult for the beginners and something thats challenging for those at intermediate level. Read it, repeat it, read it again.Reading is not only about recognising the words.Its also about the pronunciation. It is also about the intonation. It takes a while but if you want to speak better English, then reading pronunciation and intonation are really important. And only when you are feeling comfortable, should you move on.TIP 4is about speaking. English is all about communication. Its important to be able to read. Its important to have vocabulary. Obviously, it is very important to understand the grammar.But we are in a language of communication, so we want to speak.When you go on holidays you want to be able to talk to somebody in the train station, the airport, the hotel, wherever it might be. You want to have the comfort and confidence about speaking English. The more frequently you speak with other people, the better your English will become.And  again it’s all about practice.  It  doesnt matter what you talk about. The important  thing is communication frequency and use  it as often as you can.  Copying people is  the best way. In fact, it is  the only way  that youre going to improve English  quickly.  Listen  to other people,  see how they pronounce  it and copy them.Important thing here  though is to make sure that the person that  youre talking to has English at your  level minimum or better,  still above  yours.So if its not a teacher that you  can find,  find a friend or colleague or  relative somebody that has language  level above yours so that when they are  talking to you youre going to be able  to learn from them.TIP 5is about istening. It is an important aspect of English. We have to listen to different accents. We have to understand different voices. We have to understand intonation.If you want to lear n British  English  theres no point listening or watching  â€˜Friends’,  for example,  which I hear a lot  of people do.  All youre going to get are  American accents and youre going to  get confused  between words. So if you want  to speak British English, then  obviously  go to British sites which  will give you  the access to that listening  content.The BBC have wonderful podcasts that you can download.  Theyre  very professional.  They talk on  different topics. I  would certainly recommend that you  consider using those.I  often hear from  students whove watched American movies  the word ‘gonna’.  â€˜Im gonna do this’,  â€˜Im  gonna do that’.  But its not English.Thats American slang and its  not something youll hear a lot in  British English.  So make sure that  whatever youre listening to is  appropriate to the English that you want  to learn.Of course,  if you want to speak  like an American, there’s  nothing wrong with it. Focus on American movies and American   production.Another important part of listening  for people is to listen to music.  If you  have a look at the old music  from  the 60s and the 70s, particularly groups like ‘The Beatles’, there are lots of interesting stories in their  music.  Download the lyrics,  listen to the music  and youll understand  it.  Itll help you to understand your  English a little bit better. TIP 6Im giving you a don’t. Please don’t use Google Translate. I really really hate it. Its not going to give you good English. Full stop.TIP 7I always try and get my students to keep their English simple. Some students get a little bit frustrated with me.Theyd like to use big words and they think that using these big words is a sign of perfect English. And of course it can be, if you can use the words correctly.If you want to communicate better in English, keep your English simple. Particularly at the beginning when youre learning. I have this little phrase Keep It Simple Stupid KISS. So remember that KISS. Its not to downgrade the level of your English, its not to get you to talk like a baby: ‘I am Harry’. No.It gets you to use simple English that people can understand. When you understand it and they understand you, then over a period of time you can build on that and improve your level of English. Incorporate more complex sentences, introduce more clauses and that will show an improvement in your English very quickly.TIP 8find a good teacher. Finding a good teacher is really important for you to improve your English and you know there are lots and lots of good teachers out there. The world is full of people who want to teach English.Not all of  them are experts,  not all of them  are  trained and  not all learn have  the appropriate  qualifications.  But  leaving those aside, there are a lot of really good teachers  out there.  If you want to learn  English and you want to learn good  English and you want to speak English  more fluently,  please get yourself a good  native English  teacher.TIP 9use technology. Record on your mobile phone or some other gadget. Record, repeat, listen to it again, replay. It is important that youre constantly getting English as part of your life. It’ll help you to immerse you into the English language and enable you to improve English quicker.TIP 10practise your written English. Find somebody who can correct it for you and write letters, short essays, reviews, post, etc. You have to practise your written English, it is a really important part of communication. Repeat, repeat, repeat… The more you do, the better youll become.So Ive given you hopefully ten really really good tips as to how you  can improve your English.  If  you have any questions you can always  follow me up and join me on www.englishlessonviaskype.com  and subscribe to  my channel.Were going to have some  really important announcements soon.  Youll also find a link to my online English courses, which are really good value. And hopefully well catch up with  you soon.

Listening Exercise A Trick to Help You Sleep!

Listening Exercise A Trick to Help You Sleep! We all know that sleep is important, and we should probably be getting more of it.  For a variety of reasons, many people dont get the ideal 8-hour nights sleep.  Maybe you dont have the time, maybe you like  to stay out late, or maybe you just have trouble falling asleep.  On the other hand, maybe youre one of those lucky people who always  has a good nights sleep.  Either way, you  never know when youll  need this sleeping life hack.  Watch the following video, and brush up on your listening skills by answering the questions in the comment section.Ok.  So you cant sleep.  Youve _____ everything: warm glasses of milk, ________ sheep, ______ off the late-night binge watching, all of the usual tips.But, ____ you _____ ________ one of your feet outside your blankets?In numbers one and two, the narrator uses gerunds after the verb to try.  What have you tried doing to help you sleep?Researchers ____ _____ a link between high body temperature and alertness.In number 4, the narrat or uses the present perfect tense to talk about the accomplishment of the researchers.  What else have researchers or doctors accomplished over the years?__  the skin of your feet __  _______ to cool night air, the blood there _____  down.In number 6, he uses the zero conditional to talk about things that happen in general.  Both of the verbs are in present tense.  What happens to the blood in your feet if you dont stick them  out?If youd like to practice more grammar with a native English instructor, sign up for a class with LOI today!

Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate Success

Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate Success Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate Success Picture it. A large, shining (yet tasteful) trophy.The plaque reads Worlds Best Language Learner.And underneath? Your name.A language certificate is a lot like a sports trophy.You can have a wonderful time playing sportsâ€"or learning languagesâ€"without ever needing something external as proof of your effort.Which is great for learners going it alone, because self-directed learning has a lot of great advantages.But theres a reason why courses, exams, certificatesâ€"and trophiesâ€"exist.Theyre a way of proving not only to others but also to yourself that youve put in the long hours and seen the results.If that sounds like your cup of tea, read on to find out what a language certificate can do for you, and how to go about obtaining one. Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate SuccessWhy Go for a Language Certificate?Have Your Skills Honestly Assessed by a Third PartyIt can be hard to really know where youre at, especially if youre a self-learner. Nobody likes trying to figure out how big their vocabulary is, or going over the grammar charts for the dozenth time.But assessment can be an important reality check.If you self-assess at a high level but then cant pass even an intermediate-level exam, it means there were some gaps in your knowledge that went undetected for too long.Fixing those gaps is crucial if you want to really use that language in your life, and doing so will make you a better language learner overall.For example, knowing what your real level is can help you better use language resources like FluentU.FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them.Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already h and-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store.Have a Quick Answer Ready for Questions About Your Language AbilityHow good is your Portugues e?Well, I can read it without much trouble, but its kind of hard for me to follow the newsâ€"oh, and I did a homestay in Brazil three years agoWhats your Japanese level?I passed the JLPT N2 exam last year.Which of the above scenarios do you like more? If youre sitting in a job interview, a quick and decisive answer could be what makes the difference between acceptance and rejection.The presence of a language certificate on your resume is the quickest answer of all.Be Eligible for Employment, Study or ImmigrationSome places set a hard limit on accepting applicants based on how well they can speak a language. No matter how good your other credentials, youre not getting in that door without proof of a certain language level.In Germany, for instance, many university programs require proof of a C1 level. Universities in China generally require about the sameâ€"around an  HSK 5 level, to be exact.And if youd like to live and work in another country, chances are youre going to have to demo nstrate your language ability with a certificate of some sort.In Japan, if you manage to pass the JLPT N1, you prove to the government that youre able to use Japanese at an extremely high level and easily function in the business world. That goes a long way towards getting you a coveted skilled worker visa.But say, what is the JLPT N1 anyway? Read on to find out!5 of the Worlds Most Useful Language CertificatesBelow are five of the worlds most recognized and useful certifications for languages. These arent by any means all the language exams that exist, so dont feel distressed if you dont see your target language represented or are interested in other options.There are many other tests to measure language proficiency, including the DSH for German and the TOEFL for English, but this list covers a broad range of languages and should be helpful for seeing useful examples of whats out there.JLPT  (Japanese)The Japanese Language Proficiency Test measures ability from N5 (basic) to N1 (ad vanced). People who pass the N1 are said to have about the same linguistic ability as a native high school graduate. Its offered at testing centers around the world, though usually only once or twice per year.There are three sections: Language Knowledge (vocabulary and grammar), Reading and Listening. You wont have to produce any written essays, nor will you have to sit through a spoken interviewâ€"but dont let your guard down.Just around 30 percent of applicants on average pass the N1 exam each year. So when you try for this Japanese certificate, make sure you can talk the talk and walk the walk.DELE  (Spanish)The Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language is administered by the Instituto Cervantes in Spain as a measure of European Spanish proficiency. In the past few years, the Instituto Cervantes has worked with test centers in Mexico to design a more international test known as the SIELE, but the DELE still has a powerful presence. There are more than 1,000 test centers worldwide !When you apply for the DELE, you need to pick one of the six CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) levels from A1 to C2 as your test level. Each test has four sections that cover listening, reading, writing and speaking.DELF/DALF (French)Just like the DELE, these two exams are based on the CEFR scale of language proficiency. If you sign up for levels A1 through B2, youll apply for the DELF (Diplôme détudes en langue française).At the C levels, the name simply changes to DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française). These French certificates are organized almost exactly like the DELE in Spanish. You simply sign up at any one of the hundreds of locations around the world.Passing the C2 French exam is no walk in the park, but once you do youll be eligible for all kinds of benefits such as employment in the Francophonie, a job as a teacher or translator and access to French-language higher education.HSK (Mandarin Chinese)The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, or Mandari n proficiency exam, is well-known all over China. There are six levels of the test, ranging from knowledge of just a few hundred words and characters to many more. Unlike some other exams, there are freely available vocabulary lists published for each level.Theres also no speaking sectionâ€"you have to sign up for the separate HSK speaking exam if you want proof of oral Chinese proficiency.But once youve passed HSK 5, youll be able to take ordinary Chinese classes surrounded by native speakers. And by HSK 6, youll have no problem reading or understanding Chinese that you see and hear around you every day.TELC (several languages)The European Language Certificates (TELC) is a German organization that offers a smorgasbord of languages and certificates to choose from. For major world languages like English and Spanish, youll be able to sit exams rated at any of the CEFR levels.Other languages, like Arabic or Polish, are just as important but dont yet have one unified exam like the DELE or HSK. In this case, TELC also offers a limited selection of exams at the intermediate level that can serve as an important benchmark for your skills.The exams are held in thousands of test centers worldwide, and the results are accepted as valid in just as many places.As a German company, TELC  works especially closely with the governments and businesses in the German-speaking regions of Europeâ€"so if youre looking to study or do business in these places, TELC  may be a perfect option for you.How to Prepare for a Language Certificate ExamTake a Look at Previous ExamsExam agencies often publish mock exams, older questions or practice tests for you to prepare.Some are in book form, and some are even online.  DIALANG is a great one-stop resource for finding practice tests in a ton of languages. Theyre modeled after the standard exams used in Europe like the DALF and DELE. Your results here are likely to be a good diagnostic for what level exam you should take.Another way to find exa ms is by checking the websites of test centers or places that offer exam prep classes. Heres an example from the HSK center at the University of Manchester.If you dont know what youre going to be tested on, youre probably not going to do well. As much as the designers of the test try to make it reflect real-world language use, its necessarily going to be a little bit artificial for the purposes of grading.Thus, just having a high level in your target language never guarantees a solid score.You need to be prepared for each exam section in turnâ€"and, of course, youll need to know how to follow the exam instructions in the target language!Read Nonfiction Articles from Different SourcesThe reading portion of standardized language exams is almost always nonfiction. Fiction reading is extremely important for your vocabulary development, but when you study for a test you need to get used to the type of writing youll encounter on that test.That means you should be extremely comfortable rea ding easy news articles in your target language, such as  those found on news sites like NHK World in many languages.But beyond just news, you should be able to read different types of nonfiction.Can you follow the main arguments of opinion pieces? How about understanding the flow of step-by-step instructions or the pros and cons in a product review?These are just a few of the writing genres we encounter every day in our native languages. If you want to excel at the reading comprehension sectionâ€"a component of every examâ€"you’ll need to be familiar with all of these and more.Ditch Your HeadphonesThis is a small tip, but it might end up making all the difference in your exam preparation.When we sit down to study languages at home, more often than not we use headphones or earbuds. And why not? Theyre comfortable, the sound is clear and theres no risk of bothering others.But if youre used to having your target language piped cleanly into your ears all day, you might start to sweat when you see a cheap boombox at the exam center.Although all the exam centers prepare the same test for you, the conditions for the listening part can be completely haphazard. Its entirely possible that youll be asked to do the listening exam in an echo-y room with construction going on outside.Practicing your listening with computer speakers in a variety of environments will get you prepared for whatever conditions the examiners throw at you.Fine-tune Your Writing with a TutorWhen was the last time you challenged yourself to write something difficult in your target language? Its not something self-learners often do.And in fact, its actually not necessary for all the exams I mentioned or all the exams out there. At lower and intermediate levels, the JLPT and HSK dont test your composition skills at allâ€"the writing section of those exams is multiple choice.But the fact remains that for an advanced language certificate, you had better be able to write well in your target language.T he best way to study writing is to write and get feedback. Some people are lucky enough to have good friends or colleagues that can give them tips on their writing.Even better than that, though, is a tutor who has successfully coached exam candidates in the past. You want a tutor with a proven track record in getting students the language certificates they want.Now that youve taken a look at some of the major language certificates out there, what do you think?Do you want to join the ranks of millions of people around the world who have sat and passed exams in their target languageâ€"proving their ability to themselves and others?Theres no better time than now to start preparing.Get your hands on a copy of a practice exam, read some online articles, browse through some tutor listingsâ€"and be on your way to your first language certificate of many.

The 50 Biggest Tutoring Cities in the U.S.

The 50 Biggest Tutoring Cities in the U.S. Tutorz.com researched its database to determine the biggest tutoring cities in the United States. To accomplish this objective we compare the population of the top 50 U.S. cities with the number of requests for personal tutoring for all subjects ranging from math, over English to essay writing. Information about personal tutor requests originates from Tutorz’ database and is bound by the years 2007 and 2010. The ranking of U.S. cities by population is based on a Wikipedia publication. The table below ranks the top 10 U.S. cities by the number of requests for private tutors and compares it with the city’s rank by population. City Rank by Tutoring Referrals City Rank by Population New York, NY 1 1 Houston, TX 2 4 Los Angeles, CA 3 2 Chicago, IL 4 3 Indianapolis, IN 5 12 Atlanta, GA 6 40 Dallas, TX 7 9 Brooklyn, NY 8 Miami, FL 9 44 San Jose, CA 10 10 Not surprisingly New York is number one by tutoring requests and population. Tutorz.com referred in New York City alone 371 private tutors to students seeking help with homework. New York is also the most populated city in the U.S. with 8.4 million citizens approximately. Also noteworthy, education is one of New York’s bigger industries facilitated by notable private universities such as Columbia University, New York University, and Pace University. Rank 2nd, 3rd and 4th is held by Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL and Houston, TX. For these 3 cities, the tutoring rank agrees approximately with the population rank. These cities are the home of renowned universities including University of California at Los Angeles, University of Chicago and Rice University Houston). At rank 5 we have the first big surprise: Indianapolis, IN is ranked 5 by tutoring while only the 12th largest city. This result might be explained with the number of fine universities in Indianapolis (incl. Purdue University, University of Indianapolis, and Butler University). Another attempt to explain this result is to theorize that the citizens of Indianapolis place higher value on education or have recognized the substantial benefits of tutoring. Lastly, we admit that the Tutorz’ data is biased towards areas of higher marketing activity, although no special emphasis was place to Indianapolis in past marketing campaigns. The next surprise is Atlanta, GA being ranked 6th by tutoring. With a population of about 420,000 Atlanta scores place 40 in Wikipedia. Perhaps the Georgia State University or Clark Atlanta University has helped to boost Atlanta’s rank. But without a doubt Tutorz partner website, www.sapioadvisors.com a local tutoring company has helped to let Atlanta fly high in ranks. On place 7 we record another Texas city Dallas, TX. The rank of Dallas agrees roughly with its rank by population (9th). Brooklyn, NY is ranked 8th. Technically Brooklyn is a part of New York City and thus not featured in Wikipedia’s rank by population. But nice parents and students prefer to look for tutors in Brooklyn rather than New York we list it here separately. Note, if Brooklyn were a city it would be the home of more than 2 million people. Miami, FL holds rank 9 by tutoring but is according to Wikipedia only the 44th largest U.S. city. This surprising result can be theorized with the same arguments as for Indianapolis, IN. And finally, San Jose, CA maintains rank 10 in both the Tutorz database and Wikipedia publication. Is your city not among the top 10? Look at the table below. It ranks the top 50 U.S. cities by the number of requests for private tutors and compares it with the city’s rank by population. City Rank by Tutoring Referrals City Rank by Population New York, NY 1 1 Houston, TX 2 4 Los Angeles, CA 3 2 Chicago, IL 4 3 Indianapolis, IN 5 12 Atlanta, GA 6 40 Dallas, TX 7 9 Brooklyn, NY 8 Miami, FL 9 44 San Jose, CA 10 10 Kansas City, MO 11 37 Baltimore, MD 12 21 Phoenix, AZ 13 6 Boston, MA 14 22 Sacramento, CA 15 35 Denver, CO 16 26 Philadelphia, PA 17 5 Austin, TX 18 14 Irvine, CA 19 96 Anaheim, CA 20 54 San Diego, CA 21 8 Alexandria, VA 22 177 Northridge, CA 23 Milwaukee, WI 24 28 Washington, DC 25 24 Cincinnati, OH 26 62 Fremont, CA 28 95 Encino, CA 29 Baton Rouge, LA 30 85 Cleveland, OH 31 45 Minneapolis, MN 32 48 Memphis, TN 33 20 Las Vegas, NV 34 30 Seattle, WA 35 23 Gainesville, FL 36 202 Nashville, TN 37 25 Orlando, FL 38 79 Albany, NY 39 Oxnard, CA 40 113 Tampa, FL 41 55 Detroit, MI 42 18 San Antonio, TX 43 7 Portland, OR 44 29 Fort Lauderdale, FL 45 141 Tucson, AZ 46 33 Charlotte, NC 47 17 Fort Worth, TX 48 16 Salt Lake City, UT 49 49 New Haven, CT 50 189 Overall the rank by tutoring agrees overall with the rank by population. There are a few exceptions, however. The cities of Irvine, CA and Northridge CA are both ranked substantially higher by tutoring than by population. They hold in common that the founders of Tutorz.com have studied at both universities and created some awareness about the Tutorz in the local population. At UC Irvine Tutorz.com was the winner of the HiTech Octane Computing Competition and at CSUN (Northridge) Prof. Dye of the Math department became a supporter of the website. Oxnard, CA ranked 113 by population let’s eye brows rise by being ranked 40 by tutoring. After all, Oxnard is mostly an agricultural community on a plane in California’s Ventura County. Yet again, this aberration in rank can be easily explained by the fact that Tutorz.com is headquartered in the nearby (small) town of Port Hueneme, CA. Finally, Cleveland, OH is ranked 14 places higher by tutoring than by population. Tutorz has targeted Cleveland, OH as one of its keywords in the SEO campaign. As we can see these efforts have paid off. In summary, a city’s number of requests for private tutors correlates with its population size. A number of cities rank notably higher by tutoring (Indianapolis, Miami) and we are hard-pressed to provide a reasonable explanation for aberration. Other exceptional cities (Oxnard, Irvine, Northridge) rank higher due to Tutorz’ personal relationship with these locations.

What is the Year 1 Phonics Test

What is the Year 1 Phonics Test We all know how important it is for children to learn literacy. And early learning of the phonics has become a very important part of a child's reading journey. The Phonics Screening test was first launched by the Department of Education in June 2012 and schools will administer the test the week beginning 13 June for this year. The test is defined by the Department of Education as short, light-touch assessments that usually take between four and nine minutes for each child to complete. The Phonics Screening Check The Phonics test or Phonics screening check is compulsory for all year 1 children and is used to determine whether they have learnt phonic decoding to the proper standard. It identifies children that may need extra help in improving their reading skills and allows the school to step in and make sure these children meet the appropriate standard. The test itself consists of a list of forty words which the children read to a teacher and tests the ability to use letter-sound knowledge to correctly read and pronounce written words. The words used are twenty real-words and twenty non-words (made-up words). The reason for the non-words are so that there will not be a bias to those children with a good vocabulary. The non-words are shown alongside a picture of a fictional character and the children are told that the non-word is the name of that fictional creature or character allowing children to understand that the non-word should not be included in their existing vocabulary. Children who are able to read non-words should have the skills to decode most unfamiliar words. Phonics knowledge is taught to children from Reception class helping them to recognise and read familiar words and to be able to read words that are completely new to them. They learn about the way graphemes (written words) relate to phonemes (spoken words) and how to sound out the words. The International phonetic alphabet The following table shows the International Phonetic Alphabet that is used to explain the pronunciation of pseudo-words used in the Phonics Screening check for year 1 children (words that are not included in the test are in red whilst the words in blue indicate that the grapheme-phoneme correspondence only applies to certain regional pronunciations): Consonants Vowels Phoneme Example Phoneme Graphemes /b/ bad /??/ father, arm /d/ dog /?/ hot // this // cat /d?/ gem, jug /a?/ mind, pie, high, fine /f/ if, puff, photo /a?/ out, cow /g/ gum /?/ hen, head /h/ how /e?/ say, came, bait /j/ yes /??/ air /k/ cat check, key, school /??/ cold, bone, coat, mould, blow /l/ leg, hill /?/ hit /m/ man /??/ beer /n/ man /i?/ he, bead, see, scheme, chief /?/ sing /??/ launch, raw, born // both /??/ coin, boy /p/ pet /?/ book, cup, could /r/ red /??/ tour /s/ sit, miss, cell /u?/ stew, room, you, blue, brute /?/ she, chef /?/ cup /t/ tea /??/ fern, turn, girl /t?/ check /?/ farmer /v/ vet /w/ wet, when /z/ zip, hens, buzz /?/ pleasure Source: satpapers.org The Threshold and results In 2012 when the first testing began the threshold was 80% and continues to be around this mark. This means that children need to correctly identify and read 32 words out of the total 40 words to be considered to have met the necessary standard. The test determines whether children are correctly able to identify sounds associated with different letters, and letter combinations, and consequently blend these sounds together to correctly say the word on the list, regardless of whether the word is a real-word or a non-word. The combinations of the letters become more complicated as they move down the list of words meaning the words become increasingly harder. The threshold mark is conveyed to schools usually at the end of June so that teachers can then mark the test. Parents are then informed of how their child did although the results are not published. If a child fails to meet the standard they are given extra help in their phonics understanding and can then retake the test in year 2. What can you do to help? The best way to ensure your child will meet the standards of the phonics screening check is to enhance their vocabulary. Read new books with them and introduce them to new vocabulary. Play word games with them and make sure they are correctly sounding out the words. There are plenty of free resources for practising phonics with your child; the Schoolrun website offers some great information and the Department of Education website offers more information and some practice assessments. A private tutor can also be a great help in aiding your child's learning of the phonics.