Computer Science Tutor: What a Computer Science Teacher Can Do For You

Computer Science Tutor: What a Computer Science Teacher Can Do For YouMost computer science teachers agree that the importance of a computer science tutor cannot be underestimated. These tutors can make all the difference between a good and great learning experience and a disappointing one. They are important because they bring everything you need to know to a large classroom. Having a computer science tutor will improve your grades in many ways, but especially for this is important to see where the teacher misses something.A computer science tutor will enhance your grades by being able to tell you what is missing in your courses. You might have read somewhere that certain subjects are harder than others. When you know what is not being taught, it will be easier to decide what subject you want to take next. In this way, it will be much easier to decide which subjects are easier than others and the field of study will be much more challenging. If you need some help in choosing your ne xt subject, a computer science tutor can certainly help you.A computer science tutor can also improve your courses by giving you access to every other resource available on the Internet. Now, if you want to take calculus online, you might think that you need to borrow a calculator from a math tutor. While this might be possible, the truth is that there are a great many resources available at no cost. There are many books, websites, and even personal coaching that are only available through the Internet. The possibility of all these resources is really great, and it makes it easy to take advantage of any websites that offer up-to-date resources.A computer science tutor can also improve your grades if he or she knows how to organize a lesson in a way that will allow you to maximize your learning time. Many times the teacher will use the same lesson plan for several students, which means that you spend the same amount of time, and not the whole time that you would have if you took the course together. The easiest way to work around this is to simply share the responsibility with the tutor and each student will learn from the other's mistakes.Another benefit of a computer science tutor is that the lessons will be easy to understand. If the course is packed with material, it will be difficult to remember it all. In this case, it is better to take the class with someone who can put it all into perspective. There is a lot of material in many college courses, so if you have been taught a lot of material you might not understand the subject anymore. A computer science tutor can do this and will help you keep track of the subject you are interested in.In addition to improving your grades, a computer science tutor can also teach you new skills. Before you even go to college, you will probably be having some problems with math and you might want to develop your skills in math before getting to college. This is another reason why having a computer science tutor is essentia l. They will be able to show you all the things you need to know to get your degree in math or physics.While it is important that you have a computer science tutor, don't forget that the real learning starts when you get to college. Even if you don't find the greatest help from a computer science tutor, it will give you a good idea of how to properly use the resources you have available to you, and this is one way that you will excel in your classes.

What Motivates Us to Learn

What Motivates Us to Learn By now, most educators  are familiar with the advice, “Praise the process, not the outcome.” which was revolutionized by Stanford Psychology professor, Carol Dweck. This strategy focuses on instilling a “growth mindset” an understanding that intelligence is learned, not innate, in students throughout their education. However, in a new article, Dweck herself warns against blindly following her research. So we are going to take another look at what motivates students to learn beyond good grades. First, let’s review. Dweck’s RSAnimate talk, “How to Help Every Child Fulfill Their Potential,” identifies two learning mindsets: fixed and growth. Students with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is static, something you are born with, and if they can’t complete a task now, they never will. They believe that they must “look smart at all times and all costs,” that effort is a sign you don’t have ability, and that mistakes “reveal your limitations.” Students with a growth mindset, on the other hand, believe that intelligence is developed. They understand that the goal of education is to “learn at all times and all costs,” that “effort is what activates ability” and that “mistakes are a part of the process.” Dweck goes on to argue that praising children’s intelligence promotes a fixed mindset. Instead of building confidence in their ability to problem solve and work hard, children become attached to some vague idea of intelligence that feels impossible to improve upon. In a study done with 10 to 11 year olds, Dweck found that the majority of children who were praised for their intelligence chose to continue to do tasks they were already good at, while children praised for their process chose to tackle more difficult problems. Even when students returned to easier tasks, those in a fixed mindset got lower scores than those in a growth mindset. What happened next? Many parents and teachers took Dweck’s research to two extremes. Some thought the importance of praising the process should eclipse everything else, and doled out praise regardless of progress. Others were so hesitant to accidentally promote a fixed mindset that they only offered encouragement when their children or their students were struggling. What else can we do? If you find yourself falling into one of those two camps, try to remember that at the core of Dweck’s strategy is giving students enough information that they are able to recreate the behavior for which they are praised. “You’re so smart!” feels good in the moment, but it is difficult for students to simply “be smart” when they encounter their next challenge. Next time, point out something specific about the work  -  maybe the student took a unique approach, or it’s obvious that they tried a few solutions before they landed on the correct answer  -  and praise them for their creativity or tenacity instead. Rewarding your child for their good efforts is another popular approach, but it may be less effective than we think. Like Dweck, Dan Pink, author of “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” also did a RSAnimate talk by the same name on motivation  in 2010. Pink found that as soon as a task required creative or conceptual thinking, larger rewards actually led to poorer performance. To motivate your students or children, try to focus on one of Pink’s non-reward drivers: autonomy, mastery and purpose. According to Pink, feeling as though something is your own, knowing you are getting better at it, and making a contribution are powerful motivators of learning and performance. Best of luck!

20 Reasons to Use Games in College-Level ESL Courses

20 Reasons to Use Games in College-Level ESL Courses Copyright 2018 Bokomaru Publications There are many good reasons why serious games remain appropriate teaching tools in college-level second language learning courses for young adults. Before we get into those reasons, there is one thing that we should clear up. A serious game is not the same as other  games. Unlike a game played for amusement, fun  is not its primary goal. Fun is merely a useful byproduct of a well-designed learning activity.  A serious games primary purpose is pedagogical. Above all else, it is intended to support one or more of the goals of the course. Anyone interested in instructional design would do well to consider the pedagogical benefits of serious games. The Pedagogical Benefits of Language Learning Games Here is a list of 20 pedagogical benefits that games can bring to the language learning classroom:  task regulation,  motivation and strategic thinking,  preparation, memory and retention, meaningful communicative exchanges, cognitive fluency,  attention to form,  peer-correction and instruction, openness and respect,  patience and planning, mastery experiences and  ego-gratification, self-confidence and self-efficacy,  contingency planning and resilience,  energy and excitement,  reduction in  egotism,  problem-solving and effort,  creativity,  coherence,  self-directed learning, and  time-on-task. How Games Provide these Benefits Games have  rules. Rules can keep learners focused on key structures, allowing careful  task regulation. Games have  goals. Goals create  motivation and strategic thinking. Games are a form of  simulation. Simulations give us  preparation  for high-stakes communicative tasks. Games involve repetition. Repetitions  enhance  memory and retention. Games are  interactive. Oral interaction gives us  meaningful communicative exchanges. Games require speed. Speed stimulates the development of  cognitive fluency. Games involve decisions. Decisions can direct  attention to form. Games involve  feedback. Feedback means  peer-correction and instruction. Games involve turn-taking. Turn-taking ensures  openness  to the participation of others,  equality, and  respect. Games involve waiting for a turn. Waiting teaches  patience and planning. Games have  win-states. Win-states provide  mastery experiences and  ego-gratification. Games require skill. Skill development generates  self-confidence and self-efficacy. Games involve chance. Chance creates  contingency planning and resilience. Games have sudden reversals of fortune. Reversals of fortune provide  energy and excitement. Games have lose-states. Lose-states cause  reductions in  egotism  that do not damage the ego since game-play is a non-literal state. Games have  challenges. Challenges demand  problem-solving and effort. Games involve  problem-solving.  Problem-solving sparks  creativity. Games have  a beginning, middle  and  end.  Sequence offers  coherence. Games are a form of play.  Play  is Evolution’s toolbox for  self-directed learning. Games are pleasurable.  Pleasure maximizes  time-on-task. **This list is an adapted and expanded list from  Prensky, 2001, Digital Game-Based Learning, McGraw-Hill, p. 6. Please follow and like us:

10 Illuminating Quotes from Famous Language Learners

10 Illuminating Quotes from Famous Language Learners 10 Quotes to Kindle the Flame of Language Learning Theres no place like home.A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.Winter is coming.Whether you mean for them to or not, chances are your favorite quotes work their way into your daily life.But quotes dont need to be used exclusively for adding color to your daily speech. They can also help you  overcome foreign language anxiety  and cast aside  myths about language learning.Yes, were talking about  language learning quotes. These inspiring gems will keep you grounded and maybe even motivate you to become the next  amazing polyglot.So whenever you need a language learning morale boost, look no further than these 10 uplifting quotes! Why Read Language Learning Quotes?First and foremost, language learning quotes are motivational. The best quotes serve as helpful reminders of why you wanted to learn a language in the first place. And a little extra motivation never hurt anyoneâ€"language learning motivation will keep you pressing forward towards fluency.Plus, language learning qu otes are powerful. A well thought-out quote can actually be quite moving and make you feel like a language learning warrior.Finally, language learning quotes will help you look at language from a different perspective. When youre in the throes of language learning, it can be hard to see the bigger picture. With all the vocabulary and grammar rules, you might instead focus on the nitpicky details. Language quotes can help redirect your focus to why learning a language is so valuable.10 Quotes to Kindle the Flame of Language LearningThose who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.â€" Johann Wolfgang von GoetheGood old Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. All in all, he was a pretty impressive guy. He lived in Germany from 1749 to 1832 and wore many hats, including statesman, poet and novelist. If that isnt enough to impress you, he also studied natural science.Growing up, Goethe studied several languages, including English, French, Italian, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. It sho uld come as no surprise, then, that he made this statement, which any language learner is likely to echo. Whenever you start to learn an additional language, you inherently learn more about your own.The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.â€" Ludwig WittgensteinLudwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian-British philosopher who lived from 1889 to 1951. His work focused on logic, math and (you guessed it) language.Wittgenstein linked the limits of language to the limits of philosophical thought. You can see that influence in this quote. After all, its difficult to think carefully about things that you lack words for. For language learners, this quote is empowering because you may have words in your second language to describe things you could never describe in your first language, thereby broadening the limits of your world.If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.â€" Ludwig WittgensteinWittgenstein had a lot of great quotes about languages , so it seems fair that he made this list twice. This quotation points out the link between language and perception. Since perception is filtered through the words we know, the language you speak can actually shape what you perceive.For instance, if the language you speak has a dozen different words for shades of blue, youre more likely to notice color differences than if theres just one word for blue in your language. But language learners, take heart! By learning more languages, perhaps you can broaden your perception.The conquest of learning is achieved through the knowledge of languages.â€" Roger BaconRoger Bacon, a friar and philosopher who lived in England during the 13th century, penned this gem about languages. Its important to note that during that era the populace was predominantly illiterate. Bacon, however, was fluent in several languages and was particularly concerned with the accurate translation of old texts.While much has changed since the 13th century, this quote st ill seems to ring true today. The more languages you know, the more you can learn in general.To have another language is to possess a second soul.â€" CharlemagneCharlemagne was a European king in the 700s-800s. Hes well known for promoting literacy in an era when it wasnt popular. He himself continued to try to learn, read and write even in his older years.Charlemagne  likely spoke a Franconian language, in addition to Latin and some Greek. He encouraged translations of Christian texts and his royal library contained books on language. Charlemagnes quote will certainly make any language learner thinkâ€"how do you change when you speak your second language?If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.â€" Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela is perhaps one of the best known figures of the twentieth century. The beloved anti-Apartheid leader, philanthropist, President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize r ecipient was brilliant at bringing people together. This quote illustrates the role of language in bringing people together.Communicating with people in their native language is an undeniably valuable way to form deeper and more meaningful connections. If that isnt a good reason to keep studying a language, I dont know what is.The man who does not know other languages, unless he is a man of genius, necessarily has deficiencies in his ideas.â€" Victor HugoVictor Hugo is one of the best known French writers in history. He penned classics like Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, but this simple yet spot-on quote about language is just as powerful. It clarifies how knowing only one language can limit ones thoughts.Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.â€" Benjamin Lee WhorfBenjamin Lee Whorf was a 20th century American linguist. During his life he studied a wide array of languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Nahuatl, Hopi, Piman and Tepeca no. He also worked to develop the principle of linguistic relativity, which focuses on how language can affect ones worldview.The overall sentiment of this quote is quite similar to that of the Victor Hugo quote above: language deeply impacts both how we think and what we think about. By extension, knowing more languages might allow you to think about more things.Language is a city to the building of which every human being has brought a stone.â€" Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American transcendentalist who lived during the 1800s. He wrote largely about self-reliance and individualism. It should perhaps come as no surprise, then, that this quote focuses on the role of the individual in language development.Essentially, this quote states that each person contributes to the development of a language. For language learners, its a helpful reminder that you arent just learning a languageâ€"youre also helping to shape it.It is astonishing how much enjoyment one can get out of a language that one understands imperfectly.â€" Basil Lanneau GildersleeveBesides having a really cool name, Gildersleeve was an American classical scholar who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His specialty was Greek, but any language student can appreciate this quote.As a language student, it can often seem that your own weaknesses are constantly shoved in your face and that anything short of full fluency is a failure. Gildersleeves quote is an important reminder that you dont have to be perfect at a language to enjoy it wholeheartedly.With these 10 inspiring quotes at your side, youll always have the extra motivation you need to push a little further in your language education.

An Honest Review of Mondly Tech as Learning Aid or Gimmick

An Honest Review of Mondly Tech as Learning Aid or Gimmick An Honest Review of Mondly: Tech as Learning Aid or Gimmick? How can an alligator in your bedroom help you learn a language?Is there really anything a robot companion  can do to get you to improve?And, more importantly, is all this worth paying for?Mondly is a language learning app that has a lot of buzz surrounding it, especially after  winning a few awards when it burst onto the scene a couple of years ago.Its based around a combination of daily lessons focused on games and translations into your language, a chatbot and unique augmented reality features.But is it worth the hype? We delve into the main features in this Mondly review and then take a look at what the program does wellâ€"as well as what needs improvement. An Honest Review of Mondly: Tech as Learning Aid or Gimmick?The Key Principles of MondlyDaily useLike many other language apps you can carry in your pocket, Mondly places an emphasis on short but frequent lessons. It prepares a daily lesson for you, with sentences and new vocabulary that you can learn in your target language. Everything you learn is then recapped at the end of the class, and you can go back and review it at a later point.Whats more, you get daily reminders as notifications. You can set these to appear at a time convenient to you. So, if you prefer to learn first thing in the morning, you can ask the app to remind you at 7 a.m.; on the other hand, if you want to do some studying on your lunch break at work, set it to 1 p.m.As you continue your language learning journey, Mondly keeps you informed of how well youve been maintaining your daily study regimen.Translation into your L1Unlike methods of learning which focus purely on the target language, Mondly encourages you to learn to translate between your mother tongue or a language you already speak well and the language you want to learn.This is done through a mixture of typing, speaking and choosing words from a list. You can also hear the words spoken in your target language so that you start to associate the written word with the spoke n one.In practice, this means that its a little bit easier to get into learning than it otherwise would be. Mondly prides itself on having a large number of options for the base language, and youll find yourself processing the information well, especially at the early stages.Variety of learning methodsWe all know that learning a new language can feel like a bit of a slog at times. Thats why mixing it up is important!Mondlys model combines daily lessons tailored for you with a pathway through the various topics and levels involved in learning a new language. This is combined with innovative features such as the augmented reality lessons and a chatbot.Well go into more detail about each of these below, but the beauty of Mondly is in their combination. Youre never using the exact same method all the time, so you wont get bored!Mondly FeaturesDaily lessonsThe way Mondly gets you to keep up your language practice is by providing you with daily lessons. Each day, youll get a notification reminding you that your lesson is available.Through game-like exercises, youre introduced to new vocabulary and relevant phrases for a given topic. For instance, you might have a daily lesson about travel, in which case youll learn the words for airport, passport and a way of saying I am here on business. At the end of the lesson, youre reminded of the new words and phrases you learned in that session.For those who have used an app like Duolingo, these daily lessons look very familiar. In fact, the format and style of the lessons are almost exactly the same. This isnt necessarily a bad thing as its a format that works. But what makes Mondly more unique? Thats where the other features come in.ChatbotThe language learning chatbot is designed to emulate a conversation, giving you a chance to put the language youre learning into practice.The app gives you a virtual interlocutor and youre invited to respond to conversational prompts, such as a general greeting or a restaurant role-play. Mondly suggests some responses to these, but itll also accept other correct replies.Although the conversations themselves are far from realistic, the speech-to-text functionality in Mondly is pretty good, allowing for this to be enjoyable rather than a chore. At first, you can just go with the suggested responses, but its nice to try and think about what else you could say, too!Augmented realityThis function is a big selling point for Mondly. Using augmented reality technology, you can generate a CGI teacher in your office, living room or wherever!Your teacher will speak to you in your language, before conjuring objects to teach you about them. The first lesson is about animals, and she makes a big impression by appearing to create a lion out of thin air.Some elements of this feature arent bad. While just giving you the names of animals and the like is nothing groundbreaking, you can approach them and see vocabulary, for example, for different body parts and related vocabulary with a visual aid.This means you can learn the word for nose while seeing it on the nose of a lion. I first checked out Mondly a while ago, and I still remember that  il becco is beak in Italian thanks to a cute computer-generated chicken!Having said that, the augmented reality in Mondly, unfortunately, feels more like a gimmick than an effective learning tool. The lessons cant really be halted and resumed at will, making them less effective if youre pushed for time.Meanwhile, the robotic voice and smooth features of your new lecturer make the whole experience quite uncanny!The Pros of MondlyThere are definitely a few things going on in Mondly that make it worthy of some investigation if youre keen to use your smartphone to help you learn.Innovative features to keep you interestedLanguage learning software is an increasingly competitive field, so even when it doesnt quite hit the mark, its good to see the developers of Mondly being somewhat innovative in their features.Theres a certain w ow factor to the augmented reality and a real bonus that it works in every language, while the chat features and effective speech-to-text software make for a varied and engaging experience.Competitive elementBy completing lessons in Mondly, you earn points. These affect your place on a leaderboard, both against all other users in the world and any of your friends who you may have on the app.A bit of competitive spirit helps get things going, so theres nothing like sitting below your colleague in the table to motivate you to do a few more lessons!A large array of source and target languagesMondly boasts 33 languages, all of which can be used as either source or target languages. That means its just as easy to be a French speaker learning Afrikaans as it is to be a Mandarin speaker learning Italian.Some of the languages could do with further developmentâ€"for example, the alphabet switching when youre learning Arabic isnt perfect and causes some of the options to jump around in transl ation exercisesâ€"but this is a real strength, especially for people who are frustrated by the number of tools that focus too much on using English as a base.The Cons of MondlyHaving said all of that, Mondly has some drawbacks that are quite disappointing as you try to push on in your learning.Lack of differentiation between levelsA huge drawback of Mondly is that its too heavily aimed at lower levels. When you first sign up, youre asked what level you already have in the language. I had a go at Italian (in which Im around an upper-intermediate level) and Arabic (at which Im a complete beginner) but the classes and materials were exactly the same!Mondly might be a good way to get an entry into a new level, but its not as good a platform as the likes of FluentU, which use authentic materials aimed at all different levels.FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. It makes authentic material approachable whether youre a complete beginner or an advanced student.For those looking to deepen their understanding and usage of a language they already somewhat know, Mondly is far from ideal. By pairing Mondly with more robust language learning programs like FluentU, you can increase your learning scope and apply newly learned information to authentic context.It has a monthly feeWhile theres a free version that allows you to try some features, the amount you can use is extremely limited. You can access some daily lessons but only the first conversation of the chatbot and the first set of vocabulary lessons. Packages start from $9.99 per month, and this gives you access only to a single language.This is a bit limiting, especially when you consider that other programs, like FluentU, allow you to access all the languages they offer under one umbrella subscription.Some features feel contrivedWhile I appreciate Mondlys attempts at innovation, the result is often so mething that feels a long way from natural. The conversations in the chatbot are stilted, while the augmented reality function really just replays set pieces in a way that captures your interest at first but loses its impact as the novelty fades.There are plenty of programs that use tech to improve your experience, but do it in a balanced and natural way. FluentU, for instance, uses interactive subtitles, video-enhanced flashcards and adaptive quizzes that take your prior learning into account  to create a personalized learning experience.Innovative technology is an excellent way to maintain learner interest and motivation. If youre taken in by the cool tech of Mondly, then enjoy! If youd rather have something more authentic and natural, you might want to look elsewhere.We hope youve learned everything you want to know about the program in our Mondly review!While Mondly makes some interesting moves in the field of language learning, its hard to escape the feeling that the good parts are rehashed from existing platforms and the areas in which theyve tried to innovate still need some work. Its worth downloading the free version and, if the features strike your fancy, have a go. However, with the price still far from cheap for a product like this, it has a way to go before catching up to some of the leaders in the area.

How to Learn a Language Fast 5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success

How to Learn a Language Fast 5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success How to Learn a Language Fast: 5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success What if I told you the ordinary ways of learning a language arent actually that helpful?What if I also told you those same methods are not only ineffective, but a huge waste of time?Yes, its true. But your time doesnt have to be thrown away whenever you decide to pick up a new language.Thankfully, there are much more efficient ways to speed up the process of learning a new language. These strategies will help you chop off some precious learning time while still increasing your language acquisition.Without further ado, here are the five biggest time-wasters when learning a new language and how we can correct them: How to Learn a Language Fast: 5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success1. Immerse yourself in the country  and  the learning.The ordinary way: Immersing yourself solely in the countryWhen you live abroad, its easy to think that by putting yourself in the culture, youll naturally begin to start picking up the language. News flash: Immersion is a waste if you dont know whats bei ng said most of the time. While immersion may have worked when we were babies, our brains make it a lot harder to formulate language through immersion as adults.When I was living in China, I met several expats who had been living in the country for three, five and even nine years but still had not picked up the language. To put that into perspective, nine years means over 3,000 days without learning Mandarin. Yikes!At first, I couldnt believe how someone could live in a country so long without learning the language. But over time, I began to see the loopholes that come from language immersion. For instance, most natives will at least try to speak English when you approach them, even if you are living in their country. While in China, I was shocked to find that natives were eager to practice their English skills with me. While I was glad to do this, it prevented me from practicing my Mandarin at times.What to do instead:Immerse yourself in the learning, not just the environment. If y ou do move to the country that speaks the language you are studying, great! That simply means there are more chances for you to seize learning opportunities. Resist the urge to use English.  Even when you are surrounded by others speaking the language, the responsibility still lies on you to study, learn and practice.If youre not living in the country that speaks the language you would like to learn, design your home environment into a place where growth is unavoidable. Create visual cues that encourage you to study at times you normally wouldnt. This can mean changing your cell phones language or even that of your Facebook account. Give it a shot!2. Focus on the most commonly used words and expressions.The ordinary way: Focusing on vocabularyThis is what we call textbook learning. In other words, you are mostly focused on rote memorization. While this may build your arsenal of new words, if wont get you very far when actually implementing the language. Speaking a new language is no t a formulaic process. It requires quick and flexible thinking. Unless you plan on sounding like a robot, you may want to devote your attention to areas outside vocabulary.What to do instead:Strategize and prioritize your learning by focusing on what matters. Mandarin is a language of over 3,000 characters. But did you know that by learning the 500 most commonly used words you acquire approximately 75% of language understanding? This is not just isolated to Mandarin. In just about all languages, about 20% of the vocabulary accounts for 80% of understanding. So why waste time trying to learn more words?While vocabulary is important, it must be considered holistically when learning a new language. Identify what words, phrases and expressions will get you the most bang for your buck, and work from there.You can also let someone else do that work for you by taking the I Will Teach You A Language  Conversations  course,  which is designed to get you talking by systematically introducing you to your target languages most common words and phrases.3. Be mindful during the learning process.The ordinary way: Rushing the learning process and crammingIt may be tempting to cram loads of information into your head and expect it to stay there.  The truth is, acquiring any new skill takes time. Canadian author Malcolm Gladwells 10,000 Hour Rule theorizes that it takes 10,000 hours of practice before one can truly master a skill. He came to this conclusion by studying the lives of some of the worlds most successful people and observing how long it took them to become masters at their skills. No matter what language learning hack you consider, be aware of how you are spending your time.For those of you wanting to learn a new language fast, the idea of slowing down may seem counterintuitive or abstract. It may be tempting to quickly fill our brains with as much information as we can in the shortest amount of time. Unfortunately, cramming usually doesnt end up help us achieve lon g-term learning.What to do instead:Be mindful while learning a new language. Its easy to start a new language with our heads caught up in the fact that we arent yet perfect. We become so focused on the end goal of becoming fluent that we lose track of our progress along the journey.Not only will presentness help you absorb new information in the moment, it will also aid your long-term memory.  Try more effective and efficient methods, such as a Spaced Repetition Software (SRS), and you will be pleasantly surprised with the amount of information your brain holds on to.You can also try taking short breaks from your studying to reflect and practice what youve learned. These breaks can be as short as three minutes and consist of you simply summarizing what youve learned. Play around with new words and phrases. This simple exercise can help prevent you from going on autopilot while studying by honing in on every step of the learning process.4. Be an active learner.The ordinary way: Learn passively.All learning is not created equal. In fact, most of the time we learn in a passive style that lacks any kind of critical thought. Think of that professor you had in the past who conducted lessons by parroting words from the textbook. There is no classroom engagement, dialogue or discussion. Unfortunately, weve been conditioned to learn in this one-way fashion where information is passively given to us without any response or analysis.What to do instead:Become an active learner. The brain works on a use-it-or-lose-it style, meaning you must apply whatever you learn. After memorizing a new phrase, say it aloud 30 times. After learning how to write a new Mandarin character, rewrite it 20 times. And then use the new phrase or character in a real situation: with a language partner or writing online to a native speaker, for example. The key is to implement what you learn until it sticks.To make words and phrases stick quickly, a great tool for some in context active learning is FluentU.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized and engaging language learning lessons. Learning the words and phrases through authentic videos makes them stick easily, making you learn faster.5. Become passionate about learning your new language.The ordinary way: Treating your new language like a hobbyHobbies are activities we enjoy doing at our own leisure. They are simply for the purpose of fun, but theres no pressure to keep at them every day. This mentality may seem trivial, but it can mean the difference between you spending five months and five years when learning a new language. If you are nonchalant about learning, youll achieve nonchalant results.What to do instead:Make language learning a passion. Merge the fun of language learning with the commitment to follow through.  Knowing that you want to learn a new language is not enough to get us to actually take action.  Give yourself cl arity on what exactly compels you to learn a new language. Figure out the  why  behind your desire to learn. Whats the goal behind the goal? Whats the bigger picture here? How will learning a new language open opportunities in your future? Simply answering these questions for yourself will motivate you on much higher level to take action when necessary.While learning any language takes time, implementing these strategies will skyrocket your efficiency while minimizing your learning time. As always, have patience with the process and enjoy every achievement (and failure) along the way.Frank Macri works with those looking to create off the beaten path lifestyles. For tips on saving (and making) money abroad, unique options to travel for a living,  and wisdom picked up around the world, visit  www.TheFrankLife.com.

Election 101 What You Need To Know About The U.S. Presidential Race

Election 101 What You Need To Know About The U.S. Presidential Race Image via Pexels Although the chosen one won’t formally take office, or be sworn-in as they say, until January 2017, now is a good time to learn more about the political process and how it all works in choosing the free country’s leaders. Who are the candidates and what do they represent? If you take just a cursory interest in the news, you’d be prone to think the race was between two candidates only. Technically, only two have an actually realistic chance of winning. However, more participated in this presidential race before they dropped out than ever before and even at this crucial point more candidates may have a bigger say in which way the country swings. So here goes with the 2016 candidates and the parties (and ideas) they represent: Hillary Clinton represents the Democratic Party. She became the first female candidate to be nominated for president by a major political party in the U.S. Clinton has an extensive political background. She was the first lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and from 1983 to 1992. She became the first lady of the United States in 1993 and in 2001, she became the first female senator from New York. In 2009, President Barack Obama selected her to the position of Secretary of State where she stayed until 2013. She favors expanding women’s rights, protecting rights for the LGBT community, and implementing paid parental leave among other things. Donald Trump represents the Republican Party. He is better known as a very successful businessman primarily in the real estate industry, as well as an author and reality TV personality (think, “The Apprentice”). In a surprising turn of events, he touted his non-politician status all the way to being formally nominated for president at the Republican National Convention. While many of his statements on certain issues have been controversial, Trump places a strong emphasis on stronger immigration laws, veterans’ health care reform, tax cuts, and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Jill Stein represents the Green Party. She practiced internal medicine for 25 years and served as an instructor in the same field at Harvard Medical School. She advocates for a Green New Deal, channeling Franklin D. Roosevelt, and believes renewable energy jobs should be created to address issues of the environment and climate change. She favors “free higher public education,” wants to cut military spending  and replace the Affordable Care Act with a “Medicare-for-All” system of healthcare. Gary Johnson represents the Libertarian Party. He is a two-term governor of New Mexico as well as a successful businessman and author. He unsuccessfully ran for president as a Republican on a platform of libertarianism in 2012. Johnson advocates for simplifying or lowering taxes, limited government, and military non-interventionism. He is a staunch supporter of civil liberties, favors church and state separation, opposes federal and state gun control legislation, and has endorsed gay marriage as well as current federal laws related to abortion. So how does the election process work? Citizens of the United States vote for the people they want to represent them in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Most of those votes are cast on the same day as the votes cast for the 45th president of the country. The way a president is elected is slightly different than it sounds. Voters don’t directly vote for the person they want to be president. Instead, they vote for people called ‘presidential electors’ who are a part of the electoral college. In turn, the  electors vote for a new president and vice president. The larger a state’s population, the more presidential electors the state has. So for example, California has the most with 55 while Delaware and Vermont have only three. Texas has 38 while Nevada has six. The candidate who receives the most electors’ votes wins all the electoral college votes within the state. Furthermore, the first candidate to reach the coveted magic number of 270 electoral votes wins the presidency. (In the slim event that no presidential candidate receives that coveted number of 270, then the House of Representatives will select the president with each state delegation having a single vote. If no vice presidential candidate receives a majority vote, then the Senate will select the vice president with each senator having a single vote.) If you want to cast your vote, check out the cool and informative slideshow at Refinery29 (It’s way less boring than reading a litany of small text on the topic). When is all this supposed to happen? Voters will go to the polls on November 8 to elect the next president of the United States. Every major cable news channel will run the various voting events all day and into the night. They will keep track of state closing times for voting locations, vote counts by state, and as the final numbers per state roll in, the news anchors will report which candidate has won which state. So what are the odds for each candidate? Now that we’re deep into the election season, it is safe to say that there are two clear front-runners. Unless some strange turn of fate happens, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both have an equal shot, give or take a couple of percentages, at winning the presidency. The political climate is quite volatile this time around. Polls are taken frequently and the results vary on a number of issues. Sometimes, Trump beats Clinton by a few percentage points. Then there are times when Clinton beats Trump by the same. Third party candidates like Stein and Johnson have a much longer road to travel to actually win the presidency. But their campaigns have just as much validity as the front-runners do. When does this all become official? Well, after the general election on November 8, the people’s chosen one will celebrate the achievement, of course. But between November 9 and January 9, the president-elect (as he or she will be called) will assemble a cabinet and solidify policy. On January 20, the president-elect will be inaugurated and will officially become the 45th president of the United States.