KansasCity recently published an article, Dear Abby | There’s a fine line between tutoring and cheating. According to the writer, "[i]n most cases, homework is just for practice", and helping another student with homework is not cheating as long as it prepares the student for an examination. On the other hand, copying or spinning another person's homework assignment without putting in any significant effort can be considered cheating.
In my opinion, a tutor should not solve any homework problem but instead solve and explain an analogous problem. Then, the tutor should let the student attempt to solve the homework problem on his own. This would be a completely white-hat tutoring technique. There are several benefits to this approach. If the homework assignment turns out to be a graded homework assignment, the student will not have an unfair advantage. Also, the student is more likely to learn the concept rather than rely on the tutor to complete his homework assignments.
Similarly, I believe that a tutor should go over similar essay topics when helping students with essays. On the other hand, it is acceptable for a tutor to help a student compile a resume for a college application as the purpose of the resume is to describe the student's credentials rather than demonstrate his writing skills.
In my opinion, a tutor should not solve any homework problem but instead solve and explain an analogous problem. Then, the tutor should let the student attempt to solve the homework problem on his own. This would be a completely white-hat tutoring technique. There are several benefits to this approach. If the homework assignment turns out to be a graded homework assignment, the student will not have an unfair advantage. Also, the student is more likely to learn the concept rather than rely on the tutor to complete his homework assignments.
Similarly, I believe that a tutor should go over similar essay topics when helping students with essays. On the other hand, it is acceptable for a tutor to help a student compile a resume for a college application as the purpose of the resume is to describe the student's credentials rather than demonstrate his writing skills.
Most K-12 teachers assign their students homework assignments. By homework assignments, I do not mean reading assignments. Homework assignments include problems, short essays, worksheets, and projects. Some teachers assign homework assignments on a daily basis while others may only assign it once in a while. In general, college instructors tend to assign homework more rarely. There are both advantages and disadvantages to assigning homework assignments.
The main advantage of assigning homework is that homework assignments help a student review the material covered in class. There is an old saying that "practice makes perfect." Also, homework assignments allow the teacher to cover some additional material that he or she did not have time to cover in class. In order for the homework assignment to be effective, it has to be well crafted. For example, writing an essay would be far more effective than doing a crossword puzzle. Some students often learn best by doing; these students would benefit a lot from homework assignments such as research projects on a specific topic.
On the other hand, homework assignments are often viewed as "busy work". The issue is that homework can be very time consuming and stressful for some students. Teachers often assign an excessive amount of homework to their students. Also, many teachers can assign homework assignments in the same time period. Homework can also interfere with students' test preparation time. Homework tends to be disadvantageous to students who have a good understanding of the classroom material and to students with poor organization skills.
Often, the problem is not the homework assignment itself but the excessive length of the homework assignment. Students may benefit from completing 1-10 conceptually different math problems each night; however, a problem set of 100 quadratic equations may be excessive and counterproductive.
If you are a parent who thinks that your child's teacher is assign poor homework assignments or excessive homework, talk to the teacher and try to address the issue. Many parents have raised concerned on the issue. The article, "Summer homework may burn out honors students", provides a good example.
A homework help tutor can help students build a homework schedule and improve his or her organization skills.
The main advantage of assigning homework is that homework assignments help a student review the material covered in class. There is an old saying that "practice makes perfect." Also, homework assignments allow the teacher to cover some additional material that he or she did not have time to cover in class. In order for the homework assignment to be effective, it has to be well crafted. For example, writing an essay would be far more effective than doing a crossword puzzle. Some students often learn best by doing; these students would benefit a lot from homework assignments such as research projects on a specific topic.
On the other hand, homework assignments are often viewed as "busy work". The issue is that homework can be very time consuming and stressful for some students. Teachers often assign an excessive amount of homework to their students. Also, many teachers can assign homework assignments in the same time period. Homework can also interfere with students' test preparation time. Homework tends to be disadvantageous to students who have a good understanding of the classroom material and to students with poor organization skills.
Often, the problem is not the homework assignment itself but the excessive length of the homework assignment. Students may benefit from completing 1-10 conceptually different math problems each night; however, a problem set of 100 quadratic equations may be excessive and counterproductive.
If you are a parent who thinks that your child's teacher is assign poor homework assignments or excessive homework, talk to the teacher and try to address the issue. Many parents have raised concerned on the issue. The article, "Summer homework may burn out honors students", provides a good example.
A homework help tutor can help students build a homework schedule and improve his or her organization skills.
17/05: Calculator Tips: Graphtor
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia in which users can create their own articles and improve existing articles. Wikipedia was founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Today, Wikipedia has over 3.2 million articles in English making it the biggest encyclopedia in the history of the planet. Wikipedia only allows articles on notable topics and deletes articles that do not fit its notability standards.
Wikipedia can also be a great educational tool in the classroom. Teachers can require students to improve Wikipedia articles or create new Wikipedia articles.
The main reason this is an effective teaching tool is because Wikipedia requires extensive research especially when creating new articles. Wikipedia is also very strict on citations; every line of text in the article has to have a citation. Original work is not allowed in Wikipedia articles.
An important of aspect of the education system in the United States is to teach students how to properly cite outside sources and avoid plagiarism. However, it is important to note that articles on Wikipedia do not always conform to APA and MLA citation styles commonly taught in US schools.
Editing and creating Wikipedia articles is also a good educational tool because students learn while researching and writing. Wikipedia also allows peer review from both students in the class and third parties.
Since Wikipedia already has articles on most topics, it may be helpful for the teacher to provide a list of under-explored Wikipedia topics.
Editing Wikipedia also helps out society because people may later access the written articles and use them for educational purposes. Students can have the pleasure of knowing that they contributed to the world's largest encyclopedia.
Wikipedia can be used in a variety of courses. English teachers can instruct their students to write about authors, books, and literature concepts. Social studies teachers can instruct their students to write about historical events. Art teachers can instruct students to write about painters, and sculptors.
Wikipedia is a very effective learning tool. However, it should not be used exclusively as it is still very different from formal writing. For example, many Wikipedia articles do not have a conclusion. Wikipedia articles also have to be neutral; schools on the other hand also teach students how to write persuasive papers. Also, Wikipedia trains students to work in groups but does not train students to work individually.
Another issue with Wikipedia is that most undeveloped Wikipedia articles are about more esoteric concepts. Teachers may want students to write about more widely explored topics.
Editing Wikipedia articles requires advanced writing and research skills so it should be preferably limited to more advanced courses. Wikipedia has relatively high standards generally above regular high school level courses. It may be an option for the teachers to make the Wikipedia assignments extra credit assignments rather than required assignments.
Even though writing Wikipedia articles is a good educational tool, students should remember that most Wikipedia articles are not reliable sources of information. There are vandals on Wikipedia that intentionally add inaccurate information. Also, some Wikipedia users are negligent about doing research or may write articles that are biased. Wikipedia users sometimes take time to discover the errors and lack of neutrality.
Wikipedia can also be a great educational tool in the classroom. Teachers can require students to improve Wikipedia articles or create new Wikipedia articles.
The main reason this is an effective teaching tool is because Wikipedia requires extensive research especially when creating new articles. Wikipedia is also very strict on citations; every line of text in the article has to have a citation. Original work is not allowed in Wikipedia articles.
An important of aspect of the education system in the United States is to teach students how to properly cite outside sources and avoid plagiarism. However, it is important to note that articles on Wikipedia do not always conform to APA and MLA citation styles commonly taught in US schools.
Editing and creating Wikipedia articles is also a good educational tool because students learn while researching and writing. Wikipedia also allows peer review from both students in the class and third parties.
Since Wikipedia already has articles on most topics, it may be helpful for the teacher to provide a list of under-explored Wikipedia topics.
Editing Wikipedia also helps out society because people may later access the written articles and use them for educational purposes. Students can have the pleasure of knowing that they contributed to the world's largest encyclopedia.
Wikipedia can be used in a variety of courses. English teachers can instruct their students to write about authors, books, and literature concepts. Social studies teachers can instruct their students to write about historical events. Art teachers can instruct students to write about painters, and sculptors.
Wikipedia is a very effective learning tool. However, it should not be used exclusively as it is still very different from formal writing. For example, many Wikipedia articles do not have a conclusion. Wikipedia articles also have to be neutral; schools on the other hand also teach students how to write persuasive papers. Also, Wikipedia trains students to work in groups but does not train students to work individually.
Another issue with Wikipedia is that most undeveloped Wikipedia articles are about more esoteric concepts. Teachers may want students to write about more widely explored topics.
Editing Wikipedia articles requires advanced writing and research skills so it should be preferably limited to more advanced courses. Wikipedia has relatively high standards generally above regular high school level courses. It may be an option for the teachers to make the Wikipedia assignments extra credit assignments rather than required assignments.
Even though writing Wikipedia articles is a good educational tool, students should remember that most Wikipedia articles are not reliable sources of information. There are vandals on Wikipedia that intentionally add inaccurate information. Also, some Wikipedia users are negligent about doing research or may write articles that are biased. Wikipedia users sometimes take time to discover the errors and lack of neutrality.
When parents have multiple children who need tutoring at the same time, they have to choose between one-on-one tutoring and group tutoring. Most tutors do not hesitate working with students in groups especially when all of the students need help in related subjects.
Most often, parents choose to group tutoring sessions because they think they are saving money by doing so. However, they are doing quite the opposite. Take a look at this scenario. A Geometry tutor charges the same hourly rate for both individual and group sessions. The parent has two twins both needing help with Geometry. The tutor can either run a 1.5 hour group session for both students or a 1 hour individual session for each student. The parent will save money. However, one of the students will at most receive 0.75 hours of individual attention. Also, by the end of the longer group session, the students will begin to get tired and won't learn as effectively. The students also won't be able to build as strong of a personal relationship with the tutor. The parent is only saving 25% while both students are losing far more.
From our experience, one-on-one tutoring sessions appear to be far more effective than group sessions.
Most often, parents choose to group tutoring sessions because they think they are saving money by doing so. However, they are doing quite the opposite. Take a look at this scenario. A Geometry tutor charges the same hourly rate for both individual and group sessions. The parent has two twins both needing help with Geometry. The tutor can either run a 1.5 hour group session for both students or a 1 hour individual session for each student. The parent will save money. However, one of the students will at most receive 0.75 hours of individual attention. Also, by the end of the longer group session, the students will begin to get tired and won't learn as effectively. The students also won't be able to build as strong of a personal relationship with the tutor. The parent is only saving 25% while both students are losing far more.
From our experience, one-on-one tutoring sessions appear to be far more effective than group sessions.
18/03: Obama Administrations Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization Blueprint: Arne Duncan
Today, in the furthest reaches of the globe, English is spoken and heard on a daily basis. Consequently, and with the continual development of technology and ever-increasing tourism industry, it is becoming easier to learn to speak English.
People from all walks of life are deciding to learn and via many different forms. As the internet expands more and more online lessons are becoming available, many of which are free for the user.
Possibly the most popular online language lessons are those of LiveMocha. These courses, of which many are free, range from 30-50 hours and cover many aspects of English. It is unique in that it functions as a social network service, with users correcting each others work. An online chat room allows students to talk to a native speaker that further enhances the learning process. Interactive audio visuals cover all aspects of the language.
For a completely free service then TalkEnglish offers a lot for learners. Via a Click, Listen and Repeat method the aim of the lessons is to practice the three main disciplines, reading, speaking and writing, all at once. Lessons are available for beginners and advanced students and cover travel and business topics, amongst others. The online forum provides the opportunity to post questions and speak with other students.
BBC Learning English is a unique collection of online lessons as it incorporates real current affairs issues in which to teach from. As well as covering grammatical, vocabulary and pronunciation aspects, World Service broadcasts are used to improve listening and comprehension skills. The Community allows users to discuss any issues they may have with the language and interact with other learners and teachers.
There is an abundance of ways in which to learn to speak English and each learner differs. Online lessons provide the opportunity to study at your set pace and are a fantastic start to achieving your goals.
People from all walks of life are deciding to learn and via many different forms. As the internet expands more and more online lessons are becoming available, many of which are free for the user.
Possibly the most popular online language lessons are those of LiveMocha. These courses, of which many are free, range from 30-50 hours and cover many aspects of English. It is unique in that it functions as a social network service, with users correcting each others work. An online chat room allows students to talk to a native speaker that further enhances the learning process. Interactive audio visuals cover all aspects of the language.
For a completely free service then TalkEnglish offers a lot for learners. Via a Click, Listen and Repeat method the aim of the lessons is to practice the three main disciplines, reading, speaking and writing, all at once. Lessons are available for beginners and advanced students and cover travel and business topics, amongst others. The online forum provides the opportunity to post questions and speak with other students.
BBC Learning English is a unique collection of online lessons as it incorporates real current affairs issues in which to teach from. As well as covering grammatical, vocabulary and pronunciation aspects, World Service broadcasts are used to improve listening and comprehension skills. The Community allows users to discuss any issues they may have with the language and interact with other learners and teachers.
There is an abundance of ways in which to learn to speak English and each learner differs. Online lessons provide the opportunity to study at your set pace and are a fantastic start to achieving your goals.
Currently, many schools in the United States offer both special education and gifted education programs. There are advantages of separating students into special education and gifted education schools. However, there are also some issues with this separation.
In the United States, a high school might have a special education program and gifted education courses, e.g. the Academically Gifted program in North Carolina. There are magnet schools in the United States. However, most are designed to be more specialized and not necessarily targeting academically gifted students. Some districts also have separate schools for students with learning disabilities, particularly with severe learning disabilities such as hearing loss.
The main advantage of separating special education, regular education, and gifted education students is the increased ability of a school to focus on the student's ability or disability. The school will be able to offer more courses, programs, and activities geared toward a particular student.
At academically gifted schools, there is less risk of talented students losing opportunities because of the presence of under performing students. For example, a non-separated school may divert its funding from advanced courses to remedial courses if many students fail to meet state and federal achievement standards. Separating schools is not the only potential solution to this issue. This issue may also be solved by simply increasing funding toward education or by reforming standards.
Another advantage of separating special education schools and regular schools is the decreased social stigma for the disabled student within the school. All students in the school will have similar disadvantages and will less likely "be made fun of" by other students at the school. However, the student may still face social stigma outside the special education school because of the fact that he or she attends the special education school.
The problem with separating schools into regular, gifted, and special education schools is the increased cost. It requires the expensive construction of buildings, hiring of more teachers and staff, and providing additional transportation.
