Is Your Math Tutor Effective?

Is Your Math Tutor Effective?When you want to be able to get a good grade in the class, a middle school algebra tutor may help you in this area. The middle school level of algebra is designed for high school students, who will be preparing for college-level algebra classes as they move through their high school years. This type of math is harder than the high school level of algebra but also provides more opportunities for the student to gain an edge over other students and become a more efficient and successful math and science student.A middle school algebra tutor is a teacher who can offer solutions and tips for difficult problems in algebra. The book, 'Algebra Made Easy' by Dr. Russell Pomeroy was written to give students the correct answers and help them understand the methods behind it. There are many resources for math tutors, but not all of them are great. You should look for a math tutor who is willing to answer all your questions and show you how to learn algebra, no matter if you need help with memorization or apply it in your life.One of the main problem is that some math tutors are too busy to show you the proper way to memorize formulas and know which one to use. They just sit down with a student and teach them how to do it. While this is great for teaching a new concept, it is not good for memorizing. To avoid mistakes and always be successful, the student must have the self-confidence that there is no wrong way to do something, even if it seems to be the wrong way.Besides the teaching teacher's attention, a math tutor needs to keep track of your progress. They will monitor your learning on a daily basis and make sure that you will have a productive lesson each day. A math tutor should also give you the confidence that you have great instructors who will help you understand every single lesson.The importance of algebra is also based on the problems and tests that you will be presented in your work. Being able to correctly perform math will increa se your chances of getting high grades in a certain class. Most students struggle with math at first, but remember that the school grades and test scores will be based on the ability to memorize and be able to do mathematics well. With this kind of help, you are less likely to be sent home if you do not meet the minimum standards for your grade.If you are not sure about a math tutor, but you know someone who has a great idea about the subject, take the time to talk to them. Talk to the person who works with your math tutor and ask if they would be willing to teach you how to do it yourself. Since you will not be able to learn algebra without an instructor, you should take advantage of every opportunity you get to learn the subject. As long as you are learning by yourself, you will never get tired and stop studying.The big part of a math tutor is making sure that you are learning fast. All the necessary information must be present to increase your confidence and to help you memorize, thus make sure that you are receiving all the tools to learn algebra effectively. If you are willing to devote your time and effort, the support that you need is only a phone call away. Take your math tutor into consideration when you are choosing a math tutor to work with.

Bad at Keeping Time 5 Rhythm Exercises for All Musicians [Videos]

Bad at Keeping Time 5 Rhythm Exercises for All Musicians [Videos] Suzy S. Do you struggle with keeping the beat? In this post, music teacher Heather L.  shares six rhythm exercises that all musicians can try Whens the last time that you heard a musician perform live, either at a concert or online, and said to yourself, “Wow, her rhythm sounds really off. But shes a phenomenal musician!” I cant remember, either. Thats because a strong rhythmic sense is essential to being that phenomenal musician we all aspire to be, and we all can be! Its part of what distinguishes an amateur from a pro. Bad at Rhythm? Youre Not Alone The very thing that those pros have is something called an internal sense of rhythm, which you can hone by tapping into your natural sense of a steady pulse. Its like your own built-in metronome! It removes the need to tap your foot or rely on a drummer, or any other external time-keeper, for that matter. Its important to know that “rhythm” and “timing” mean slightly different things. “Rhythm” means the regular succession of strong and weak beats, but “timing” is your ability to keep a beat by yourself, especially within a group. Lots of musicians struggle with both rhythm and timing, often because we choose pieces that are too complex for us at that current point in our musical journeys. So remember your three Ss: Simple, slow, steady. Simple are the pieces that you choose while you work to improve your rhythm, slow is the tempo that you should play the pieces, and steady rhythm is what we aim for! If you struggle with rhythm and timing, your music teacher can help you with specific exercises and pieces to practice. In the meantime, here are the rhythm exercises that I recommend to my own students. 1. Record Yourself Start simply. Choose a song that you know really well (think “Mary Had a Little Lamb”), and then choose a slow tempo. Record yourself playing (or singing, if your instrument is your voice) it alone, without a metronome or any backup. Recording  yourself gives  you  immediate and valuable feedback. Listen to the recording. Are you confident that a stranger could tap to your beat? Are you speeding up or slowing down? Tap or clap along with the recording. Keep  a tally of how many times you got off the beat or hesitated. Dont be discouraged if youre not that steady. Just resolve to improve. Remember, this is just another skill to be learned! 2. March to a Pulse This rhythm exercise might be the most fun all you need to do is perform something physical to a pulse. If you like to dance, then dance along with the beat and if youd rather walk your dog, then go get the leash! Physical movement matched to a pulse is called eurhythmics. This is the idea that music should be learned through  all of the senses, including your kinesthetic  (physical) awareness. Its best to create the pulse using a metronome. If you dont own one, install a metronome app on your smartphone. I have one called The Metronome by Soundbrenner, but you can find lots of them in the App Store or in the Google Play Store. The following video reveals a fascinating class in which eurhythmics  is demonstrated. Notice that the students are creating movements that match rhythms. This is the fundamental idea. Keep watching, and youll see simple walking-to-a-pulse, dancing-to-a-pulse, and even punching-to-a-pulse! 3. Tap and Count Find a recording of your favorite song, and clap your hands together with each count as you listen to it. You can also tap your leg, your guitar or piano, or a table. When you feel comfortable, add counting. Count “one, two, three, four,” or “one, two, three” depending on the time signature. Most songs have the feeling of three or four beats in each measure. Try both and see which one fits. Remember, if it sounds like a waltz, then it probably has three beats per measure, but if it sounds like a march, then it probably has four beats per measure. Check out  a video that demonstrates this exercise here. 4. Practice Subdividing Now that youve counted the basic beat of your song, youre going to subdivide. Learning how to subdivide is the basis of establishing that internal sense of rhythm, and later, just figuring out tough rhythms! Subdivision is the practice of dividing the beats of a song into shorter beats. For instance, if you have a song that is made up of only quarter notes, to subdivide you might count “one, and, two, and, three, and, four, and” instead of “one, two, three, four.” By subdividing, youve stopped guessing how long each beat is. I call it “naming the little baby notes.” The following video visually details this rhythm exercise, but Dan also does a great job explaining it aurally. 5. Be an Apprentice Find a friend, a neighbor, a band, or a great teacher with  TakeLessons whose sense of rhythm and timing you really admire, and then find time to play with them. Theyll probably be flattered that you think of them so highly and be happy to help! Heres a terrific video of jazz piano great Chick Corea explaining his tips for getting better rhythmically, and  this idea of apprenticeship. 6. Play with a Metronome Now, take that song that you recorded before, set the metronome to a slow, steady beat again, and play along. But first, feel yourself settling in, letting your kinesthetic pulse   that internal sense of rhythm   sync with what youre hearing. Watch this video where the metronome is demonstrated on the piano. Even if you dont play the piano, the instructor explains so simply that it will immediately make sense on your guitar, flute, or violin, or even your voice! Its been said that rhythm is not a series of dots, but of circles. As long as you hit the beat really close to the perfect spot, youre okay. In fact, as humans, well never be as exact as a metronome! And thats great, because it creates a groove. Being just a hair behind or ahead of the beat pulls the listener in, and frankly, keeps us from sounding like robots, or some computer program that makes music. It keeps us sounding human. Being human means being imperfect. And thats just perfect. Readers, what other rhythm exercises have helped you improve your skills? Leave a comment and let us know! Heather L. teaches singing, piano, and more in St. Augustine, FL, as well as through online lessons. She is  a graduate of the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Learn more about Heather here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

The Four Stages of Competence Math Edition

The Four Stages of Competence Math Edition We all like to think of ourselves as active participants in our lives. We make decisions from sun-up to sun-down: when to wake up, what to eat for breakfast, what email to answer first, what podcast to listen to on the drive home. However, the uncomfortable truth is that our behavior is more mindless and automatic than we like to think. As Charles Duhigg  noted in his book,  The Power of Habit, somewhere around 40% of what we do each day is dictated by habit. We receive a cue from our environment?for example, we walk into the kitchen and see the coffeemaker?and then the routine of the habit starts. We make coffee, drink it, and experience the “reward” of a warm, delicious beverage?and a hit of caffeine. Thus the habit is reinforced one more time.Often our habits reside very far below the surface of consciousness. The next time you brush your teeth, pay attention to which part of your teeth you brush first. You’ve probably brushed them the same way since you were young. Or think about driving: when was the last time you really thought through the sequence of steps? You most likely turn the car on, put on your seat belt, check mirrors and put the car in reverse with very little thought. All of these routines have become muscle memory, deeply ingrained habits that require little to no conscious attention to execute.Now, let’s consider how habits and unconscious behaviors relate to learning.Most students have had the frustrating experience of being sure that they got a problem correct on a test, only to miss getting credit because of a careless mistake. Often the careless mistake is as simple as not distributing a negative sign correctly or solving for the wrong value. For some students, careless mistakes are pervasive in their work and a real barrier to improving their grade in a class or their SAT score. So what’s happening there?There’s a model in psychology known as the four stages of competence (or the four stages of learning). The four stages are: Unconscious incompetenceConscious incompetenceConscious competenceUnconscious competenceAs we discussed before, much of what we do in our daily lives happens below the level of consciousness. We’ve been driving for years, so we can operate a two-ton SUV hurtling down the highway at 70 mph without too much active thought.When a student’s math work is riddled with careless mistakes, they’re living in the first stage?the world of unconscious incompetence. To sum it up, they don’t know that they’re doing anything wrong, or they don’t know what they don’t know.Our goal as tutors and educators is to move our students through all four stages of competence, hopefully arriving for good at the level of “flow,” or unconscious competence. The million dollar question, however, is how to move from one stage of competence to the next. Let’s explore the stages and how these play out for our tutors and their students.Moving Through the Four Stages of Competence1. Unconscious Inco mpetenceAs we said before, this stage is characterized by unthinking, careless mistakes or an incorrect understanding of a concept that a student assumes they know. The giveaway that a student is in the first stage of competence is surprise at an incorrect answer or a bad test score. The student had no idea they were on the wrong track.2. Conscious IncompetenceA student usually moves into conscious incompetence when prompted by someone else?a parent, teacher,   tutor, or by their own systematic review of their work. At this stage, students are aware of what they’re doing, and they’ve made the important move from “unthinking” to “thinking.” This should be praised! Here’s a typical scenario: a student just got back an algebra test on solving systems of equations, and he received a much lower score than he was anticipating. He reviews his test with his tutor at the next session. The tutor points out that the student failed to correctly multiply equations all the way throu gh by the appropriate constant.The next time a student tries to solve a system of equations, he’s operating at the level of conscious incompetence. Now he knows that he doesn’t know how to do this correctly (or without careless errors), and he might get the problem wrong. Conscious incompetence is a really uncomfortable place to be. No one likes to know that they’re doing a problem wrong! Thus, our goal as math tutors is to not let our students stay here for long. We try to channel our students’ discouragement into productive motivation to get the problem down cold. Which brings us to our next stage…3. Conscious Competence  Okay, this is better. When you work at this level, you’re getting things right. You still have to actively think about how to do a problem or how to avoid a careless mistake, but you have the satisfaction of getting a correct answer and a good test score. So, how does a student move from level 2 to level 3, or from conscious incompetence to conscious competence? After all, this is the jump that makes the big difference in performance and confidence.Unfortunately, I have to be the bearer of bad news here. There’s no magic pill that lets you jump levels. Moving from conscious incompetence to conscious competence takes a great deal of focused practice targeted on your weak areas. It also takes a willingness to relentlessly confront your mistakes, over and over, until you start consistently getting things right. This process hopefully won’t take 10,000 hours, but it does take time.Our math tutors help students move to conscious competence by drawing on their experience to quickly diagnose students’ mistakes. We tailor effective problem sets that get students quickly on the path to competence.4. Unconscious Competence  Finally, we’ve returned to the unconscious level. To recap, this is the level most people operate on when they drive their car, make coffee, or do other routine daily tasks. Unconscious competence?“being in t he zone” or “experiencing flow”?allows you to efficiently and accurately get problems right without too much active thought. For routine math work and standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, this is a great place to be.Cultivating Good HabitsLet’s return to our discussion of habits for a moment. Habits take place on the subconscious level and consist of a cue, routine, and a reward. Fitting habits into the levels of competence model shows us that math habits can be good or bad, competent or incompetent. If your student is struggling with careless mistakes, their goal and their tutor’s goal should be to interrupt the routine of unthinking errors. This can be accomplished by reviewing math work with an eye toward identifying types of problems or behaviors that trigger mistakes. Does the student always miss questions with fractions? Do they miss more questions at the end of a test because they’re rushing to finish? Once we identify those triggers, our tutors can move stude nts through the levels of competence via targeted practice. And once a student is “consciously competent,” we’ll work to build new cues, routines and rewards that lead to the virtuous cycles of good math habits. Good math habits lead to greater success in school and on standardized tests. Even better, good math habits lead to a lifetime of self-confidence in one’s mathematical ability.

Learning with Dyslexia

Learning with Dyslexia Dyslexia Awareness Week  runs from the  3rd to the 9th of November, and aims to help people better understand the unique challenges of those  living with the learning difficulty. According to the British Dyslexia Association, about 10% of people living in the UK are dyslexic.   Understanding dyslexia and how to manage it effectively is crucial in providing support. If you tutor or know someone who is dyslexic, this week is a great opportunity to become more  knowledgeable on the subject! What is dyslexia? Dyslexia can  seem pretty vague and complicated, but it's not really. Dr. Kelli Sandmna-Hurley explains the basics her  TEDed talk:  What is Dyslexia? In essence, dyslexia is a neurological variance that hinders one's ability to decode and manipulate language. Some people have difficulty reading, some spelling, and some both. This is because people who are dyslexic  rely more heavily on the right hemisphere and frontal lobe of their brain. In result, words can take longer to register in the left hemisphere, where language is processed. Dyslexia doesn't have anything to do with intelligence. Just look at this small example of the brilliant and creative people who also happen to be dyslexic! How does being dyslexic  affect students' learning? Being dyslexic goes beyond  struggling to keep up with classmates who don't have to work as hard to read, write and decode language.  Parents of dyslexic students report that expertise and resources are  hard to access and that their children’s experience of school is often negative. What can we do? A major factor of successful intervention is access to additional resources to support the development of key skills for independent learning.  Here,  a father describes how a tutor made all the difference for his son who struggled  with low confidence and poor academic performance as a result of dyslexia. The right support turned around his whole approach! Want more? We find these resources super helpful: Dyslexia Tool Kit  -  This free e-book tells you how to recognize signs of dyslexia, how to understand it, and what to do next if you think a child is dyslexic. Yale Center for Dyslexia  -  This website has amazing resources for parents, educators and students alike. Dyslexia Tutors  -  Many of our own tutors specialize in teaching  students with dyslexia. Whether you're a teacher looking for more advice or a student looking for  someone who understands your way of learning, they're here to help.

Four Helpful Orange County Tutoring Posts from TutorNerds

Four Helpful Orange County Tutoring Posts from TutorNerds The Top Four Orange County Tutoring Posts From TutorNerds We love the communities we serve, which is why we often share tips relevant to Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego families. Form tips on the best museums to how to make the most out of your summer, TutorNerds is here to help SoCal students succeed. Offering the best private tutoring in Orange County means working with the most experienced and skilled tutors in SoCal.   Many of our tutors graduated from Universities in the area, which makes them an excellent source of tips and knowledge for current students. Our Orange County tutors know whats its like to go to school in the area, which makes them easy people for students to relate to. As we continue to provide Orange County with the best private, in-home tutoring, well also continue to share our insights and tips on our blog and in the press. 4 Reasons to Get a Tutor Early in the School Year OC Mom Blog In this guest post on our favorite OC family blog, one of our tutors explains why its smart to get an Orange County tutor early in the school year. Many kids will need to work with a tutor at some point in the school year either for one particularly challenging subject or for overall study skills improvement. The child may be in elementary school or they may be entering their college prep years. More often than not students wait until there is a particular problem before they start investigating one-on-one tutoring and, unfortunately, fall far behind by the time they start their sessions. It’s definitely beneficial to work with a tutor early in the school year so that students can stay on track academically and maintain positive feelings about education. Study Tips from an Orange County Tutor In this post from 2014, one of our private tutors shares five of her favorite study tips. Getting advice on studying from teachers and parents can sometimes yield ordinary, old- fashioned or just boring results. Private tutors are great resources because they’re usually peers; students who have recently had to go through many of the same things you do. Five Things Every Parent Should Tell Their Kids Orange County Tutor OC Mom Blog Another helpful OC Mom Blog guest post from one of our private Orange County tutors. Though these these tips are focused on summer tutoring, they are still applicable during the school year as well. Many students will work with a one-on-one tutor over the summer in order to catch up on difficult and complicated subjects or get ahead of the game by completing test prep or college applications before the school year starts up again. Sometimes students already know their tutor because they’ve worked with them during the year and, as a result, their supplemental educator already knows what’s going on in the student’s academic life. In other circumstances the tutor will be a brand-new element to the child’s education. Regardless, there are definitely a few things every parent should tell their kid’s Orange County tutor this summer. ACT Tips Form a Private Irvine Test Prep Tutor Taking the ACT soon? Our Orange County test prep tutors share their best ACT tips in this post on our blog. If you are generally stressed out when the clock is ticking, you’ll be relieved to know that the ACT allows 35-60 minutes for the multiple choice sections and 30 minutes for the essay portion. The ACT English portion focuses heavily on the proper use of grammar and punctuation, so this is something that you’ll surely want to practice. You will need to act as an editor to make passages better. Our Private Orange County tutors are here to help you succeed! Call us today to learn more. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Tutoring students for private exam entry

Tutoring students for private exam entry There are many reasons why a student may choose to take exams privately. They may feel they are not reaching their full potential and need extra one-on-one support; they may wish to expand their studies beyond the set curriculum; or, in some cases, they may feel ready to take certain GCSEs or A-levels ahead of their peers. Whatever the reason, they'll need a private tutor, so how do you help a student who needs to undertake intensive exam revision? The responsibility for administration relating to the exam, such as paying entry fees and finding a location to take the exam remains with the student and their guardian, so your focus will be on helping them achieve their potential academically. Familiarise yourself with the full exam syllabus as soon as possible and make sure that the teaching schedule allows proportionate time for each topic, with ample wiggle room to accommodate a student's weak spots. As well as taking note of the essential knowledge the exam demands, think also about the core skills required and how you can help your student develop them. Does the subject have a strong literary or oral element? Does it require the ability to think literally or strategically? Identifying these key areas will not only give your students confidence on exam day, but will also enable you to make their home tuition sessions more focused and engaging.

Giving the Gift of Time this Holiday Season - by TutorNerds

Giving the Gift of Time this Holiday Season - by TutorNerds This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of Time Many people feel sentimental during the holiday season and think about what they can give back to their community. This is a wonderful time of year to remember, and be thankful for, what we have and also remember that some people are less fortunate and do not have the same opportunities. Many people give material gifts or gifts of money, which are great to have and make people very happy, but giving the gift of time can be equally as good, if not better in some cases. Each and every high school student who attends public school in California must complete a minimum number of hours of community service in order to graduate (READ: Ring in the New Year With Philanthropy in the Community). One of the best ways that high school students can give the gift of time is to participate in peer tutoring use your private Orange County tutor from TutorNerds as an example. There are many students right here in San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties who need help with basic subjects. Public schools can help match high school students with an elementary or middle school student who needs help with English or math. If you happen to be getting As in any of your core subjects, or if you happen to be talented in another subject, please inquire with one of your teachers at school as to how you might be able to give the gift of your time. Offer To Help Students who do not want to make a long-term commitment or who have already fulfilled their community service hours should consider giving the gift of time to a friend. Students, who are perhaps very good at history, may notice someone in their class who is often confused or unable to answer questions asked by the teacher (READ: Getting Your Community Service Credits). Why not contribute to your local community by inviting this person into your study group or offering to help them after school for one hour a week? Helping somebody achieve a higher grade is a gift that keeps on giving. Many high school students are using current technology or self-regulation to help themselves stay organized but I bet most students know at least one classmate who always seems to be running late, handing assignments in late or who is simply not remembering things. During our teen years, our minds are growing and its very difficult to remember left brain details, such as due dates and assignment details (READ: A Letter to My High School Self). Students who wish to help on an informal level can also give the gift of organization. Simply offering to help your friend or classmate organize their schedule and their binder, and help them record their due dates is a beautiful gift. Texting a group of friends with a reminder that an assignment is due only takes two minutes, but it can save those friends and classmates a lot of hassle in their academic environment. Consider Teaching English Students who would like to use their community service hours and receive official recognition should go through an appropriate charitable organization or through their school and make sure that the activities are preapproved to count for credit. One of the biggest issues we have here in Southern California is literacy and English language learning (READ: ESL Study Tips). Although math is also important, numbers are numbers in any language while the thousands of words in the English language are all foreign to students who speak a different language in their household. Working with younger students to read books, help them sound out new words, learn to write appropriately, and work on more advanced skills such as grammar and punctuation, is something that will make a difference for that childs entire life. Its not necessary for student volunteers to want to go into the field of teaching or philanthropy in order to help young members of their community. However, its a great way for any student to fulfill their community service hours while simultaneously making a difference. Happy Holidays! All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by TutorNerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.