Learn How To Become An HSC English Tutor

Learn How To Become An HSC English TutorHSC English Tutoring is a great career choice for anyone who is passionate about learning. However, the first thing you need to consider before committing yourself to this type of tutoring is whether you have enough time and commitment to dedicate to it. This will help you determine how much time you will be able to devote to studying.HSC English Tutoring is not for everyone. It can be an extremely draining job, but if you love learning, working with children, and helping others, it can be an amazing experience. Many people who are passionate about teaching English abroad are attracted to this career choice because they enjoy teaching English to native speakers and helping those who don't speak English at all.Before you commit yourself to a course of English tutoring, you should make sure that you have the dedication, passion, and the willingness to learn the material. There are some people who are not cut out for it, and the fact that they hav e a passion for teaching English does not mean that they will be successful. On the other hand, there are some people who are successful and so passionate about teaching English that their passion and dedication to the class will help them succeed. If you are passionate about teaching English and have a passion for the subject, then you should make a decision about pursuing this career.You may also want to consider the number of years you have in education to be able to judge whether this career would work for you. If you have been in education for less than ten years, you might want to look into careers in special education or home education or even abroad. If you have had some experience of teaching in a classroom environment, there are plenty of opportunities to advance into a position of ESL English Tutor.If you decide to pursue an HSC English Tutoring course, make sure that you take courses in Math, English, Physics, and Chemistry. You also need to take science, history, and fo reign language courses as well. All of these courses will help you to get better knowledge of English. This knowledge will come in handy in the classroom.If you are already employed, then the amount of time you will be able to devote to HSC English Tutoring is limited. This means that you need to keep up on your career progress. You also need to focus on teaching English as a second language if you are looking to go into a teaching position. You should always keep an eye on the world of education and the job market.The biggest advantage of taking an HSC English Tutoring course is that you get to experience the joy of teaching English as a native speaker to children from all over the world. Of course, if you are teaching children who are from another country, you will need to keep up with the English language. You should know that there are many different ways to learn English, and it is up to you to determine which method works best for you.

Online Resources to Help You Develop Leadership Skills

Online Resources to Help You Develop Leadership Skills Where Can You Find Leadership Skills Development Materials Online? ChaptersGood Leadership Skills: Understanding Leadership TheoryCommunication Skills for LeadershipGood Leadership Skills Include Critical ThinkingGeneral Resources to Foster Good Leadership SkillsThere has always been lots of press about leaders; a veritable serpent of column inches that detail their famous â€" and sometimes infamous exploits.Think about it: Richard Branson is a household name because he does not keep a low profile like less-renowned Rakesh Kapoor, the CEO of Reckitt Benckiser Group, the corporation behind such brand names as Dettol and Airborne.Even so, Mr Kapoor also appears in print because he is consistently ranked as one of the business world’s top CEOs. He even has his own Wikipedia page!Great leaders in business â€" Tim Cook, Elon Musk and Jack Ma, founder of China’s Alibaba have plenty to teach us about becoming a great leader... but what if you’re not interested in filling a managerial role?What if you simply want to develop your leadership qualities a nd the soft skills that all great leaders are said to have mastered only for your personal growth â€" not with a desire to someday be rich, powerful and renown?If that is the case, we commend you. Personal development is far more worthwhile a goal than a quest for power and money. At least, it will bring more satisfaction than all of the headaches you might be saddled with running a company or even being a team leader.How does one get started, learning leadership skills? More importantly: does learning leadership competencies cost a lot of money? Not if you know where to look.Your Superprof has taken matters to hand. We’ve combed every corner of the Internet to bring you the best online resources to guide you on your discovery of self-awareness, emotional intelligence and the path to effective leadership.Put on your thinking cap; here we go! TraceyPersonal development Teacher 4.92 (9) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (7) £55 /h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AntonellaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors IsamPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndriyPersonal development Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MichelePersonal development Teacher 4.73 (7) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlloydPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliverPersonal development Teacher 4.33 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsGood Leadership Skills: Understanding Leadership Theory There are as many styles of leadership to learn as there are ways to practise them Image by Gerd Altmann from PixabayTo be a good leader, you have to know the theories and philosophies that leadership styles have shaped.Since the end of the Industrial Revolution, several ideas about leadership have taken centre-stage, the first one being The Great Man theory, which averred that great men are born to rise up and take a leadership position when a situation demands it.Mahatma Gandhi is a prime example of such a leader.That theory now takes a back seat to these four, more prominent core theories:Power and Influence theories: closely related to the Great Man theory, it emphasises three types of power â€" coercive, reward and legitimate, along with personal power to get things done.Trait theories: helps identify traits and qualities that add depth to leadershipsuch qualities include, empathy, integrity, honesty and self-confidenceBehavioural theories detail how leaders behave. Behaviours f all on a spectrum from laissez-faire â€" a hands-off manager to autocratic: a leader who makes all of the decisions.Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating subordinates while transactional leadership functions on a quid-pro-quo basis. These leaderships styles are influenced by specific behavioursContingency theories: how does a leader function in any given situation? These theories are predicated on the fact that one’s management style must adapt to every situation.Of course, this is a nutshell version; the actual theories are expansive and often incorporate elements of other leadership theories.In this table, we’ve listed some of the best pages to gain an understanding of the theories that define a leadership role.Learn About Leadership Theories:Page NameWeb AddressWhat You Can LearnMind Toolswww.mindtools.comExplanations on the four core theory groupsLeadership Centralwww.leadership-central.comLearn about individual theories and their premiseVery Well M indwww.verywellmind.comSearch for 'leadership theories' to access articlesGo on a life-changing adventure by learning how to develop strong leadership skills... Good leaders are excellent communicators Image by Dean Moriarty from PixabayCommunication Skills for LeadershipIt goes without saying that an effective leader is an excellent communicator.S/he doesn’t just have an extensive vocabulary and, should s/he be in a particular field such as finance or marketing, know all of the jargon.Those in leadership roles have learned a particular skill set that enables them to pick up on subtle clues such as body language and tone to correctly interpret what people are actually saying.According to Forbes magazine, interpreting body language is a key communication skill that every leader must have!Listening is often overlooked as a part of communication because it is generally considered a passive activity, meaning you don’t have to do anything special; just let the waves of sound come to you.Leaders take the act of listening a step further by practising what is called active listening: taking in visual clues as well as focusing on the words being said and the tone they are spoken in. A person adept at this skill will often paraphrase what they have just heard to demonstrate that they understand the issue at hand.As your aim is personal development rather than a career in leadership and management, you may work on other types of listening, such as empathetic listening or reflective listening â€" a part of active listening.Naturally, the flip side of listening is speaking; leaders are generally also good public speakers.You don’t need to anticipate mounting a podium and addressing a crowd to develop this skill; you can practise speaking with a video camera, to an empty room or to your reflection, if need be.The goal of speaking clearly is being as concise as possible without omitting any necessary details of the issue you are trying to convey, all while projecting body language suitable to your message.For instance, if your job entails conflict resolution, you would adopt a non-threatening posture, a kind tone and lots of ey e contact; maybe even a sympathetic hand on your listener’s arm.On the other hand, if you’re conducting a team-building exercise, your body should convey the impression of energy (not mania!) and your voice should sound excited.We found some excellent guides for learning and practising effective communication on these web sites.Learn Effective Communication Skills:Domain NameWeb AddressWhat you'll findLeadership Geekswww.leadershipgeeks.comA trove of articles and exercises to prepare you for leadershipLegaceewww.legacee.comLots of skills-based learning!The Training Industryhttps://trainingindustry.comA host of articles on communicationEntrepreneurwww.entrepreneur.comSearch 'communication' for a list of articlesVirtual Speechhttps://virtualspeech.comLook under the 'courses' tab to find information on communicationRemember that a large part of being a leader means delegating, whether you are running a company or a household. Mastering communication skills will make it so much easi er to delegate chores!The ability to communicate well is important is only a part of a leadership skills set...Good Leadership Skills Include Critical ThinkingCogito, ergo sum â€" DecartesThat French philosopher and mathematician was attempting to prove his existence by implying his thinking substantiated his being. At that time, there was little thought given to different types of thinking.Today, much is made of thinking skills: critical thinking, strategic thinking and situational thinking among them.There is a push in academia to help students in their earliest years to develop such thinking skills; skills that leaders of all stripes have long been using to think their way out of anything from conflict management to improving team performance.In this table, we highlight particularly useful pages to practise your thinking skills.Critical Thinking Activities PagesAgency NameWeb AddressWhat You Can FindWabisabihttps://wabisabistore.comLots of thinking and team building exercisesTeac h-Nologywww.teach-nology.comFree teaching resources, including critical thinking worksheetsThe Balance Careerswww.thebalancecareers.coma search for 'thinking skills' will yield many articles and activities to strengthen thinking skillsEd-Helperwww.edhelper.comUse their 'search' function to find the best thinking resourcesHead Scratcherswww.headscratchers.comCourses and resources to develop thinking skillsThe Critical Thinking Companywww.criticalthinking.comToward the bottom of the page you will find free exercises to test and train your thinkingYou’ll note that most of those pages are targeted to young learners; as we mentioned earlier, much is being made of thinking skills training for children. That doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from them as well!Your input matters! Tell us why you feel it is important for people to develop leadership skills... You can build leadership skills by reading accounts of great leaders Image by rawpixel from PixabayGeneral Resources to Foster Good Leadership SkillsLeadership development is much more than the sum of its parts. It takes more than sterling qualities, the ability to think a way through any situation and becoming a master communicator.One might say that knowing how to lead is a way of life.That is why many management and leadership training courses address the whole person; they don’t consist of only academic exercises designed meant to hone basic skills of humankind such as speaking and listening.What can you expect to find in leadership skills training courses?Let’s say a CEO is planning to move its operation overseas because labour and legislation have simply gotten too expensive and onerous.While overall such a move would probably benefit the company’s bottom line in the long run, aspects of such a decision require deep thought, such as:job loss in one’s own country and wha t such a move would do to the local economyTransportation costs of finished goods and the environmental impact thereofwould the materials to produce the good be sustainably sourced?would the goods be legitimately produced (as opposed to being made in a sweatshop)Business ethics pervade every aspect of leadership, from major decisions such as the one to move production offshore to recognising and correcting the dysfunctions of a team.If you’re looking to improve leadership skills or even just determine your leadership style so you can be prepared to tackle weighty issues in your life, there are many online resources for you to do so and quite a few of them charge you little or nothing.Materials for Developing Leadership SkillsDomain NameWeb AddressWhat to Look forAlisonhttps://alison.comFree training in a variety of disciplines including leadershipOpen Learnwww.open.edu/openlearn/An entire course list relating to Business and Finance, arranged by level of difficultyCourserawww.cour sera.orgSeveral entry-level leadership courses and many specialised onesMasterclass Managementwww.masterclassmanagement.comA site specifically targeted to aspiring managersEdXwww.edx.orgSeveral courses available in leadership and entrepreneurshipLindahttps://learning.linkedin.comCourses in leadership and management, soft skills development and moreSloan School of Businesshttps://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/A long list of graduate level courses on the many aspects of business and leadershipSkill Sharewww.skillshare.comBrowse their leadership an management course catalogueWhile you’re exploring these online resources, don’t forget to also conduct a search for leadership podcasts and look for books about developing leadership. You may also consider reading biographies of great leaders.What could be more inspiring than reading how a person overcame adversity to rise up and become a titan of industry!Don’t laugh; in such tomes, you may find nuggets of wisdom that resonate with you, that you wouldn’t find or hear anywhere else.The trick about leadership is once you’ve put on the mantle, it never comes off. You will function as a leader in all of your dealings â€" from arranging your holidays to arranging your life.Isn’t it a good thing that there are so many resources for you to learn effective leadership skills from?Now discover other ways you can develop your leadership skills...

What is it Like to Attend The University of Georgia

What is it Like to Attend The University of Georgia The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Kellan is an Atlanta tutor and 2012 graduate of The University of Georgia who majored in Philosophy and International Affairs with a minor in French. She currently specializes inLiterature tutoring, Writing tutoring, French tutoring, and Essay Editing tutoring. Check out Kellans review of her school: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Kellan: The University of Georgia is conveniently located at the center of the Athens metropolitan area near the downtown district. University and city buses provide mobility for students throughout the city, and the area is bike-friendly, if youre willing to brave some hills. The campus and downtown are safe areas frequently patrolled by police. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Kellan: I have been very impressed with the availability of professors, advisers, and TAs. They are very welcoming during their routine office hours and are very willing to schedule an appointment to meet if necessary. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Kellan: Dorm life is a great option! And a requirement for first year students. Most dorm rooms are shared, although there are a few apartment-style options, and activities such as educational programs or pick-up games are always happening. The dorms are located right next to academic buildings and the delicious, award-winning dining halls VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Kellan: UGA is best known for its Business, Forestry, International Affairs, and Liberal Arts schools. I studied Philosophy, International Affairs, and French to receive a well-rounded education and prepare for a career in environmental policy. The university provided many great resources for educational development such as lectures, film screenings, and career fairs. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Kellan: Making friends as a freshman is aided by the university activity fairs which showcase hundreds of on-campus clubs. Students can also participate in intramural sports, club sports, and volunteer opportunities in the city. Greek life is prevalent; however, it is easy to make friends without being a member of one of these organizations. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Kellan: The Career Center has helped me tremendously through resume critiques, mock interviews, and hosting seminars on career development. Many large companies recruit on campus such as Macys, Lilly, The Carter Center, and the U.S. Department of State. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Kellan: The campus has many great study areas: dorm lounges, dining halls, several libraries, or the base of an old tree in the historic North Campus. These spots can be slightly crowded, but everyone is willing to share a table. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Kellan: Athens is a vivacious city with a highly developed art and music scene. On weekends, students can find cheap or free concerts, stroll the historic neighborhoods, shop in unique boutiques or vintage stores, or visit a great park, like the State Botanical Garden. With the downtown area located across the street from campus, many students venture downtown to study at coffee shops or frequent the many bars/music venues at night. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Kellan: The student body is around 36,000; however, the upper-level classes in my majors were small and provided a positive atmosphere to participate in class discussions. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Kellan: In my first upper-level French class, our professor invited us to his weekly afternoon meetings at a restaurant to socialize and discuss topics such as religion or philosophy. I was intimidated the first time I went and was surrounded by graduate students, but the experience pushed me outside my comfort zone and gave me an opportunity to connect with others in my school. Check out Kellans tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

5 Important Tips for Soprano Singers to Keep in Mind

5 Important Tips for Soprano Singers to Keep in Mind Suzy S. Are you a soprano? Keep your voice in great shape with these tips from Saint Augustine, FL voice teacher Heather L Being born a soprano comes with both its perks and its challenges. On the one hand, we sopranos have a lot of the solos in choruses and choirs, and most of the highly dramatic arias and ballads. On the other hand, we tend to overwork and abuse our voice more often and get diagnosed with a lot more pathologies of the voice. Every voice type is special, and soprano singers have their own quirks. Heres a list of five important tips for sopranos to keep in mind. Be patient, but dont wait too long. A famed soprano refused to perform an aria from Mozarts The Magic Flute until she was 30 years old, because she knew that she just wasnt old enough yet. The human voice doesnt really develop into all of its awesome brilliance until the mid-20s. And lets face it, this could be one of those rare times in life when people tell you that youre just too young. How great is that? That means that its important to listen to your voice teacher or your choir director if she tells you that youre not ready for a certain song. On the other hand, singers voices have shelf lives, just like the bodies of professional athletes do. So, if you plan to pursue soprano singing as a professional career, dont wait to find a voice coach. Start looking now! Build endurance, but listen to your body. Its important to build endurance by learning how to sing for increasingly longer periods of time. Follow the guidance of your teacher, but this is effectively done among other things by having more frequent, but shorter lessons. This means that if youre currently taking a one-hour voice lesson every week, then you could take two half-hour voice lessons every week. By building both mental and physical endurance, youre also improving your concentration, making you all the more ready to sing the big songs. But remember, nothing is more important to your career than the health and longevity of your voice. So, as is always the rule, listen to your body and pay attention to sensations as you sing and speak. Eat right and work out. Every voice type generally has its typical physical characteristics. In other words, baritones tend to be tall and lean. Tenors are usually shorter than other men, with short necks and broad shoulders. Contraltos and mezzo sopranos generally have curvy bodies, while sopranos tend to be petite with long necks and a smaller amount of muscle mass. Our bodies are our instruments, and one of our goals is to have a strong and solid instrument. So, what sopranos should keep in mind is that its often really helpful to make simple strength training, like lifting weights, a part of your practice regimen. Be careful not to be either underweight or overweight. Eating right meaning the right balance of complex carbohydrates, fats, and protein (to build those muscles)  is also really helpful in achieving that strong and solid instrument. Speak well. My voice physician once told me that he estimated that ninety percent of the vocal problems that his patients face are from poor speaking habits, not poor singing technique. Avoid the very popular vocal fry, talk in a well-modulated voice at all times, consult your voice teacher if you have any concerns and seek only an ENT (ear, nose, throat) physician who  specializes in treating voice professionals. And sometimes, if you have poor speaking habits, you  may need to see a speech therapist who specializes in treating singers. Get a laryngoscopy annually. Sopranos in particular are prone to nodules, hemorrhages and other pathologies of the voice. Early detection and prevention is key to having a healthy voice for a lifetime. One of the best tips for sopranos to keep in mind is to see a voice specialist physician yearly for an exam of the vocal mechanism, specifically the folds. A laryngoscopy is a quick procedure where the physician will insert a tube into your nose or a scope with a video camera at the end, which can detect several problems for which you may not be experiencing symptoms, including cancer. You already get annual eye, dental, and general exams. Your voice deserves the same! Perhaps the most important tip for sopranos to keep in mind is to make stress reduction a part of your daily life. Stress, and the tension that it can lead to, make soprano singing more difficult and can create both small and large problems over time. Learn stress-reducing techniques that are easy and that can be used all day long and in any situation. Your high notes are precious; keep calm and sing on! About the Author: Heather L. teaches singing in St. Augustine, FL and online. She is a graduate of the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, has performed with internationally renowned opera star Andrea Bocelli, and others. Learn more about Heather here!

The best way to ascertain when a College student desires More Tutoring

The best way to ascertain when a College student desires More Tutoring 0SHARESShare When a student comes out of their K-12 grade education requires some core understanding on the subjects.   Today, lot of college students needs additional assistance with diverse learning needs. Math and science are the subjects that require some extra tutoring with extra practice work. The harsh reality for school and school teachers is that they could not provide personal assistance to each of their students. At this point of time, one needs to identify student’s requirements to get additional tutoring either inside or outside the classroom. But the question is when does the student require more tutoring? It is the time when the student suddenly starts performing low in the college test. They start avoiding attending college regularly due to lack of interest in the subjects. One of the reasons to seek additional help is when student fail to fulfill gaps in understanding the topic. The reasons for getting more tutoring and assistance can be anything that has affected their academic rankings. Each student has some sort of academic history that describes their potential learning difficulties. Use data-driven approach to ascertain the need of tutoring. Use prior academic history like grades, student assessment data to determine the subjects in which they are weak. Seek recommendations from your school teacher that could help deciding tutoring in particular subjects. In addition, follow the progress monitoring assessment to determine specific learning needs for specific units of study. Often, free online tutors take pre-assessment or mini-assessments before they enroll the students for tutoring. It could help parents to plan well in advance and prepare for the class well in advance. Chemistry tutoring is the area which improves the fundamentals of organic and inorganic chemistry. Physics Tutoring is another most subject that helps student to learn theory and numerical. These are the two science subjects that can really enhance your academic grades [starbox id=admin]

4 Things to Know About the Common App

4 Things to Know About the Common App The Common App is an extremely convenient way to apply to multiple colleges without having to re-enter the same info multiple times through different portals. Hundreds of American universities require prospective students to submit an application through the Common App website, or at least have it available as an option. Before you eagerly get started, however, keep in mind these four important things to know about the Common App: 1. You may be eligible for a fee waiver Aspiring college students should know that the Common App website itself is free to use; what students end up paying is the application fee(s) for the individual college(s) to which they apply. Keep in mind that the application fees are likely to vary from school to school. [RELATED: What to Know About Choosing a College Application Platform] However, you may be eligible for a fee waiver, which would allow you to apply to colleges at no cost. Generally, fee waivers are reserved for lower-income students who meet eligibility requirements established by the College Board or NACAC. Be sure to select the fee waiver option if you plan on choosing this method. If you are unsure whether this option applies to you, speak with your high school admissions counselor. Also, be aware that checking the fee waiver option alone does not guarantee that your application will be viewed by a school; you must prove you are eligible to receive it. 2. Word counts should be abided by Since submitting essays on the Common App is a matter of merely uploading a document, some students may think that the word count is irrelevant. Students may think it will go unnoticed if they write an essay that exceeds the word count; but in fact, disobeying the word count is always ill-advised. College admissions officers will likely take notice, and it would probably not be beneficial to your applications status. Failure to follow directions can suggest that a student is careless or defiant. Be aware that word counts are established for a reason. One of the reasons is to reduce the volume of paperwork that admissions counselors must review for each application. When you are a college official who has to sort through thousands of applications, an extra paragraph makes a difference. In the end, this saves valuable time for admissions staff to be able to devote fairattention to all applications they receive. Students should be mindful and respectful of this, as well as of other applicants who are indeed abiding by these rules, and stay within the allotted word count. [RELATED: Common App vs. Universal College App: Which Should You Use?] 3. The preview feature is a helpful tool The preview feature allows you to look over your completed application before you submit it once and for all. This is a wonderful way to catch any silly mistakes or typos, and it will show you the near-to-exact way your application will appear to colleges. It is often best, though, to rest your eyes for awhile before giving your application that final glance; the eyes tend to get tired and skip over details that may better grab your attention at a later time. Come back to your application anywhere from a few hours to a day later, and then hit the submit button only once you are completely satisfied. 4. Dont wait until the last minute Between homework, studying, touring campuses, and everything else you have on your agenda, you may find yourself procrastinating with your college applications. It will be tempting to wait until the last few days, or even the last few hours, before a deadline to submit your application. If possible, make an effort to have your application completely filled out, along with all supplements and essays, at least five days prior to the deadline. This will give you time to compensate for any potential curveballs that are thrown your way. These are just a handful of tips you should know about the Common App. Feel free to consult the Common Apps Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about it, or do a little more of your own research on the side. Best of luck with your admissions endeavors! Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Embrace Mental Math Throughout Everyday Life

Embrace Mental Math Throughout Everyday Life Improving Academic Performance “I would like to make a case for raising the importance of mental math as a major component in students’ tool kits of mathematical knowledge. Mental math is often associated with the ability to do computations quickly, but in its broadest sense, mental math also involves conceptual understanding and problem solving.” -Cathy Seeley, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics President 2004-2006 Every standardized test you’ll have to take has a mathematics component: the ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, etc. Of course, in high school and college, there are almost always core math classes everyone must take. And even if you’re the quintessential “English” person, and as a result desire to become to an English teacher and forget about math forever, most states require that you pass a basic skills test, and that has a mathematics section. MyGuru has seen its fair share of highly stressed out prospective teachers who are having trouble passing the mathematics portion of Illinois Test of Basic Skills for prospective teachers. So, in the broadest sense, if you desire to improve your academic performance, achieve higher grades and test scores, and get admitted into better high school, colleges, universities, and graduate schools, the more advanced your math skills, the better. That’s probably obvious. Beyond school, as you’re making small purchases and considering the attractiveness of two different coupons, considering a large financial decision, or any number of other daily tasks, it’s impossible to get away from mathematics. I have always considered myself “OK” at mathematics, in the sense that I’ve done every well in math courses and “OK” on standardized tests, but have never felt comfortable in real-life, working with numbers to calculate a tip or the price per square foot of a condo (for example). That’s just me. But, I’ve worked to get more comfortable. It turns out that one easy way to build your overall math skill set is simply to embrace mental math skills in everyday life. I find the above statement intuitive based purely on my own experiences, but scientific research has been done which shows that, in fact, employing mental math skills when completing simple arithmetic engages the brain in such a way that it is more likely and/or easier to build more advanced mathematics skills over time. Put more simply, every time you decide to add 12+66 or calculate 20% of 35 in your head instead of plopping the data into a calculator, you are increasing your chances of understanding more complex mathematics and ultimately scoring higher on standardized math tests in the future. “These data reveal that the relative engagement of brain mechanisms associated with procedural versus memory-based calculation of single-digit arithmetic problems is related to high school level mathematical competence, highlighting the fundamental role that mental arithmetic fluency plays in the acquisition of higher-level mathematical competence.” Why Mental Arithmetic Counts: Brain Activation during Single Digit Arithmetic Predicts High School Math Scores Gavin R. Price,1 Michèle M. M. Mazzocco,2,3 and Daniel Ansari, The Journal of Neuroscience, January 2nd, 2013 What could this mean? Instead of shying away from calculating the tip at a restaurant, or figuring out exactly how much you’ll save by using that 15% coupon, choose to consistently engage and do this type of math in your head. If you’re looking at a clock, pick two numbers, and then add, subtract, multiply, and divide them. Do this type of thing once a day for 30 days, and you’ll be surprised how much more comfortable with numbers you become. You are slowly building your math skills, paving the way for more advanced skills and general comfort and confidence with math. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, 'f08a3c58-464f-4164-a82e-313b7951bbb2', {});