Saturday, April 4, 2020
Get the Right Tutor Application For Your Needs
Get the Right Tutor Application For Your NeedsAs a candidate for a student tutor in Leeds you may need to find the right tutor application. After all, this is not something that is seen as an easy decision to make and will be full of concern for both parties. To get this right, it is vital that you are fully aware of the different factors that will determine whether or not you choose the right candidate or tutor for your needs.The first step is to get a full application together. This should contain many pieces of information from which you can choose. The application will include a list of your previous achievements, particularly your qualifications and relevant job experience, as well as a contact number where you can get in touch with them. The majority of such applications will also include the names of your parents and a job reference number.Once you have the application, it is time to go through it and see what makes you the best candidate. The key to a good tutor application i s that it includes a detailed description of your qualifications and experience. A good tutor application will contain a separate section for those teaching qualifications that you hold, as well as a section for teaching experience, or the number of years you have had experience as a teacher.It is also important to remember that a tutor application is designed to help you out as a potential candidate for student teaching. It is not just about looking at your CV and being asked to fill out forms. You will need to demonstrate to them that you have an interest in teaching, and that you have all the necessary skills that they expect from their students.By looking at the courses that you have previously taught you will be able to see how much practical teaching experience you have had. This will give them a good idea of the quality of the lessons that you will provide. Having worked on a range of different subjects is of course beneficial, but having taught your own subject at school is of course going to stand out.An adequate and comprehensive application will include all of the other information that will stand out to the teaching staff. They will want to know if you can offer any insight as to why you would like to work as a tutor, how much you believe you can contribute to their staff, and if you have any special teaching skills that they would like to try out.In order to find the right candidate for your tutoring needs it is important that you do your research and start looking for the right tutor application. This is something that will be entirely dependent on the potential candidate, but by considering what they have already done in the past will help you narrow down your choices as to who will work best for you.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Combinations And Permutations - Math Online Tutoring
Combinations And Permutations - Math Online Tutoring Combination Formula is a useful tool to find a way to choose several things out of a large group. In combination order of things does not matter. The formula for combination is n! = n (n 1) 2 (1) C (n, r) = n! / r! (n r)! In case of permutation it is a tool that helps to select objects in which order of objects matters. Formula for permutation is: nPk = n! / (n-k)! Example 1: How many ways can 3 students from a group of 9 are lined up for music? Solution: There are 9P3 possible permutations for 3 students from 9 = 9P3 = 9! / (9 3)! = 9! / 6! = (9 x 8) x 7 = 504 = Answer: There are 504 ways 3 students from a group of 9 may be lined up for music. Example 2: Computer the number of 6 car groups possible from a 30 collection of cars. Solution: There are 30 choose 6 possible combinations of 6 cars from total set of 30 in all. = Combination of 30 choose 6 is given as = 30! / 6! 24! = (30 x (29 x 28) x 27 x 26 x 25) / (6 x 5 x (4 x 3) x 2 x 1) = 593775 Answer: There are 593775 possible combinations of 6 cars possible from a set of 30 cars.
Friday, March 6, 2020
Diagram of Internal Organs Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace
Diagram of Internal Organs Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace Human bodyis made up of various organ systems. Each organ system is made up of different organs which perform a specific function. The various internal organs are: The brain: Itis the control Centre of the nervous system. They control the muscles, sensory reception and integration, speech , memory storage, and the elaboration of thought and emotion. The lungs: They are two spongy conical structures in the chest cavity. They provide oxygen from inhaled air to the bloodstream and to exhale carbon dioxide. The liver: It lies on the right side of the abdominal cavity beneath the diaphragm. It helps in breaking down fats, producing urea, filtering harmful substances and maintaining a proper level of glucose in the blood. The bladder: It is a muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity which store urine The kidneys: They two bean-shaped organs located at the back of the abdominal cavity, one on each side of the spinal column. Itmaintains the bodys chemical balance by excreting waste products in the form of urine. The heart: It is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels The stomach: It is a muscular, pear-shaped bag which helps in the digestion of food through production of gastric juices The intestines: They are located between the stomach and the anus and are divided into two -the small intestine and the large intestine. The small intestine helps to absorb ingested food. The large intestine absorbs water and excretion of solid waste material.
A Guide for Training to be a Personal Trainer
A Guide for Training to be a Personal Trainer How to Become a Personal Trainer? ChaptersWhat is a Personal Trainer? And What are They not?Qualifications to be a Personal TrainerQualities to Become a Personal Trainer in the UKMarketing and Commerce: How To Become a Personal Trainer in the UKTeaching people to feel better in their skins and their life and helping them progress in the sports of their choice might be one of the best jobs there is.A fitness coach, whether they work at health clubs or offer personal fitness training at home, is something of a wellness worker, a fitness artisan.Personal training came to Europe from North America around the turn of the millennium and has spread like wildfire.Some fifteen to twenty years later, the profession still suffers from a lot of prejudices - among them the idea that knowing how to lift weights or do sports is enough for you to help others do it, too.Thatâs the same as saying that anyone who writes without making spelling mistakes can become an authorâ¦Itâs the same thing for personal fitness: to become a per sonal trainer instructor, you need to take courses in exercise science, practice sports at an advanced level and be competent in a plethora of other things, such as fitness nutrition or kinesiology, depending on what specialisation you want.This article aims to give an overview of everything you need to know about becoming a personal fitness trainer.Whether large or small, your clientele needs to be bound to you. Establish a long-term strategy for taking care of clients and winning their loyalty.And then, like a fisherman reeling in his catch, you only have to wait for your clients to bite!
Thursday, March 5, 2020
How childrens development is impacted by piano instruction
How childrenâs development is impacted by piano instruction Do piano lessons help children develop? ChaptersLearn piano to become smarterChildren, music and disciplinePiano classes help kids develop social skillsHow the piano improves childrenâs healthThe pianoâs impact on childrenâs overall sensitivityPiano class is for children who want to learn how to play piano⦠but thatâs not allâ¦Taking piano lessons brings with it many other benefits for your little Mozart: the development of cognitive faculties, social skills, open-mindedness, andâ¦Read on to discover the many ways a piano lesson can lead to kidsâ development! LouisPiano Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlisonPiano Teacher £32/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BarbaraPiano Teacher £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Chi yuenPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomPiano Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ErenPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtiePiano Teacher £35/h1st lesson free!Dis cover all our tutors DanielPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsLearn piano to become smarterFor several decades now scientists have been trying to understand if learning an instrument (such as the piano) bears an influence on the development of childrenâs intellectual abilities. In fact, itâs an extremely popular research theme in the neurological community. Numerous studies have been undertaken on the subject and all tend to answer in the positive: yes, learning an instrument contributes to improving general developmental faculties in children, especially those which feed their scholastic training.One of the most reputed studies was led in 1997 by two scientists, Dr. Frances Rauscher, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Gordon Shaw, a physician at the University of California. It proved that young children who play the piano or sing will perform the best in school.The study looked at the behavior of about 78 children aged 3 an d 4 for 8 months. They were divided into 3 groups: those who took singing or piano lessons, those who took IT classes, and those who didnât take any class at all. At the end of the 8 months all children were asked to take tests in spatial recognition (essential skills for learning mathematics and certain sciences), and those in the first group scored 34% higher than the other two groups!We can cite many other studies on the subject, and they all say more or less the same thing: children who learn the piano have a better chance of earning high grades in school.Why teach the piano to a child?The cognitive benefits of music are not just for children, they apply to all musicians in general. One 2003 study published by German scientists showed that, in general, musicians have a more developed brain than non-musicians, notably concerning the sense of hearing, but thatâs not all. In fact, motor activities are generally more developed in musicians, as, during music playing, they must ra pidly make the connection between finger movement and reading sheet music. Of course, the study points out that this doesnât necessarily mean that all musicians are more intelligent than non-musicians, but they have a clear advantage! Still need reasons to get your keyboard out and learn a scale?Piano playing stimulates cognitive and listening capacities in children.To access the results of other studies led on the theme of musicâs influence on childrenâs intelligence, click on this link. Among other things, youâll learn that piano training, like for most instruments, helps children learn languages and reinforces memory skills. Now, where did I put the keyboard againâ¦?Find piano lessons London.Children, music and disciplinePiano instruction serves to strengthen childrenâs sense of discipline in general. We know that discipline is vital to learning anything. We must have the strength to push ourselves to work on those sharps and black keys â" easier said than done! While discipline is something music teachers should be enforcing, it must also come from the child him or herself (with parentsâ help of course). If the piano should be â" before all else â" a source of pleasure and joy, itâs also synonymous with work and effort. In fact, playing music is a prime example of a leisure activity or hobby that isnât pure enjoyment.A child who wants to learn the piano at a very young age will have to adopt a disciplined attitude to handle rigorous training. This is one of the fundamental reasons why music students excel in the scholastic realm. These children must have a keen sense of how to use discipline and apply methods to play the piano. How else will you learn to play by ear, learn a new chord, and become more advanced?A child who plays the piano doesnât only develop cognitive faculties that make scholastic achievement and learning easier. He or she develops a capacity for discipline that aids the process of learning in general.Discover how to make the most of piano lessons! LouisPiano Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlisonPiano Teacher £32/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BarbaraPiano Teacher £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Chi yuenPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomPiano Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ErenPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtiePiano Teacher £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DanielPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsPiano classes help kids develop social skillsWhen one is an adult, itâs actually possible to learn how to play the piano without the aid of a music teacher. Multimedia resources, the Internet and YouTube allow one to learn to play the piano alone (even if it is far from the ideal method â" and beware of free piano lessons in particular!). Videos teach you everything from where to put the left hand, how t o find C major and who is the of-the-moment composer.In contrast, for kids, the only solution for learning to play piano is to have a piano teacher. But there are many benefits to this outside of music practice. A relationship is forged between student and music instructor, one that teaches children about discipline and socializing. Piano classes allow kids to enter into a social relationship with an adult outside of the family circle and school group, and are an efficient means of develop their social skills!Discover what to do if your child asks for piano lessons!Piano lessons reap many social benefits for children.Musicâs social role will be heightened if your child learns an instrument in a group. If your child is very young (under 3), itâs probably too early to start private piano lessons. However, you can enroll him or her into Music Awakening classes. These courses, which group between ten and twenty-something children, are spaces for both music awareness as well as socia lizing.When a bit older, your child will be able to enroll in a music school allowing him or her to play music with other kids of the same age (the age to start playing the piano). Playing music in a group will really help kids develop important social skills.If he or she is old enough, why not get your child past the unsavory aspects of learning the piano, such as memorizing scales and keys, having perfect piano posture, and reading sheet music by giving him or her the option to play with friends. Or show them a video of a jazz pianist doing a bit of improvisation to temp them to play piano! As we just wrote, music can be played by several people together. Itâs not just a solitary activity, contrary to popular conception. Learning to play the piano will help your child integrate in music groups or orchestras later on.Despite all this, one must realize that learning anything will take effort and patience. Although for kids, piano instruction must be based on pleasure, this doesnâ t mean that they wonât demand work. Even Beethoven got to where he was by practicing!What is the optimal age for piano lessons?How the piano improves childrenâs healthMusic soothes the soul as is commonly said. Learning isnât only about work, effort and discipline, it should allow one to experience pleasure and relaxation. If we were only allowed to give one piece of advice to parents who want their children to learn the piano, it would be this: for a child to like and advance at any instrument, he or she must have fun with it. For kids (and this is also partly true for adults), pleasure is the main source of motivation. As such, the piano must be a way of relieving stress and promoting relaxation for them. With certain adults too, learning piano is a means of finding moments of rest and relaxation in an often hectic and stressful professional life!There are many ways that you can help your child associate music and piano with pleasure. Help your child discover different mus ic styles: classical music, jazz, world music, and childrenâs music, etc. You can also teach your child about the different musical instruments by reading a book on the subject, or by taking him to visit an instrument shop. Who doesnât love an outing with Mom or Dad?!You can also instill a sense of musical awareness in your children by playing music to them at home when they are very young: there are so many albums and musicals available on DVDs or online. Or take them to a childrenâs music concert!There are also a lot of board games that teach music awakening, like musical Bingo. This is a popular one among many children, asking them to guess which instruments and tunes they are hearing in sound clips.Discover more benefits of teaching the piano to children!The pianoâs impact on childrenâs overall sensitivityMusic awareness can lead to greatness!The notion of sensitivity is fundamental in music, and art in general. Learning a musical instrument, especially the piano, is a n ideal way of developing your childâs sensitivity (in music, of course, and sensitivity in art and in general).The trait of sensitivity helps us become interested in the wider world, and escape the pitfalls of our own natural interiority and egotism. This capacity of being interested in things outside of ourselves allows us to discover new horizons, and will help improve our piano playing in the long run! In taking piano lessons or music classes, a child doesnât only learn piano or music (how to read music, piano scales, proper posture, etc.), they also develop the capacity for open-mindedness that will serve them throughout their lives, both personally and professionally.Kids can also take piano lessons online.To conclude, we want to stress a vital point: for your children to take maximum advantage of their piano classes to develop various skills (social, cognitive, open-mindedness, etc.), itâs very important that their piano teacher is perfectly adapted to their personality and age. Remember that not every piano teacher has the ability to teach children (pedagogical methods differ according to the age of the student). So take your time to research and choose the right piano teacher.A music teacher should be teaching all aspects of piano playing, including:Posture workSolfège trainingPracticing songsPiano scales, chord progressions, octaves and arpeggiosReading music and music theoryMake sure you aim for a piano instructor with a warm manner, who is used to working with kids, and able to mix work with fun. Why not begin your search at Superprof? We have many music instructors who excel at adapting learning methods to different ages to learn how to play piano.Your child will be sight reading, building a repertoire, and having a first solo recital in no time!
The 5 Steps of Successful Academic Habits
The 5 Steps of Successful Academic Habits Fall semester is the ideal time to consider how developing new habits can promote academic success. For many students, just getting started on assignments or test preparation can feel daunting. Were likely to spend more time and energy dreading a task than the time and energy needed to complete it! Developing new academic habits is one way to break that pattern of procrastinating on those assignments youd rather just avoid.New academic habits can improve your attitude and approach to projects and homework. When you can engage with the content as part of a structured routine, youre less likely to put it off and give yourself a headache worrying about it. Our habits become automatic behaviors, so why not shape our habits to promote academic success?The 5 StepsSo how exactly does one develop a new academic habit? Just follow these five simple but powerful steps:Identify a GOAL, something you want to develop as a daily habit.Pick a DAILY ACTION which will help you accomplish the new habi t.Plan WHEN WHERE you will do the action.Perform the action EVERY DAY when you encounter that time and place.Repeat your daily action routine every day for NINE WEEKS.NINE WEEKS?! Yes, plan on nine weeks of deliberately performing the new action every day. Forming new habits requires time and discipline. Research suggests that it takes an average of sixty-six days for a new habit to become automatic. The good news is that with every additional day of repetition, the routine will become easier as new neural pathways in your brain are formed and reinforced.Extra TipsCommunicate your goal to a friend, a parent, or a tutor. By verbalizing our goals, we add a level of accountability. Regular check-ins with your confidant will increase motivation and provide opportunities to share your progress or the challenges youre facing.It is easier to form new habits when we add the new action to an existing routine. In the following example, I eat a snack every day after school, so attaching a ne w academic habit to my snacking routine will make the habit more likely to stick. Here is an example of a simple goal-forming plan for October December 2017:GOAL: My goal is to look at my planner and make a daily to-do list for all of my classes every weekday after school.DAILY ACTION: I will look at my planner and create a to-do list while I am having a snack after school.WHEN AND WHERE: At the kitchen table at 3:30PM every weekday, I will look at my planner and create a to-do list while I eat my after-school snack. On Thursdays, I will create my list at Chipotle at 3:30PM before my AJ Tutoring session.How can AJT help students develop better academic habits?Our tutors are not only experts in the subjects they teach, but also experts in coaching study skills such as organization, note-taking, and test preparation. Unlike some who offer only âhomework support,â our tutorsâ mission is to positively impact their students every dayâ"not just on the days when they have sessions together.To achieve academic impact that goes beyond sessions, our tutors teach and demonstrate techniques for students to practice independently on a daily basis. We know that each student is unique, and we work with them to find academic habits that are relevant and directly applicable in that studentâs classes and life. A session may last 90 minutes, but we strive for lessons to last 90 years, and to have exponential benefits throughout those years!At AJ Tutoring, our focus is on academics, but our study strategies are broadly applicable to all endeavorsâ"sports, music, cookingâ¦you name it! Our tutors are professional educators and lifelong-learners who meet with students because they know how empowering personal growth can be and how it is never limited to one concept, class, or semester.For a free consultation, click here, or meet our tutors here. Learn more about how we teach study skills in our sessions here.
Learning English and Other Cultures Halloween
Learning English and Other Cultures Halloween by Muireann Prendergast Pumpkins are a traditional part of Halloween in most English-speaking countries.Learning another language isnât just about the new grammar and vocabulary, itâs also about getting to know the different customs, celebrations and festivities that people who speak it hold important. When I first came to Argentina in 2005, I had no idea about the festivals and public holidays respected in the country. To find out about these customs, I had to ask questions, investigate and even expand my vocabulary.Students of English face the same challenges. I often find my classes fascinated by the things I hold important and celebrate as a person from a Celtic country. Chief amongst these festivals is Halloween, celebrated on October 31. If you have ever seen a face carved into an orange vegetable and wondered what that is about, read on.Here are five questions you need to ask to get an understanding of what it is and why we celebrate what we do in English-speaking countrie s as well as some vocabulary to get you started in telling your friends about Halloween.Question No. 1: What is the history behind the celebration? Halloween originated in the Celtic feast of Samhain. Samhain, in old Irish, means the end of summer. Samhain, for the Celts, marked the end of one year and the start of the next.The Celts believed that on Samhain, the gateway between this world and the next world (Otherworld) opened up to allow spirits to pass through. The word Halloween comes from the Scottish All-Hallows-Even (evening) meaning the evening before All Hallows (souls) Day. It was a time to ward off evil spirits while also trying to communicate with the souls of loved ones who had already died. During Samhain, the Celts dressed up in masks and costumes to trick the evil spirits that they too were spirits so that they would not do them harm.Samhain, was also a time to stock up on supplies for the winter for The Celts. Livestock was killed and crops were stored for the cold months ahead. Large fires were lit during Samhain and the bones of the dead animals were burned on them.Question No.2: Today, what customs are observed during the celebration?Today, children dress up in masks and costumes in keeping with the Celtic tradition. They go from door-to-door trick-or-treating. This means they ask for candy (treat) or if none is given, they will carry out a bad deed to the person refusing the treat (a trick). Large turnips and pumpkins are also hollowed out and placed by a window with candles lit inside them to ward off evil spirits. Black and orange are the traditional Halloween colors. These colors symbolize the darkness of night as well as those of bonfires and the fall. Large bonfires are also lit as was the tradition in Celtic times.Question No.3: What are the traditional foods eaten to mark the festival?Due to the fact that Halloween coincides with the fall harvest, apples are eaten during Halloween. These are rolled in caramel and called toffee apple s. Apples are also placed in water and blind-folded participants are challenged to pick them out with their teeth. Pumpkins are eaten on Halloween as pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. There is a tradition in Ireland of eating a fruitcake called Barmbrack on Halloween with surprises hidden inside it like coins and a ring. The belief is that if you are the one to find the ring you will find your true love in the year ahead.Question No.4: Is this festival celebrated in all Anglophone countries?Halloween is mostly celebrated in Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. However, it is also a big festival in the United States and Canada because emigrants from Celtic speaking countries brought it to these countries.Question No.5: Is this a Christian or a pagan festival?Halloween has pagan roots and was originally a pagan or secular festival. However, some Christians take the idea that the Celts saw Halloween as marking the gateway between this world and the next world and the day before All Soulsâ Day to mean that it has certain Christian elements also.Here is some further English vocabulary to incorporate into English conversation on HalloweenTraditionHistoriansRitualsPracticesSymbolsDisguiseFrightSpookySupernaturalAfterlifeTake an English class with us using skype, and learn lots more.Online English Classes | Cursos de Inglés | Aulas de Inglês
Teach Away Case Study American United School of Kuwait (AUS)
Teach Away Case Study American United School of Kuwait (AUS) For this particular private international school, Teach Away recruitment specialists offered a full-service recruitment plan including in-person interviews with school officials. One of the challenges included many last-minute vacancies to be filled. AUS provided pre-kindergarten - grade 5 instruction in its founding year, with plans to expand to middle school-level education in the 2014 - 2015 school year. In order to begin as planned in September 2013, the school required a faculty of American pre-kindergarten - grade 5 teachers and administrators. The challenge This private international school required more than 20 teachers and administrators with strong leadership skills to make their first academic year a success. All candidates were required to be US citizens with a Bachelorâs degree in the relevant subject field and a minimum of 2 years of previous experience. AUS selected Teach Away to be their exclusive recruitment partner, responsible for the sourcing of American candidates that met the schoolâs requirements and the arrangement of a series of in-person interviews between the candidates and school organizers in major cities across the US (Las Vegas, New York, and Atlanta). Teach Awayâs recruitment process Teach Awayâs account managers began the recruitment process, including the organization of in-person interviews across the United States. Job advertisement began immediately on Teach Awayâs job board, external job posting websites, and social media sites such as Linkedin and Facebook. Teach Away aimed to source three highly qualified candidates for each position through pre-screening interviews using personality and situational assessments, qualification and document review, and pedagogical knowledge questioning. After pre-screening hundreds of qualified educators, Teach Away arranged in-person interviews for 60 shortlisted candidates across the United States competing for the mentioned positions. Teach Awayâs communication through live documents and years of recruitment expertise ensured that in-person interviewing went smoothly for all parties. By sourcing only the most eligible candidates, Teach Away allowed AUS to select the candidates who would best lead the institution in its founding year. Following successful in-person interviews, Teach Away provided continuous communication and updates between candidates and school organizers, and provided pre-departure orientation in the form of cultural information sessions and document authentication assistance. Results Teach Awayâs recruitment process allowed AUS to meet their staffing goals for the 2013 - 2014 school year. In 2014, AUS reported that 100% of the teachers recruited by Teach Away were staying on for a second year with the school, an impressive feat. Following a successful hiring process and start to the school year, AUS again selected Teach Away as the sole recruitment provider for the schoolâs 2014 - 2015 hiring needs. AUSâs Founding Director, Dr. Jennifer Beckwith, has spoken to her satisfaction with Teach Awayâs recruitment services by saying, âWe are extremely impressed by the proficiency and preparedness shown by Teach Away. Whenever we queried a candidate, they were willing to find out the answers we were seeking. All the preliminary work was taken care of, which cut down on our search and pre-screening and we were most grateful for their help. We look forward to working with them again this school year.â If you would like to explore the ways in which the Teach Away team can support your institution with your recruitment needs, visit our Recruitment page.
Should all exams be taken and submitted using computers - Tutor Hunt Blog
Should all exams be taken and submitted using computers Should all exams be taken and submitted using computers? Should all exams be taken and submitted using computers?Secondary SchoolsA friend of mine is a university examiner - she works for OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Exams). My understanding was that her job entailed compiling the papers: writing the questions, and making sure that the tests were comprehensively balanced. It turns out though that she has a far more onerous task: she has to mark the exams. `How hard can that be?` I thought to myself? She`ll obviously know what the answers are, she just has to read through each paper and grade it accordingly. I recall asking her if the most difficult part of her job was deciding just how many marks to award a student in a comprehension question, where there isn`t a clearly delineated right and wrong answer. `No, she answered, `The most difficult thing is trying to read students` awful handwriting!` It turns out this is the most common complaint from examiners - they have to decipher hundreds of pages of handwriting, with each student having their own idiosyncratic style of writing. My friend went on to tell me some of her concerns: `Some students have the most beautiful handwriting - while others have such a poor script it makes my eyes hurt! However bad their writing is, I`m obliged to decode it all. It`s not their penmanship that`s being tested - though sometimes the writing is so bad, almost completely illegible, I want to cross it all out and give them no marks at all!` `As the student nears the end of the exam, and time is running out, their writing becomes even worse, as they write faster and faster! I have to make sure i`ve read every line, however enigma-like it may be to decode, as it wouldn`t be fair to a student to gloss over words that might contain the correct answer.` Our current students may well be the last generation who sit examinations using paper and pen, for there are calls for all assessments to be undertaken using computers. There is really no reason why students can`t log into a web site that hosts the exam, and type out their answers, while sitting in a traditional examination hall. The examiner won`t even have to tell students to stop writing at the end of the examination, nor collect their papers once the assessment has concluded. There are many benefits to this method: the questions can be uploaded to the website on the day of the exam, negating the need for hundreds of confidential papers to be stored on school grounds days, or even weeks before the test. There won`t be any more cases of exam papers being stolen and distributed to students before the test, something that frequently happens according to my examiner friend; nor that of completed papers being lost prior to marking, something that also sadly occurs. Many people might balk at the idea of equipping students with computers during exams - while mobile phones are banned from the examination room, computers could be used with even greater facility to access the internet, allowing that elusive answer to be acquired. I suspect it wouldn`t be particularly difficult for schools to set up computers that are disabled in some manner, so they can`t access any Wi-Fi signal, so this is a concern that could likely be alleviated. There are some schools which have for some time mandated that students submit their answers on computers during exams, and I am not aware of any issues being raised. One concern that comes to mind however is that of questions that require an answer in the form of a picture or diagram. Certain questions in geometry or geography might rely upon a picture being submitted by the student, or a presented image being altered in some manner. I suspect this is not really a major problem though - computers are used by graphic artists every day, so it should be perfectly possible for the student to draw, for example, certain geometric shapes, or mark the border between two countries using a mouse. Exams submitted via computer could also provide some useful information to exam boards: they could track how long students take over each question, allowing them to assess the difficulty levels more accurately, helping them create new tests in the future. There will also be an environmental benefit in the reduction of paper use. Exams will be able to be graded faster, and more accurately, and my friend will be spared the punishment of having to decipher reams of spidery, hieroglyphic-like writing! 11 months ago0Add a Comment
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)