How Much Square Footage Do You Need For Tutoring Centers?

How Much Square Footage Do You Need For Tutoring Centers?Square footage for tutoring centers is important for any person or company that plans to open a center. If you're going to use the use of square footage, consider the following in regard to this issue.What you need for your tutoring centers is office space. You will need space for your staff to work and plan your classes. The best place to set up a center is on the same property that you already have, and in order to do this, you will need to acquire enough square footage for your tutoring center.The size of the building that you decide to build in for your tutoring center will depend on the number of students you want to take. Since you don't have a lot of money at your disposal, it's recommended that you start out with a small, one-room building that can accommodate about ten students.If you are going to have a large number of students, you'll need to build a bigger building, which will also mean a bigger square footage for t utoring centers. In addition, if you can provide a service that's more effective than the others, you can increase the square footage for tutoring centers. However, even if you want to do this, make sure that you can actually afford it.If you have the extra money, it is recommended that you buy a larger amount of square footage for tutoring centers. You may have a budget for the same thing, but you may be interested in having more square footage than others because you're willing to pay more for the things that you want.With the resources that you have, you should be able to find a building that can support a few hundred students who are enrolled in tutoring centers. If you have the money, make sure that you buy that much. You can also consider using the same space for your space for your other functions, such as instructional materials.Make sure that you don't exceed the limit on the square footage for tutoring centers. This way, you will not exceed the budget that you have allotte d for your tutoring center, and you will not end up overpaying for what you can get.

What is Management Accounting

What is Management Accounting Management Accounting, Explained ChaptersWhat Do Management Accountants Do?The Average Workday of a Managerial AccountantNeeded Knowledge and SkillsTo our knowledge, nobody pops popcorn and settles in for an exciting film about accountants’ feats of derring-do. Mainly because such films do not exist.That fact heralds a bald truth: there is nothing glamorous about accounting.Accountants are more of the behind-the-scenes type; they labour so that the frontperson, namely the business owner and/or executives, may shine.Yet, accountants’ work is absolutely vital to the functioning of the economy; indeed, were it not for accountants, we’d have no idea of how much money and assets the economy consists of!Of course, such recording and reporting is the job of financial accountants â€" a type of accounting management that is far more visible, if only for the financial information they provide.Today, your Superprof is not concerned with the more commonly known CPA or public accountant, or even the downright sexy-sounding forensic accounting but with an altogether different accounting speciality: the managerial accountant.That term does not describe an accountant at management level!Also called management accountants, these number-crunchers have a specific function within any business or organisation.We are now on our way to explore and discover exactly what such a job/position/title entails besides bookkeeping, auditing and financial statement analysis.The managerial accounting team would first look at the viability of the idea: how much money would be needed to make this move? Does the company have the money to branch out?Are there enough assets and inventory to keep the company solvent until the new location starts turning a profit?The accounting manager would then implement strategic thinking: where should the new shop be located? How much to spend on advertising?What types of incentives could be used to attract customers in the new region and how much would they cost?On budgeting: no matter how much the company bosses want to make the jump into new markets, it would be up to the managerial accounting team to tell them whether said jump would be advisable, or if they should hold off until the company has a more stable financial outlook.To that end, they would surely prepare financial statements, as well as a proposed budget with the objective of bringing the plan to fruition as soon as possible.They would make their recommendations based on the company’s current financial profile and its projected earnings.Conversely, based on accounting information, if the move should prove viable they would then be responsible for budgeting every aspect of it, from renting commercial property and buying the store’s racks to advertising and the new employees’ wages.If you are an undergraduate aspiring to a career in accounting, these scenarios might fill you with dread...Has any management accountant ever steered their company wrong? Advocated for prudence rather than unchecked forw ard momentum? What about jumping in with both feet when they should have better considered the risks?Both scenarios happen all of the time. That is why those who labour in finance and accounting are considered risk takers.As an accountant, would you be comfortable advising your company on such risks? You don’t necessarily have to be.More so than other types of accountants, management accountants work in teams, often with a distinct hierarchy.For example, you may well work on the company expansion team, but only be assigned a portion of the project; perhaps budgeting for advertising or the employees’ payroll, and prepare a financial report for your superior to audit.Of course, not every company accountant’s workday is so dramatic.It could well be that you would be tasked, on any given work day, to analyse your firm’s financial performance in order to increase profits or help it run more efficiently.Learn about the role financial accountants play in keeping the economy afloat! Your average workday as a managerial accountant is more likely to be about cost accounting than strategic management Source: Pixabay Credit: CPAStrickThe Average Workday of a Managerial AccountantBasic accounting tasks fulfilled by cost accountants include recording expenses and tracking income, and assessing tax liabilities.These data are then routinely compiled into reports, called income statements, balance sheets or cash flow statements.Those would go to your boss, who would analyse them to make forecasts of the company’s financial health, propose budget changes, and make performance plans.All of this information then goes to company executives, who are thus better informed to make decisions that impact the company’s profitability.A management accountant identifies opportunities for improvement within the company: cutting waste and streamlining production are two ways they can accomplish that.They are also responsible for keeping various departments on or even under budget a nd, if current trends indicate potential budget overruns, it is incumbent upon them to approach operational management with their findings.Needed Knowledge and SkillsIf you, like a majority of people, zone out when talk of economics, finance and accounting systems crop up, obviously this career field is not for you.However, if you have knowledge of hard accounting skills and an aptitude for numbers, this could be the job for you!Management accountants need a solid grounding in basic accounting and a thorough knowledge of the generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP.In our country, accountants need to know UK GAAP inside and out.You will also need to know about basic tax principles, and how they apply to your municipality.Beyond that, having knowledge of accounting practices and discounted cash flow would be very beneficial to your employer, and to your accountant skills set.If that were all it took to be a good accountant, any computer could do it!Because accountants work w ithin a business environment, knowing how to communicate and having public speaking and interpersonal skills is essential.Furthermore, knowing how to present financial material in such a way that it underscores the value of your findings â€" not just on the bottom line, is vital.Generally speaking, executives are not necessarily detail-oriented people; they mostly crave the big picture. But, as you well know, how can one truly appreciate the big picture without being privy to the details?Thus we conclude that persuasion goes hand in hand with presentation skills, and they are of equal importance to the management accountant.Do you know the differences between management accountants and financial accountants?In the managerial accountant profession, people should be adept at presentation and public speaking Source: Pixabay Credit: Graphic Mama TeamFinally, you may be well-versed in general business practices but you must further endow yourself with the inner workings of the business y ou’re keeping the books for.If you’ve only ever tallied accounts for a local or national company, obviously those experiences do not compare with management accounting for a multi-national company!Not even the accounting principles would be the same. Accountants for global companies are held to the International Financial Reporting Standards.And, if you are an accountant with a firm that manufactures, you must be well-versed in production standards and processes.All told, that is quite a bit to put on one plate but, as with every career path, the more you learn, the more you’re capable of â€" and the better all of that looks on your CV!Are you currently taking accounting courses? Are you working toward your degree in accounting, maybe even your MBA?What accounting theory are you most eager to put into practice? What about putting your analytical skills to work?If you intend to go into business as a certified management accountant, it would probably be a very good idea to regis ter with the Institute of Management Accountants.Membership with them will bring you a host of benefits, continuing education in finance and accounting among them.By the way, there are a few good films out there that feature accountants; you may have even seen a couple of them:The Untouchables â€" this title is the closest an accountant might come to derring-doSchindler’s List: a certified public accountant shows courage under fireShallow Grave, a story of a chartered accountant who leaves his ethics behindThe Royal Tenenbaums: who knew Danny Glover could be so soft-spoken?Stranger than Fiction: one of Will Ferrell’s few serious rolesPlease note that these films only feature accountants; accountancy is not the main storyline in any of these titles.But accounting is the main topic in management accounting versus financial accounting!

Online Tutoring Services on a Budget The 5-Step Approach the Tutors

Online Tutoring Services on a Budget The 5-Step Approach the Tutors Online tutoring is for those who are crazy about hiring a tutor online for their subjects and want to show up their best in academics. You have lots and lots of expenses and you need to spend considerably on hiring online tutoring too. Online tutoring has been in the top over years but it consumes much of your money with your incessant hunt for quality tutors. You are in a fix but cannot go without tutoring as well. Have this 5 step approach the tutors to fix online tutors on your budget. 1. Define what you want in online tutoring and kick start your search Everybody’s demands differ. You need to decide what you want from a virtual tutor. Take Math. You may be weak in Math. Math contains various areas like problem solving, formula learning, conceptual understanding, methods of solving word problems, computational skills and addressing psychological drawbacks in attending classes. Fix what you need. If it is a homework solution, approach a tutoring center that offers best solutions in limited time at affordable rates. Your job is done and you are straight up to the next task with a stress free mind. Suppose your need help for a Science project, get the quotation from a tutor or center and check whether their strategies suit your needs and you can rely on them for completing the task on time. Sit for a demo or two with them and ensure that your project is sure to get ready through their hands. 2. Select the right online tutor who shows the direction to success Compare rates, check the background and make the right choice of online tutor for your requirements. There are many tutors who offer tutoring at affordable rates but they may bring students together in a pool and may not provide that one on one attention. Seeking quality tutors at budget rates is necessary. Your requirement in Algebra cannot be met with by a tutor who has less knowledge in the subject. Specified knowledge in the subject is a must for your success in getting tutoring support. 3. Rock heaven and earth for best online assignment help You can even move heaven and earth for your assignment writing help. You know why? Assignments are the helping tools for a teacher to gauge your performance. You also review your understanding through assignments in subjects. Do you have time to sit for an intricate literary appreciation or an Economics topic analysis? Math gives you lots of troubles with its problems and theorems. So, it is advisable and prudent to approach an online tutoring center in search of best assignment help. You get tons of suggestions for writing good essays, proofreading and enriching vocabulary. @TutorPace Offers 10% Discount on Online #Assignment Help for Improved Grades http://t.co/P1NO7BttIg #backtoschool pic.twitter.com/vJs9iihJwU â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 10, 2015 Suppose you want to edit your essays, the online writers do them on the spot and offer suggestions for embellishing your style. This helps you ease into assignment writing next time. Your money is guaranteed and your mission is completed. You are ready with assignments and also with tips and strategies for future follow up. Great. 4. Discounts and offers map out success in hiring tutors Suppose you want to get tutoring on a shoe string and try to find affordable online tutors, you move on with ways and means through the web for best deals in the matter. You can visit sites that offer seasonal discounts and rebates. Some give out long term benefits like two or three months package with discounts. You need to apply your mind in the choice of such deals. What you want from the online tutoring centers? a short term goal or a long term benefit? Fix the tutor accordingly. Tutor Pace Offers 25% Discount On 3 Months Plan For High School Students | PRUnderground https://t.co/6Z00bFUGj8 â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) April 27, 2016 You may want just a day or two’s tutoring for a subject. Or a hand for helping in exam prep for a week.  Get the best deal like limited period offers, 10% discount or so for online tutoring in a particular subject and get it done in a few days’ time. Or get exam prep help in a package and make the most of your exam preparation. Suppose, you want to start from the scratch and you need some firm support   from   subject experts, make it with monthly packages on a long term basis and choose the best deal there available. 5. Brainstorm with tutors for desired outputs It is clapping two hands that could make a loud sound. You should also be ready to sit with the tutor, express your requirements and get ready for classes on time to get targeted outputs. You need to brainstorm with online tutors to extract the exact information you desire from them and to get on well in online classes with in-depth subject clarity. It is not just sticking to the comfort of home with tech support that can enhance your learning atmosphere. You need to think, prepare queries to be shot at the tutor, participate in his class with interest and thus get involved in the tutoring session for better results. Conclusion Hiring an online tutor has become the buzz of the day. Choose your need and thus can prove smart in your deals in hiring online tutoring. Check the background of the tutor or tutorial and make sure you are hiring the right person. Ensure whether you are for short term goals or long ones and hire accordingly. Make your best deal through tutoring centers that offer discounts. Hire the best assignment writer in the industry. He gives a package of tips for your future follow up. You really benefit from his strategies and can head for better writing styles in future. Brainstorm your sessions with the tutor to get the best out of him. So, you are ready for the best deals in the industry through right choice of online tutoring centers with an eye for their best deals. Education is indispensable, true. You can be smart in taking decisions that do not affect your pocket but get you the best desired results in your learning.

How to Learn Guitar Setting Goals, Staying Motivated, and More

How to Learn Guitar â€" Setting Goals, Staying Motivated, and More Suzy S. Ready to pick up a guitar and start learning to play? Great! Get ready to start your musical journey with this sound advice from guitar teacher Jerry W. Learning an instrument takes more than desire alone. Many people excitedly begin learning guitar, but before long the guitar is packed away in the closet and forgotten. What can you do to make sure this doesnt happen to you? How can you stay motivated as you learn to play guitar? What is the fastest way to learn guitar? Setting SMART Goals Most people  who dont reach their goals fail because they did not set “SMART” goals. SMART goals are: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time sensitive. The fastest way to learn guitar is to have SMART goals. Specific â€" It is not enough to say, “My goal is to play guitar.” You need to focus your goal and set specific smaller goals and action steps. What type of guitar do you want to play? Electric, acoustic or classical? What styles of music do you want to play? Also, consider setting goals for specific skills such as strumming proficiency, number of chords memorized, learning chords in more than one position on the guitar, scales, reading music, reading tablature, learning lead guitar “licks”, learning finger picking patterns, etc. As an example, lets set a goal for learning chords. To start out we could set a goal to “Be better at chords on the guitar.” Measurable â€" Now that you have a goal you need to make that goal measurable. “Be better at chords on the guitar” is hard to measure. There are whole books full of guitar chords. What type of chords do you want to play? Lets set a more measurable goal. If you are a complete beginner then maybe you could set a goal to “Be better at all major and minor chords in one position.” All guitar chords can be played in multiple positions, but as a beginner learning them in just one position is a good starting point. Now do this for each of your goals. Make sure they are measurable. Actionable â€" Make sure your goal is a clear call to action. Use an action verb, not a to-be verb like “am,” “be,” “have,” etc. . In our example of learning guitar chords, our goal, “Be better at all major and minor chords in one position” has no clear call to action. A better goal is “Be able to play all major and minor chords in at least one position.” Realistic â€" Ask yourself, does this goal fit in my comfort zone? Set a goal that stretches you to the edge of your comfort zone but not beyond. If you are a complete beginner you may want to simplify your goal to “Be able to play all major chords in at least one position.” When you master this then you can always set a new goal to learn the minor chords, then 7th chords, and so on. Time Sensitive â€" A goal without a date is just a dream. Set a date and you will be much more likely to reach it. Putting all of this together our final goal is “Be able to play all major chords in at least one position by March 1st.” Staying Motivated Now that you have a goal, how do you stay motivated to accomplish your goal? The fastest way to learn guitar is to stay highly motivated. Let me suggest five things that will keep you motivated: 1. Do what you love! Learn to play the type of music you really love. You will stay much more motivated if you are learning what you really enjoy. 2. Set big goals. Make sure your goal is realistic but still stretches you. Big goals are motivating. Big goals will stretch you to learn faster. 3. Visualize yourself accomplishing your goal. It is very hard to stay motivated on something you dont really see yourself doing. Spend some time visualizing yourself reaching your goal. You are much more likely to reach your goal if you see yourself doing it. 4. Write them down, review them, and share them with someone. Written goals that you review and share will be much more motivating then some vague goal that is only in your head. 5. Do it with others! Music is more fun with others. As soon as possible spend time making music with others. Form Good Habits “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.“ Jim Rohn Most musical goals are reached by developing important habits. Habits are developed by doing them over and over until they become a part of you. What habits do you need to develop? Consider these key habits: Practice regularly â€" ideally every day. This will be the greatest single factor to your success. Practice technique and music â€" dont just play your favorite song, also spend time learning specific techniques such as different chord positions, power chords, muting, strumming patterns, finger picking patterns, scales, etc. Play with others â€" make it a habit to spend time making music with others. Dont join the realm of people with a dusty guitar hidden in some back closet. Set SMART goals, stay motivated and develop effective habits. Soon you will reach your musical goals! Jerry W. teaches classical guitar, composition,    music theory and trumpet in Grosse Pointe, MI.   He received his B.M. in Theory and Composition of Music  from Cornerstone University, as well as his Master of Music and Ph.D in  Music Composition from  Michigan State University.  Jerry has been teaching students since 1982.  Learn more about Jerry W. 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 Photo  by  monst67

Christmas Holidays Homework Help is Now Just a Click Away

Christmas Holidays Homework Help is Now Just a Click Away 0SHARESShare Hey Christmas Holiday time! Catching up with friends, movies and videos, cartoons make the holidays special. But there’s one painâ€"holiday homework! Teachers give you a set of holiday homework to keep your mind active. But it’s still very boring! Now get smart with Tutor Pace and drive the holiday blues away: Don’t worry about homework, get 24/7 online help from experts Plan your own schedule and have enough time for fun Now you don’t need to compromise your favorite TV show Homework may be boring if you do it alone; you may obtain online tutoring sessions with your friends, cousins, and brothers and sisters. The shared whiteboard, live chat sessions make learning easy and fun. Share ideas with online tutors, and come up with something interesting! It’s not mandatory that you have to study indoors. Make a trip to the zoo or museum. Go for a picnic with friends or family. Even parks, shopping malls can be great homework places. You may attend a session from there; all you need is a Laptop, internet connection and a microphone. Go online. Browse teachers of your choice and get instant online homework help. Enjoy, have fun, work smart, and Happy Holidays! [starbox id=admin]

How can I evaluate an argument essay in 2 seconds

How can I evaluate an argument essay in 2 seconds Many college teachers assign either opinion essays or argument essays to their English Second Language students. These highly structured writing assignments give students practice organizing their ideas and defending a point of view. The goal is to prepare students to go on and write research reports or graduate theses at university. However, when it comes time to score these opinion essays or argument essays, the correction load for the teacher can be enormous. Clearly, teachers need an automated essay evaluation system. This article discusses automatically scoring argument essays, but there are other automated evaluations on the Virtual Writing Tutor if you are interested: Pen pal exchange project IELTS practice tests Film analysis essay evaluation The impact of one hundred and fifty 500-word argument essays on a teachers time If a college student submits a 500-word essay with structural problems and grammatical errors, the teacher will likely end up spending up to 20 minutes trying to provide feedback on how to improve it. With 150 students submitting 150 essays at once, one essay assignment will generate up to 50 hours of correction work for the teacher. The teacher will then spend the next two weeks doing little else. Since many students depend on the teacher for guidance on how to improve the essay and maximize their score, the teacher often feels compelled to provide detailed and thorough feedback. Without collaboration from the teacher, ESL teachers believe the student might not be able to make the revisions needed to meet the high standards required at university. In this way, we teachers place a lot of pressure on ourselves to help our students improve their writing. The red pen is still an important tool for giving corrective feedback What is the impact of correction time on practice opportunities? You should know that teachers limit the number of writing tasks they give their students because of the correction load each essay assignment generates. There is a physical limit to how long we can stay hunched over a desk correcting student essays. If we assign too many, we will burn out, not get the corrections done, or become so overloaded that we end up giving students low quality feedback and unreliable scores. What if we could give students more essay writing practice without increasing our correction load? What if we could give consistently reliable, objective, and detailed feedback? And what if we had an automatic essay evaluation system? An automatic essay evaluation system For the past 7 years, I have been hard at work developing Natural Language Processing tools for the Virtual Writing Tutor to give feedback on English Second Language student writing. I have devoted most of my time to coding error detection rules for the Virtual Writing Tutors grammar checker. However, along the way, I have developed a number of feedback tools: a paraphrase checker, a word counter, a target structure checker, a vocabulary checker, a cohesion checker, and a sentence checker. While interesting in their own right, I realize now that they are of limited usefulness to students. Students need more meaningful practice bu teachers are swamped by corrections Indeed, students dont always know how to interpret the feedback from a grammar checker website such as mine. Unless the teacher specifically trains the learner to use the feedback to eliminate errors, improve cohesion, extend their vocabulary, or improve their paraphrasing skills, students arent always sure what steps to take to improve their scores. Recently, I have discovered that feedback on form is a lot more compelling to students when it comes with a score. When the NLP tools listed above are all integrated into a self-scoring pen pal exchange project, IELTS academic writing tests, a film analysis essay checker or argument essay evaluation system, students know just what to do. They use the score and feedback to maximize their next score. They want to level up as they would in a game. An argument essay writing module I have been collaborating with with Dr. Frank Bonkowski at Cegep St-Laurent to create a new automatic scoring system. This one is for the argument essay writing task he has given this term. His students chose 7 topics that interested them, and we designed a system to identify their topic and give feedback on all aspects of their structure, vocabulary, cohesion, strength of their claims, and grammar. This argument essay writing task and evaluation is free for anyone to use. Please share. Demonstration of the argument evaluation test without sound Before you try it with students, you should know that the argument essay task is rather complex. So, here is a step-by-step lesson that will help you teach students how to write a successful argument essay from scratch. But first, what is an argument essay? An argument essay is an opinion essay that includes an opposing view, a concession, and a refutation. This discourse model requires some research, reflection, and a considerable amount of time to organize ideas into a coherent structure. Dont worry. If your students have access to a computer, they will quickly get the hang of it using the Virtual Writing Tutor. Youll be amazed. Step 1: Score a model argument essay When the tools are integrated, interpreting the feedback is easy To begin, start by trying out the argument essay evaluation test with each of the two model essays below. Try the one that needs improvement first with your students to see if they can improve the score. Then, have them try it with the second essay. Sugar Tax Essay that Needs ImprovementDownload Sugar Tax Model EssayDownload Score my argument essay now Step 2: Outline an argument essay with the essay outliner Ask students to use the model essays with the argument essay outliner to develop an outline. Once they are able to outline an existing essay with the easy essay outliner, they are ready to write their own outline. This will prepare them for the actual essay writing exam. The essay outliner makes it easy to create an outline You can print out the outline or generate a PDF Step 3: Choose one of 7 Debatable Topics Ask students to choose one of the 7 different topics below to research. They will need to find at least three articles. They should search for at least two articles in support of their point of view and one opposing view. abortionclimate changebody imageanimal rightsgender equalityinternet censorship Debate websites like iDebate with its searchable Debatabase are excellent resources for finding arguments for and against a point of view. Step 4: Outline an essay on one of the topics The students should now outline their own argument essay using the information they found during their research. Their experience with the previous steps will make it easy for them. Step 5: Write an argument essay Once students have written an outline, they will be ready to write their own essay. They should make sure that they follow the prescribed structure described below with a title and a Cited Works section. The 5-Paragraph Hamburger Essay Structure Argument essay writing prompt Instructions:Write a 450-750 word argumentative essay on one of these topics:abortion, climate change, animal rights, body image, feminism (a.k.a. gender equality), immigration, or internet censorship.Use the essay structure described below. Paragraph 1: introduction Opening:Begin the essay with a provocative, thought-provoking question. You could begin, for example, withDid you know that…?Context:Establish the importance of the topic. Use phrases like these:a vital factor in, the leading cause of, widely considered to be, set to become, undergoing a revolution, is responsible for.Thesis:Include a debatable thesis about one of these areas of controversy:abortion, climate change, animal rights, body image, feminism, immigration, internet censorship. Paragraph 2: first supporting argument Topic sentence:Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and includes the first of the two topics in your thesis sentence.Argue:Refer tofacts, statistics, logic, what is reasonable, what follows from the evidence,andconclusions one can draw.Evidence:Give evidence from your reading and research using these types of words:according to, to quote from, tells us that, shows us that, referring to, argues that, stated, wrote, argued, discussed, expressed the concern that, as written.Use these quotation marks:Cite sources:Properly cite quoted text using the persons family name in parentheses (Einstein).Support: Give examples to support your claims using words and phrases such as these:for example, for instance, suppose that, take the case of, that is, to be exact, to explain, to illustrate, to put another way, to show what I mean. Paragraph 3: second supporting argument Topic sentence:Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and includes the second of the two topics in your thesis sentence.Argue:Refer tofacts, statistics, logic, what is reasonable, what follows from the evidence, and conclusions you can draw.Evidence:Give evidence from your reading and research using these types of words:according to, to quote from, tells us that, shows us that, referring to, argues that, stated, wrote, argued, discussed, expressed the concern that, as written.Use these quotation marks:Cite sources:Properly cite quoted text using the persons family name in parentheses (Einstein).Support: Give examples to support your claims using words and phrases such as these:for example, for instance, suppose that, take the case of, that is, to be exact, to explain, to illustrate, to put another way, to show what I mean. Paragraph 4: counterargument Topic sentence:Summarize an opposing view with words like these:some people claim, some believe, others believe, some people object to, try to refute, discount, reject, it is often argued that, the opposing side will claimConcede:Show which parts of the counterargument have merit with words like these:concede that, granted, indeed, it is true that, while it is true that, naturally, to be sure, admittedly, one cannot deny thatRefute:Refute the counterargument using words like these:nonetheless, nevertheless, regardless, whereas, although, and yet, in contrast, by contrast, despite, there is countervailing evidence, that said, however Paragraph 5: conclusion Reformulation of the thesis:Restate the thesis in different words from the introduction.Build cohesion:Use expressions such asTo sum up, To conclude, In closing, or For these reasons.Recommendation:Make a recommendation. Use one expression such as should, ought to, will, or going to.Prediction:Make a prediction. What will happen if the reader follows your recommendation? Use one expression such as should, ought to, will, or going to, or likely. Works Cited section Heading:Identify this section of your essay with the heading, Works CitedList:Include at least 3 sources properly formatted, each on its own line. Step 6: Get formative evaluation from the essay scoring system Then, each student should use the automatically scored argument essay test to get formative feedback on their essay, make any changes suggested by the system, and turn in a final draft for the teacher to score. They will need the teacher to coach and help them understand how to interpret the feedback. It can be a bit overwhelming at first. It is worth using a lab hour for this. Step 7: Submit your final draft to the teacher for a score In my opinion, the score generated by the Virtual Writing Tutors argument essay evaluation system should guide revisions, but the final score should come from a teacher. That means that the student really should submit the essay to his or her teacher. In addition, it would be helpful if the the teacher were to receive the automatically generated feedback, also. The combination of automatic scoring and human scoring has been found to be more reliable than just computer scoring or human scoring, even with multiple human raters (Bridgeman, 2004). Ask students to print the feedback or generate a PDF to send electronically. It is easy to do. Save or print your feedback with your essay score Step 8: Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 with a new topic A teacher could build an entire writing course around this one page on the Virtual Writing Tutor. There are 7 controversial topics to choose from. Simply ask students every two weeks to write an essay on a topic they havent tried before, get feedback and submit their final draft with the automated feedback for a score that counts. To maintain student motivation, you could use the Mastery Model to score essays, telling students that only 4 of the 7 essay scores will count. The lowest scoring submissions will be considered formative. In this way, you can maximize essay writing practice for hardworking students who want to do it all, and even the most laid-back students students will get double the argument essay writing practice that they would get in a regular college ESL course. Since the students will get a lot of feedback from the automated scoring system, you will be able to put down the red pen and use voice of the reader comments, reading your students writing in a way that wasnt possible before. Step 9: Report your findings You didnt expect all this to be your next research project or conference presentation, did you? But why not? Formative evaluation of writing assignments using an automated essay evaluation system is brand new. Your colleagues probably wont know anything about it. While it is true that the Educational Testing Service in the US has used an automatic scoring system for university admissions tests for years, nobody seems to have reported much on using automated scoring in the classroom for formative evaluation. You can do it. I can help. I can create a test designed to score your particular essay writing task if this one is not quite what you had in mind. Just contact me. Not sure? Ask yourself, If not now, then when? If not me, then who? Something that would really help me would be if you were to give feedback on the feedback the essay scoring system generates. If the system over-values a low-quality essay or undervalues a high-quality essay, let me know. There is a Rate feedback button you can use to let me know if the system is working as expected or not. Leave detailed comments. This sucks is not very helpful. Say what went wrong and what you would like instead. Complain to get a specific change. Give feedback on the feedback Final remarks There is clearly a pedagogical need for automated feedback. There are not enough teachers in the world to provide all the feedback students want and need. Automated scoring is the next step in computer-assisted learning. (Notice my use of the word assisted.) Teachers happily give practice tests to students with multiple choice questions, but essay writing tasks are rarely used in formative evaluation. Why? Its a workload issue. Teachers cannot score essays fast enough. Obviously, if a machine can help with the task, we should get out of the way of meaningful practice and let the machine guide students through their early drafts. Opponents of automatic essay evaluation will argue that automatic essay scoring is not ready yet. There are too many false alarms, not enough coverage, and the scores dont match the scoring criteria and weightings that this or that department requires. While all that may be true, it doesnt mean that we should cede the field. It is better that teachers engage with this new technology to ensure automatic essay evaluation systems reflect what teachers care about. I, for one, believe that essay evaluation must be developed and reserved for formative evaluation only. We must ensure automatic evaluation is used for practice tests prior to the teacher assigning the final score, even if the teachers scoring decision is informed by automatic scoring metrics. Human teachers are needed to validate and humanize the educational system. Some teachers will shudder at all this and say that automatic scoring will put teachers jobs at risk. Really? Quebec has a shortage of teachers at the moment. A colleague I admire very much is away on sick leave, burned out from overwork. The real victims of the lack of automation in our jobs are students who are denied meaningful practice activities with feedback and their teachers who are overworked trying to give students the meaningful practice and feedback they need. Unreflective opposition to new technology is not how you build job security. Maintaining a pedagogical focus on what is best for students and developing a sound pedagogy using new tools will make expert teachers indispensable. Its one teachers opinion. Perhaps you agree with me. Examples of automatically scored writing tests Here are some examples of automatic essay scoring systems I have developed in the order I developed them. Please, give them a try and let me know what you think. Pen pal exchange project IELTS practice tests Film analysis essay evaluationArgument essay evaluation Works cited Bridgeman, B. (2004, December).E-rater as a quality control on human scorers.Presentation in the ETSResearch Colloquium Series, Princeton, NJ. 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How Can You Help Your Child Sidestep the Summer Slide

How Can You Help Your Child Sidestep the Summer Slide Summer is a welcome break for families, but it can cause problems when it comes to the long-term retention of academic skills and knowledge. Many experts report that summertime regression is a significant problem for students of all ages, with children losing several months worth of reading and math skills over break. Heres the good news: its not as hard as you think to minimize the problem. Here are a few ways you can help your child avoid the summer slide: Read every day. A regular reading habit is a valuable part of a good bedtime routine anyway, but best of all, it is one of the easiest ways for your child to keep up those literacy skills. Make frequent visits to the library and encourage your child to get involved in any book clubs or summer reading programs offered. Let your child explore other formats in addition to books. The point is to get him or her reading. Review past work. It might take a little convincing, but even ten minutes a day spent looking over old worksheets, math problems, or other assignments is time well spent. This will help your child keep fresh on the skills learned last school year and ensure he or she is ready to pick up where the teacher left off when the fall semester begins. Plan writing activities. Have your child continue to strengthen those writing muscles by embracing fun activities like journaling, creative writing or even blogging. If those things dont pique your childs interest, consider weekly themes for inspiration. For example, one weeks theme might be favorite people, and each day children could write about a celebrity or professional athlete they admire, a friend who means a lot to them, or another role model. Go places. Many families use their childrens summer break as a chance to take vacations. Why not transform those road and plane trips into educational opportunities? You and your child should check out travel guides from the library and do some online research together to learn more about wherever youre headed. Have your child choose a few cultural attractions to enjoy and share what he or she wants to discover while visiting them. Catch up or get ahead. Summer is the best time to close any skill gaps and correct any problems that arose during the school year. Its also a great chance to get ahead if your child is gearing up to take several challenging classes next year or wants to solidify knowledge built during the prior school year. If youd like help creating a targeted summer learning program that meets your childs goals and helps him or her flourish, call Huntington. Well help your child retain those important skills he or she learned throughout the school year. By the time next fall comes around, he or she will be ready to hit the ground running and keep building that knowledge base. Call 1-800 CAN LEARN today. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader.Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. 2018 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.