Gas Pressure Definition Chemistry - The Details You Need to Know About Gas For Your Home Heater

Gas Pressure Definition Chemistry - The Details You Need to Know About Gas For Your Home HeaterGas pressure definition and the type of gas that you are using is a very important decision. Using the right type of gas for your water heater system can help save you money and the environment by cutting down on the amount of electricity you use.When people hear the word gas they often think about the natural gas that is used in your home to heat your water. However, even gas used for other purposes has it's own set of problems. A gas-based system is very inefficient and because of this it makes it very difficult to use conventional gas as an alternative to electricity in your home.The first step that you need to take to make sure that you are using the best gas definition for your water heater is to know exactly what you are getting into. There are four main categories of gases that you will find in your system. These are: fuels such as propane, natural gas, natural gas combined with elec tricity and liquefied petroleum gas. Each gas has its own advantages and disadvantages.Some people use a mixture of all four types of gas to save money. The best way to do this is to buy a gas gasifier. This works like a converter that combines the different types of gas. A gas gasifier can run at a lower wattage and cost less to run. However, it does not have the best qualities of the four types of gas but it can still be used in conjunction with a smaller heater.Most homeowners who are using a gas powered heater will be able to find this type of system very cheap to run. This is due to the fact that they will only be paying for the gas itself, which is a good deal cheaper than buying a home heating system. Many homeowners prefer to spend a little more upfront on the gas than they do to pay for monthly payments.Gas models will also be able to provide better home's heat compared to other heaters because they use less energy and heat more efficiently. Since most gas systems have two stages of operation, they are also able to run much longer than others. Many homeowners like the idea of being able to warm their house from the outside and so using gas does not come with any major drawbacks.For a homeowner who wants to save money and be able to take advantage of the power of the gas to provide the home's heat, there are a few other things that need to be considered. There are some models that offer greater convenience and safety to their owners compared to traditional heaters. The money that you are spending on your heater may actually come back in the form of money saved, giving you a better life overall.

Everything You Need to Know about Japanese Manga

Everything You Need to Know about Japanese Manga Enter the Amazing World of Japanese Manga ChaptersThe World’s Most Popular MangasReading Manga: Where to StartManga’s Most Iconic FiguresLearn Japanese with MangaWhen contemplating Japanese culture, one cannot overlook one particular, fascinating facet. An aspect that not only expresses the soul of the culture but does so in a way that actually stimulates the economy!Manga is not only a Japanese cultural export.These serial graphic novels, usually produced in instalments or printed in other popular Japanese publications such as magazines and newspapers that reveal only snapshots of the story at a time, have driven sales figures into the millions.That would be millions of copies as well as millions of yen.From Captain Tsubasa to Fairy Tail and including, of course, City Hunter (Nicky Larson), each volume and each story leads us on incredible adventures seldom experienced through what we commonly think of as works of art.Today’s worldwide acceptance of manga is a testament to its success.Manga has become an integral part of pop culture and its companion art form, what we call Japanese anime or simply anime is even shown in theatres as full-length feature films. And then, there is merchandising: the figurines and hats and clothing with manga characters on them; backpacks and water bottles and...Superprof proposes to take you through the manga universe: the most popular series and the most famous artists; the most exquisitely drawn, engaging narratives.Along the way, we’ll discover how to read manga correctly and, finally, how reading manga can aid you in your studies of the Japanese language.If you are not yet otaku or if you’ve never entertained the thought of reading manga, this is your chance to get on board!Find the best Japanese classes London here.opening up and letting your eyes devour.If you’ve never explored Japanese comic books, you might be stunned at the choices on offer.There are a number of genres; specific types of manga and exacting codes to remember. To help you decipher them, Superprof has written an article detailing them all!Choosing a SeriesWe’ve already mentioned a couple of types of manga: Shonen and Seinen. What you might not know is that manga is categorised by their target audience as well as by the house that publishes them.As a decidedly non-inclusive list, we offer up these four main categories:Kodomo is for young children; rather comical and embraces adventureShonen, meant for young males, consists primarily of action-adventure and fantasyShojo is for young females. It principally addresses romance and school lifeSeinen/Josei is for young adults: drama, thriller, horror and science fictionAgain, we assert that by no means do these four categories reflect all that there is to manga. Neither is any manga purely one genre.For example, in Death Note, we find a number of criteria that would classify it as Seinen when, in fact, it is authentically Shonen and is published in Shonen Jump.So, before you start reading manga, you should become famili ar with the different universes they present.In this table, we present a few more branches of the fruitful manga tree along with sterling examples you might set your sights on reading:GenreTitlesNekketsu (adventure)NarutoActionDragonballRomanceWolf Girl and Black PrincePhilosophicalKino's JourneyDramaNanaThrillerMonsterFantasySeven Deadly SinsScience FictionGantzMecha (robots)EvangelionHorrorTokyo GhoulSportEyeshield 21MusicK-ONEcchi (flirty with no overt sex, as in Hentai)To Love RuComedySaiki Kusuo No ? NanNaturally, you may select a manga based on its length of publication, popularity and, of course, your personal interests.If you are on the younger side of life, you might consider Shonen or Shojo; if you are a bit more seasoned the themes addressed in Seinen might appeal more.The Mechanics of Reading JapaneseThe first point to consider when undertaking a manga adventure is that reading in Japan is unlike reading in our country.Although manga you can buy in the UK has been transl ated into English, the mechanics of reading it follows the Japanese reading norm: from right to left and top to bottom.To start properly, you must hold the spine in your right hand and open what, to us, would be the back cover.  You would then flip the pages from left to right (as opposed to right-left, as with our books).Likewise, the top-right frame of each page is first, followed by the one on the left. You would then progress down the page, reading the right frame first, all the way to the end of that page.  The next page follows the same right-to-left pattern, all the way until the end of the book.It might feel a bit awkward at first but, once you are eyeballs deep into the story, turning the pages ‘back’ will soon feel natural!The next point to consider is the backdrop of each frame: generally white but occasionally black.The dark colour indicates that the action described in that frame happened at some time in the past; a visual clue that you are witnessing a character fl ashback or memory.Should the background be graded â€" transitioning from white to black or vice versa, that frame is taking you from past to present or from present to past.Facial expressions can be equally difficult to interpret because they espouse Japanese cultural norms.Thus, blushing, sighing and bleeding noses; flavours of discomfort and faces of anger are recurring elements in manga and don’t mean the same thing as in our culture.Sound elements and onomatopoeia â€" the bark of a dog, the snick of a door; the cries and the laughter are not gratuitous. The all bear a significance to the story.Manga for females generally deal with slice of life topics Image by ryo taka from PixabayManga’s Most Iconic FiguresSuch is the global popularity of manga that many of the characters themselves have become ambassadors of Japanese culture abroad.Avid manga readers engage in a bit of hero worship for their mainstays because they can be moving, touching, funny or outright badazz!We’ve p rovided an expanded list of globally popular manga characters in another article but, for now... what do you think of these?Seiya, Bronze Knight of AthenaAlong with SonGoku and Pikachu, Seiya is one of the most recognisable personalities in serialized Japanese manga magazines.Saint Seiya has featured in Shonen since 1988 when he first donned the armour representing the constellation Pegasus and became a warrior serving Athena. Along with other such knights, he battles the forces of Hades in the great millennial war.Sasuke Uchiwa, Tortured Ninja of KonohaQuite possibly even people dead-set against the idea of anime know the name Naruto â€" initially a manga that enjoyed enormous success during its 14-year run. Among the main characters in this tale of ninjas, Sasuke and his rival, Naruto, have the greatest fandom following. This dark-haired anti-hero with a tendency toward meanness has amazing powers that he uses to avenge the death of his entire clan â€" a slaughter incited by his o wn brother!To reach his goal, he aligns himself shady characters who draw him ever deeper into darkness... and that’s where we stop! You’ll have to read the rest for yourself.Sebastian Michaelis, Demon ButlerPerhaps you’re not acquainted with a manga titled Kuroshitsuji but you may know of Black Butler; they are one and the same and if only one word should describe it, that word would be ‘phenomenal’.Welcome to the House of Phantomhive! Meet its lord and master, Ciel, who signed a pact with a devil â€" Sebastian.This devil, posing as a butler, will help Master Ciel avenge his parents, in return for which he will consume his master’s soul...One fascinating aspect of this manga is that the real Sebastian, a French inquisitor and Dominican order prior, wrote a tract on demons that was soon accepted as church dogma.That such a character should feature as a demon in a manga magazine: talk about irony! Talk about subtle humour!Charismatic and badazz in equal measures, Sebastia n has a well-developed funny bone that shows every time he beats an opponent in battle or beats a path to the dinner table...Nami, Navigator of Thousand SunnyAlthough Luffy is the most-often cited character of One Piece, one cannot dismiss the fact that the best part of his crew consists of iconic characters in their own right, Sanji and Chopper among them.And Nami, the sexy helmsman with a 66 million bounty on her head, is not bothered by surrounding events. This big-hearted thief is one of the more intelligent of the fleet; she dreams of mapping the entire world... sticking with the captain, she just might succeed in doing so!Starting out with kawaii - or cute anime is a good way to stoke your language skills!Learn Japanese with MangaNobody ever bragged about how easy it is to learn Japanese, especially because of its blend of Chinese ideograms (Kanji) mixed with Japanese Katakana and Hiragana alphabets.Obviously, some sort of guidance would be warranted to start learning this lan guage but manga comics are also a good way to practise your Japanese reading skills.Learn more about studying Japanese with manga and anime!Can You Really Learn Japanese by Reading Manga Books?The answer is... yes! But simply reading Astro Boy or Fullmetal Alchemist will not give you the language skills you crave. You actually have to take a language course just to reach beginner level and to understand Kanji, Katakana and Hiragana.What anime  and manga can do is compliment your learning by giving you cultural insights and making it easier to grasp some of the more familiar language â€" slang words and phrases.With every new manga, you can pick up more vocabulary and tune in to grammatic constructions all while having a great read! To use manga for learning Japanese, you must of course possess a manga book. You may order one online or perhaps even turn to sites that provide manga online â€" legally, not pirated! You may also read manga online through a specialised Japanese learning course or direct yourself to sites, perhaps those specified in the weekly Shonen Jump. Manga and Anime to Improve Your JapaneseAs both manga and anime enjoy such popularity, there are surely titles you can use to learn more Japanese, all while enjoying stories like Nanatsu no taizai, Crunchyroll and Yu gi oh.Make your selections with two criteria in mind: choose a simple manga to start out so that your language skills can develop as you read. The second point is to understand Japanese pop culture so that you can have an idea of context as you read; otherwise, the ideas expounded on might be incomprehensible. Stories like Kodomo, Doraemon or Pokemon have fairly simple language. If you are a bit more advanced than that, you might try Fruits Basket, Slam Dunk, Attack on Titan or anything out of Studio Ghibli.Watching anime is another great way to gain exposure to the language. Here again, Kodomo comes out a winner because the dialogue is slower than on more advanced shows. Once you’v e tuned your ear and grasped the basics, Shonen, Shojo and Seinen would help you advance even further. Just don’t make the mistake of going for them on the first pitch; make sure you are ready for that level of Japanese speaking so that you can fully immerse yourself into the stories! Now that you’ve whet your appetite for Japanese animation, it’s time to find your Superprof so that you can start Japanese lessons!

Card Game and Grammar Rules for Sports, Games and Exercise

Card Game and Grammar Rules for Sports, Games and Exercise “Ski” is a verb. It is not the name of a game, so conjugate it as a verb or use the gerund form, “skiing.”     Do we say I do skiing, or I play ski or just I ski? Incorrect: I play skiing. I do skiing during the winter. I like ski.  Correct: I ski. I like skiing. I ski during the winter.Rule: “Ski” is a verb. It is not the name of a game, so conjugate it as a verb or use the gerund form, “skiing.”         Do we say I do soccer, or I play soccer or just I soccer? Incorrect: I soccer. I do soccer during the summer. I like soccering.Correct: I play soccer. I like playing soccer. I play soccer during the summer. Rule: “Soccer” is a game. Use a form of the verb “play” + the name of a game.         Do we say I do yoga, or I play yoga or just I yoga? Incorrect: I play yoga. I yoga all year long.  Correct: I do yoga. I like doing yoga. I do yoga all year long. Rule:  â€œYoga” is neither a verb nor a game. We use “do” + the noun.           Sports, Games, and Exercise Card Game Play a card game with your classmates to practice the grammar for sports, games, and exercise.   Play this card game in groups of three or four. Shuffle the cards and place them in the middle. Player 1 takes a card and does the action that will prompt player 2 and 3 to guess the answer given on the card first. Player 1 gives the card to the first player to guess correctly. The player to the left takes the next turn. The player with the most cards at the end is the winner. Sports, Games, and Exercise Card Game Link Please follow and like us:

Changes to the AP World History Course

Changes to the AP World History Course If you don’t follow the raging academic and educational debates of the day, you may be unaware that the AP World History course (or WHAP as we call it), has changed. Through last May, the test covered content spanning prehistory all the way until the present, over 10,000 years of history! There was frequent student and teacher feedback to the College Board that this was way too much information to cover in one school year. So, in the summer of 2018, the College Board announced they would be changing the start date of the content to 1450 CE. This then caused quite the debate.You see the AP European History test has a start date of 1450 CE, and arguably history from 1450 CE onwards is pretty much Europe slowly, and then more quickly, taking over much of the rest of the world. Also the students would miss several of the great empires that arose in the Middle East, South America, Asia and Africa that all had significant impacts on world history. For much of the summer of 2018 there wer e scathing Twitter threads, blog posts and beyond made by academics and teachers from all over. They all complained about the Eurocentrism (the focus on Europe interacting with the rest of the world) of the new proposed start date.  So the College Board reexamined things, and came back that they were going to switch the start date for WHAP to 1200 CE. So much to the partial relief of all, the course now covers the height of the Silk Road, the Mongol Empire, various Islamic Caliphates and the rise of some of the western hemisphere empires. It is still a controversial decision, since it leaves out the origins of most of the world’s religions and skips over fascinating ancient civilizations. We will have to see what happens moving forward.What does this mean for a student who is taking WHAP? To begin with the official name of the course is now AP World History: Modern. Next, the textbook companies and teachers have been scrambling to put materials together to fit the new path of the course. Also, a number of the teachers are still teaching some of the history that happens before 1200 CE, as not only is having some of the background helpful, but not all the textbooks have been updated. This means that the content from around 1200 CE is mixed in with content from 1000 CE or earlier in some books.  Luckily WHAP tutors here at AJ are trained in not only the current content of the course, but also former content of the course. This means that a WHAP tutor would be able to help support a student through the confusion of the AP test change and help them succeed in their WHAP class! We’ve also spent the summer updating our WHAP test preparation materials so that they reflect the changes, so we will be able to help a WHAP student prepare in the spring for the AP test.  The one other point to note is that while the College Board has updated the date range of their AP World History course, they have NOT updated the date range of the World History SAT Subject test. This test still covers all of human history, so WHAP students will be missing a good 8,000 or more years of content that appears on the SAT subject test. Typically we recommend that if a student has taken the AP class in a history subject, it is worth them possibly taking the SAT subject test in that history subject (there is a US History subject test and a World History subject test). This will no longer be the case for students who take WHAP, unless they are willing to do significant content review first. But guess what, AJ WHAP tutors can help with that too! We are currently putting together a plan for new WHAP students that want to try the World History SAT Subject test, and it will be ready in the spring when most of the new WHAP students will be thinking of taking the test.If you’d like to talk through your specific situation, make a plan, and get connected to a history test preparation expert, please reach out to us.

How to Speak Many Different Languages (Without Losing Your Mind)

How to Speak Many Different Languages (Without Losing Your Mind) How to Speak Different Languages Without Getting Confused Learning languages is just half the battle.The real challenge can be maintaining the linguistic arsenal youve worked so hard to amass.One second language might be a small time commitment, but as you add a third, fourth and more, the game will change.Sometimes you have the sensation that your Arabic has totally devoured the French you used to speak, or that your Czech grammar was turned upside-down when you learned German.  Other times you might feel like you dont know how to form a reasonable sentence in any language at all.Learning languages is one thing, but living a multilingual life and speaking different languages on a regular basis is a whole other matter entirely.It changes your brain and your personality. It opens you to different social networks. It makes you better at learning languages in general, and helps you improve your native language. It can also sometimes leave you confused, frustrated and worn out.If you want to turn your life into a linguistic juggling act, youll be glad to know  that not only is your  brain designed to keep learning languages at any age  but that multilingualism is  super common  throughout the world.While your brain does most of your linguistic maintenance behind the scenes, building a few simple good habits can ensure that you enjoy all the benefits of a life full of languages down the road. How Your Brain Handles Different LanguagesHave you ever heard the myth about how only kids can really learn languages well? In case  you missed it, that ones been debunked for a while now.The human brain is almost magically capable of adapting to new languages at any point in life, and theres a lot of evidence to suggest that a new tongue is  the best brain food there is.We  know this from looking at some of the differences between the brains of monolinguals and people who speak multiple languages. For example, multilingual brains are usually bigger and have more gray matter. Theyre also a lot more resilient to strokes  and theyre c hampions at keeping dementia at bay. Part of how your brain accommodates playing host to several different live-in languages at the same time is by physically adapting itself. As you might imagine, remodeling your brain has a lot of side effects, but you should think of them all as  upgrades.Speaking different languages literally remolds your brainLearning and speaking new languages physically reshapes your brain by building new neural pathways and adding new synapses. The more different languages you learn and use, the more new pathways are created. This is actually literally  growing your brain  and making it more efficient in the process.It makes sense that your brain grows when you use multiple languages, since studies show that different languages are stored in physically different parts of the brain.It seems like storing languages in different physical compartments of the brain is efficient for more than just neural functioning, but also for living your life.  Its thought to b e the cause of polyglots increased affinity for multitasking and filtering important information out of  less important distractions and background noise.Its these skills of filtering out certain kinds of information and dividing your attention between tasks that allow people who speak multiple languages to not only switch between them when they need to but also be able to subconsciously recognize social cues that tell when its appropriate to switch languages, otherwise known as code-switching.Code-switching: The polyglots Olympic sportCode-switching is when you switch between languages or language varieties, andâ€"as you might have already guessedâ€"its a feature thats included in the standard subscription to all human brains.This is the impressive feat  the Northern European linguistic Olympians perform so casually that makes them look cool and worldly in hostels. In the middle of a conversation in their native language with their friend from home, they smoothly throw an English h ey, how are you doing your way and then proceed  to strike up a new conversation with someone else in Spanish, all without breaking a sweat.Sounds exhausting, right? Not so much. Here are a few things  most people dont understand  about switching between different languages:You already do it, even if youre monolingual.  When you speak to your university professor and suddenly find yourself clearly pronouncing your -ings at the ends of words and switching your  yeahs for  yess  thats a kind of code-switching too, only between sociolects or particular ways of speaking that relate to class, education or group identity.Its mostly a subconscious reaction  environmental factors.  When you speak different languages, social  cues will prompt you to code-switch.  Hearing or reading a familiar language can easily evoke a momentary mental switch to it, and seeing the face of a friend with whom you speak it will almost certainly do so. Having this ability to subconsciously analyze and respond t o your linguistic environment is one of the things that makes multilingual brains so efficient and saves them a lot of mental energy.Youve got linguistic veto power.  When youre back home enjoying an authentic Mexican taco with your English-speaking family, ay, qué rico! may try to climb out of your throat, but youve generally got the final say on whether you release a Spanish exclamation into the world or an English one.  Most of the time, anyways.And thats where things start to  get a little messy.Polyglot problems: The struggles of speaking different languagesLike we said, most of the time your brain will take the lead on languages. But every now and then, all those environmental and internal  signals get crossed. Weird stuff happens.Speaking different languages is natural and good for you in the way that running is natural and good for you: the more the better, but sometimes you get cramps or just wear yourself out.The source of most of those cramps for people who grew up monol ingual will be your mother tongue. Its been around the longest, youve subconsciously made a lot of your assumptions about language in general based on it and its what hard-wired you to learn languages. It will often stick its micromanaging nose in where it doesnt belong. While sometimes your other languages will stand up to it, sometimes it just plows over them.Other polyglot problems arise from lack of practice, personal differences in  learning style and the same imperfection of the learning process that leads you to say something wrong in your native language every now and then. Here are a few  of the most common problems facing polyglots on a daily basis:Interference: This is the collective term for all those times you accidentally used German grammar in Portuguese, or when you tried to say something in Thai but pronounced it like an English word and someone thought you said something rude. When the structures or conventions of one language interfere with another, youre mixing k nowledge of different languages, which normally produces something that doesnt make sense in either tongue. The struggle is real, and most peoples reactions to it will range from patient to amused.Reduced  feeling of nativeness in your first language: This one normally comes in abrupt little bursts, and its often ridiculous and hilarious when it does. You literally translate an idiom from another language, or you cant remember what that thing over there is called in English. Sometimes you may find it momentarily difficult to say whether a particular sentence is correct in your mother tongue while you struggle to think consciously about rules that you normally use subconsciously. Its par for the course, so just learn to laugh at it.Tip of the tongue moments: The more languages you speak, the more tip of the tongue events  you have. This is actually the technical term for it, and its exactly what it sounds like: when youve almost got a word, its on the tip of your tongue, but you just cant remember it. This generally happens pretty evenly across all your languages, including the native one.Getting rusty or forgetting languages: Languages take time and attention, and the more you speak, the more time you need to keep them all alive and well. Many aspiring polyglots make the mistake of taking one step forward and one step back, letting one language languish while they devote all of their attention to the new one. Thankfully, relearning a rusty language is pretty easy.Wanderlust: Call it a benefit or a drawback, but many multilinguals are drawn to use their languages in the countries they come from. Practicing Spanish on your annual vacation to Andalusia is reasonable, but how many language vacations can you fit in a year? The answer might be to just pack up and hit the road permanently!Most of the problems that come from speaking different languages are better called amusing annoyances, and I dont think I ever met a language learner who told me well Im just giving up because Im too confused all the time and travel too much.Still, there are solutions to even the pettiest of polyglot problems!How to Speak Different Languages Without Getting ConfusedHopefully you agree that polyglot problems are more something to put a hashtag on and laugh about on Twitter than something to divert you from learning more languages.You were quite literally built for this, so your brain is quietly doing 90% of the work for you behind the scenes, but there are a couple things you can do in learning, using, and maintaining your languages to deal with the other 10%.What not to do during the language learning processIt seems like there are as many ways to learn a language as there are learners out there, and different approaches work better for different learners. But, if you want to keep different languages neatly arranged inside your head, there are a couple specific approaches that you should be warned against.1. Learning two very similar languages at the same time Learning two closely related or otherwise similar languages at the same time  is generally a no-no for language learners, especially those who want to minimize their polyglot problems down the road.This is because language learning is largely a game of finding patterns of difference. Languages that share a lot of the same or similar words and word parts are different systems with the exact same kinds of rules (rules about word order, how to form a question, how verbs are conjugated) and very similar parts, so figuring out which parts belong to which set of rules is a challenge even for something as efficient at language learning as the human brain.Thats not to say you cant learn more than one language at a timeâ€"some studies suggest the more the merrierâ€"but it means you should be careful in your choice. Japanese and Russian might be okay, but Spanish and Italian maybe not so much.2. Basing words and meanings in one language on those of anotherYou always hear it: dont translate. I nstead, try to think in the language youre speaking. But what does that actually mean, and how do you do it?On the surface, this means dont just think the blue house when you read or hear  la casa azul.  But this also means something deeper: la casa azul shouldnt only not be translated in your mind as you hear it, but in fact it shouldnt have anything at all to do with the English concept of a house or the color called blue.La casa azul should be a construction with walls and a roof and windows, where people live inside and cook and watch football, with blue walls that are blue from somebody having painted it with paint, not a cartoonish color on your computers Paint program. Try as hard as you can to tie the meanings of words in a foreign language to real things in the real world.You should strive to do all your thinking about meanings in a language in that language, to keep it from ever being tied to or dependent upon your understanding of English words. Prepositions, verbs and ev en nouns cover different properties in different languages, and looking at any one from the perspective of another makes it look sideways and upside-down.Maintaining your languagesOne way you can think of languages is like muscles that need to be trained. If you only teach them one repetitive back-and-forth motion, like ordering food or asking directions, they might tone up but theyll never grow very much. And no matter how big you get them, enough time in disuse will shrink them back down to their original size.The solution here isnt  new or innovative, but tried and true: use it or lose it!There are a few different approaches to doing this, but here are four  that are easy to incorporate into your life:1. Use each of your languages to accomplish a task every day.This doesnt mean that you need  to have a half-hour Skype session every day to keep on top of your languages. What it does mean is that you should use each language to accomplish a task of some kind daily or as close to it as possible.Accomplishing something can be paying bills or filing residency paperwork in your home abroad, or it can be as simple as using the language to entertain yourself with a couple of funny YouTube videos. Reading the news, catching up with a friend or researching something in a target language instead of your mother tongue can all be easy ways of incorporating your languages into each day.2. Try to develop a special relationship with each of your languages.As you become more and more fluent in a language, think about what you use that language for the most or what it naturally lends itself to. Its easy enough to tie each language to something culturally related to itâ€"maybe you look up recipes in French since you love French cuisine, or maybe you took a semester abroad studying finance in Hong Kong and now your Cantonese is good enough to do all your budgeting and banking in that language.When I lived in the Netherlands, I worked at an NGO where I spent a lot of time readi ng and talking about international affairs and development  in Dutch. Now, with more than a year out of the country, I find it easy and practical to read the days news headlines in Dutch or to watch the Dutch nightly news to catch up on world events.Similarly, Ive most recently lived in Mexico, and all it took was one conscious decision after I left to continue making my grocery lists in Spanish. This way, I keep using both of these languages in my daily life and, rather than stopping in the middle of my day for some artificial practice, I incorporate them both into my life in a natural and unintrusive way.3. Practice code-switching.Even if you use all your languages every day, switching between them can remain challenging and confusing without practice. But practicing rapidly switching between languages doesnt only make continuing to do so easier. Its like a composite exercise that works multiple languages from multiple angles at the same time, and has extra benefits for your brain and overall general language abilities.The best way to do this is to purposely put yourself in multilingual situations. Go to language exchange meetups, hang out in hostel common rooms or, if you live in a big global city, just go for a stroll outside and eavesdrop until you hear something familiar.When you can, practice switching between different combinations of languages, and especially between two languages that arent your mother tongue.  The point is to find ways to practice your ability to switch back and forth between languages, and youll notice it getting easier and more natural the more you do it.If you hit this muscle from all angles, youll be looking like a professional linguistic athlete in no time.Languages for life: Some considerations for a life full of languagesSo weve established that you either are or want to be a high-functioning polyglot, which, by the way, we think is great. But to truly reap the benefits, make sure speaking all these different languages become s a lifestyle rather than just an exciting phase of your adventurous student years!Multilingualism carries benefits throughout your life, so youll want to make sure you continue to nurture your hard-earned languages as the years go by. One way you can do that is by living in a multicultural, multilingual world city. The streets of London and Singapore and Cape Town are absolutely crawling with representatives of that 60% of the population who understand your polyglot struggles.How  would you feel about dating someone who has a different native language than yours? Were not suggesting you swipe left or right based on what languages someone speaks, but it is immensely helpful to have a romantic partner who speaks one or more of your target languages.And dont stop at romantic partnersâ€"its even easier to fill your social circle with speakers of your languages and maintain your speaking skills while maintaining your friendships. Itll be a challenge to lose your Portuguese when your bes t friend is Brazilian, and meeting your German friends for a game of flunkyball every other weekend means youll at least retain the requisite vocabulary for knocking over beer bottles and cheering about it.You dont have to move your whole life around to make it a life full of languages. Whether you live in a great world city or remote countryside, whether your social calendar looks like the agenda at the United Nations or youd rather be on the couch with a book, the key is to speak all of your languages all the time.Enjoy the many benefits they bring to your life, and learn to laugh when they make you a little crazy!Jakob is a full-time traveler, obsessive language learner, and dedicated language teacher. He writes about language, travel, and the many places they meet on the road at his blog Globalect. And One More ThingIf youre serious about maintaining multiple languages in your life, you could use a helping hand from technology.Thats where FluentU comes in.FluentU takes real-wo rld videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning experiences. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the range of content available:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tabl et  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the iTunes store  or Google Play store.

Understanding Different Types of Intelligence

Understanding Different Types of Intelligence Understanding Different Types of Intelligence Many students, parents, and teachers become curious about the different types of intelligence. Although possible, it is very rare for a student to be gifted or talented in all areas of the brain. Additionally, intellectual gifts should not be confused with high achievement (READ: Ask a Nerd! IQ vs. SAT). Students who struggle with a particular subject can still study hard, work with a private Orange County tutor one-on-one and learn appropriate educational techniques and still improve. In the same vein, a student could be very talented in a particular subject or subjects but not receive a high grade. The latter type of student is sometimes referred to as an underachiever. So what are some of the different types of intelligence? Book smarts Some students have what we refer to as ‘book smarts’. These are students who can read and fully comprehend a text or a novel and who can study the right information for an exam without prompting and later recall the information for a test. These types of students tend to do very well in the traditional American school environment. High IQ Students with a high IQ, generally perceived to be about 130 or above (this particular number is highly debated by scholars and has changed throughout the decades), are often gifted in one or two areas but may be considered average in other areas. This presents somewhat of a problem for gifted and talented students in a traditional school setting. For example, if a student is heavily gifted in STEM subjects but struggling to comprehend character development in a novel, they may be confused as to why they do so well in some classes but receive C grades in others. Some private schools may be able to accommodate students who fit into different levels but it may be frustrating for the students and their parents nonetheless (READ: 4 College Prep Tips From an Irvine Tutor). It is important for high IQ students to know that it’s normal for them to do very well in one subject and struggle in another. Resilience and determination are part of growing up in our educational system. Social intelligence Some students may be considered average in certain academic subjects but may have a very high social intelligence. This is a valuable skill that can be used throughout life. Students who later become professionals will find that they probably interview well, get along with their coworkers, make good managers, and tend to have vibrant social lives. Students with high social intelligence are also good at finding loopholes and thinking outside of the box, and can generally find a way to make a situation work out whether they take the traditional path or an alternative one (READ: How to Balance Sports and Academics). Students with high social skills may still need help from a tutor in certain subjects. They may or may not test well and they may or may not have superior study skills. Students with a high social IQ social may find that they enjoy careers working with other people or serving in a leadership capacity. Technical intelligence Although this is not yet a recognized term, students with technical intelligence are generally very skilled at working with computers, machines, and other technology. For example, one student may be able to fix a computer or other electronic device by pressing two or three buttons while, on the other hand, one of their peers may struggle desperately to get their computers to work properly. Technical intelligence is becoming more and more of a lucrative skill as our society becomes more dependent upon and enticed by the convenience of electronics and other technological devices. Regardless of a talent in any particular type of intelligence, its important for students, parents, and teachers to know that each student is a unique individual and that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Even the most brilliant students will likely need help or guidance at some point in their educational career. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.

How to Decide If Working From Home Is Right For You

How to Decide If Working From Home Is Right For You pexels.com 1. Do you have a home office? While it seems like an obvious question, it’s an important one to consider. When you go to work in an office setting, you don’t realize how many items are available to you that you may not have in your home setting. For one, do you have a quiet space to work? While you don’t necessarily think of this, working from your bedroom can be difficult, as it makes it harder to separate work from home. Most remote employees have a fully functioning office, but if you don’t have the space, this may not be a feasible option. Also, you’ll want to ensure you have all the necessary supplies (i.e. printer, copier, fax, phone, strong internet connection, desktop, etc.). Depending on the position, these items may be provided to you or reimbursed, but working from home can be a cost that you’ll need to be prepared to take on. 2. Can you work individually? In an office setting, even when your work is individual, there is constantly someone to reach out to with questions or to speak with during down time. When you’re working remotely, those options are lesser, as the only way to speak with someone directly is through email or on the phone, which means that the personal connection is not there. If you aren’t the type of person that can work fully on their own, working remotely may not be for you, as there is certainly a sense of isolation that isn’t present when you’re working in an office setting. So long as this is something you’re comfortable with, you’ll be fine. However, if you aren’t, you’ll want to consider this prior to making any decisions. 3. Are you organized? Again, this may not seem like a big deal, but when you’re working remotely, staying organized is essential to your success. If you aren’t someone that can easily stay on top of deadlines and keep files in the right places, working remotely may not be for you. When you’re working from home, this all falls to you, as there’s no one to hold your hand and tell you what is and isn’t important. While you do have to be organized in an office setting as well, remote workers typically require extensive organizational skills in order to be successful, so be sure that this is something you are capable of doing. 4. Can you stay on track? While there are plenty of distractions in an office setting, like co-workers visiting your desk, meetings, and other office events, working from home has its fair share of distractions as well. If you live with other people, it may be difficult to separate yourself when you’re working. In addition, you typically have a TV or other distractions within reach, and no one around to supervise you and ensure you’re working. If you need to have the supervision component or aren’t sure whether or not you would be able to stay on task when at home, working remotely may not be for you, as there’s a lot of responsibility that falls on your shoulders in that environment. Sure, there’s a lot of freedom, but you also need to be sure you’re completing your assignments. 5. Are you motivated? What it essentially boils down to is whether or not you have the motivational drive to work from home. Your work is entirely self-driven, and remote employees tend to be some of the most ambitious, as they typically rely on themselves alone to complete tasks and drive themselves to be better. If you aren’t the ambitious type or enjoy having team/supervisory support, you’ll definitely want to reconsider whether or not a remote position is right for you. Working from home is a privilege, certainly, but one that not all individuals may want. Sometimes, you simply have to do what’s best for you in terms of your job, and if you don’t believe that working from home is the right fit, speak with your manager to ensure you are in an office setting. Working from home is not for everyone, and remote work can be more challenging and lonely. Take these five items into consideration prior to taking on a remote role and ensure that you are not only capable but also comfortable working in such an environment.