Improvement Of Student’s Writing Skills: What Strategies Should They Use for It?

by magicalmathsPosted on 16/06/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Nowadays, students are becoming more and more attracted to finding legitimate paper writing services that can help them with their writing. It is clear as daylight that they need a lot of different written pieces to fulfill their college or high school duties. Essays are an extremely important part of todays’ studying and that’s why students often struggle with writing. As that is the case, they are tempted to find suitable solutions for it and improve their writing skills so they can provide professors with high-quality samples and eventually get better grades. Since technology began to be present in peoples’ lives on a daily basis, writing has gained a totally new dimension and perspective. Now, it is more used and popular than in the past. But to get to some high level of writing and improve writing skills, students need to know a couple of strategies to do it. And we are here to help you with that. If you are one of them, stay tuned to find out what strategies you can use to boost your writing skills and meet all the necessary requirements of your educational institution.

Try To Convert Some Simple Tenses into More Complicated Ones

One of the strategies that will surely be effective in improving your writing skills is a method of converting simple tenses into complex ones. What does this actually imply? Well, the point of this method is to force your brain to think deeply and more constantly. From the scientific point of view, it is well-known how the human brain can be complexed but also how big capacity it possesses. You only need to search for the depths and try to figure out ideas that usually you wouldn’t be writing at all. Writing is all about having clear ideas and thoughts about what you are going to write, right? Thinking represents one of the most essential processes in creating quality texts. So, instead of writing only simple tenses that everyone can understand with ease, try to make them more complex. It doesn’t mean that you must use some rare words or phrases that will be hard to understand the meaning of. It can be visible through the structuring of your sentences and make them look more professional. Although you are not an expert, this will help you to improve your writing by far and get a little bit familiar with how true professionals approach the act of writing.

Of Course, Practice!

It is not a piece of advice that will enlighten you but the value of practicing is frequently not fully understood by the students. That’s the reason why we must emphasize this and remember you of its importance. Writing demands practice, like any other piece of art. Do you think that celebrities like Agatha Christie or Stephen King would be such successful writers without practicing? Of course not. Hence, make sure that you practice your writing as much as your time allows you. It will provide you with additional ideas and will expand your vocabulary so as a whole perspective of writing. If you work constantly on yourself, you will shortly detect a significant improvement in your writing skills.

Read Samples of Your Teachers or Professional Writers

It is fair to say that students often follow examples of their teachers and see them as role models. Imagine that you are a professor at some college or high school. What approach would you be having towards students? As you imagine students treating you, that’s how you should behave towards them. It is as simple as that. If you have a teacher who is willing to provide you with helpful suggestions and pieces of advice, try to look for his writing samples if he or she possesses them. If not, it is a person that can always direct you toward the best professional writers in the world. It is not necessary to mention that you should listen to them though. Even if that is not the case, you can always take advantage of the Internet connection and look at some of your own. It is a big plus for modern students as the Internet allows them to quickly get beneficial information about everything, they are interested in. Don’t hesitate to read what others have published and wrote with a desire to improve someone’s knowledge and skills. You can learn plenty of important things and speed up the improvement of your writing. However, you should be aware of one thing. Professionals often use phrases and words that sometimes cannot be clear to younger populations. Don’t let this distract you from continuing reading the samples of that writer. It is a common thing to see and you can search in vocabularies for those phrases that you can’t fully understand.

Set Yourself a Certain Criteria and Make Sure Not to Step Away from It

This tip may seem to be too complicated but, in reality, it is truly not. Don’t be afraid to set specified criteria about your writing and what you would like to achieve. Be honest with yourself and don’t go over your limits. Setting certain criteria will make you realize what your current level of writing is and what things you must work on. In the beginning, it can be harder but soon you will notice how big and positive an impact it can have on your writing skills. Be specific and write down what you want to include in the texts, from simple adverbs and nouns to the entire sentences and even paragraphs. As soon as you master it, writing will become your obsession.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, students often struggle with writing and are even more worried about their writing skills. They are losing self-confidence fast and that’s what you must prevent. You shouldn’t be scared to look for help, whether it is through reading articles of this kind or someone close to you. As a student, having a great guide at the beginning will only make you a better writer and a person. Hopefully, our tips will provide you with significant improvement in your writing skills. If so, make sure to continue using these writing strategies to get your writing to the top!

Are your 2021 GCSE Grades Not What You Expected?

by magicalmathsPosted on 03/06/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Learning from home, lockdowns, then back into school. It’s been a strange time for students.  

We understand that it’s been a tough year for everyone, and especially for our students. Covid-19 brought many changes which resulted in GCSE grades being based on teacher assessments and subject performance. For some, this may have worked well, for others they may have wished that the standardised exams were brought back. 

GCSE results are due to be published on Thursday 12^th August 2021.  

Whatever the outcome may be of your GCSEs it should be important to note that this past years unprecedented events have affected and disrupted your education, therefore whatever your grades you should be incredibly proud of yourselves. Do not panic, there are always options for whatever path you wish to take.

Didn’t achieve the GCSE grades that you wanted? Consider these options instead:

GCSE Resits

Did coursework bring your grades down? No problem. It’s not needed during the 2021 GCSE resit!

Due to the cancelled summer exams, in the autumn term of 2021 optional GCSE exams will be taking place. This may provide a boost to your grades if you were dissatisfied with the grade given by your teacher assessments. These optional exams will be available for all GCSE subjects, so if there was a subject you were particularly unhappy about, you’ll be able to take an exam without the need to submit any other coursework or classwork. 

Appealing your grades

Unhappy with the way your teachers and tutors have graded you over this past year?  

Perhaps a teacher didn’t go through the correct grading procedure and so resulting in bias, or maybe there was an admin error. Grades can also be challenged if the circumstances of the student were not considered – i.e., student’s mental health issues or bereavement. 

As a result of the pandemic, if you are unhappy with the grades given to you this year it is important to know that every student has the right to appeal their grades due to the teacher-based assessments. 

Change your subject

Did you achieve an average of 7+ in your subjects and one subject is graded at 1? Or maybe your online language GCSE classes just didn’t work. Maybe it’s time to change.

Once you have received your grades, there may be some subjects where you performed exceptionally well and others not as great. Or maybe you have been rethinking your career path and want to study a subject that would better facilitate that change. As long as you are willing to put in the work to meet the entry requirements of your chosen courses, then you should consider changing your subject to get the grades you want.

And if you’re still unsure, then consider a wide variety of subjects – these are the main facilitating subjects: maths, sciences, English, history, geography, and languages.

Change your sixth form  

Original sixth form not accepting you? Maybe it’s time to change.

There are many other great sixth forms to choose from, maybe you just hadn’t considered them yet. These other sixth forms may have similar courses that you would be interested in and may accept you with the grades you received on results day (without the need for any resits or retakes). 

Final Thoughts

The pandemic has changed everything, especially regarding your education. This has been a time of great uncertainty and we know that everyone is doing the best that they can to manage their studies during this time. Whatever it is that may have caused you to not perform as expected, whether it was remote learning, lockdowns, or examination style. 

Don’t worry as there are options after your GCSE results to get to where you want to be. 

Take this time to think over your options carefully and consider what’s best for you.  

And remember to stay safe and good luck with your future studies!

What You Can Do with an Education Degree

by magicalmathsPosted on 21/05/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Getting a degree in education allows for a large possibility of careers. While many automatically think of teaching, there are plenty of other job opportunities that go behind the scenes of a typical classroom environment, including those that deal with leadership, policy and curriculum design. As such, choosing a career path in education means pinpointing exactly what your interests, strengths and skills are overall. Nevertheless, there are several careers that stand out above the rest, all stemming from a major in education.

How to Pay for Your Degree

Of course, the big question for many is how to pay for the high cost of college. There are a number of possibilities, though the one that many students tend to go with is by taking out student loans from a private lender. Private lenders can offer more money compared to other lenders, such as with federal loans. They also offer more flexible repayment plans, whether you’d like a short-term or long-term plan. Applying is quick and easy, done completely online, where you can hear back quickly with a response whether you’ve been approved or not.

Curriculum Designer

If you are detail-oriented, an excellent planner and well-organized, you can consider using your education degree to pursue a career as a curriculum designer. In this profession, you will create, design and implement curriculums for classrooms. As such, you will work with teachers, education coordinators, subject specialists and administrators, requiring plenty of cross-communication. You will also keep up with the latest technology and digital learning to ensure the curriculum continuously meets the ever-evolving contemporary standards.

Education Administrator

Education administrators typically consist of leadership roles, such as being a principal, school district administrator, director of admissions or many more options. They are essential to ensure schools run efficiently in all aspects of both day-to-day and big picture school life. They have excellent interpersonal and time management skills and are able to make big decisions in short time periods. Typically, this type of role will require a Masters or Ph.D., requiring further education beyond a Bachelors in Education.

Test Developer

Schools are full of tests, and someone needs to develop them in order to administer to the students. That’s where test developers come into the picture, creating test questions that measure students’ knowledge for success in a variety of subjects. There’s much more to this profession as well — it also requires gathering and analyzing data taken from the tests to gauge student success and standard-setting. The job requires exceptional security practices as well, as the information is confidential in nature.

Guidance Counselor

Becoming a guidance counselor is a rewarding career for a number of reasons. Counselors help students academically and professionally so that they can succeed both while in school and beyond it. They can also aid students identify issues that affect their current performance and recommend some steps to take to resolve those problems, such as taking certain classes or enrolling in tutoring programs. Like with education administrators, guidance counselors will typically require a master’s degree and state certification.

How Teachers Can Stay Safe Online: A Cybersecurity Guide

by magicalmathsPosted on 21/05/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Introduction

This past year has seen cybercriminals target institution after institution, hospital after hospital. Unfortunately, not even schools are safe from cybercriminals. From colleges to elementary schools, cybercriminals have begun targeting schools, students, and teachers.

Data breaches, malware infections, leaked records: there’s no limit to the damage cybercriminals can cause. As a teacher, you may be wondering how you can keep your students safe. Let’s go over a few ways you can do just that.

Online Threats Facing Teachers

Data Breaches

A school’s Wi-Fi network is connected to so many devices that if a data breach were to happen, the data of students, teachers, and parents would be affected. Unfortunately, school data breaches are more common than you might think.

Out-of-Date Software

Developers couple routine software updates with security patches. This means that if you ignore these updates, your devices will be susceptible to ransomware, viruses, and data breaches.

IoT Vulnerabilities

Many schools use IoT devices such as security cameras and smart assistants to aid in the security and productivity of the school. However, IoT devices are rarely secure, and they often act as vulnerabilities in a school’s network.

How Teachers Can Protect Themselves

1. Use a VPN

Some school networks have private connections, but many use public networks so that students can use the Internet as well. If your school uses a public network, be sure to use a VPN for security. With a VPN, your data will be encrypted—a luxury public networks don’t give—and you’ll be able to work without fear of your data being stolen.

2. Update Software

Outdated software is a hotbed for malware and viruses. Software updates often come with security patches; going without these security patches puts you and your school’s network at risk.

Update your devices’ software as often as possible. And maybe try to get other staff to do the same, if possible.

3. Teach Students Proper Cybersecurity

There are some lessons that any teacher can teach, and that includes cybersecurity. If you can afford the time, reserve a few minutes to tell your students about how they can stay safe online. At the very least, tell them how they’re expected to act while using the school’s Wi-Fi.

4. Employ Network Filters

Most schools employ some sort of network filter and firewall to limit what students and faculty can do online. This is a great idea! If your place of work doesn’t currently do this, then it’s worth starting a discussion with IT to add a filter and firewall immediately. With a filter and firewall combo, it will be difficult for students or faculty to visit harmful websites and let malware spread.

5. Use Strong Passwords

If someone knew your passwords—the passwords you use to log in to educational software, grading software, and vice versa—they could get their hands on tons of private data. To avoid this, be sure you’re using strong and secure passwords for everything.

Conclusion

Being a teacher means being responsible for the security of your students. With these tips, you’ll be able to keep your students’ data secure with little change in your daily routine.

5 Tips to help your child become a Maths-Whizz

by magicalmathsPosted on 01/04/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Maths as we all know is one of the most dreaded subjects out there. Bringing your child or your student to sit down and revise it can often be a great challenge. The thing is though Maths really isn’t that hard. With the correct methods and a small amount of effort, you can become a Maths-Whizz in no time.

No calculators (at least for now)

Nowadays there are exams specifically for calculator use and exams that ban calculator use. There are uses to calculators but they should never replace the old fashioned methods. From a young age if a child completes as much maths as possible without the use of a calculator it puts them in better stead for future understanding of both calculator and non calculator papers.

Completing mental arithmetic at a young age can be the most valuable asset to a child’s mathematical academic journey. It creates a solid base to build on later and one of the main reasons that it helps so much is that when calculating a quick addition sum in their heads or on paper, a child automatically then calculates the opposite subtraction calculation to double-check their work. Whereas when using a calculator the answer provided is just accepted as correct and the child has made no effort to understand the inner workings of the calculation. 

Practice daily

Consider how you learn a new skill such as learning a new language or playing a musical instrument; you rely on strong focus and regular practice to develop your ability and acquire that skill and knowledge. Therefore, it should be no surprise that students who harness the power of practice can achieve similar success in academics when they apply that same principle.

The idea of practicing a little amount very often keeps the brain active and embeds topics into the memory and understanding due to the repetition. Whereas when a child revises a topic that they have not looked at in a while they often have to relearn the methods and remind themselves how to do the calculations. 

Refresh your mind with old topics, and build on them

Similar to the above point it is a great idea to build topics and ideas on top of each other when learning, this constantly reminds a child of previous topics. 

Often when in school and studying Maths, once a child has finished one topic and moved onto the next, the previous topic is out of their mind, and after not thinking about it for a while, it is easily forgotten. By building ideas on top of each other and constantly refreshing the mind with what it has learned so far.  

Give it a go before asking for help

Some student’s automatic reaction is to ask for help immediately. This is no bad thing and asking for help is a great habit to get into. Often though the student is perfectly capable of answering the questions themselves but they feel they need reassurance from their teacher. 

When a child asks for help, ask them to first see what they would do, a lot of the time they can get it on their own. This will then build their confidence and in the future, they will be able to complete tasks on their own. 

Say it out loud

Sometimes the numbers are arranged in a new way and the situation looks so unfamiliar that it is hard to see where to start. Talking through the problem helped me understand what the issues were and then it was easier to work around solving them. This is rarely told to math students because math is not associated with words, but for some, especially for people who are more word-oriented, this can be golden. 

Using these tips should not only turn your child into a Maths-Whizz but build their confidence in the subject to then transfer to other subjects and once they become confident in the subject they will stop dreading it. Who knows maybe they will go so far as to enjoy it. 

The best way to get your child to start enjoying Maths is to get a really good tutor who will inspire your child and turn boring lessons into a fun activity-filled session. Find an online tutor in no time with Sherpa. If you are looking for a qualified teacher who is guaranteed to improve grades and create fun useful sessions outside of a school environment then Sherpa is the place to go. 

The Benefits of Reading and Writing in Math Class

by magicalmathsPosted on 29/03/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Math class is all about numbers and graphs. Usually, students don’t write much, and explaining how they came to a certain conclusion is probably the only exception. Nevertheless, reading and writing are very important learning tools so these activities can be beneficial even in math. 

Math students are not very motivated to write, that’s why they use sites like BetterWritingServices to find an essay writing service and outsource their writing assignments to other people. However, reading and writing are two interconnected fundamental skills that are crucial for learning, in general. Reading is somewhat similar to mathematics because this process consists of two stages: first, you should perceive the information that is encoded visually, and then you should comprehend it.

Writing is also a very powerful learning tool because when we write, both hemispheres of our brains are engaged. One hemisphere generates ideas for writing, while another hemisphere structures these ideas so that you can express them logically.

One of the main advantages of writing is that it requires you to organize your ideas. This is exactly what makes writing a valuable learning tool. Besides, writing is a slower process than speaking, which means that you have more time for reasoning and evaluation of your arguments. Therefore, you can come up with stronger arguments that are properly supported by the evidence. According to research, writing can be beneficial not only for learning, in general, but also for math classes, in particular. For instance, it turns out that students’ ability to explain concepts in the written format is directly related to their ability to comprehend and apply these concepts in practice.

Reading and Writing as Tools for Research and Learning

Mathematics, reading, and writing shouldn’t be separated because these types of activities can help educators create a complete learning experience and make studies more efficient. Hands-on math can build students’ interest and curiosity while also helping them develop the necessary knowledge so that they can write about the topic. The more students know about a certain subject, the better they comprehend it, and reading can help them learn more.

Students who learn math should combine practice with reading because it’s necessary for research, while writing can help students communicate and interpret mathematical concepts. Reading also teaches students to evaluate different sources of information and their trustworthiness. Mathematics requires you to use a number of process skills that have a lot in common with reading. Therefore, these skills can reinforce each other when trained together.

For example, both reading and math share such skills as communicating, predicting, cause and effect analysis, comparing and contrasting, inferring, etc. Educators who understand the connection between literacy processes and mathematics can take these similarities into account when developing instructions. Establishing a connection between reading and math is beneficial not only for learning math. To teach students reading effectively, it’s important not to limit this process to lessons dedicated specifically to reading but to put it in the relevant context. This way, students will be able to focus on reading content that delivers the most value.

It’s also hard to overestimate the positive impact of writing in math class. While writing, students not only learn to communicate their ideas but also clarify them and present them with respect to the context and details. Writing, in general, requires you to structure your thoughts, but academic writing has even more educational value. Academic writing requires students to create a clear logical structure and to present coherent conclusions.

Using Writing and Writing in Math Class

Writing prompts are most common in elementary and middle school classrooms. Usually, these prompts focus on general subjects, such as students’ preferences and dislikes, attitudes, feelings, and concerns related to math class. Reading activities revolve around autobiographies and journals, while writing is usually present in a form of freewriting or letters to a teacher. Such writing can focus on general metacognitive aspects, such as expectations, goals, and commitment, or on a specific concept that students learn at the moment.

Teachers may try to adapt this sort of prompts to the needs of high school students, as well, but it can be a difficult task, and a more effective approach might be to use reading and writing to illustrate the application of math in all spheres of our lives. Thanks to reading and writing, students can develop a quantitative understanding of reality by simply reflecting on their everyday lives from the mathematical perspective.

If students are curious enough, it can be easy to motivate them and engage them to write and expand their vocabulary. While learning mathematical concepts, students can also improve their language skills. Educators just need to integrate reading and writing into math classes as regular parts of the educational process. To make these activities more valuable, students can read books on mathematics and write papers on various subjects that they study. This way, they will reinforce their knowledge during the writing process.

Another approach is to ask students to write their mathematics journals where they can document their experiences in problem-solving and formulate their opinions about issues related to mathematics. Mathematic teachers can help their students learn math faster and more effectively by encouraging brainstorming and discussions. Students can answer relevant questions in the written form, providing analogies and supporting their opinions with quotes from sources that they’ve read. It’s also important to encourage students to develop their vocabulary.

There is also a difference between writing about mathematics and mathematical writing. When writing about mathematics, students mostly focus on literacy, while mathematical writing prioritizes mathematical reasoning. Mathematical writing also isn’t limited to regular text — it may also feature mathematical symbols and formulas, along with visual components, such as charts and graphs. Mathematical writing can be applied in different contexts. For example, students may write argumentative, exploratory, and informative papers. It’s also possible to combine mathematical and creative writing.

Wrapping Up

Although the connection between such skills as reading or writing and math may not be obvious, educators shouldn’t forget about the benefits of writing and reading for learning, in general. Both writing and reading are extremely useful cognitive exercises. Moreover, math teachers can incorporate reading and writing activities in math classes, encouraging students to learn mathematical writing as an approach that they’ll be able to use in their academic careers.

Preparing for College: Here’s What You Should Know

by magicalmathsPosted on 29/03/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

School visits, applications, interviews, and tests. The process of preparing for college can certainly be daunting. At times, it may seem like it never ends. However, it’s important to remember to stay motivated. All the hard work will be worth it in the end.

If you are feeling the pressure, then keep on reading. Below, we are going to be discussing everything you need to know before you starting your college journey. Let’s get started!

Picking a Career Path: 

Before you do anything, you need to think about what your plans are for the future. Do you have the desired job? A general field of interest? Or absolutely no idea at all? By sitting down and picking a career path, the next step of choosing schools and your degree will be much easier. If you are not sure of what direction to go in, here are a few tips that may help:

• Assess your interests and abilities.
• Think about what job would suit your desired lifestyle.
• Consider taking a career aptitude test and view suggestions.
• Speak to previous college students and ask for advice. 

Choosing Schools:

Once you’ve got a general idea of what you want to do, you can start looking at different schools. When browsing suggestions, keep in mind what you want to study, where it is located, and your other desires that contribute to your student life. Do you want to be able to live on-campus? What sort of meal plans do they offer? Do you want to join a fraternity or sorority? All of these questions will help you narrow down your options.

Keep in mind that you should have around 5-7 different colleges in mind. While you might fall in love with one school, you want to have other options in case you don’t get accepted.

The Application Process:

The next step is to start applying to your chosen schools. Now, this can be lengthy and complicated, so make sure you spend time preparing yourself and practicing. You may even want to seek assistance. For example, if you wish to enter an Ivy school, a wise idea is to look into finding a private college admissions advisor who can help you through the entire process.

Paying Tuition:

The average cost of college, including your tuition, room and board, sits at around $48,510. Understandably you want to be able to pay off your loan as soon as possible so that you can start generating a great income once you have graduated. Consider getting a part-time job during your school years so that you can set aside some money. Trust us when we say it really will make a difference.

Getting Settled:

Lastly, once all of the above has been taken care of, you want to spend some time getting settled into your new life. Moving out of the nest can be daunting, but there are ways to reduce stress so that you can enjoy this new adventure as much as possible. Remember to have fun, work hard, and don’t forget to stay in touch with your friends and family. You can do this!

8 Ways to Reduce Stress at College

by magicalmathsPosted on 26/02/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Many students claim that college times are stressful. Yet, they acknowledge the fact that they are happy to be students. How is that even possible?

Studying is not easy. You are obliged to read long and often boring course materials, complete tasks, take exams, and write essays. All that comes with strict deadlines and punishments for a late submission. Obviously, many students experience stress and anxiety.

At the same time, being a student is associated with strong friendships, extracurricular activities, and lots of fun. You’ve probably never laughed that much in your life as you did with your friends at college.

So, what if we tell you that you can make your college times stress-free and pleasing only? Apart from delegating your tasks to essaywritingservice to relieve some stress, you can also try several useful practices that help you blow off some steam. Keep on reading to find out more!

source: https://unsplash.com/photos/-2vD8lIhdnw 

Be Organized

Planning helps you feel in control of your time. If you plan your day and week, you know exactly how much time you can spend on each activity. At the same time, you keep track of all your deadlines and due dates to never be late and lose points.

Being organized is not only about planning but also about self-discipline. This skill tells you when skipping a party would be wiser than attending it and then suffering for the entire week. Self-organization helps you avoid cramming, pulling all-nighters, and struggling to keep up. 

Arrange a Place for Yourself

To maximize your focus and concentration, you should have a place to study and a schedule to stick to so that your mates or family wouldn’t disturb you while you are busy. If you have a study room, that’s great. If you don’t, you can turn your bedroom into a study. However, steer clear of the bed as you might be swayed to take a nap.

A place that you arrange should be your study space. As soon as you sit on the chair and switch on your computer, your brain should ignore all distractions and focus on work. If you succeed in this, your stress will fade shortly.

Diversify Your Schedule

However, studying hard is not a perfect solution to fighting stress. Actually, if the only thing you do is studying, you’ll get even more stressed quite soon. Therefore, to relieve some stress and live happy student life, you need to diversify your activities.

Create a schedule to help you balance your studies and life. Engage in yoga, jogging, or other fitness activities in the morning. Get involved in acting, singing, or dancing in the evening. Make sure you are busy but doing different things. It helps to make your life full and fills you with joy.

Go for a Walk

Whenever stress gets overwhelming, use ca.essaywritingservice.com for all your writing assignments and go for a walk. Nothing feels more refreshing than the great outdoors with all the beautiful landscapes. Walking in nature helps us lower our pace and find some peace in this demanding world.

A good idea is to include getaways in your routine. Make sure you take a trip to a new place once in a couple of weeks. Also, go for a small walk a few times per week. Do not see it as a waste of time. You do it to minimize the degree of your stress. Believe it, walking really works.

Take Care of Yourself

Do not ignore a proper night’s sleep and a regular healthy meal. No matter how busy you are with your studies, neglecting your basic needs provokes even more stress. Assignments come and go, but accumulated health issues stay and cause you even more stress.

Thus, cook food at home instead of consuming junk food or eating out. Do not drink gallons of coffee or energy drinks; give preference to water and tea instead. Sleep for 8 hours at night and take a short nap during the day if you feel like you need it. After all, success is not about how much time you spend studying but how efficient you are.

source: https://unsplash.com/photos/1K9T5YiZ2WU 

Communicate with Peers

We are born as social creatures. Thus, we need human communication to survive. Having friends is not a choice but a necessity since a sincere and open conversation sometimes saves lives and helps to ease one’s burden.

For a student, communication with peers means an opportunity to discuss common problems and develop a logical solution. Quite often, the issue becomes less challenging after sharing it with a friend. Needless to say, great ideas often come to those who don’t keep it all inside.

Have Quality Time with Your Parents

Feeling homesick and missing your parents is fine whether you are a freshman or an older student. Your parents are the two closest people you have in the world. A place you call home is your energy source. Sometimes, when you feel stressed, the best thing to do is to take a trip home.

If you are an international student, this advice can be hard to fulfill. However, modern means of communication let you video call your parents and communicate as if you were in the same room. Call them as much as you need to feel safe and secure. Do not think it’s childish; it’s refreshing.

Attend Stress-Reducing Practices

If you feel that you can’t fight your stress on your own, try addressing specialists. Psychological help or counseling is good for everybody, but you can try meditation or breathing exercises first. These practices aim to make your mind and body relax. You might find that it was what you needed all along.

Search for reviews on independent platforms like Reddit and get yourself immersed in the best meditation you can find. No worries, today meditation has nothing to do with religious rituals, and its effect on health is recognized in the scientific community. As for deep-breathing exercises, they are often a part of a meditation course.

Final Words

Building your stress resistance, as well as learning to handle stress, is a great skill you need to obtain when you are a student. The older you get, the more distressing situations emerge. Thus, invest your time and efforts in dealing with it now to live a happy student life and strengthen your endurance for the future.

5 best methods for teaching your kids while learning online

by magicalmathsPosted on 26/02/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

When the schools closed last year, parents all over the UK were put into teacher positions in their own homes. Some very quickly realised that Teaching school kids is a tough job and some came into their own with scheduled breaks, homework slots and a level of organisation only seen before in the military. Here are some tips from a teacher’s perspective to help you maintain and boost your child’s grades while at home. 

One of the key things that school helps to instill in your child is a sense of routine. Knowing what they have to do at certain times of the day removes a lot of time wasted in deciding and throwing things together at the last minute, it’s especially beneficial for children who might otherwise find their attention wavering. Knowing what to expect from the day helps your child to settle down and focus on one task at a time. This will make teaching them a lot easier. 

Create a routine

Also a sense of routine has been proven to help children succeed at school, with correlations being drawn to their prospects in later life. 

Get creative

We have all had that boring teacher who we didn’t like because they managed to turn the most interesting topics into something that we dreaded going to. Try not to follow the old school formula of reading from a textbook and repetition. 

Instead, see this as a unique opportunity to make learning a little different from school lessons. Find creative solutions to supplement their online lessons. This can be one around the house, for example, use the shopping list to help your child with their adding and subtracting or go out into the garden and find some bugs to analyse for Biology. 

Move around

Staying in one room all day can be hard for anyone, let alone kids who have double as much energy as us adults. It can also make every lesson turn into one big blur in your child’s memory. By changing up the location of your lessons then your child gets a fresh perspective and it helps with the memory of individual subjects. You can do this by doing something as simple as moving between rooms for their lessons, for example, learning in their bedroom, the kitchen, living room and even the garden (weather dependent).

Hire an online tutor

An online tutor is a simple solution to supplement the classes that you and the school are giving the kids. Especially if the tutor is from a site like Sherpa that focuses on qualified UK teachers. Teachers are familiar with the curriculums and are trained in the best methods to impart information and ensure that the material is embedded in a child’s long term memory. Sherpa offers tutors to kids of all ages from Primary School help to tutors that will guarantee a great 11+ pass and GCSE and A-level success. 

Take regular breaks

Last but not least, remember it is vital to take regular breaks from a child’s studying. Breaks are extremely important, particularly when it comes to learning. Your child’s brain needs time to process what you’ve been teaching it, and frequent breaks have been shown to improve learning.

But make sure your child’s breaks aren’t just them staring at a screen. Encourage them to get a breath of fresh air, a change of environment, and to relax. Frequent breaks will improve your child’s memory and keep them focused on learning.

All of these minor changes help to create a less monotonous experience for your child and keep them productive during their time stuck at home. To stay aware of signs that your child’s mental wellbeing is remaining positive check out this article by Sherpa produced for Children’s Mental Health Week in February and don’t forget to have a look at the online tuition available to them. 

Everything You Need to Know About Peer Review

by magicalmathsPosted on 13/01/2021 Posted in G Post, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

Any kind of academic work requires quality scientific data. Yet, distinguishing between fake and original information can be tricky. A lot of the sources contain bias and distorted facts as people are free to publish anything they want, especially on the web. Luckily, peer review exists to help you find sources written and validated by experts in a field. If you are not sure what peer review is and what makes it an indicator of quality in the scientific community, continue reading this article to figure it out.

What Does Peer Review Mean?

Peer review is the process of independent evaluation of academic work for quality and validity. It verifies whether a piece is suitable for publication, checking the adherence to academic standards. The assessment is performed by a board of experts in a relevant subject area. Aside from the quality check, peer review also serves as a form of feedback for authors as it helps them to revise and improve their work before publication.

Peer Review Process

When an author submits an article to a journal, it must go through several stages of the peer review process to be officially approved for publication. At the first stage, the editor of the journal checks whether the article observes journal policies and guidelines. If the piece meets primary requirements, the editor sends it to reviewers who are experts in the field the article belongs to. They check the content and quality of the presented information. The reviewers can accept the article, recommend revision, or reject it. If a revision is required, the author needs to make the necessary changes and submit the article for peer review again.

Peer Review Types

There are several types of peer reviews: single-blind, double-blind, triple-blind, and open.

1. Single-blind reviews are preferred by most journals. Their main feature is that the reviewer’s names remain unknown to the author of the article. It benefits the transparency of review as the reviewers cannot be influenced by the author in any way, which allows them to stay objective. Yet, single-blind reviews have been criticized as reviewers may delay accepting the article to publish their own research first. Moreover, they can be too harsh in their comments, considering their anonymity.
2. Double-blind reviews protect the identity of the author as well, allowing both parties to remain anonymous. It prevents bias against the author. It means that the result of peer review will not be influenced by the author’s personal or professional background. Yet, the editor can still see the author’s name, which leaves some concerns.
3. Triple-blind reviews keep the author’s name hidden from both the reviewers and the editor. Yet, this type is not perfect as it requires much more time and money to review articles. Besides, there is still a possibility that the reviewers or the editor will identify the author by their writing voice.
4. Open reviews support transparency during the peer review process. They make the author’s, the reviewers’, and the editor’s identities uncovered. Such reviews encourage open discussion, prevent reviewers from being too harsh, and speed up the peer review process.

The requirements and types of peer review may vary, depending on the journal that you submit your work to. However, its aim remains the same: to ensure a high standard of quality and scientific validity. This is the reason why your professors set the use of peer-reviewed sources as one of the main criteria for most academic papers.

How to Find Peer-Reviewed Sources?

To find out whether a certain article is peer-reviewed, check the editorial policy and article requirements of the journal where it is published. You will understand whether the source engages reviewers, preparing their articles for publication. If you are conducting your research online, use the “peer-reviewed” limiter on the search pages of databases and research platforms to narrow down the results.

Why Is Peer Review Important?

Peer review is a crucial part of the publication process. It brings some control into academic communication, preventing the spread of fake news and bias. Peer review also supports researchers and students as it allows them to access information that can be trusted. That is why any respected essay writing service accepts only the use of peer-reviewed articles as they provide original and valid evidence for academic papers. The scientific community relies on peer reviews because they facilitate research.

Authors also benefit from peer reviews as they can get feedback. It helps them to look at their work from a fresh perspective and fix the errors or gaps before publication. Besides, reviewers help to select the most relevant and significant work and expedite the publication process.

However, peer review does not lack critique. Usually, the process takes a lot of time, which slows down the publication of important discoveries. Besides, it does not fully prevent the publication of flawed works. Still, even though peer review might not be perfect, most scholars and researchers agree that its benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

The Final Thought

Peer review has been a helpful form of academic assessment. It emerged with the first scholarly journals about 300 years ago. Despite some criticism, peer review continues to be a widely recognized approach that allows finding valid and original works. Today, it facilitates the publication process, monitoring and improving the quality of the published materials.