The Benefits of Being Mindful in the Workplace - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / The Benefits of Being Mindful in the Workplace - Introvert Whisperer The Benefits of Being Mindful in the Workplace   Demands of the modern workplace are making our jobs more dynamic and unpredictable. That means we need to be more present, focused and on point in order to perform well on our day-to-day tasks. However, we are also fighting off distractions, monotony, fatigue, and similar foes that make us feel disconnected from our work. This usually results in productivity drops and cloudy judgment, which make us all the more likely to make mistakes. Feeling distracted from the present moment by past disappointments and future concerns can be quite frustrating. The good news is that “living in the now” is a skill you can work on and improve over time. This practice is more popularly known as being mindful. What Is Mindfulness?   The concept of mindfulness has its roots in Bhudistic practices. It is a psychological process that describes the sensation of being able to focus on the present moment. The idea entered the field of clinical psychology and psychiatry in the 70s and since then studies have shown that mindfulness can be useful for achieving and maintaining mental health. Mindfulness affects our cognition and behavior in a way that makes its benefits quite transferable and applicable to different areas of our lives including our career and work life. It doesn’t matter what type of job you’re doing, everyone can benefit from practicing mindfulness with a goal of improving their performance and taking their career to the next level. How Does Mindfulness Help Your Career and Work Life   Improves Focus and Productivity Being presents increases our focus and sparks our productivity. It’s a tool we use to deal with distractions and provides us with greater stability, control and efficiency.   Reduces Stress   Mindfulness is a great way of relieving excessive workplace stress. So much so that renowned corporations such as Google and Goldman Sachs are creating formal mindfulness programs to reduce the stress of their employees and to fight stress-caused absenteeism and disengagement. Facilitates Divergent Thinking Being more mindful means we’re also more creative. Living in the moment means we’re not relying on or limited by established patterns of thinking and it allows us to explore fresh approaches and ideas.   How To Practice Mindfulness Being mindful is a skill and it can be practiced and mastered. The essence of the practice is focusing on a particular sensation or action, recognizing when your mind inevitably wonders and simply guiding yourself back to the subject of your meditation. Experienced mindfulness practitioners describe the benefits as “strengthening a muscle” which will allow you to gain more control over your attention. There are several techniques that have proven to be very efficient for beginners: Deep Breathing Exercises Focusing on your breathing is probably the easiest exercise you can start with when practicing mindfulness. It’s recommended that you get to a relatively quiet space with little distraction. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply, hold your breath for a moment and then breathe out. While you’re doing this focus exclusively on your breathing and whenever you catch yourself thinking about anything else, simply restart the process again. You will notice over time that it’s easier to remain focus and you will suffer from fewer distractions. Raisin Meditation Meditating while eating raisins is an example of mindful eating. The idea behind the practice is that focusing on the different sensations caused by eating can improve our mindfulness over time. Raisin is a perfect candidate for this exercise because of its texture, shape, feel and strong flavor. The exercise should be around 5 minutes long and each raising should be consumed slowly, following a particular set of actions. The steps included are: observing the raisin, feeling it with your fingers, smelling it, exploring the texture before consuming it and finally, focusing on the taste, sensations of chewing and swallowing the raisin. Body Scan Meditation This technique is an extension of breathing exercises. Once you’ve gotten into position and you’ve done a couple of breathing-focused cycles, you can now choose a body part like your foot or your head and move your attention towards it. Notice the sensations you feel when focusing on that particular body part. There might be some tingling sensations, tightness or you might notice the difference in temperature from the rest of your body. After a certain amount of time, shift your focus back to your breathing and then proceed to explore another body part. Repeat the cycle until you’ve scanned your entire body.     Conclusion   The best thing about mindfulness is that you can have great results with minimal investments. Ten to twenty minutes of mindful meditation should definitely be added to your list of personal habits for a productive tomorrow. In the era of constant informational flow and sensory overload in the modern workplace, mindfulness will both protect our mental health while helping us become more productive and efficient.   … Author Bio: Mark is a biz-dev hero at  Invoicebus   a simple invoicing service that gets your invoices paid faster. He passionately blogs on topics that help small biz owners succeed in their business. He is also a lifelong learner who practices mindfulness and enjoys  long walks in nature more than anything else. Go to top Do you know what your next career step is?   Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

How Much Does Yoga Equipment Cost

How Much Does Yoga Equipment Cost Are Yoga Accessories Expensive? ChaptersTarget Your Expectations in YogaSet a Budget for Yoga AccessoriesThe Different Types of Yoga AccessoriesChange Your Yoga Equipment MaterialTo live spiritually is to live in the present. Yoga brings us into the present moment by being more aware of your body alignment, your movements and your breathing - Bks LyengarWhen we think of yoga, we think at first of sun salutations, serenity, and a whole gamut of strange postures, but we forget the essential elements. We see videos on the internet, and we think it looks too hard or too peaceful, we would never get there, and that it's not even worth it to try.But this would be a serious mistake! Because a part of the success in yoga is due to the help of certain good accessories, starting with the yoga mat, which allows better postures and stabilizes them. With 300 million practitioners in the world, yoga is a real discipline that deserves attention, because it goes far beyond being a trend that is associated with  a certain way of li fe.In my case, I practice yoga occasionally and have invested in a yoga block, which allows me, in particular, to be better supported and, in fact, better balanced during my yoga classes near me.Accessories can be our best allies, but, of course, they don't come for free! So how much does yoga gear cost exactly?Yoga certainly is a practice that has become commonplace for many of us and continues to see its number of practitioners skyrocketing.Positive values, linked to a healthy lifestyle, and associated with more efficient and inexpensive accessories, it is perhaps the moment to get on board and give a sun salutation a try!Discover the different types of yoga clothes for women...

Sewing Tutorials for Finding the Perfect Needles

Sewing Tutorials for Finding the Perfect Needles Use the Right Needles thanks to our Online Sewing Lessons ChaptersWhy Is the Sewing Machine Needle So Important?The Different Types and Sizes of Sewing NeedlesChoose your Needles According to the ThreadWhen and How to Change the NeedleI am not a couturier, I am a craftsman, a maker of happiness. Yves Saint-Laurent (1936-2008).According to one of the greatest fashion designers in history, learning to sew, provided one has a good sewing machine, is just the ticket to well-being and happiness.Acquiring all the essentials for sewing - making a jersey garment, a chiffon dress, or sewing upholstery - requires a bit of spending money and a lot of know-how.In addition to choosing a sewing machine, it's also important to buy a variety of sewing accessories for your sewing box:Sewing thread, lining, a satin tape measure, a bobbin or several, cutting tools (like sewing scissors), are some examples of the essential elements of your sewing box.While sewing and embroidering is now considered a mixed, non-gendered skill - in the sense that even men learn to repair a zipper or sew a hem by hand - this remains an activity mostly performed by seamstresses.Alas, men are often the big names in haute couture, like Yves Saint-Laurent, while it is mostly women who slave away on their mechanical or industrial sewing machine.This would explain why we often talk about the tricks of the seamstress and not that of the seamster...Nevertheless, neither male nor female sewer cannot assemble their fabrics if they do not have the sewing Holy Grail: good sewing needles.You'll often find a sewer cursing his/her Singer or Pfaff sewing machine because it has jammed, or broken the sewing stitches (zigzag, straight stitch, etc.), without even thinking that it is because their needles are not the right ones.Indeed acquiring the right needle, where the sewing thread fits perfectly through the eye, will make sewing much easier. Knowing which needle suits which fabric, however, can be like searching for a needle in a haystack.Well, maybe not that bad. In this article, Superprof gives you everything you need to remember when choosing good sewing needles.Find sewing classes near me. RaySewing Teacher 5.00 (6) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PrincessSewing Teacher 5.00 (2) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnaSewing Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArianwenSewing Teacher 5.00 (2) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ShaziaSewing Teacher 5.00 (2) £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ZanetaSewing Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GianmariaSewing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JacquelineSewing Teacher £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhy Is the Sewing Machine Needle So Important?The sewing needle is one of the key elements of the sewing machine: it gives great precision for a refined and meticulously crafted piece of work.Sewing jeans: a round-headed or a triangular needle? Source: PixabayA needle that is unsuitable for its purpose - a needle that is too thick on a thin fabric, or a fabric that is too thickly stitched with a needle that is too thin - can either damage the machine or leave visible stitching holes on the fabric.You must therefore stick to this fundamental rule: there is a needle size for every fabric.Before going to your favourite haberdashery shop or buying your haberdashery items online, you have to look at the type of needle that suits your machine, and remember that they do not fit all fabrics.The basic functions of a needle are fourfold:Create a passage for the sewing thread in its holder,Bring the thread of the needle in its holder,Make a loop with the hook,Pass the needle thread through the loop.A sewing machine needle consists of 10 elements each of which has its own function:The butt: to fix onto the sewing machine,The shank: thick part of the needle, it can be flat or round,The shoulder: part between the heel and the wing,The blade: part where the thread passes, between the heel and the eye (subject to friction, it heats),The long groove,The short groove,The eye: it is the hole in which the sewing thread passes to be driven down,The scarf,The tip: it allows the penetration of the sewing thread into the fabric,The point.A great article - on the blog Textile Learner - has detailed the anatomy of a sewing needle, and illustrates the importance of choosing a sewing needle for each sewing task.It is ultimately the needle that determines the quality and finish of the garment.Discover also how using the right pattern is crucial to your sewing projects...The Different Types and Sizes of Sewing NeedlesWhether you use a serger, an electronic or mechanical sewing machine, the sewing needles are numbered from 60 to 110: this is the diameter of the needle, in 100th of a millimetre.Remember:The higher the number, the more the needle  is suited for thick fabrics.And vice versa, the lighter the fabric is, the finer the fibres are, and therefore th e more a fine-tipped needle is needed so you don't pierce the fabric.Also learn all about needles and other parts of your sewing machine...My mother's advice: to knit a scarf, you need a Stretch needle and a good wool. Source: Visual HuntIn a haberdashery, the needle packaging will always indicate the type of needle and all the types of fabrics it suits.Your sewing patterns are ready and waiting for you to get sewing.Let's take a look at the types of needles and their different sizes: there are 7 types of sewing machines needles.Universal needle: With a so-called normal tip, it adapts to poplin, satin, natural (like cotton fabric) and synthetic fabrics. It is ideal for sewing shirts, dresses, suits, sheets, coats or making table linen. Aside from size 110, all sizes can be used (60, 70, 80, 90 and 100),Jersey/ballpoint needle: With a round tip, this needle will work well with jersey and lycra. Compatible sizes are 70, 80 and 90,Microtex/sharp needle: A needle with very fine tip, for very fine fabrics. Chiffon, taffeta, linen thread, voile, silk thread and microfibers. Use sizes 60 and 80,Stretch needle: Used for knitting, it has a ball point and is suitable for knitting yarn and curtains. Compatible sizes are 75 and 90,Leather needle: its triangular tip allows sewing thick leather and imitation leather, with sizes of 80, 90 and 100,Jeans and firm fabrics needle: this one has a rather fine and chrome tip. Suitable for seams on thick jeans and overalls, faux fur, gabardine, plastic and oilcloth, corduroy, denim. A thick size works well: 90, 100 and 110,Quilting needle: with a fine point, it is used to stitch fabric with padding. Choose an average size of 75 and 90.What happens, when you're so eager to start sewing, is that you may fail to change out your needles.Once you've got them out of their original packaging, identifying them can be time-consuming or tedious, at best: that's why we recommend that you adopt a colour coding system to identify them easily.Glu ing matching stickers to each type of needle (red for jersey, black for leather, blue for jeans, white for linen, for example), can be an incredible time saver for the messy sewer.Discover more tips to help you learn more from your sewing classes...Choose your Needles According to the ThreadYou also need to think about the sewing thread when picking out the needles for your machine.Why?Because to sew a button, darn an origami dress or a helm a pair of trousers, we will, firstly, not be using the same fabric and the thread will be different as well.Which cotton thread should I choose? Source: Visual HuntGradually you realise that the texture of the fabric impacts the type of thread needed. Thick fabrics such as leather or jeans require strong, sturdy thread and for it to be the same colour obviously.In fact, as the thickness of the fabric determines the thickness of the needle of the Pfaff or Brother sewing machine, the equivalent sewing thread thickness is also required.When using l ight fabrics, a very fine thread to pass through the eye of the needle will help reduce wrinkles.A trick to choosing your thread after buying a pack of needles:The higher the reference number of the thread, the more fine it is. A size 100 needle is therefore much thinner than a size 30.In summary: the bigger the needle, the thicker the sewing thread you need to buy, and vice versa.And what about changing the needle when it's damaged?Find sewing courses London.When and How to Change the NeedleIf the needle that has been used for months - to sew quilting fabric, linen or jersey - is damaged, it may break, bend or make very irregular and disjointed seams.There you go! My sewing needle bent in two because it was on the wrong setting! Source: Visual HuntThe needle should not be blunt or bent.Each new sewing project requires a change of needle.To change from a printed fabric stitch for tapestry to a decorative fabric seam, or to do cross stitch embroidery, the needle needs to be changed.H ow, then, do I change my needle?Remove the needle bar by turning the sewing machine's handwheel (the part used to operate the needle, the clamps and the thread take-up).Lower the presser foot,Take the needle by hand, unscrew the screw of the needle clamp,Remove the needle,Insert the new needle by turning its flat side towards the back of the sewing machine,Insert it until you reach the needle bar and tighten the needle screw.Here's some revision for you.Discover what you could make out of leftover fabric!Which needle for which fabric?Source: blueradish.com.auDiscover also how you can learn to sew yourself some new clothes...

Art Teacher Salaries

Art Teacher Salaries How Much Do Art Teachers Earn? ChaptersHow Much Do Art Teachers Earn in Primary and Secondary Schools?How much Do Art Teachers Earn?How Much Do Experienced Art Teachers Earn?How Much Do Art Teachers Earn Abroad?How Much Do Private Art Teachers Earn?How Much Do Art Teachers Earn in Other Art Classes?“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” - William Arthur WardTeaching isn’t always most artists’ first choice of career. After all, with students not paying attention, pressure from parents, and less-than-ideal working conditions, teaching doesn’t necessarily draw a lot of people in. Large numbers of newly qualified teachers are leaving the profession after only a few years.So how much do art teachers earn? CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free !Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow Much Do Art Teachers Earn in Primary and Secondary Schools?The arts often seem to be under threat but art as a subject remains a staple of primary and secondary education. After that, most people stop studying art. During their time at school, however, students will learn about primary colours, artistic expression, composition, and creativity. Furthermore, they’ll learn to use different materials and about the history of art. The amount an art teacher earns in UK schools depends on a multitude of factors. (Source: ulleo)Art and design is a compulsory subject through to key stage 3 and at least one subject in the arts needs to be offered at key stage 4. This means that once students get to GCSE level, they don’t necessarily have to study anything to do with art.Find out how to become an art teacher.How much Do Art Teachers Earn?Anyone who wants to teach art as a school teacher will probably need to have a bachelor's degree in art and a recognised teaching certification or qualification. Usually, teacher education involves completing a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) and gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Similarly, an education degree is also often accepted.You'll find that many universities in the UK have a department of education or school of education where these programmes are offered. In the PGCE, aspiring teachers will learn about teacher preparation, how to make lesson plans, the basic skills they need for teaching, and all about pedagogy.While this teacher certification includes some teaching experience as part of a placement (usually in a secondary school), your first teacher job will be where you cut your teeth.More importantly, this is when you'll start earning a proper teacher's salary. Teacher jobs are paid differently depending on your qualifications and whether or not you're in London. Similarly, a subject area that's in demand will encourage people to become a teacher by providing funding for the PGCE and better wages when they start working.Generally, around £17k is the starting wage for unqualified teachers and the main pay range for qualified teachers outside of London is £24k. Teachers in London will start by earning between £25k and £30k.Of course, these are just the lower ranges and a teacher salary will vary according to qualifications, experience, etc. The main pay ranges reach up to £35k outside of London and between £37k and £41k f or those in and around the capital.Those working in a private school tend to earn more than those in a state school as there's more money available in private schools. However, the requirements aren't always the same and there are fewer of them.Find out the qualifications art teachers need. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesso n free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow Much Do Experienced Art Teachers Earn?The more experience an art teacher gains, the more they can tend to earn. While we mentioned the pay ranges for unqualified and starting salaries for teachers, the upper pay ranges make getting a degree in education or a PGCE sound far more appealing. Art teachers can earn a decent amount under the right circumstances. (Source: Chun-San)Outside of London, teachers can earn between £37k and 40k and those in and around London are on £38k and £49k.Of course, these are the teaching jobs at the upper pay ranges and are reserved for school teachers with experience in the school system and great results.Beyond the upper pay ranges, there are also leading practitioners. These exceptional teachers can earn between £41k and £62k outside of London and between £42k and £70k in London.Find out how to study to become an art teacher.How Much Do Art Teachers Earn Abroad?You don't necessarily have to get a teaching certificate and start your teaching career in the UK. There are also jobs for educators all over the world. You might want to be a teacher somewhere where the weather is nicer, for example. Since art is universal, you can teach it anywhere in the world. (Source: Monfocus)While the certification requirements are different in different countries, the process for becoming a teacher in other countries usually follows a similar system to that in the UK: complete a degree in a particular subject and then become certified as a teacher through teacher training or another qualification.Of course, the world is a big place and we can't put an average on how much art teachers will earn. Check the average wages for teachers in the countries you're interested in. What we can say is that there are countries where teachers are paid more than in the UK and there are countries where they're paid less.Discover the skills that make a good art teacher.How Much Do Private Art Teachers Earn?As a private art tutor, you get to be the boss and decide how you teach art. Similarly, you can choose your rates. Of course, you need to think carefully about how much to charge as you’ll want to earn m oney but also not put off potential students. Art tutors can earn as much as their students are willing to pay. (Source: SPOTSOFLIGHT)You need to think carefully about your outgoings. As a small business owner, you’ll have to think carefully about your outgoings.On Superprof, the average cost of art and design tutors in London is £24 per hour.  Of course, the rates will vary according to where the tutor works, what their experience is, how many lessons they teach per week, and their qualifications, for example.If you’re teaching just a few tutorials a week, you won’t be able to survive if you’re charging pennies for them. You need money to live.How Much Do Art Teachers Earn in Other Art Classes?You can also teach art classes for private companies or in night classes. Art is a popular enough subject that there are many places where you can teach it.  There are night classes for adults offered by local governments as well as private companies offering classes for all ages. Don’t expect an amazing wage, though. The priva te companies are rarely huge and can’t afford to pay their teachers loads of money.  That said, at least your students will want to be there.If you're interested in becoming a private art or drawing tutor, consider signing up to Superprof and creating your profile. You can offer three different types of tutorials: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. As there are pros and cons to each for both the student and the tutor, you need to think carefully about which combination of them you'll offer before you start.Face-to-face tutorials are just between you and your student. With just one student in the session, every session needs to be tailored to them. Of course, this means that you'll need to prepare a lot outside of the lessons. However, you can reflect this in your rates as you're offering a tailored bespoke service to the student. Face-to-face tutorials are usually the most expensive type of tutorials but they're also the most cost-effective for students so make sure that they're aware of this.Online tutorials are also between you and your student but you won't physically be there in the room with them. Instead, you'll teach them remotely using a computer, webcam, and video conferencing software like Skype. Much like face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials are a tailored service and you'll have to spend time planning each session but you'll save a lot of travel time as you only need to make it to your computer rather than the student's house. With all the time you save by not travelling, you can add even more tutorials into your schedule. With fewer outgoings and increased earning potential, you can charge more competitive rates for your tutorials.Group tutorials involve teaching several students at the same time. Of course, with several students to keep happy, you won't be able to fully tailor the tutorials to each student. However, with several students paying for each hour of your time, you can charge less and still earn more a t the end of each hour. Of course, this only works if your classes are full and the more students you have in your class, the less appealing your tutorials will be. Furthermore, group art tutorials will require a large space so if you don't have a studio or dedicated space available, you may have to look into renting a space for your lessons.

Essay Checker - Virtual Writing Tutor - free ESL grammar checker

Essay Checker - Virtual Writing Tutor - free ESL grammar checker Imagine a website that could help students write better essays with automated feedback. Now imagine the same website but with additional commenting tools to help people record audio comments and rate each others essays using IELTS and TOEFL rubrics and comments. There you have it: an essay checker for the Virtual Writing Tutor. For a score on your essay, you need essay evaluation. Thats what I have been imagining for the past few months, and Raju, my developer, has been building it. Although, in the past, I have strongly recommended using pen pal or narrative writing tasks with beginners and low intermediates before assigning academic essay writing tasks, I am ready to admit that I am happy with our progress. It should help to make peer feedback on this notorious form of display writing easier and more reliable. If you write or teach essays, I think you will like what we have come up with, too. There is a lot to it, so I will take you through the main features of the new essay checker, step-by-step, before explaining the individual tools. Right now, it is only available on the Virtual Writing Tutor Forum, but we will integrate it into the main page of the Virtual Writing Tutor soon. Access the essay checker from the forum. You need to be a member to use the forum, but membership is free and we dont send spam. Once you have logged in, click on Add new topic. Youll be taken to this next page. Forum post form to fill in Notice the Check Essay button. Once you have pasted a text into the text are, click it and you will see a pop-up with a menu of essay checker tools. Leave the default choices selected so that you can see what the system can do. Next, click Submit. The text you enter on the forum will be sent to the essay checker for analysis. Currently, the system can check an essay for the following: Vocabulary profile: the frequency distribution of the vocabulary in your text when compared to 10 000 most common words in English Academic vocabulary profile: the frequency distribution of the vocabulary in your text when compared to the Academic Word ListLexical density: the number of meaning-rich words per 50 wordsCohesion words: a count of transition words and phrases based on their function (addition, contrast, subordination, etc.)Average sentence length: an average of the count of words in each sentenceSentence colorization: sentences are highlighted in different colours depending on their length to help illustrate the amount of sentence variationSentence variance: the standard deviation of mean sentence length Word count: the number of words in your essayParagraph count: the number of paragraphs in your essay Provocative word count: the count of words that produce an emotional response in the readerCliche count: the count of common cliches to avoid in an essayConversational vo cabulary count: the count of words that are common in conversation but uncommon in academic writing Exclamation mark count: the count of exclamation marks in your essayGrammar check: the number of errors detected by the Virtual Writing Tutor grammar checkerError profile: the distribution of detected errors by error categoriesArgument strength: a sentiment analysis of paragraphs and sentences to check for how strongly negative or positive your argument isIELTS rubric: a method for calculating an IELTS band score using descriptors based on the IELTS writing task 2 rubricTOEFL rubric: a method for calculating a TOEFL score using descriptors from the TOEFL independent writing rubric5-paragraph hamburger essay comments: a method of providing explicit feedback on the 5-paragraph essay, also known as the hamburger essayAudio comment recorder: an online voice recorder for recording and uploading voice of the reader commentsDownload to DOCX: feedback and comments are converted to MS Word doc x file that you can editPrint to PDF: print the feedback on your printer or generate a PDF Essay Checker Results Review the essay checker results before clicking the Comments and Rubrics button. The feedback popup colorizes sentences based on their length. In the screenshot below, you can see an example of a paragraph made up of sentences of different lengths. The graphs at the top show the length and variability. Below them are the colorized sentences. Average sentence length, sentence variability, and sentence colorization Comments You can record your spoken comments to MP3 format using this online voice recorder. It is great for simply reading the essay aloud to show the author where you stumble, and it makes recording and uploading voice of the reader comments easy. You can speak for about 5 minutes. You can even switch tabs and talk about why you selected the descriptors you chose for the IELTS and TOEFL rubrics. When you click Save, your browser converts your recording to MP3 format, and the system uploads the MP3 file to the Virtual Writing Tutor server for you. The system then stores the URL of the recording in memory and inserts a link into your Word document or PDF. Essay checker commenting system for teachers and peers to give feedback on an essay You can review and delete recordings and start again if you like. IELTS Rubric in the Essay Checker You can choose from 9 descriptors for each aspect of the essay. To reduce the space on the screen, you can minimize each rubric section to show only the descriptor you chose. After you have chosen descriptors, the system calculates a score for you. TOEFL Rubric in the Essay Checker You can choose from 5 descriptors to evaluate the essay. To reduce the space on the screen, you can minimize the choices to show only the descriptor you chose. The system will display the associated score in the DOCX of PDF file. Print to PDF Your browser allows you to print your feedback to a number of devices, including PDF. The great thing about PDFs is that you can store them on your computer, edit them with MS Word, and send them as attachments to students. Chrome will generate a preview of the PDF for you. Notice that the feedback is plain text, for readability. DOCX You can download all of the automatically generated feedback and your comments to an MS Word document. This makes editing the feedback very easy. It is much quicker than converting a PDF to DOCX format. We hope users find it useful. Be sure to enable editing. The download is safe, despite the warning. This is just Microsofts way of scaring everybody and calling it security. I trust this gives you a clear overview of what the Essay Checker can do. We will be adding it to the main page of the Virtual Writing Tutor soon. We would do it sooner, but we want to upgrade the main page first. We expect the system to be much faster once the upgrades are done. Please follow and like us:

How to prepare for 11 Plus exams

How to prepare for 11 Plus exams For those parents who would like their children to sit 11 Plus exams for secondary school entrance, it is often hard to know what to use for exam preparation, so here are some links to useful resources in various 11 Plus practice materials for Maths, English, Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning. It is often said that practice is the best way to prepare for exams, especially as 11 Plus exams have strict time constraints which children need to get used to.  Practice therefore helps children not only develop the techniques to answer the certain type of 11 Plus questions but to also answer them in the time provided. According to Susan Daughtrey Education, it is best to start preparing your child about ten months before they sit the exams as this gives enough time for them to build the right techniques and have three or four months of practice and testing before the actual exam. If you think that your child needs some tutoring for their 11 Plus exams then Tutorfair provides top 11 plus tutors. Please take a look at our website if you are interested in where you can book these tutors online. Get free practice papers, resources and workbooks from: Eleven Plus Exams Bond CGP 11 Plus Swot   11 Plus Leap Parents in touch MW Educational The 11 Plus website   Lucky Gecko   11 Plus Maths The Education Website   Extra Tuition Some of these sites may also include materials which you would need to purchase. These sites have more resources which you have to purchase: Letts More Letts   Susan Daughtrey Education Amazon Ebay More resources on Ebay

Tutoring One of The Best Jobs For College Students

Tutoring One of The Best Jobs For College Students Working as a student is never easy. Even if its part-time, going to work straight after a long day at school or vice-versa can be really stressful. However, have you ever thought about tutoring as an alternative to all of those traditional student part-time jobs. Here are some reasons why this job is perfect for college students. It can be rewarding Helping other people is always a big reward for you. Once you help someone learn something new and you see that understanding in their eyes, you will see just how proud you can be of yours and their achievements. It becomes a joint effort to succeed, to learn something new. It pays decently Tutoring jobs are great because they pay a lot, depending on your subject and credentials. This is a great thing for students as it can help them pay off their debts and make enough money for all their needs. They can set up a savings fund for themselves and start planning the future. Depending on how good you are as a tutor, you can earn a lot more money than you would in an average coffee shop or bar. It looks good on your resume Tutoring looks good on every resume. It shows just how skilled you are in various areas and that you are a good communicator. Especially if you get recommendations from your clients, it can help you get a job you want sooner. Its flexible Tutoring, as a job, is flexible in many ways. For one, you can teach any subject you want that is in demand. For instance, if you are really good at math, you can offer lessons in math but you can also offer all sorts of tutoring like writing help, English language help, biology, physics and so on. As long as you can prove that you have knowledge in the subject that you want to tutor, you can pick whatever topic you like, its your choice. The second reason why tutoring is so flexible is because you can change your work hours as you wish to fit your schedule. You can have classes in the morning one day and work in the evening but have classes in the evening the other day and work in the morning. You just have to set a schedule with your clients and make sure that you are both on the same page so there are no misunderstandings. If you need a day off or if you get sick, you can easily do so because you set your own schedule and. You can learn a lot Tutoring is not just about you teaching other people its also about you learning something new. By teaching others and preparing for those lessons, you can find a lot of valuable information that you otherwise wouldnt. You have to teach others so you try to learn more on the subject, stay on top of trends and news related and so on. Your students often ask fun and inquisitive questions that you have to answer and by answering, you learn more. All in all, tutoring might even make your student life a lot easier because its so rewarding on the intellectual level. Its fun Above all, tutoring is fun. You get to meet a lot of different people who need your knowledge, you get to hear many fun stories from their lives while learning. Think of it as offering a gift to someone a gift of knowledge. But you also receive a gift by giving to them. After tutoring for a while, your students become your family. Tutoring is not just another college part-time job. Its an experience that youll cherish and a learning opportunity that will make you a more responsible and proactive person. Working with children is especially fun because they do their best always and they can always put a smile on your face. Tutoring Is One Of The Best Jobs For Students While other jobs have strict rules and times, drain your energy and dont do anything good for your mind, tutoring offers many benefits like learning, helping other people, flexibility and a decent payment. Its one of the best jobs for college students in the world. Hopefully, these tips will point you in the right direction when it comes to tutoring.