Sunday, March 15, 2009

Ten Test Taking Tips

Here are some of the best test taking tips for students facing an exam. They cover memorizing the material, getting ready, and what to do while taking the exam. Develop a routine that works for you using one or more tip from each category.

1. Better test scores start with good comprehension of the material you are supposed to learn. This often includes memorizing specific facts and information, which can be done using repetition over time. Just expose yourself to the relevant material repeatedly - it's how we typically learn to use a computer, for example, or even remember a name. You can schedule periodic reviews of the material at the intervals suggested here (if you have time before the test):

- Look at or think about the information again after 15 minutes or so..
- Study the information the following day.
- Cover it again six to eight days later.
- Look it all over after a month.

The bulk of these test taking tips are about preparation. Once you know the material well enough, you have to be ready for the day of the exam. Try some of the following:

2. Eat well, especially in the days just before the test. Avoid sugary foods the day of the exam.

3. Get good quality sleep the night before, but try to avoid getting too much sleep.

4. Arrive early, so you do not have to rush or worry about time, which can affect stress levels and performance.

5. Have a little bit of coffee if you don't have problems with caffeine. As little as a half cup has been shown to raise test scores.

6. Use safe supplements. These include vitamins in the week prior, and perhaps fish oil and ginkgo biloba on the morning of the exam.

Perhaps just as important as the pre-exam preparation are the test taking tips for during the exam. Try some of these techniques:

7. Take several deep breaths, and let the tension drain from your body. This can help you relax,concentrate better, and get more oxygen to your brain.

8. Get involved in one question at a time. This kind of focus reduces feelings of anxiety, You're not anticipating and worrying about the next one.

9. Take notes. Writing - if allowed - can trigger memory of material. You can also quickly write down crucial points when you first get the test - the ones that may slip your mind if you wait.

10. Go over the questions and your answers again when you are done. Use up the time allowed to find any possible mistakes and correct them.

Use the test taking tips above that work best for you, and create a routine you can follow each time, starting with study skills, continuing with appropriate preparation, and then using the skills and exam habits that prove themselves effective.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Learning Difficulties

There are various difficulties which a very young child faces in his natural quest for learning about the world around him. Sometimes these difficulties are apparent, sometimes they are not.

There are four categories of learning disabilities which usually emerge when the child attends school which is when the actual learning process begins.

The input.ie. what the child is taking in mentally; integration: when the child is sorting out the things he’s learning; storage: when the child finally makes sense of his knowledge and organizes it in his mind; the output: when the child can express his ideas about the information he has learned.

WHAT CAN BE WRONG?
Learning to read, recognize shapes and symbols, size, position depends on a child’s visual perception. If there are signs a child is lacking in these areas, the issue should be addressed as soon as possible. To enjoy a normal life a child's ability to accomplish these skills is imperative.

Likewise, auditory perception, signs that a child cannot hear or distinguish sounds such as high, low, loud, soft pitch.This should also be subsequently addressed quickly, since much of life is dependent on the ability to hear.

The ability to memorize things is sequence such as the alphabet, days of the week, general comprehension of the sequence of events is also extremely important in everyday life, and it should be noted if a child is lacking in this area.

The memory plays a very important part when learning new material. A memory may short or long term. Individuals are constantly learning new things. If we do not grasp what we are learning from the beginning the difficulty arises when we try to understand the new material as a hole. If it is fragmented in the mind, it is incomprehensible.

Language difficulties can be detected in the way questions are answered. This uncovers the thought process, and is also very obvious in how an individual expresses ideas through the written word.

Motor co-ordination or skills are perceived through clumsiness, falling, bumping, climbing, handling things, tying shoe laces. This can hamper a child or even an adult to a large degree. His movements may be slow in the efforts to make his body do as he wants.

Reading difficulties, largely caused by eye defects, affects reading; the length of time taken to read, and the comprehension of what is being read. As reading involves the recognition of symbols, matching letters to form words, and the breaking up word components to understand a word can cause much difficulty and frustration to the reader.

Learning number concepts such as time, value, quantity, plus memorizing and organizing numbers, and solving numerical problems on a page can be a great problem for those who do not grasp how number is used.

Communication problems are apparent when a child has poor social skills. These people may have quite good vocabularies, may learn to read early, are able to spell, yet lack the ability to communicate with other people.

Whether observed by parents, or by teachers at school, all learning difficulties should be addressed at once.

As announced on the Australian national news, childrens’ reading ability is to be checked once a child starts school. Previously, it has been three years after a child starts school. This former is to be implemented by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his government.

Why You Should Consider Online Tutoring for Your Child

Tutoring has become commonplace, if only because so many children need lots of homework help to understand particular subjects in school (especially subjects like math, physics and chemistry). Like many parents, you're probably at your wit's end trying to get your child to understand certain principles, theories, equations, postulates, you name it. You're probably not a trained teacher or tutor, and maybe you aren't even good at them or maybe you are running a tight schedule to find time to tutor your child.

There are several ways to go about getting help for your child. One way is to ask about after-school tutoring programs offered at your child's school. Another is to hire a personal tutor locally that can either come to your home for tutoring or meet your child at the school or local library. But with the busy schedules of today, a popular method is to sign on for an online tutoring program. This type of tutoring provides your child with a convenient online learning environment from the comfort of home and a personal live tutor for each session.

With online tutoring, your child can receive help at times when it's convenient for your family. This works really well if your child loves to work with computers. Even elementary school math tutoring is available online for younger children. There's really no limit to what can be accomplished using the Web.

Before signing on with any online tutoring program, talk with your child's teacher to see what areas or skills need improvement. No one will know this better than the actual teacher. Explain to the teacher that you are considering an online tutoring service and you need to know the type of curriculum used in the classroom and where your child is in their learning presently.

You might also ask about your child's classroom behavior and learning habits. Find out what best stimulates your child during the class. The teacher should be able to notice if your child perks up while verbal or visual instructions are being given or during testing times, as well as how he/she responds during regular work times. This knowledge will really help because some online tutoring services like can cater to multiple learning styles and offer assessments to determine what tutoring methods will work best for your child.

The online tutoring service of is a venture of New York based SSDEI Inc. The company has collaborated with Synergy Education International Pvt Ltd of India to provide highly personalized and customized online tutoring in Math, Chemistry and Physics. The Academic Directors of maintain a close personal contact with the parents throughout and they go to the extent of personalizing the lesson plans, worksheets and tests according to the learning needs of each individual child.

With their online tutoring programs, your child will enjoy interactive tutoring with the same teacher at all times. This gives your child an opportunity to get to know and become comfortable with the tutor and style of learning - just as if you had hired a tutor to come to your home. During an online tutoring session the tutor speaks to your child using online voice technology (i.e. VoIP) and they work on an interactive whiteboard. To ensure quality learning sessions, you'll want to choose an online math tutoring service in which the teachers hold a Graduate or Masters degree.

Another benefit of using an online tutoring service is your child can be tutored at a time of the week and/or day when it's most convenient. This works great for parents with a busy work schedule and kids that are involved in after-school activities. Though your child will need to log on and communicate with their tutor at scheduled times, these times can be agreed upon from the start to fit your schedule. You can also choose a time when your child is more alert and willing to learn - such as early in the morning or right before bedtime.

With an effective online tutoring service, you can expect your child's test scores to improve within a short period of time. But that's not all! You can also expect your child's comprehension to improve. This is what will really help even later on in life when it comes to facing real life scenarios.

Most importantly, this tutoring method is a very affordable and cost effective in addition to all the associated benefits. It's an investment in your child's learning and future that you'll never regret!

Key to Success in the Era of Globalization

Apparently a question flashes in mind that why many students are desired for overseas education. There are valid reasons for this change in the thought. Students today are not just satisfying themselves with the efforts of pursuing their education, they are desired to have a wider cosmopolitan exposure and experience. Additionally, the students prefer globally accepted degrees, which are welcomed in all the Countries. One can travel anywhere and live anywhere with dazzling careers with the help of these degrees. At the end of the day it’s the career enhancement that matters ultimately.

Overseas education provides a smooth path of fast career settlement, which is looked upon not only by the students, but by the parents also as well. One more thing by prosecuting Overseas Education, one gets the advantages of having comfortable ladders to peaking careers in unimaginably big way. Also the students overseas can earn while studying and have a self-support, which is very remote in India. Though there are few premier educational Institutions in India not many students have an easy access. Resultantly overseas education shows the way to the aspirants to reach the goal.

Major Reasons for Preferring Overseas Education:

The following are the major reasons for choosing overseas education and how many students are fascinated towards studying abroad:

Premium Education:
Usually students pursue overseas education from major study destination, USA, UK and Australia. These countries provide world-class education and enhance the students with globally appreciated skills and competency.

Travel & Tourism:
Students wish to travel and live in the countries like USA, UK and Australia. As every country is different from each other, students have to choose which country is most suitable for them. While studying abroad students will have the opportunity to visit every place in the country. Many countries provide concessions for international students to travel in the country.

Culture:
Students can discover and experience the culture and traditions of their study destination. It is a way of learning and understanding the cultural differences. Study their languages, habits and beliefs.

Skills and Challenges:
Overseas education gives a good opportunity to discover the skills and challenges that deals with the near future. Students can learn to adapt the situation and their abilities will be sharpen in resolving all difficulties.

Social Relationship:
While studying abroad, students build new relationships by the means of meeting new people from the country and also from international students from other countries who are also studying in the same university.

Experience:
After accomplishing of the study program, students will be enhanced with new bright ideas, experiences and techniques, which are learned by their own. A totally brand new experience will strengthen their values and beliefs plus adapting new concepts and perceptions in life.

Good Employment Opportunities:
Pursuing higher education from overseas (renowned study destinations) is the gateway to global job market. With an accredited degree, students will be finding good opportunities to work. Many international companies prefer to hire individuals who have an experience in studying abroad knowing that they are more independent, motivated and able to face challenges.

Improving Communication Skills:
Studying abroad gives a great chance to learn different languages and learn other native skills. It also provides to obtain new courses that are not available in your home country.

How To Go About It

Homeschooling, in short, is the process in which children from not more than two families are tutored by their parents or legal guardians. Each state has specific laws pertaining to homeschooling. In addition, the legal requirement for the establishment of a homeschool also depends on the state.

A child starts learning much before he or she starts going to school. Usually children already know the alphabets, names of colors, names of animals and numbers and other complicated things before they join school. This is because somebody in their family took the time and effort to teach these to them. Homeschooling is just an extension of this. Instead of going to a public school, the child learns at home from a curriculum that the parent sets in order to meet the interests of the child. This is the simplest definition of homeschooling.

Before deciding on the option of homeschooling, there are some matters that are important to consider. The first thing you ought to do is meet other parents who have homeschooled their children. This will help you gauge the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling. Ask yourself whether you have enough reason to adopt this technique of schooling. This is a vital step as the success of your program rests heavily on your sincerity and clarity of the cause.

Next, you need to consider the expense of homeschooling. Homeschooling can cost you between a hundred dollars to thousand dollars every year. In addition to this, you must remember that homeschooling means one of the parents is losing a job opportunity. It goes without saying that one of the parents needs to stay at home with the child throughout the day. But there is always the option of a home-based business available to you.

One important question that you need to ask yourself is whether you are qualified enough to take up the task of tutoring your child. Teaching is an extension of what you have learnt. Today, plenty of information is available due to the Internet. For those who want to homeschool, a number of resources and books are available on the topic. You need to research on it and decide which technique is best for you and your child. Also find out if your child approves of being homeschooled.

Each state has its laws pertaining to home schooling. For example, in North Carolina, it is necessary to file the 'Notice of Intent' before embarking on homeschooling. Here you need to specify if your school is a private church or a qualified non public type of school. The tutor needs to have minimum high school qualification. An annual record of disease immunization of attendance of the child needs to be maintained. Each year the child should take a standardization test. Eleventh grade students have to write a test that is nationally standardized. These rules are specific to North Carolina. This can help give you a brief idea on the laws involving homeschooling.

From the outside, homeschooling seems like a freedom and fun for the child and parent. But it is not as simple as that. A lot of hard work and responsibility goes into homeschooling.

Is Your Child Ready to Learn to Read?

If you have a preschool or kindergarten age child, you may be trying to figure out if your child is ready to read. On one hand, you don't want to push a child who is not ready.This can often lead to a feeling of failure. On the other hand, if your child is ready to learn how to read, how can you actually know?

First of all, do not approach the notion of teaching your child to read like it is a contest. Whether or not they read before their best friend or at the same time as the neighbor's son does not matter. Get that into your head. The fact that your young child can read does not mean they are smarter than the other children and will not necessarily give them any advantage when they enter school.

At What Age is a Child Ready to Learn to Read?
Most children are ready to learn to read somewhere between the ages of 5 - 6.5. If a 5 year old shows no interest in learning letters and phonics, there is absolutely no reason to push and no reason to be concerned. Actually, pushing too hard, before a child is really ready, can lead to self-esteem problems and can even further delay their desire since they will associate learning to read with a bad feeling instead of a positive feeling. Teaching a child to read is a process and it actually starts when they are babies. You don't teach them to read in a few lessons and then one day they start reading books. Learning to read starts out with mastering skills like letter identification. A simple game at the store where your child starts to pick out letters he recognizes on signs is a part of teaching your child to read. Learning to read is not something any parent should leave solely to formal education. From day one, you are exposing your child to language. As they grow, you should be exposing them to written language more and more.

Once a child starts identifying letters they can start figuring out the sounds those letters make. As basic as it may sound, this is what kids need to do before they are ready to formally learn to read. If you do think that your child is ready to learn to read and you want to get started teaching them, you can test their reading readiness. You can find free reading tests online, for example. Or you may be able to ask your pre-school teacher for help and advice. Once you determine that your child is ready to start learning reading, you may want to work with them using books and worksheets and make up various games that teach phonics. Alternately, you could use a phonics software that provides a full curriculum to follow. These reading programs can be reasonably priced and even allow the child to work on their own. Many great phonics programs and games are available from a variety of sources.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

General Knowledge Quiz For Kids

A student should be fond of general knowledge! Co-curricular activities are part of our studies. And in co-curricular activities, general knowledge is important. For everybody however clever, general knowledge is necessary. Did you know that answering a free General knowledge quiz may provide you with some insight into yourself that you may not have known previously? So here is some exciting stuff for you! Here are some questions for you to improve your general knowledge with their answers. The questions are taken randomly from various fields. There are questions from Politics, Games, Current Affairs, Bollywood, Technology, Fashion, etc. The answers are provided here for you to not to be finding anywhere else. Read on and try to give answers yourself without reading answers.

This questionnaire will help you improving knowledge and impress your friends with that.

1. How many rooms, Bathrooms and levels are there in the ‘White House’?
Ans. There are exactly 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence of the precedent of America-The White House. Currently the president of America is: Baraq Obama.

2. What was the name of the bow of Arjun in mahabharat?

Ans. “Gandiva” was the name of the famous Bow of Arjuna.

3. What was the name of the first internet and who invented it?
Ans. The name was ARPA net and American Advance Research Protocol Agency made it.

4. Who invented Transistors?
Ans. The scientists that were responsible for the 1947 invention of the transistor were: John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley.

5. Where is San Francisco located at?
Ans. San Francisco is located on the West Coast of the U.S.

6. Who is the chief minister of Gujarat?
Ans. Shre Narendra Modi I the name of the chief minister of Gujarat.

7. Who is the director of famous bollywood film ‘DON’ acted by Shahrukh Khan
Ans Farhan Akhtar is the name of the film DON which was released on October 2006.

8. Who invented blogging in internet?
Ans. In 1993, Dr. Glen Barry invented blogging.

9. What is a gospel?
Ans. Gospel is a religious word of christians used for Musicians or Singers performing and praying god in church.

10. Who said the famous quote “Winners don’t do different things, they do things diffenrently”?
Ans. Shiv Khera, a famous writter, socialogist and politician said this quote.

Your stuff ends here. I hope you may have got some new information from this qustionary. Keep improving your knowledge by ansering qustions like this. Read books, news papers and magazines, Surf Internet, Watch News on television. These are the ways by which you can improve your knowledge more and more. We need general knowledge in every field of life. General knowledge will help you to get success.