Monday, March 23, 2020
Higher Education Tutoring - Building Self Confidence to Students
Higher Education Tutoring - Building Self Confidence to Students Knowledge is something that stays with you for your entire life span. It is not possible that you will have knowledge on every topic happening beside you, but it is significant that some of the issues should be watched on. The hunt for knowledge comes from within a person from his or her childhood days. Reading different types of books is considered as a good habit that makes a person dilute into immense knowledge helping them throughout their lives. Books can be of two types, story books and syllabus books. Story books are read out of love and syllabus books are read, because we have to read. Syllabus book needs concentration and dedication to get completed. It also needs proper guidance for better adaptation through the books. Higher Education Tutoring- Is needed for better future prospect of a student Schools are a medium that gives you proper direction to lead a noble and settled life. It educates you, guides you and also brings you closer to all the good habits that you inculcate within yourself. Other habits get indulged in a student, but for education, school alone cannot make each child genius. Sometimes it also depends on how much the child is able to intake. The bright and intelligent student can make up their work within the limited school hours but the weak students are affected greatly. For the weak students the best way to cope up with the intelligent students is through private tutoring. Private tutoring helps your child with their educational needs. Private tutoring has diverse advantages that a school is unable to deliver. It helps any child to make their own time and move ahead. It provides answers to questions, explaining the subject matter in multiple ways so that any child can understand and also prepares him or her for higher education. Higher Education tutoring is needed for any student to achieve good ratings. Parents are also inclined towards private tutoring so that they can get improvements in their childâs grades. Most of the parents feel that with the increase in grades their children will also develop its behavior and attitude towards life. Good grades also help the child to develop self confidence that leads to change in the approach towards life. Higher education is a basic need for any of the civilian of any country. With high education good way of life is also established. Good job and a healthy lifestyle is the primary need of any person and thus good education is the break to attain that. Online Tutoring- Is available easily within your fingertips With advent of technology everything seems to be easy and is available under your fingertips. Private tutoring is also updated. Internet has brought to us closer to each and every activity in a much smarter and smoother way. Private tutoring is now available over internet simultaneously. It is named as Online Tutoring. Online tutoring is the best way through which any student can range for good private tuitions effortlessly. Every student can avail this service and change their lives along with their grades. Many websites are available that fetches you in direct contact with excellent institutes. These institutes have some outstanding teachers who make the subject much more interesting for any student to draw attention towards that subject. Today you will get many online teachers for all subjects that hold proficiency over the subject and delivers the best to its students. But there are very few who will guarantee you to make your child get a good grip over the subject. You as parent have to be very conscious about whom to choose. TutorPace helps your child with quality guidance that is not available in any school or private tuition classes. The best part of online teaching facility is that it does not involve any specific time period. Students can anytime come up and get help from the teachers. The expert teachers are accessible all round the clock. Your child can clear their confusions, solve out their problems and also know something more with the help of online tutors. The tutoring session includes teaching a topic, solving out question and answers and also helping you to know the subject better and in an interesting way. These classes are conducted online through many applications as chat, web conferencing, and teleconferencing. It becomes very easy to convey the message and saves time and energy of any student. Teachers serve each student according to their capability of handling any subject. Explaining a topic is an integral part of this learning process and TutorPace provides you with the best service under your affordability. K-12 Education Online- Get beneficial tips from quality teachers When you have assistance of a good teacher then you donât have to worry about your kidâs future. With TutorPace by your side you can get lot of help regarding any subject. They are here to encounter your child with the finest teacher that is not available within your reach so very easily. The best teachers with the best services that is offered 24/7 is one of the major advantages of the e-learning classes. Here you donât have to worry about how much you know and about how much you can understand. These things will be taken good care by none other than the online tutors that are providing you with the service. K-12 education online will detect your weak areas over the subject and will provide you with adequate study material and enough brief explanations that will help your child to get into the profundity of the subject making the subject easier for any student to know it well. The teachers also brings across beneficial tips and tricks that helps the student while learning in t he long run. Thus, it would not be wrong to say that good teachers are the backbone for any studentâs future. They can build and shape up any studentâs outlook while mending their approach and attitude towards life.
Friday, March 6, 2020
Reasons Not to Apply Early Decision
Reasons Not to Apply Early Decision The following piece was written by Rachel Korn. Rachel has been featured in ourAdmissions Expert seriesand is a former University of Pennsylvaniaadmissions officer, as well as the founder of her own admissions consulting firm. Most high school students apply to college in Regular Decision (RD) admissions rounds, with deadlines in the winter of their senior years, flexibility to apply to multiple schools, and the ability to attend the college they most prefer among those to which they are admitted; however, there is another popular option: Early Decision (ED). ED is an admissions plan for students who have a far and away #1 choice school and want to apply there in an earlier deadline in the fall and commit to attend if admitted. ED often sounds like a great solution to the pressure of college admissions you apply sooner, hear an answer sooner, and if admitted, you need not to follow through with any other applications, able to spend your entire spring semester relaxed, knowing you are in. However, there are several reasons why ED may be a poor choice for you. If you are torn between applying Early Decision or Regular Decision, consider the following academic, financial, and personal reasons why sometimes, you should wait for Regular Decision: Academic reasons Your best chance for admission is when you present your strongest application, and your senior year grades can be especially important credentials. With ED, admissions officers may see your quarter or mid-semester grades, but they will not be able to see your final first semester grades. If you have not had a perfect academic record thus far but are moving on an upward trend, taking more honors and AP courses (especially for a first time) that you can tackle successfully and thinking that you can raise your GPA, you may want to wait for RD to allow those grades to be a part of your application. A strong senior year can, in fact, be critical to some students who are on the edge of admission. If your senior grades can help you, wait. Standardized testing will also need to be completed fully and to your satisfaction sooner with ED. If you are not happy enough with your results and want to take a test one more time or if you need to complete any further testing still, RD is the plan for you. Financial reasons Early Decision is a binding agreement, and if you need financial aid, you may not want to get trapped in a commitment with only one possible offer of financial aid from one college. Colleges award aid for ED and that may be enough for you but you and your parents should do your homework before applying about schools aid policies to determine if you can take the risk to get enough help from your top-choice school. Potentially, if you apply to several schools, you could be awarded slightly different aid packages or even be awarded scholarships. While colleges offering ED plans should be giving you the identical aid package you would receive from them in RD, you would lose your ability to shop around for other financial aid packages. If you prefer to apply ED to a beloved school, just make sure you try to get a sense of the potential aid package you will receive so you will not have any surprises. Note: If you really cannot afford to attend the ED school with the package it offers, you can be released from the commitment a tiny handful of students are released every year. However, this is not something you should count on, and truly, if a certain amount of guaranteed financial aid is critical to you and you may not be able to get it from that beloved college, ED is unwise. Personal reasons ED can sound tempting. You may feel peer pressure about applying early if many of your friends will be applying in the fall. You may hear that there are strategies in applying early to increase your chances of admission. Indeed, sometimes your chances of admission in ED are higher than in RD, but you need to be sure that you have really identified the one school for you and that you are not just rushing to apply early to increase your chances, especially if you are thinking about applying to a reach school simply with a name you like. If you have not identified a school you truly love above all others and if you have not visited a few college campuses (including your ED choice) by the summer before your senior year to understand what feels right to you, you should hold on until RD. Allow yourself time to explore to make sure you are choosing the right fit for yourself. Admission to the wrong school is a lose-lose both for you and for a college if you end up wanting to transfer out la ter. So, why ED? Early Decision is an ideal option if you dream of one specific college, will be your academic best and have completed all your testing by the fall, and are comfortable with your potential financial aid options. If you find that you do not match these conditions, hold on and apply in Regular Decision when you can be comfortable, confident, and in control. Visit RachelsAdmissions Consultingsite. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
How to Choose a Foreign Language to Study
How to Choose a Foreign Language to Study Most high schools require students to take a foreign language course for at least a year or two. But many of those high school students will choose to continue their studies of that foreign language from the beginning of their freshman year to the end of their senior year and perhaps into college! Aside from fulfilling academic requirements, studying a foreign language has many advantages. From helping improve your decision-making skills to increasing your chances of getting into the college of your choice to boosting your understanding of the world around you, learning a foreign language can enhance your life academically, professionally, and personally. Your high school may offer just a few or up to a dozen foreign languages for you to study. So when it comes to deciding which foreign language to study, how do you make a choice? The short answer is: It depends on your interests, your goals, and your future career path. Asking yourself the following questions and practicing some self-reflection can help make the decision-making process a little easier: 1. Which language do I find the most interesting? The first thing to think about is simply which language is most appealing to you. Learning a foreign language requires a lot of effort, and youre more likely to be academically successful if you actually enjoy studying it. Before making your choice, go online and do a bit of research about each of the languages you think youd like to study. Language is about more than just the way the words sound; its about culture, too. So before you choose a romance language like Italian or Spanish just because you think it sounds pretty when spoken, consider the various cultures associated with the languages youre choosing from and see if those equally interest you. Learning a foreign language associated with a culture youre intrigued by can teach you more about it in an in-depth way. Hopefully, that will even lead to future travels to the country where that language is spoken so you can really immerse yourself in it and learn even more! 2. Which language might I use the most? When choosing which foreign language to study, its also worth considering the amount of use you could actually get out of it. For instance, if you live in a very diverse area where a particular foreign language is regularly spoken, you may want to consider studying that language so you can converse with more of the people around you. Dont forget to think beyond your hometown. Do you travel, or wish to travel, frequently? Do you plan on studying abroad for a summer to complete a pre-college program, or do you hope to study abroad in college? If so, you may want to consider studying a language you will be able to use during your time overseas. 3. Which language could be best for my future studies and/or career? While college may feel a long way off, especially if youre a high school freshman, its important to give some thought to what foreign language could most benefit your future studies and eventually, your career. Having a foreign language on your transcript can look great to colleges, but choosing a language that specifically corresponds to your chosen field of study can look even better, and in some cases can help you bypass early language prerequisite requirements. Similarly, knowing a foreign language can be very beneficial in certain careers perhaps those in the business, medical, academic, and political fields. For example, you may choose to study Latin if you plan on pursuing a humanities- or arts-based college major or career. Conversely, you may want to study Spanish if you want to pursue a political or business major/career in which its advantageous to know how to converse with people internationally. [RELATED: What I Wish I Knew About Picking a College Major] Even if youre not sure of what kind of major or career path youd like to pursue, think about the things youre good at and enjoy. Which academic subjects are you most successful in? Which academic subjects do you appreciate most? What kinds of skills do you have? These questions can help guide you in the direction of what you might want to study in college and then later get involved in as a career, helping you decide on a language to study in high school and beyond. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.
What is it Like to Attend Texas Christian University
What is it Like to Attend Texas Christian University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Zachary is a 2013 graduate of Texas Christian University and holds a Bachelors degree in Film Studies and German Language. He is an Austin tutor specializing in Literature tutoring, Writing tutoringand all levels of German tutoring. See what he had to say about his alma mater: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Zachary: The campus itself is extremely beautiful and easily walkable. Its fairly insulated from the rest of the city, although it is near one street thats been known to be questionable at night. Even so, the campus itself is very safe; it has plenty of security, with outdoor stations to call for help well dispersed throughout. There are buses, which are relatively reliable, and the campus itself is easily walkable. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Zachary: This was probably my schools best point; there were always multiple professors, advisors, and tutors immediately available for any student for a whole host of subjects. In my experience, I found all of them to be extremely friendly, welcoming, and easy to talk to. I was able to foster friendships with many of my professors, and was comfortable enough to stop by their offices just to say hello. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Zachary: The dorms are very nice and are constantly being renovated. The student union, where students may dine with their meal plans, is generally passable, but not particularly exciting most of the time. TCU does go out of its way to provide opportunities to socialize with other students and there are tons of clubs and events to get involved with. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Zachary: The Business School is one of the most supported areas of study, but many of the others were also very well represented. My particular fields of study (German and Film) were really well supported and provided a lot of opportunities for outside work and internships, as well as fantastic professors. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Zachary: I found it very easy to make friends as a freshman; the university provides nearly constant opportunities for socializing with other students and fostering new connections and friendships. Greek life is a pretty major part of the campus culture, but one can pretty easily find good groups of friends outside of that particular setting. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Zachary: I didnt personally make much use of the Career Center, but from my experiences with it, I found them to provide a lot of good advice as well as a wide array of services including resum and cover letter review, mock interviews, and internship connections. Im not personally very familiar with the companies that recruit on campus. I do know that a couple of very good production houses worked closely with the Film department, and many students would move on to work with them upon graduation. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Zachary: Most of the dorms have some kind of study area inside. In my experience, they were usually easily available and very well put together, spacious, and especially good for group study. The library has a lot of study space as well, but does get extremely crowded during midterms and finals. Luckily, there are many other available locations for studying in almost all of the buildings that see very little use, and therefore are pretty much always available. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Zachary: At first, Fort Worth seems like a fairly uninteresting city, but the more time I spent in it, the more and more fun things I found to do. By the end of my study, I was pretty sad to leave. Theres a fantastic zoo right by campus, as well as the Stockyards and Billy Bobs, a popular spot to two-step. Magnolia Street is filled with great restaurants and shops, and hosts awesome festivals. There are also food truck parks, the botanical gardens, and a few fantastic museums (especially the Museum of Modern Art). Students usually go out into the town several nights a week. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Zachary: I would say the student body is medium-sized. There were very few classes with more than 20 or so students, and those were generally the required freshman courses. Otherwise, many of my classes were anywhere from 8 to 15 students, which worked out fantastically in terms of engaging with the professor. Most professors used the small class sizes as an opportunity to make the classes more collaborative, which generally worked very well. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Zachary: One of the best experiences I had was when I approached the department about putting together my own academic research project for class credit. Not only did I already feel comfortable enough with the department to be able to ask in the first place, but I ended up working closely with the Dean of the College of Communications. He really took me under his wing in terms of teaching me basic approaches and methods of academic research and writing, and we developed a friendship through working together. To me, this experience epitomizes the best of what TCU has to offer: extremely intelligent, skilled professors who are also extremely accessible, helpful, and welcoming. The opportunities for developing yourself not just intellectually, but as a human being with the help of the incredible faculty are immense. Check out Zacharys tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.
The Enduring Appeal of French Cinema
The Enduring Appeal of French Cinema Discover the Mystique of French Cinema ChaptersThe Ten Most Famous French ActorsThe Ten Best French FilmsThe History of French CinemaAre the French Obsessed with Film?Who doesn't like watching a good film: curled up on the sofa on a rainy afternoon, or perhaps one might still recall what an occasion going to a theater was, in the days gone by?Even today, with the smell of popcorn wafting through the lobby and enticing posters hung about, the lure of escape into another world or time, if only for a while, is a pastime most of us regularly indulge in.But do we give any thought to how that form of entertainment came about? The long history of cinema and the arduous journey it has endured, to provide us with the glamour, the pathos, the thrills and the laughs that play out on the silver screen?And why is French cinema particularly alluring?Here we talk about French masterpieces and the stars that bring them to life, the visionaries that convey their imaginary worlds into something meant for the world to see, and the spectator s who relish the performances.Alain Delon was a considered France's greatest sex symbol at the height of his fame! Source: Wikipedia Credit: Stefan Kragujeviccelebrities.Also, a fake Twitter account was established in his name, which his publicist was quick to refute: the real David Tennant â" ironically enough, what the account called itself, abhors the platform and would never establish an account!Such outrageous actions against popular personalities is a sign of the times: we so crave the latest heartbeat of the people we idolise that we will go to any lengths for a piece of him/her.Obviously, such manic behaviour is everywhere; perhaps not exhibited by the fans themselves, but certainly by David press photographers who feed the fans what they crave.We only need to think of Lady Diana's tragic, untimely demise on the streets of Paris to realise that such predatory behaviour exists, even in the ultra-civilised City of Light!Thus we conclude that it must be a person of amazing for titude to undertake a career in the public eye.Furthermore, said persons must be extraordinarily talented, and must possess a mystic appeal in order to garner legions of loyal fans.France has plenty such luminaries. Find out about the most famous French actors.The Leading Men of FranceGerard Depardieu has certainly proved his acting chops over the 54 years he's been in the business!He started his career at the tag end of the French New Wave, gaining international stardom for his role in Jean de Florette, and rode that fame through the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac.He also had the great fortune of working with the illustrious François Truffaut, early in his career, playing opposite of Catherine Deneuve in The Last Metro.Daniel Auteuil played alongside M. Depardieu in Jean de Florette, as well as starring in its sequel, Manon des Sources, roles which made him one of the most highly acclaimed, and highly paid actors in France.His acting style is so fluid, he is equally comfortable doing comedy and thrillers.He was once linked to Manon co-star Emmanuelle Béart; with whom he has a daughter. His other daughter, Aurore, is an actress in her own right.Alain Delon was considered a sex symbol in his early career; he too being of the New Wave.He shot to fame in France, starring in the comedy Women are Weak, otherwise known as Three Murderesses. His acclaim dawned on the international stage when he portrayed Tom Ripley in Purple Noon.In the spirit of striking while the iron is hot, he dropped in on Hollywood to make a few films of only moderate success. His return to France saw him showered with accolades, and he grew more popular than ever.Albert Remy's short-lived career is nevertheless remarkable for the number of films he features in, as well as playing in some of France's best known stories: 400 Blows, and Is Paris Burning?, to name just two.In the twenty three years he spent in front of the camera, he appeared in 98 works, some of them destined for television.Y ves Montand has the distinction of having been discovered and mentored as a performer by Edith Piaf. She incorporated him into her act after having seen him sing in a music hall.Indeed, M. Montand is billed both as a singer and actor, and he is most renown for films that required his vocal talents.Late in his career, he was tapped to lead Jean de Florettes and its sequel as the scheming uncle. He also made a number of American films, most notably Let's Make Love, alongside Marylin Monroe.Although he had many well-publicised actual love affairs, most notably an alliance with Ms. Monroe, he stayed married to Simone Signoret, the German-born French actress who was the first to win an American academy award, until her death.The Ladies of French FilmBrigitte Bardot is sadly more famous for her pouty lips and long blond tresses than she is for any of her acting.She worked under the direction of some of the best names in French cinema, such as Roger Vadim and Jean-Luc Godard.She retired fr om filmmaking at the height of her career, after only 21 years in front of the camera. Since then, she has devoted her life to activism, having been charged several times with inciting racial hatred.Oddly enough, she bills herself as an animal rights activist, but her hate theme is directed at humans that don't necessarily mistreat animals!Compared to B.B. - as Miss Bardot is also known, Audrey Tautou has a squeaky clean image.Audrey gave her breakout performance in the delightful romantic comedy Amelie, and since then has sampled nearly every genre, from intrigue (The Da Vinci Code) to drama (A Very Long Engagement).Although Ms. Tautou has made English language films, she insists that she is fundamentally a French actress and, as opposed to many others who seek greater international distribution of their work through American channels, she intends to remain firmly rooted in France.Lucky France!Parisian actress Isabelle Huppert is the most nominated actress for the Cesar award; Fran ce's equivalent to America's academy awards.She is also the most nominated actress for the Molière award, which celebrates excellence on stage.Indeed, she has been most prolific, turning out more than 110 films during her nearly 50 year career, and taking her place in the theatre for no fewer than 25 plays.British film critic David Thomson avers she must be one of the world's most accomplished actresses.He then goes on to rate her performances as rather limp next to those of Isabelle Adjani.Marion Cotillard is the latest French actress to earn an American academy award, for her portrayal of France's most famous songbird in La Vie en Rose.Named the most bankable French actress of the 21st Century, she has no issue with crossing the ocean and reporting on the Hollywood sound stage for any role she might find particularly suited to her.Her latest effort, Allied, allegedly played a role in Brad Pitt's recent divorce!That movie was not her first war film; she also played alongside Mlle. Tautou in A Very Long Engagement.No list of great French actresses would be complete without the scintillating Danielle Darrieux.In a career that spanned over 80 years, Danielle Darrieux has covered every genre and every medium: stage, television and film.As though that weren't enough, she also sang and danced. In fact, that is how she got her big break: her first film was Meyerling, shot in 1936.Known as one of the greatest French actresses of all time, her dedication and commitment to her craft had her accepting roles at the ripe young age of 93.With that kind of work ethic, it is no wonder directors were eager to hire her for their next picture!The Ten Best French FilmsMore than anything, French movies reflect French culture, in all of its greatness and with all of its pitfalls.Whereas Hollywood blockbusters tend to follow a certain formula according to genre, French cinema tells a story and lets the audience work things out for themselves.Even within the same broad category, th ose stories do not follow predictable lines!Take for example two of Audrey Tautou's romantic works: Amelie and A Very Long Engagement.The first is humorous and whimsical; the second poignant and pointed â" who would expect profound social commentary to underpin a story of undying love?Those realisations beg the question: should we gauge French films for their technical aspects, their performances, their emotional or social impact? All of the above?None of the above???Bearing in mind that no two people like the exact same thing for the exact same reasons, we propose this list of must-see French movies.NOTE: these are in addition to the ones already mentioned in this text!The Umbrellas of Cherbourg a romantic musical directed by Jacques DemyIntouchables: a dramedy of friendship and disabilityThe Rules of the Game: Jean Renoir's satirical commentary of social class in FranceBreathless: a gangster wannabe ponders the value of lifeHiroshima mon Amour: a dialogue between a French woman a nd a Japanese manBlue is the Warmest Color: a coming of age drama, with a twistLa Haine: three youths struggle to find their place in lifeThe Chorus: the choir director reaches out to troubled young boysJules et Jim: a romance drama describing the choices a love triangle facesThe Double Life of Veronique explores the identity and complexity of a woman's lifePlease bear in mind that it was exceedingly difficult to select only ten films out of the vast landscape of French cinema offerings, past and present.Do you have any favourites you might add to this list?By the time Buster Keaton made it big, French and American studios were in a tight race Source: Pixabay Credit: PerlinatorThe History of French CinemaIt is quite unfortunate that the French film industry faces a conundrum of epic proportions.As the French export only a fraction of their films each year, how can they hope to compete with Hollywood or Hong Kong fare, both of which have much higher international profiles and a great er number of loyal followers?Obviously, if they released more titles to the international market, they would have more of an audience share, wouldn't they?You will be so surprised to learn the reasons why this is not happening...Let's take a look at the history of French cinema.For one, it is a little known fact that, in order to repay France's debt to the American liberators after WWII, they were obliged to screen more American movies than French ones.Movie goers were all for that, and for about a decade, enjoyed stories that were not quintessentially French.Somewhere in the mid-fifties, artists and visionaries grew frustrated at the idea that audiences were ingesting so much pablum â" nothing with substance, and certainly nothing to do with French people or French culture.The greatest visionaries in modern cinema gathered around an ethos â" a philosophy that embraced the idea of a film being the direct product of one person's vision: the director.They also rejected what had till then been considered standard fare in France film making: literary and period pieces that represented a long-gone France.Robert Bresson was one of the directors that championed the biggest evolution in French cinema: La Nouvelle Vague â" the New Wave.French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, perhaps one of the best known directors of that movement, proclaimed that M. Bresson WAS the movement.Robert Bresson is French cinema as Dostoyevski is the Russian novel and Mozart is German music â" Jean-Luc Godard.From that time on, French films concerned themselves more with realism and telling quality stories rather than the quality of filming, meaning the technical aspects of movie making.Even today, the 200+ films turned out yearly by France's cinematic greats embrace, at least to some extent, the auteur theory of storytelling.What happened before the mid- 1950s?The Dark EraObviously, one needs light to create or view film, otherwise even the greatest story captured on celluloid (or digital, th ese days) would be just so much crinkly plastic (or bits and bytes).Thus you can safely assume that this period of the film industry â" and all of Europe refers to World War II.With everything rationed including electricity, few studios had the wherewithal to produce films at that time.Nevertheless, oppressors and civilians alike demanded entertainment, so a few screen gems were turned out.Not surprisingly, quite a few of them were comedies, such as Paris - New York and Tobias is an Angel.In the year after cessation of hostilities, what has been called the most influential film of all time was realised in spite of the rationing and harsh conditions.Have you ever seen Beauty and the Beast?Jean Cocteau's original masterpiece starred Jean Marais as the Beast and Josette Day as Beauty.Since then, the story has been retold no fewer than 13 times: as live action, animation, television series, spoofs and satire.Not too bad a run for a narrative written more than 300 years ago, is it?It w as French film maker Alice Guy who invented the concept of film narrative while working in the studio of Leon Gaumont.Mr. Gaumont, at the time a partner of Gustav Eiffel, took over the running of what was at the time a photography supply business, and jumped directly onto the movie making bandwagon.Together, M. Gaumont, with Alice Guy as the world's first female director, went on to become one of the major players in the French film industry.Not only was Mlle Guy a pioneer of the film world, but she was also the first to experiment with interracial themes, sound effects, and film colouring.Before leaving for America and eventually setting up Solax studios in New Jersey â" the original film capital of America, she was one of the fortunate few who attended the Lumiere brothers' event, in 1895.March 22nd of that year saw the first demonstration of film projection, making France the ultimate pioneer in the industry of motion pictures.Although Louis Lumiere intended for colour photograp hy film to be the highlight of the show, he was a bit put off by his audience's rapt attention to the black and white moving picture.The first film officially screened to a paid audience of 200 people included their very first film effort titled Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory, a 46 second clip that showed nothing more than workers leaving their factory.Exciting, no?Indeed it was! Not only was this cinematic first step a marvel of technology in itself, but it also declared the clear winner in the race to making the first motion picture.As tremulous as the French were that the honour would go to the Yanks, the Lumiere brothers managed the feat several months ahead of Thomas Edison, to be forever immortalised as the Fathers of Cinema.That still doesn't explain why there aren't more French movies with English subtitles floating out there, but it certainly explains the French people's savage pride in their film industry, doesn't it?The reason why we don't see more French films relea sed to the international market is because digital distribution is wreaking havoc on foreign films in theaters and on the telly.Because we can stream pretty much anything these days, with or without a membership to any site, what is the point of going to see an art house film and paying the high price for that admittedly highly cultural fare?It seems the French are quite happy reserving their best cinematic screening for their population, at their own box office.Does that make them unusually proud of their French language films?Do the French really crowd into the cinema for the latest Jean Dujardin film? Source: Pixabay Credit: Free-FotosAre the French Obsessed with Film?The annual French film festival at Cannes invites a multinational jury to appraise submissions and award prizes, including â" especially!, its famed Palme D'or.Every year, a variety of films showcasing the best from assorted nations make the cut, winning best actress, best actor; best screenplay and film of the yea r â" that coveted golden palm.For a film industry event this celebrated, happening on French soil, you might be tempted to think that French directors and actors might saturate the event, and that French stories would trump other countries' contributions.Nothing could be further from the truth.In fact, relatively few submissions and even fewer wins are attributed to the French film industry.To be sure, French actors go there; the event is held on the French Riviera, after all, and the glamour and publicity cannot be denied.But is the event shrouded in hubris? Do the French host that international film festival because their particular brand of storytelling deserves the most merit?Not at all, to listen to the French tell it.The Cannes film festival got its start in 1946, when spirits were low and the industry was flagging; and it was meant to celebrate film as an art form.It was also meant to compete with the Venice film festival, but did that so well that the Cannes ado had to be m oved to the spring, because the Venice affair took place in the fall and prospective attendees could not be in two places at one time.So, if the French view films of all sorts, from documentary to thriller so diplomatically, why is it that they give the impression of being mad for movies?The French view motion pictures as the seventh art, on par with dance, music, sculpture, painting, architecture and poetry.As these media are fundamental expressions of a culture, by extension, the French people hold that cinema is yet another representation of French culture and history.Just as Great Britain promulgated the English language throughout the world, a feat we have the right to stake pride in, the French have every right to claim movie making as a part of their national heritage.Thus we can see that it is not the films themselves that the French are so vainglorious of but the fact that they established a further artistic medium through which to tell stories, and have freely given it to the world!If you're looking to improve your French, why not consider a tutor. Searching for French classes London produces the most results on Superprof.
Seek First to Understand... - Heart Math Tutoring
Seek First to Understand... - Heart Math Tutoring Seek First to Understand Seek First to Understand November 29, 2018 Seek First to Understand⦠InStephen CoveysâThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleâ, Habit #5 is Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. Heart Tutorings Program team recently spent the weekly training time seeking to understand more about our students, most of whom are growing up in various levels of poverty. âLocate a resilient kid and you will also find a caring adultâ"or severalâ"who has guided them.â- Invincible Kids, U.S. News World Report âSchool is the single context within which the combination of skill and relationship development occurs on a regular basis.â- Adolescents at School, Sadowski, 2008 We discussed the quotes above and the role relationships play in learning and the importance of the one-on-one relationships Heart volunteers create. Deposits and Withdrawals Drawing from Ruby Paynes book, âA Framework for Understanding Povertyâ, we talked about the long-term impact of relationships. It is critical that those relationships are built on emotional deposits and that emotional withdrawals are avoided. Deposits include seeking first to understand, keeping promises, kindness, courtesies, clarifying expectations, apologies, and openness to feedback. Withdrawals would include seeking first to be understood, unkindness, violating expectations, and rejecting feedback. Heart Tutoring volunteers have plenty of opportunities to make deposits in our students! Every day, we see tutors thanking students for working with them (courtesies), explaining changes in schedule (clarifying expectations), showing up as promised, and taking interest in our studentsâ day/week/life (kindness). Final Thought: Relationships Count When students who have been in poverty (and have successfully made it into the middle class) are asked how they madethe journey, the answer nine times out of ten has to do with a relationshipâ"teacher, counselor, or coach who made a suggestion or took an interest in them as individuals.â Excerpt from A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne, 2005
Is Neurofeedback an Effective Treatment for ADHD
Is Neurofeedback an Effective Treatment for ADHD Neurofeedback (also known as EEG biofeedback) is marketed as an alternative treatment for ADHD. Parents who are looking for a medication-free treatment option often hear about neurofeedback and wonder if it can help their child. However, neurofeedback can be expensive, costing between $3,000 - $6,000 for a course of treatment and is often not covered by insurance. It is also time intensive, requiring weekly sessions for a few months or longer. So, before signing your child up for sessions, learn what neurofeedback entails and what the research says about its effectiveness. What is Neurofeedback?Neurofeedback is based on the premise that the brain emits different patterns of brain-waves depending on whether a person is in a focused state or a distracted state. The goal of neurofeedback is to train the brain to produce and sustain more brain-waves associated with focus and concentration and fewer brain-waves associated with distraction or daydreaming. Neurofeedback treatment begins with brain mapping. The patient wears a cap lined with electrodes and is instructed to perform cognitive tasks (like simple math or reading). During these tasks a computer program reads the signals transmitted by the electrodes and identifies areas where the brain appears to be underactive or overactive. These areas of brain-wave underactivity or overactivity become the targets of the tailored neurofeedback treatment plan. During weekly treatment sessions the patient wears an electrode cap while playing a video game filled with challenging cognitive tasks. Brain-wave activity is measured, and if the electrode signals indicate that a child or teen has lost focus then the game stops. The game resumes when focused brain-wave activity picks up again. The patients goal is to keep the game running without interruption by staying engaged and encouraging sustained focused brain-wave activity. What the Research Says Unbiased research published by scientists without affiliations with the neurofeedback programs themselves provides the most reliable source of information about the treatments effectiveness. Locating results from these studies can be challenging, since the findings are published in academic journals and arent always described on the neurofeedback websites that appear in a Google search. A number of randomized controlled trials comparing neurofeedback to ADHD medication treatment and/or a control condition have been published. Some of these studies show that neurofeedback leads to changes in brain-wave patterns and improved performance on computer tasks. However, in studies where medication was included as a comparison treatment, the medication group always outperformed the neurofeedback group. When these studies examined the impact of neurofeedback on the child real-world ADHD symptoms at school or at home (rated by teachers and parents), there were no effects or very limited effects on symptoms. In addition, clinical scientists are concerned that there may be a placebo effect. In a recently published meta-analysis researchers combined and analyzed the data from 13 randomized controlled studies of neurofeedback. The results showed that when studies compared neurofeedback to a sham or placebo neurofeedback condition, there were no differences in computer task performance or ADHD symptoms between the placebo group and the actual neurofeedback group.1 Being an Educated Consumer The current research suggests that parents should be cautious about enrolling their children in neurofeedback for ADHD. Of course, there are children who have received neurofeedback whose parents report an improvement in ADHD symptoms, and there are also many children whose parents say they saw no change in symptoms. It is possible that some children do in fact see some benefit. If ADHD medication is not effective or if symptoms that persist even after other evidence-based treatments have been tried, then neurofeedback may be an alternative treatment to explore for your child. If you choose to seek out neurofeedback treatment, remember that the goal of treatment should be to see real world improvement in ADHD symptoms at school and at home and not only improvement on a handful of computer tasks or a change in brain-wave patterns. Ask the neurofeedback practitioner how they will monitor real world symptom improvement. Will they be obtaining rating scales from parents and teachers at regular intervals? Also ask how soon should you expect to see improvement, and at what point should you stop the treatment if there is no observable change in ADHD symptoms or behavior. Neurofeedback requires a significant investment of time and money. Before enrolling, make sure you have explored evidence-based behavioral treatments and medication options first. Also, consider your childs specific challenges and look for interventions with proven track records that target the areas where your child needs help the most. These can be academic interventions, social interventions, programs that help kids learn to manage their emotions, or behavioral treatments that target ADHD symptoms specifically. Targeted interventions with a history of proven outcomes are most likely to lead to real-world results for your child or teen with ADHD. 1 Cortese, S., Ferrin, M., Brandeis, D., Holtmann, M., Aggensteiner, P., Daley, D., Santosh, P., Simonoff, E., Stevenson, J., Stringaris, A., Sonuga-Barke, E., on behalf of the European ADHD Guidelines Group (EAGG) (2016). Neurofeedback for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Meta-Analysis of Clinical and Neuropsychological Outcomes from Randomized Controlled Trials. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 55(6), 444-455. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.
5 Things to do Before Going Back to School This Fall
5 Things to do Before Going Back to School This Fall Five Things Every Student Should do Before Going Back to School this Fall Fall is just around the corner, and there are a few short days left until students go back to school. There are some things every student should do before going back to the classroom to be successful and have a well-balanced and low-stress experience throughout the year. Its important to get organized, be mentally rested, and prepare for the year ahead. Students who know what to expect during the first weeks of school are much more likely to be successful overall and enjoy this time of their life as they receive their K-12 education. 1. Organize your workspace Students who have an organized workspace will be able to jump right into homework assignments that will appear sooner than they might think. Students should have access to a desk, paper and pencil to take notes, a laptop or desktop computer, various highlighters, sticky notes and other helpful organizational tools, and a comfortable chair. Keeping on top of assignments and deadlines as well as keeping subjects separated will help students of any grade level prepare for the year ahead (READ: Get your elementary school kid ready for back-to-school in the Fall). 2. Join a study group Most students end up joining a study group after they start falling behind on assignments. However, its better to join a study group before school even starts and get to know other dedicated classmates who will be supportive and serve as good peer role models. Each member of the group should have similar goals and enough time to dedicate to the success of the group. When students break up tasks and help each other stay organized they end up being more successful in general and also have higher self-esteem when it comes to academics. 3. Finish last-minute summer assignments Students in younger grades wont start academic work until the school year starts up in a couple of weeks. Older students, however, may have had summer assignments that are due on the very first day of class. Advanced placement courses have a long list of summer assignments, so its important that students finish all of these assignments in the next few days to avoid falling behind. Additionally, students who are preparing to take their SAT or ACT in the fall want to make sure they have completed all the test prep needed before they tackle classroom assignments. 4. Meet up with school friends Many young students have different friends at school than during the summer. This is especially true for kids who live far away from their local school or attend a private school program. The first day of school is a lot easier when kids can look forward to seeing a good group of friends at the other end of the room. Its a great idea to meet up with school friends before the first day so students can reacquaint themselves and make some plans after school to make the first couple of weeks enjoyable. 5. Find out about the new teacher Students will also be getting to know a new teacher once they start school in the fall and may be a little bit stressed out wondering who he or she will be. Classroom lists are usually available a few days before the start of the school year so kids can find out who their new teacher will be. This takes a little bit of uncertainty out of the first day and makes it easier for kids to feel comfortable in the classroom environment. Start the school year off strong! Book your private Irvine back-to-school tutor today. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.
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