What Makes the Department of Chemistry Different From Other Schools?

What Makes the Department of Chemistry Different From Other Schools?The Department of Chemistry is one of the most recognized schools in the country. They are known for their well rounded education, and students from all over the world are eager to attend these schools. So what makes the Department of Chemistry different from other schools?For one, the curriculum focuses on courses that train you in all aspects of chemistry. This means that no matter what your interests are, you will have a place in the School of Chemistry to learn about all aspects of chemistry. In addition, each student in the school is responsible for the learning process.This is especially important for a student's learning style. Some students prefer a more hands-on approach, while others are comfortable with theory classes that are designed to fit into a regular schedule. The main difference in classes between these two styles of learning is that the former emphasizes learning the basics while the latter is mor e focused on the application of the theoretical knowledge.In addition to the curriculum, the school has a large number of classes that help to determine a student's aptitude for chemistry. This means that students in the Department of Chemistry are constantly exposed to new theories, trends, and practices that are brought to light by current studies. It is through these classes that a student can get the most out of their education.The school also incorporates learning activities that teach students how to improve their chemistry skills. Through the working atmosphere and through the theory classes, students learn new ways to improve the quality of their work and the quality of the work that they are able to produce. They also learn how to make their students feel involved and what is expected of them as a part of the learning process.In the traditional way of learning, students are given an education but it is only seen as a stepping stone to some other goal. In this department, st udents are constantly exposed to the theory that underlies the study of chemistry and are actively involved in developing their own work.Students in the Department of Chemistry also excel in the actual work that they are doing. In fact, many are employed by universities to handle specific types of jobs in chemistry. Whether you are looking for a job in a laboratory or are looking to start your own business, you will find many students who are eager to help.

Voice Therapy for Singers How to Know When to Get Help

Voice Therapy for Singers How to Know When to Get Help Suzy S. As a singer, your instrumentyour voicerequires special care and precautions to avoid injuries. But what if the damage is already done? What symptoms should you watch out for, and when is it time to look into voice therapy? Learn more in this guest post by Corona, CA teacher  Milton J... As singers, we understand that the voice is an instrument all of its own. Furthermore, we should also understand that our voice is a muscle that requires its own workout, and is subject to injury much like other muscles in our body. So, what can we do to prevent these injuries from happening? Read on to learn more about vocal health and vocal therapy. What is Vocal Trauma? Vocal trauma is an acute form of stress that comes from the misuse or overuse of the vocal folds within the larynx, or voice box. The vocal folds are thin strips of smooth muscle tissue with a mucous membrane positioned opposite from each other within the larynx. It is the vocal folds that move and vibrate when air passes by them which, when resonated through our vocal cavities (throat, mouth, and nose), creates our vocal tone. When we’re being silent, those vocal folds are open so that we can inhale and exhale more freely. When we begin to speak, our brain sends the neural signal to the vocal folds to snap together in conjunction with the air passing by them to vibrate and create speech. What Can Vocal Trauma Lead To? When damage is done to these vocal folds, it can lead to possible bleeding and the formation of blisters known as nodes (paired growths on both sides) or polyps (one growth on one side). These growths restrict the pliability of the vocal folds, keeping them from vibrating and oscillating properly. Ergo, you will not be able to sing. The most common reason why nodes or polyps form is due to bad singing habits. Failing to properly warm up and continuing to sing when ill or vocally fatigued are the biggest contributors. Hoarsenesswhen the voice sounds breathy, raspy, or strained and feels scratchyusually accompanies vocal trauma. If you feel you have been practicing these bad habits, let your vocal teacher know quickly. When Should I See My Doctor? If youve had vocal or throat discomfort for more than three weeks, especially if you haven’t been sick, make an appointment with your doctor. Additionally, if youve been coughing up blood, a feeling of a lump in your throat, difficulty swallowing or breathing, experience pain when speaking, or have a loss of voice for more than a few days, place an urgent call to your physician. If your vocal trauma has been prolonged, your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist, or an ENT (Ears, Nose, and Throat) doctor. This doctor will most likely used an endoscopea thin tube with an attached camerato get a better look at your throat, larynx, and vocal folds. They may also put you through vocal exercises to determine voice irregularities. Your doctor is the only one who should be diagnosing you, and will let you know how to proceed. Voice therapy can include relearning healthy vocal techniques (and eliminating bad habits), specific vocal exercises, or even vocal rest for a designated period . Rememberdont ignore any discomfort. If you continue to sing while exhibiting the symptoms listed above, you risk doing further damage to your vocal folds. What Can Be Done to Minimize the Risk of Vocal Trauma? I cannot stress enough the importance and necessary usage of proper vocal warm-ups. You should not use your voice for singing without having warmed up your voice beforehand. Think of it as stretching before a run or workout; your vocal folds are muscles that must be warmed up for them to operate at peak capacity. Additionally, in your vocal lessons, your teacher should properly assign your voice type and range so you can operate within your voice capacity, in addition to working on exercises and repertoire that can expand your vocal range safely. A lack of or wrong assignment of your voice type and vocal range could lead to hoarseness and subsequent vocal trauma as outlined above. If your voice teacher has not done so, please let them know you would like to have this information available to you. I hope this information helps you in your vocal training. Happy singing! Milton J. teaches guitar, piano, singing, music recording, music theory, opera voice, songwriting, speaking voice, and acting lessons in  Corona, CA. He specializes in classical, RB, soul, pop, rock, jazz, and opera styles. Learn more about Milton here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo  by  archer10 (Dennis)

Can I evaluate a film-analysis essay automatically

Can I evaluate a film-analysis essay automatically This article discusses automatically scoring film analysis essays. Here are links to other automated evaluations on the Virtual Writing Tutor. Pen pal exchange projectIELTS practice testsArgument essay evaluation system Lately, I have been developing automatic essay evaluations for IELTS and now for college-level academic writing. I sent an email to colleagues in my department to share my progress, and one colleague wrote back to share his concerns about my new automatically self-scoring film analysis essay writing assignment. I had shared a sample of a film analysis essay and a link to the academic essay writing test. He had tried the test with the sample essay, and though impressed, he was concerned about the extent to which we can automate essay evaluations. Use this Blade Runner sample essayDownload Score my film analysis essay now There are lots of variables in such texts that, I believe, cannot be analyzed in a systematic way. And those variables are often what separates a great essay from a passable one. A grabber is not just a question. It has to be stimulating. A thesis has to be precise and thought provoking. The topic sentences have to be directly linked to the thesis as well as provide further insight. Can a computer truly give relevant feedback on whether or not something is stimulating, precise, thought-provoking and providing further insight on a previous idea? An ESL teacher on the VWTs new automatic essay evaluator College teachers are required to assign a value to a students text, but if we are not assigning a value based on observable, measurable criteria, what are we scoring? Are teachers scoring essays based on their own subjective reaction to an essay? Or are we looking for features that indicate achievement, features that indicate the student has learned how to answer a question in-depth and in a systematic way? If teachers are just feeling their way to a score, woe to the poor student whose academic advancement depends upon such a non-rational scoring rubric. Can a computer give relevant feedback? Even so, I share all my colleagues doubts about brute force calculations of good writing.Surely, narrow artificial intelligence that calculates scores based on lists of structural features, lexical items, and grammatical error patterns will miss the value of a meaningful expression of nuanced human intelligence. Chuang-Tzu Can computers provide feedback of real value? Is automatic essay scoring just an impossible dream? Doubts about what computers can do remind me of an observation made by the ancient Taoist philosopher Chuang-Tzu. All things have different uses. A horse can travel a hundred miles a day, but it cannot catch mice. Chuang-Tzu, translated by Thomas Merton I read those words back when I was a college student. They have stuck with me for 30+ years. Is it wise to determine the value of a horse by what it cant do? It seems like the kind of argument one might make at the market while trying to negotiate a lower price. Let me put it another way. Oisin Woods, a German teacher and colleague in our Modern Languages Department at Ahuntsic College, told me something I wont soon forget. He said, Of course computers cant do everything a teacher can do, but lets not make perfection the enemy of the good. Lets not make perfection the enemy of the good.Oisin Woods These two epigrams seem to point in the same direction. Focusing on what a computer cannot do distracts us from what it does well. It is like complaining that horse cannot catch mice. Whats more, if we make pedagogical perfection our only goal instead of energetic strides toward better feedback and better pedagogy, well get neither perfection nor the progress we crave. Rather, it is better to explore what machines can do in the service of good pedagogy. Machines can count, they can match patterns, and they can respond to errors in seconds. Humans can count and match and correct, but much more slowly. More importantly, humans understand and reflect. We should be allies in the provision of feedback, dont you think? After all, feedback works best when it is just-in-time, just-for-me, just-about-this-task, and just-what-I-need-to-improve. If we can use technology to ensure faster, personalized, and more focused feedback, that has got to be a good thing. Will non-human feedback and scoring technology help students learn faster? A research question and a hypothesis The practical pedagogical question I ask myself these days is this, Can narrow artificial intelligence provide useful formative feedback to learners and help teachers score essays more reliably? The answer seems to be, on balance, yes. Automatic scoring and feedbackwillhelp students become better writers and help teachers evaluate essays more reliably.My current hypothesis A null hypothesis Lets see if there is any evidence in the research literature to support anull hypothesis.Science doesnt try to prove a point that can just as easily be disproved. The case is not as open and shut as technophiles might have hoped. Computers can be fooled by clever nonsense(Monaghan Bridgeman, 2005).Brilliant non-conformist writing will score lower because it is eccentric (Monaghan Bridgeman, 2005).Automatic scoring of complex argument essays is less reliable than of inherently less complex opinion essays (0.76 vs. 0.81) (Bridgeman, 2004). The difference in reliability of 0.05 is small but significant. These seem to fit with concerns that some elements of meaningful essays cannot be analyzed programmatically in an effective way. Computers do not construct and test a world model in their imaginations the way humans do when they read. Text coherence will thus remain elusive for non-conscious computerized agents because pattern-matching is not reading in our sense of the word. So what, you say? Horses cant catch mice! Lets consider another objection to automatic evaluation. My colleague asked, Can a computer truly give relevant feedback on whether or not something is stimulating, precise, thought-provoking and providing further insight on a previous idea? The answer is probably, no. I certainly have my doubts, but I also have my doubts that a teacher can explain the mechanics of why a sentence stimulates or provokes thought. All I have ever been able to do in these areas of writing is dramatize the presence of a reader by indicating when a sentence stimulates or provokes me, often with cryptic or terse comments in the margin: Wow! Nice! Interesting! Provocative! A reasonable hypothesis Turning to possibilities and evidence for my hypothesis that automatic scoring and feedback could help students become better writers and help teachers evaluate essays, here is what I have observed and what I have read. Faster feedback At my college, we see students once a week, and teachers regularly take two weeks to provide feedback on a first draft. The VWT takes two seconds.Thats 20,160 minutes versus 2 minutes, which is a million times faster. Workload reduction Teachers limit the number of essays students write because of the impact of corrections on the teachers workload. With 150 student essays to grade, if a teacher spends just 10 minutes grading an essay, one essay assignment adds 25 hours of non-stop grading and correction work to a teachers workload. Necessity has made us put time-resource limitations ahead of the pedagogical goal of maximizing meaningful practice with a focus on form. In other words, there are not enough teachers to provide all of the feedback students require (Monaghan Bridgeman, 2004). Latent essay feature analysis Automatically comparing multiple features of a student’s essay to an ideal essay was found to provide useful formative feedback to students (Foltz et al., 1999). This is interesting! Students want to improve, and one way to measure essay writing skill is by comparing what the student has written to a model essay to show the student how to improve further. By abstracting the features of the model essay and comparing the studentès essay to it programmatically, we can show the student where he or she has diverged from the ideal. Reliability Automatic scores using grammar, topic, discourse features, and sentiment analysis are very highly correlated to expert human scores (Farra et al., 2015). Thats encouraging because the reliability of a teachers ratings of student essays declines with fatigue. Machines dont tire and can evaluate essays consistently. Researchers found that using one essay task and one human evaluator to measure achievement produced unreliable scores (Brendland et al., 2004), and yet that is what we do at finals every semester. A computer rating combined with 1 human rating was found to be more reliable than the combination of scores by 2 human raters (Bridgeman, 2004). Computer-assisted scoring is more reliable than both exclusive computer scoring and exclusive human scoring. Humans diverge too much in their judgements. All that said, I think that there is evidence that a fast and free source of computerized formative feedback available online 24 hours a day is likely to help students improve their writing and their self-assessments of their writing. Two ways to improve performance dramatically John Hattie (2009) found in his meta-analysis of 800+ meta-analyses that the most effective thing students can do to improve their own performance is to openly declare to the class what score they expect to achieve on an upcoming evaluation. Why? Because making a prediction about your next score is akin to setting a goal to achieve that score. Curiously, minority group students tend to inflate their predictions. In contrast, girls tend to minimize their predictions. However, practice tests make all students more reliable at predicting their own performance. This is important because when students get better at predicting their performance, they need less feedback from the teacher. They already know how well they are doing. The second most effective intervention that teachers can use to maximize student performance is to give formative evaluations/practice tests (Hattie, 2009). If a robot that can score and give detailed feedback on early drafts of essays, we can count these self-scoring essay tests as variations on the paper-based and hand-corrected practice essay-tests of the past. Conclusion Im not arguing for teachers to stop scoring or giving feedback on essays. Rather, I think that a computer-assisted-practice-test approach to writing instruction will help students get the scores and feedback they need to improve without increasing teachers workloads. I therefore remain reasonably optimistic that the Virtual Writing Tutor can, in time, reliably score essays and provide helpful formative feedback to students during the drafting process. One reason for my optimism is anecdotal but encouraging nonetheless. Frank Bonkowski recently sent me a text message about his experience using the VWTs automated scoring system with a group of his students earlier in the day. Here is what he wrote. A super-motivated girl visited the VWT 3x today for feedback on her film analysis essay. She went from 40% to 56% to 88%. She was super happy. Me, too. Text message from Frank Me, three. Works cited Bridgeman, B. (2004, December).E-rater as a qualitycontrol on human scorers.Presentation in the ETSResearch Colloquium Series, Princeton, NJ. Farra, N., Somasundaran, S., and Burstein, J., 2015. Scoring persuasive essays using opinions and their targets. In Proceedings of the Tenth Workshop on Innovative Use of NLP for Building Educational Applications, pages 64â€"74. Foltz, P. W., Laham, D., Landauer, T. K. (1999). The Intelligent Essay Assessor: Applications to Educational Technology. Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning, 1(2) Hattie, J. A. C. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London, UK: Routledge. The Way of Chuang-Tzu, by Thomas Merton Monaghan, W., Bridgeman, B. (2005). E-Rater as a Quality Control on Human Scores. ETS RD Connections: Princeton, NJ: ETS. Actively Engaged in Academic Writing Please follow and like us:

How to Study Science The Art of Understanding Tough Topics

How to Study Science The Art of Understanding Tough Topics We were all students once, so we all remember the much-dreaded or much-anticipated “science class.” The suffixes “-ology” and “-istry” still haunt some of us to this day. You may have blocked them out, but remember these conversations?“Did you cram for that terminology quiz? “I totally bombed the last lab report.” “Were you up until 3 AM too?”It shouldnt come as a shock to learn that students now arent much different. And how do they study science topics to prepare for tests? By cramming and memorizing, depending on short-term memory to do well on the exam!While a strong academic performance in a science class can be a students major point of pride, the same class can also result in crushing defeat if approached poorly. Because of this, we often see students studying long into the night with cram guides, flashcards, and redundant problem sets in order to capture that elusive, sought-after A.But what if that isn’t the right way for students to study science?At AJ Tutoring, we encourage creatively distilling complex material into an engaging and productive learning experience for our students. We recognize that every student has a unique way of learning that works best for them. And so, traditional methods of studying for science classes might not be the best for students with a drive to understand why instead of what.To address these needs, our tutors use studying strategies inspired by the liberal arts, such as  effective note-taking, flashcard exercises, and qualitative case studies. We aim to  help students move away from rote memorization and toward deeper and more comprehensive learning.Try some of these methods next time you’re studying for a chemistry (chemistry tuition), physics, or biology quiz!Five Effective Ways to Study ScienceConnect concepts to real-world examples whenever possible, like understanding thermodynamics with a boiling pot of water or neuroanatomy with Phineas Gage.Use flashcards to create situations. Randomly pick five cards from different topics and finding a way to connect them together in the same situation.If youre studying with someone, use teach-backs! Become a teacher and try to explain a concept or come up with an example for your friend to solve.Study in real time! Find examples of plant biology on a walk in the park, or behavioral psychology while waiting in line for a movie.Ask “Why?” as much as you can. Being able to explain why a ball rolls down a hill, or why melatonin makes us sleepy, is the key to moving away from memorization and toward deeper learning.

Post Spring Break Burn Out 6 Ways to Cope

Post Spring Break Burn Out 6 Ways to Cope Beat the Spring Break Burn Out With These 6 Tips By this time, students in both high school and college are back from Spring Break. The first Monday back can be exceedingly difficult because students know that it was the last break until the end of the school year. College students will have to focus on final exams, finding a summer job or internship, or dealing with life after graduation. Additionally, high school students will be faced with the all-important AP examinations, the SAT, the ACT, and the thought of going to summer school if necessary (READ: Cracking the ACT Science Section). College seniors who have already been accepted to college will still need to maintain a decent GPA in order to keep their conditional acceptance. Although this time of year can be a challenge for most students, there are ways a cope that can help ease the transition from post spring break burnout back into academic life. 1. Get back into a routine Most students have gotten out of their routine during spring break, which is actually a good thing. Whether in high school or college, students need to rest, relax, and sleep in during their time off. However, now that school is back in session its important for students to reestablish a routine. Going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, eating a nutritious and protein-fueled lunch, and reestablishing a homework routine are all important when adjusting back to a regular school schedule. 2. Test preparation Students who have not yet started test prep for their AP exams or their college entrance exams are a little bit behind the game. However, theres still time for students to be successful on their AP exams and SATs but it will require a sacrifice of time. Exams are now just under a month away, giving students time to review and practice general test-taking strategies but not much time for content study. Students who are behind on their AP exams should arrange a plan of action with their tutor or classroom teacher in order to succeed next month. Students who will be taking that SAT or ACT this spring should crack open that test prep booklet and do a full length practice exam. Its important for students to know where they stand so they can, hopefully, get the score they want the first time around. 3. Energy Students who have been preparing for college or preparing to finish college this year are probably mentally tired at this point. Its important for students to conserve and maintain a steady stream of energy so they can be successful for the remainder of the academic year. The best way to conserve energy is to get eight hours of sleep each night, get mild to moderate exercise as is appropriate, and pay attention to good nutrition. Its also important for students to do things with their friends from time to time, even during the busy study season, so that they are able to take a mental break and just enjoy life. 4.  Make plans Its important for students, regardless of their current grade level, to make plans for the summer. Whether it’s arranging to have a part-time job, planning a fun vacation, or looking for an internship, students who have something to look forward to are more likely to maintain their current level of energy. 5. Call a tutor Most college prep students, and many current college students, will have worked with a tutor earlier in the year either for SAT preparation or that really difficult course required for graduation. This is a good time of year to get back in touch with your Orange County private tutor and ask them for ways to survive the remainder of the school year. Students can either get academic help for the rest of the year or simply spend an hour or two getting reorganized and maintaining motivation. Having a little bit of help never hurts. 6. Get in touch with the Study Group Students who have lost touch with their study group over spring break should reconnect right away. Many students take two or even three weeks to recover from being off of an academic schedule. However, those who are consistently part of a high-achieving study group tend to get right back into their academic routine (READ: Tips from an Orange County tutor: Keeping a Study Session On Track). In short Although spring break is a nice time to relax, both high school and college students are advised to look at these tips and tricks for reestablishing an academic life so that they can be successful for the remainder of the school year. Summer is not that far away, hang in there! All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.

Tips From an Irvine College Consultant The Roommate Checklist

Tips From an Irvine College Consultant The Roommate Checklist Tips From an Irvine College Consultant: The Roommate Checklist Tips From an Irvine College Consultant: The Roommate Checklist At this point in the year, everybody has gotten their college acceptance letters and are making their final decisions for which college or university they will attend if youre applying for future semesters, its never too late to book an Irvine college consultant. Now they need to start thinking about the specifics of the campus they will be living on. Students who let the university randomly select a roommate the first year of college may be sorely disappointed. A mismatched roommate situation can result in lack of sleep, social issues, privacy issues, and disrupted study habits. However, there are a few things incoming freshmen can do to make their roommate experience tolerable at the very least. 1. Try living with someone who was not your best friend in high school Many students who attend the local in-state university may want to room with one of their friends from high school. Its very tempting to ask your best friend to be your roommate knowing that you will have them there to help you adjust to a new campus. However, best friends often dont make good roommates. Even if you have spent plenty of time with your best friend while in high school, you may have different academic goals, different sleep habits, different views on boundaries privacy, and different schedules. For the most part, its better to keep the best friend down the hall and have a roommate with a similar study schedule (READ: College Scholarships 101: Burgers and Donuts?). 2. Ask for a roommate with the same academic schedule If you’re an early morning person and your roommate is taking mostly night classes, this will mean that youll be waking up your roommate every single morning and she will be keeping you awake every single night. Students who do not get enough sleep their first year of college are often more prone to homesickness and decreased academic success. Try finding a roommate who will have the same academic timetable as you so that you will both want peace and quiet at the same time. 3. Social similarities Often times a shy wallflower is paired with a social butterfly, resulting in total disaster. The shy college student attempting to adjust to a brand new environment does not want five of their roommate’s very best friends crammed into a room meant for two small people. On the other hand, the social butterfly, who enjoys having friends over as part of their overall college experience, will be endlessly annoyed by a roommate who asks everybody to leave. Its much better to find someone who is also a little bit shy or also very social. 4. Ask the college for help Colleges and universities that pair roommates randomly are asking for trouble. Its a much better idea to have students fill out a questionnaire or give some information about their personal habits before selecting roommates. Students who are new to campus or who will be attending an out-of-state college probably wont know anybody until they arrive. Its definitely a good idea to ask the college to help place you with a good roommate. Tell them about your sleep preferences, social preferences, study habits and anything else that might cause problems getting along (READ: 5 Things to do Before You Go Away to College). In Short The social experience of college can be very beneficial but having the wrong roommate can make it miserable for both of you. Its important that each student has the opportunity for a little bit of quiet and downtime after a long day of socializing and study, however, achieving this while living with the wrong roommate is probably not possible. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.

Love Thyself 3 Personal Pathways to One-on-one Language Learning

Love Thyself 3 Personal Pathways to One-on-one Language Learning 3 Personal Pathways to One-on-one Language Learning The world doesnt revolve around you.Youre not the center of the universe.Actually, I take that backâ€"if you sign up for one-on-one language learning, those statements above arent entirely true.Youll become the complete central focus for your teacher and for lesson planning.Language lessons will completely home in on your desires, needs and goals.But dont let it go to your head.You probably still have a lot to learn about one-on-one language learning.Here well show you what its all about, how it works, how to find a teacher and how to maximize your learning.Weve got everything you ever needed to know about one-on-one language learning in a single post.  Sounds good?Let’s begin. The Virtues of One-on-one Language LearningResearch  has shown that the smaller the class size, the better it is for language learners. Students in smaller groups have been found to outperform their peers  in language abilities like pronunciation, reading and communicative skills like listening and speakin g.Hey, you can’t go smaller than one-on-one, and it has loads of awesome benefits up for grabs.One-on-one language learning has the flexibility that classes of a dozenâ€"or even classes of two and threeâ€"just don’t have. Your teacher, tutor or language exchange partner can make you the absolute center of their world and tailor the sessions to your specific needs.One basic need is a schedule that works for you. One-on-one lessons can be scheduled at your most convenient times. You don’t need to drive through red lights just to catch the second half of the class. Youre the only student, so classes don’t start without you! Of course, you do still need to get to class sessions on time, out of respect for the other person. In this case, perhaps you can call up ahead of time and rescheduleâ€"another thing thats not possible with a larger class.In addition, sessions can go at your pace. You can breeze through the stuff you already know, then really dig deep with those pesky verbs that are giving you a hard time.  You can go backwards and forwards, jump between topics and go into certain corners not contemplated by textbooks.This flexibility is really the most crucial thing here, because no two language learners are ever the same. One-on-one language learning can easily be responsive to your idiosyncrasies, styles and goals as a learner. Language materials are often linearly set in stoneâ€"recorded, writtenâ€"and generally appealing to the lowest common denominator needs of all language students. When working one-on-one with someone, you can give special attention to the skills and concepts that you most need to hone.You can always ask your teacher to slant the sessions according to your specific goals. Studying Chinese for business? Korean for travel? Russian for romance? Let your tutor or teacher know about it so you can get the kind of sessions you have in mind.Imagine the quality of interaction youll have when youre the sole focus of the lesson. You don†™t need to wait for the teacher’s attention so you can ask a nagging question, request a quick clarification or give a simple suggestion. You have a direct route to the teacher, and unlimited access to the source of information. You ask your questions without fear that other students will think negatively about you. And you won’t be slowed down by somebody who just went to the restroom.Not only is one-on-one language learning flexible and focused, it’s also really fast. It lets you cut directly to the core of the lesson. No time is wasted on classroom management, like checking attendance or waiting for everybody to quiet down.From a teacher’s perspective, a one-on-one situation not only makes their job much easier, it also makes their work a lot more effective. They have a better grasp of the target: you. They  can better gauge what works and what areas need more work. They can easily know if you’ve mastered the topic or not. You won’t be able to fly under the radar or r ide the coattails of your classmates. Youll be compelled to listen because the teachers attention is fixed on just one student.All that redounds to you learning the language with efficiency like no other.That said, let’s proceed to the next section where we talk about some of the ways you can crank up  one-on-one language learning into overdrive.How to Supercharge One-on-one Language Learning1. Pick your teacher carefully. Here’s howIf there’s one message that hit you hard in the previous section, it shouldve been how awesome one-on-one language learning is. The next big message is about  the importance of choosing the right teacher/tutor or partner. It’s not rocket science, but you do have to do some work.And it’s not about picking out a rock star. Nope, it’s more about fit. Is he or she the best one-on-one partner for you?First, you might have noticed that were not talking exclusively about teachers here. For one-on-one learning, youll have the choice of getting a teac her, a tutor or a language exchange partner. (There can be overlap between the three.)A language teacher often has a degree and certification, plus experience with teaching your target language professionally. Their one-on-one sessions (online or in person) might be just be side gigs, in addition to their classes in a local school or university.A language tutor is often a native speaker of your target language or somebody whos fluent in it. They may be tutoring full-time or doing it part-time while having another non-language-related job.A language exchange partner, unlike the other two, often comes free. Its  a win-win situation where two people teach each other their native tongues. For example, you’re an English speaker looking for one-on-one sessions in Russian. There are certain websites and apps today (more on those later) that pair you with Russian native speakers who are looking for English native speakers. You have something that they want, and they have something you wan t. So you teach what you have and in return, they’ll teach you what you need to know. No money is involved, just the friendship springing from mutual benefit.So let’s say you’re on some website and browsing through the many language teachers, tutors or language exchange partners available at a click. Here are some tips on how to pick the right one for you:a. Study their  profile  â€" Don’t just read it, read between the lines. Deduce possibilities from the data you’re given. For example, you might see from a  profile that a prospective language partner is 24 years old, male. But thats just the basic info.Next, read what he writes about himself. Think through the way he describes himself and presents himself to the world. You can glean personality from even a short paragraph. For a professional teacher, you might look for their experience and background. For a language exchange, you might look to see if you two have anything in common that will be fun to chat about.b. That picture though  â€" A picture does say a thousand words. But what words? Look at that one picture they use  to present themselves to the world. Almost everyone flashes a wide smile on those things, but look for other clues.  Looking at the picture, what three adjectives immediately jump to mind? When it comes to a language exchange partner, you might just look for a friendly face. When it comes to tutors or teachers, youll want to look for more professionalism.c. Study the reviews  â€" If you’re on the hunt for a teacher or tutor, you’ll probably see reviews and ratings from past students. Mine them for insights. Understand exactly why they get those scores. Yes, they always get ten stars out of ten, but why? Is it because theyre funny? Is it because they can pace the lesson very slowly? (That may not be so hot for those who need to learn a language fast.) Again, read between the lines and see if theyre the right kind of teacher for your goals. Don’t just base your decision on , “She’s really funny!” It’s about fit, remember?Read several different reviews and take note of the words former students keep on mentioning, like “kind,” “intelligent,” “deep and so on. They give you a clue about what one-on-one sessions with them are like.d. Send them the first message  â€" Drop them a hearty “Hi!” Your investigation might have created some friendly questions. Ask away. Ask a teacher what they love most about their job. Ask a tutor what they do in their free time. Ask your language exchange partner why they want to learn your native tongue.See what he or she has to say. Youll learn a lot once you receive the reply from the other person.e. Interact with them  â€" After all of the above has been said and doneâ€"studying their  profile, mining their picture, reading the reviews, messaging back and forthâ€"youll still only have a rough picture of what your partner is like.There’s really nothing like being in a one-on-one video chat with the te acher, tutor or language partner. That’s how you really get to know them. So take things out for a spin! Book some trial classes so you can see if it will be something beneficial for you. The first session might be a bust because the two of you are still adjusting, but by the second or third session, youll be able to decide if it’s working or not.If you’ve caught somebody who’s vibe matches yours then hold tight!2. One-on-one doesn’t mean only one.When you’ve met a teacher, tutor or language partner who’s a keeper, consider yourself lucky. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking you should only choose one. You can actually have as many as you want. This isnt marriage, so play the numbers game.In this wide, wide world, there’s not just one person who can help you on your noble quest. There’s plenty of them. “One-on-one” doesn’t mean only one. It simply means that, during each language lesson or conversation session, you’re learning from one single source. But you can actually have as many language sources as you want.If you can afford plenty of teachers, then have at it! Have one teacher to give you more formal lessons, and a tutor to carefully comb over your problem areas after class. Have a teacher give you lessons, then have a language exchange partner whos down for more casual conversation. Have multiple language exchange partners in case one flakes out on you, and youll never miss a week of conversation practice.Each person will give you a look into the target language and culture unlike any other.But don’t fret if your budget is limited. Language learning partners do come free and you can have as many buddies as you can fit into your social life. Don’t have that scarcity mindset.3. Make the most of the time when youre alone.Here we talk about one of the most explosive ways to increase the productivity of your one-on-one sessions. The secret is this: Never come empty-handed.It means that during those down times when you’r e not engaged on Skype or in-person learning, you should actually be very busy preparing, visualizing what you want to do.Don’t wing it. Study ahead so you can hit the ground running. For example, if you’re going to be learning tenses in the target language, hit the books days before and learn the basic rules beforehand. Get the basics out of the way and save the sticking points for the teacher.Even when you know that the tutor or language exchange partner will be going over it, have the fundamentals in your pocket anyway. That way, your one-on-one session will become sort of a review of the basics, and a drill down on the thornier parts of the topic.You can prepare target phrases or topics that you would want to try out or ask about during the one-on-one. Have some phrases ready and ask for nuances. For high-quality interaction, prepare your questions.You actually need to write these things down. A paper full of thoughts will come in handy, and if a meeting is to last for 45 mi nutes, have an hour’s worth of material ready. That way, you’ll never run out of things to say.4. Have a say in the direction of your learning.One of the biggest advantages of one-on-one language learning is that you have more say in what takes place. This doesn’t happen very often in most learning situations. A regular class is at the mercy of a syllabus designed by somebody else. A book has neatly lined up chapters, and its the job of the students to march to its beat.In one-on-one language learning, youre the drummer of your own beat. Dont think that your teacher is omniscient and holds all the answers to everything. The worst thing to happen would be finding yourself in a one-on-one situation and only passively going through the motions of learning, as if you’re being forced to take the lessons.No, take advantage of your privileged position and have a say in your learning. For example, tell your language exchange partner the topics that put a smile on your face. Let your teacher know which of the linguistic skills you’re not so confident about.Which areas confuse the bejesus out of you? Is some pronunciation always tripping you up? If you’re not sure of something, ask the question and let your tutor clear the air. Dont be a passive bystander on your own journey.Don’t worry, you won’t be stepping on somebody else’s toes when you spontaneously bring up something during the session. (Hey, you’re the only student there!)5. Look for one-on-one opportunities where there seem to be none.So far, we’ve talked about teachers, tutors and language exchange partners as the main resource for one-on-one language learning. But in reality, one-on-one opportunities are everywhereâ€"both online and in-person. You just need to open your eyes to spot them. What looks like a mundane situation can turn out to be a quick one-on-one language learning opportunity.For example, did you notice that when you greet somebody in their native tongue, throwing in some common phrases, they immediately assume you speak their language and engage? They give you a rapid and winded reply that almost makes you want to turn back time. (Come clean and tell them that you’re still learning and they’ll be more than happy to oblige for a super quick lesson.)Or, in online forums, you could locate those people who take the time and effort to write long and nuanced explanations about language questions and reach out to them. They obviously care enough. Reply to these kinds of posts and ask for a clarification. This will engage the writer and you may have just found another one-on-one resource.One of the best ways to make yourself the lightning rod for people who want to help is to post questions in forums. Each reply is a potential learning buddy. (You can try to transfer the whole interaction to Skype, later.)These are just some of the ways you can tap into one-on-one language learning. They do add up. Each interaction will add precious texture and clarity to your language skills.In the next section, we go into the resources territory and look at some of the places, online and offline, where, believe it or not, one-on-one language learning partners are actually waiting for you.3 Personal Pathways to One-on-one Language Learning1. Language exchange partnersA language exchange partner is a kindred soul. As a fellow language learner, they understand what you’re going through. And if your gut is in knots when chatting with them for the first time, it will be the same for them. So get through that awkward phase and do yourselves a favor.Here are some websites and apps where you can find awesome language exchange partners:Conversation Exchange  The site is one of the best places that helps folks trade languages. The whole process is really simple. Do a targeted search by inputting your ideal language partner, the language that they speak and the one theyre trying to learn. Hit “search” and out from the woodwork come wonderful individu als fitting the bill.You can choose the type of interaction that youd like. There are options for video chat, voice chat, face-to-face meeting and text chat. The last one, for example, would prove useful for those who want to hone their writing and reading skills. For chats, you have the option of picking the native Conversation Exchange software on the site itself, or your can transfer the whole interaction to Skype, FaceTime, Hangouts, etc.Easy Language Exchange  This site was started by real language learners who know a thing or two about the struggles of acquiring a new tongue. Today, it has blossomed into a community of over 100,000 folks who genuinely want to help one another.It has built-in chat, voice and video calling so you don’t really need to go somewhere else. To initiate interaction with others on the site, create an account first. (Everybody will be able to see your information, so try to create an interesting profile. Remember, they’ll also check out your account before they respond.)Besides the search and engage feature, which is really its heart, ELE also has a forum and a blog that can help you further hone those language skills.BilinguaThe previous two bullet points are language exchange sites. The next two are language exchange apps, meaning that you can download them to your smartphone and render the whole experience mobile.Bilingua is an app that takes pairing language learners very seriously. Just because your languages complement doesn’t mean youll be the optimum partners for one another. You should have the same interests and personalities as well. So Bilingua, as part of the onboarding process when you create an account, gives you a series of questions designed to highlight your personality and interests. Bilingua will use this information later on to find you the most suitable language exchange partners. (So needless to say, answer truthfully.)With Bilingua, youll have plenty of learning tools necessary to make language exchan ge productive, educational and fun. For example, you have the “smart chat” feature that assists you with knowing what to talk about, even feeding you phrases that you can use.You also have games, quizzes and a managed list of vocabulary words which you can review at any moment. And last but not least, youre given statistical insights into your progression so you can self-correct when necessary.HelloTalk  This app has transliteration, translation, grammar correction, text-to-voice and voice-to-text functions. Not just a bunch of unnecessary bells and whistles but high-powered features leading to a successful language exchange.The interactions on HelloTalk are a mix of text, audio and video. And youre given every assist to bridge every language gap.For example, the translation function comes in handy during those times when you don’t know how to say (or type) something in the target language. What you do is simply use your first language and let the app translate it for you. It will convert your communication to something understandable to the other person. Your conversations won’t stall.You can even automatically convert the things you say into text. Simply long press the audio file and choose “Speech to text” and youll have a visual (text) record of what you just said. Your partner can see the text for better understanding. The makers of the app have really left very little room for misunderstanding.2. Language tutor/teacherWhen you climb Mt. Everest, you’re going to be needing the services of a Sherpa, a professional guide who helps you reach the mountain top.Need professional help in conquering your own linguistic summit? The following sites will help you find the perfect tutor or teacher:Verbalplanet.com  This site is a veritable marketplace of native-speaking language tutors who can help you get unstuck. Read tutor reviews and ratings and find somebody who fits your lifestyle, goals and learning style. Your free Verbalplanet.com account comes with a personal progress tracking analytics that displays your tutor’s assessment of your performance in one-on-one sessions.Verbling This site houses the profiles of countless of qualified native speakers who can help. Remember when we talked earlier about fit?When you search, you’ll get to search based on prices, availability and even the other languages they speakâ€"so if your native language is Chinese or German, you can find a language teacher to teach you in that language.  You get to see a video introduction made by the teacher, in addition to the usual written introductions. And on each teacher profile, there’s a table showing their free schedule so you can see how it fits with yours.Plus, the technology here makes accessing tutoring sessions extra smooth. You don’t need Skype or another third-party program. It’s all here! Why don’t you book a trial lesson today?coLanguageThis is an resource for online language learning that has the advantage of being aligned wi th a universal standard, the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). They cover a variety of common European languages, and all the teachers are professionals who have been pre-screened.Because the site is a little more structured than some, you get the benefit of quality assurance, but you still have the freedom to choose your own teacher. You can search tutors based on their prices, set up a time and meet with them over Skype. Many teachers here even offer a trial class, so you can try them out to see if their teaching style and methods work for you.Wyzant Knowing that your tutor is sitting on the other side of the world is all well and good. Its a testament to the power of technology to bring together people who are thousands of miles apart. But how about tutors who are living in your area? Local talent thats just as smart, knowledgeable and passionate?Wyzant is set up to unearth those teaching treasures who live so close that you can actually arrange to meet them in person. The site asks for your ZIP code and searches its database for teachers and tutors in your area.  Follow this link to see who's available close to home.When meeting people you’re unfamiliar with in person, always take precautions. Bring someone with you. Arrange to meet in a public place. And most important of all,  stay there! You can always find a quiet corner in a busy coffee shop.3. Friendly native speakersIf you live in a big city like New York, youll find plenty of language learning associations, non-profit entities that have resident native speakers who are just overjoyed to know that youre interested in their language and culture. In fact, one reason for these groups’ existence is to conduct cultural campaigns to promote awareness and appreciation. You can attend their gatherings and see if you can network with some native speakers.The French District for French and Germany in NYC for German are just examples. Consulates, embassies and cultural centers al so have similar programs.If no specialized organizations exist in your area, try general expat associations or Meetup groups and check if there are speakers  of your language. If no associations exist, do the leg work of asking around. Ask your local grocer, local council and your network of friends. It will all be worth your effort.Experiences with native speakers via this route are  highly enriching. You’ll not only be learning about your target language, you’ll also get the huge bonus of learning customs and traditions. You’ll learn about food, festivals, family, beliefs and generally a different way of looking at the world. As such, it will make you a more insightful language learner and person as a whole. Grab any opportunity to network and engage with native speakers in your area.So there you have it!You’re now not only aware of the awesome benefits of one-on-one language learning and how to exploit these advantages to the hilt, you also know where to find these kinds opportunities. It’s high time to experience the journey for yourself.Go right ahead! It will be one of the most fulfilling decisions you make as a language learner.Happy hunting! And One More ThingIf you like learning languages one-on-one, youll love it even more when you and your tutor, teacher or exchange partner are using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactiv e TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.