UTC Akademic Education Site

Archive for June, 2011

Why let Tim and Lisa learn at home than send them to school? Well, first of all, you don’t have to wake them up at 7 every morning and bundle them off to school with umpteen numbers of instructions, and wait with an anxious heart till they return. Homeschooling gives you more control over the influences that affect your child. The growth and development of your child is removed from the realm of the unknown. You, and you alone can decide what your child needs to do or learn. Tailoring the curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the child is one of the most obvious benefits of homeschooling

Individual attention is another salient benefit of homeschooling. For instance, if Lisa needs more time to learn Math, then she can reduce the time for her English lessons. There are no fixed hours of learning per subject. This means that a child has the advantage of assigning more number of hours to the subject that seems tough WITHOUT any additional pressure. The amount of time needed to learn each subject will depend on the abilities and interests of the child.

The schooling of the child becomes an extended family activity. Parents get involved in every step of the learning procedure. Field trips and experiments become family activities. Thus, the child receives more quality time with his parents. The entire family shares games, chores and projects. Family closeness becomes the focus here. The child is also free of any negative peer pressure while making choices and decisions.
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Have you ever wondered what is floating through the air in your home? Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mea n it isn’t there. Millions of particles, pollutants, gases, bacteria, and allergens are roaming your house with no way to get out making the air inside your home up to 100 times dirtier than outside air. Sure, opening a window to let in fresh air may get that stale smell out, but it is only an open door to invite more particles inside your home.

This contaminated air circulates through your home and either settles on flat surfaces in the form of dust or is breathed in by you and your family.

Fortunately, your house does not have to fall victim to these airborne pests. Air purifiers are more common and affordable today than ever before. If you do not have an air purifier, knowing the different types of air filtration devices will help you before you buy your own.

1. HEPA filters: Short for “High Efficiency Particulate Air filters”, these devices use a cloth-like filter which can trap more than 99.97% of particles in your house. The filter lasts a couple of years depending on the condition of the air and can actually trap more pollutants than other filters. The downside is the HEPA filter is noisier than its competitors and does not eliminate gases or odors

2. Ionic Filters: Ionic filters purify the air by sending our ions which oppositely charge the particles so they stick together and collect on magnetic plates inside the filter (much like how your hair sticks to a balloon after it has been rubbed on your head). These devices are often a favorite among customers because of how silent they are. They are even effective enough to clean viruses, gases, allergens and bacteria out of your household air.
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Arriving at university or college will be daunting for everyone. For many it may mean living away from the parental home for the first time, which on it’s own may be daunting enough. You will most likely have a hundred questions and a hundred fears; what will it be like? Can I cope with the workload? Will I be able to fit in? It may help to know that everyone will be feeling similar, though some may hide it better than others.

Invariably the vast majority of freshers will be pleasantly surprised. The University or College will be populated by a broad variety of people, from many walks of life with a diverse range of outlooks and opinions. Look beyond the initial confines of your college, house or dorm, the establishment will have many more people who will share similar interests to yourself. Some of the tips we have received from other students:

1. Meet as many people as you can, introduce yourself, smile and be confident. Everyone is in the same boat whether he or she appears to be or not.

2. Be yourself. Real friends will want to know you for who you are, warts and all!

3. Keep your opinions about others to yourself until you know whom you can trust

4. Take your washing to the laundry. Don’t save it all up to take back home to mum at the hols. She really won’t want five minging black bags to see to.

5. Have a good time

6. Join a few societies at first week fairs. If you’re not sure it’s for you but are interested take note of an e-mail/ contact address to get more details later. Its sometimes hard to find the right contacts later, it’s a big place.

7. Phone home and let your family know you’re all right, (even if you don’t exactly feel it). They’re probably more worried than you are.

8. Everyone feels at least a little homesick at first, and worried or just on a down. Talk to new friends you feel you can trust, and maybe write/call friends at home.

9. You’re at Uni for a few years, make the most of it, it’s over before you know it. Then you’ll miss the freedom and long holidays.

10. Keep in touch with family and friends at home, e-mail is easiest.

11. Don’t hang round with one little group ignoring everyone else. You’ll miss out on the chance of making other good friends as well.
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For many people, the idea of learning a foreign language is both exciting and intimidating, especially if the thought brings back memories of learning a second language in middle school or high school.

The truth is that learning a foreign language is a lot easier than most people expect particularly if you follow these tips which I have discovered after a lifetime of helping other people learn everything from Japanese and Arabic to German and French.

1. Make mistakes. The way to learn a new language is by making errors. That‘s right; your success will come from repeatedly failing. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and you will learn more than you ever dreamed possible.

2. Look for words your native tongue has in common with the new language you want to learn. For example, the word for American is Americano in Spanish, Américain in French and Americano in Italian and Portuguese. Interesting is interesante in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese and interessant in French. The words for chocolate and café also fit this pattern. Recognizing words that are familiar to you will help you build your new vocabulary faster.
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