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October 30, 2005

Time Management For First-year University Students

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 7:33 pm

Ever run out of time for something that needed to be done?

If you answered yes, perhaps you had trouble managing your time properly. Time management can teach you how to make the most of your time.

Time management is one of the most important skills for university students. You should be very busy with your studies while, at the same time, balancing it with an on-campus social life.

You have been admitted to the school of your choice, with hopes of meeting new friends and finding success in your classes.

Getting into college is the easy part, but the hard part would be finishing it in one piece. College can be fun but at the same time frustrating, especially if your professors are being difficult or too strict. You may have thought some of these things when you first visited your university’s campus:

• I am overwhelmed. This is too much.

• The campus is so big, how will I ever find my way around?

• Okay, now I am a college student. Now what happens?

Surviving college is not just about how intelligent you are. It is not about how high you scored on standardized tests or admissions exams, and it is not entirely about classes and studying. People need to socialize; it’s part of their human nature. College does allow you to interact, but you must also study.

It is important that you balance your time between studying and socializing. Some college students study themselves to the point of fatigue, but then some of them do not pass their classes due to stress. Other college students think of the university as one endless party.

Some students do not appreciate the importance of socialization, and others do not value the importance of their education.

You may be an intellect but it is not the only key to success in college. What is the secret to collegiate success?

Time management is vital.

College requires you to balance your life. You have to manage everything, such as class preparation, studying, campus organization activities, spending time with friends, eating healthy, exercising, and sleeping.

Time management is not solely about studying, but also the attentiveness on relieving the stress of college life.

Here are some ways that you can effectively manage your precious time:

• Learn to prioritize. Once you are focused on the goals you wish to achieve, you must prioritize the activities required to reach the goal. That will help you determine what particular task needs to be accomplished first and what tasks can be reserved for the future. To accomplish your goals more efficiently, try to mark deadlines on your calendar.

• Try to set goals. Know what you want to achieve and make those achievements your priority. That could be anything, whether you want to achieve the goal in a day, a week, a month, or a semester. Determine what your academic goal should be.

Making goals could make it simpler for you to concentrate; instead of juggling subjects that you think are easy, it could be very stressful and often results in failing to achieve your goal.

If you have more than one goal, it is wise to separate them into more manageable sections. Make a list of what you want to achieve for one week and for following weeks.

• Use extra time constructively. As an example, instead of doing nothing before class while waiting for the professor to arrive, try to think of the latest class assignment. If you are assigned to write an essay or research paper, use the time to think of a good topic for it.

It is a fantastic way to portion your time into manageable pieces, and great time saver. It also allows you more time to spend time with your friends. When it comes to finishing tasks, sooner is always better than later.

• Time management planning is available for you to use to your advantage. Do not squander the resources and methods or available to you. The key to time management planning is carrying out the plans. Some college students get easily swayed by friends to attend a party while the student should be studying or otherwise in the process of achieving the established goals.

Oftentimes, students think that they can put off the agenda until tomorrow. Doing so often results in too many things to do the next day, resulting in stress and frustration.

You may have thought that each day is too short for you to finish all your work, and you may wish that there were more hours in a day. Those wishes are impossible. Therefore, the best course of action is to make use of what little time you do have.

Establish a time management schedule to simplify priorities, and to avoid being stressed out from trying to accomplish everything at once.

October 29, 2005

Time Management For Teachers: Why Start A New School Year With The Same Old Systems?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:31 pm

How can a teacher manage to find time during the day to get things done? In providing teacher time management training for school districts, I recognize that using time management in education at the teacher level is difficult because you face unique challenges:

Your time is booked every day. There is no leeway in altering a class schedule, so you must work within the very limited planning periods.

An important component of your job is to be available for students and parents beyond the actual classroom sessions.

One very effective method for teachers to save time is to group activities as much as possible. With this process you can use to maximize those all-too-short blocks of time so that you can lessen the amount of work you drag home every evening.

You are four times more productive when you can focus on one type of task rather than switching back and forth among assorted tasks. Constant multitasking slows you down. While you can never eliminate all of the interruptions in your day because you do need to be responsive to students, make the best use of the short periods of time that you do have.

What activities are effective when grouped?

Telephone: Set aside a time when you will make and return nonurgent phone calls. It might be fifteen minutes in the morning and another fifteen minutes in the afternoon. Work toward keeping routine calls within that block.

Email: Electronic messages can easily dominate your day. Turn off the sound or alert that advises you of incoming messag3es. Just as with telephone calls, set a block of time each day when you focus on just your email.

Discussions: If you confer several times a day with certain colleagues, set up a folder and collect items during the day so that you can cover all points during just one meeting. This limits interruptions for both of you. Encourage others to have a folder for you also.

Reading: For articles and publications that do not have an action date, keep them together and schedule time on your calendar to catch up on the reading. This reading block can include both paper and electronic information.

Filing: Even if you have a terrific filing system and you know where to put all your reference papers, do not stop and file each individual item as it comes in. Wait until you have a folder of papers, and then note on your calendar when you will file.

It will take practice to develop the habit of grouping your activities in order to limit multitasking, but the resulting increase in productivity is worth the effort.

October 28, 2005

Time Management In College - Don

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — admin @ 6:18 pm

One of the biggest concerns of college students is how they are going to juggle everything and keep everyone happy. Most people think (sometimes parents included) that college is a time of fun and little stress. Those that have gone to college may remember that studying, keeping up and lack of sleep is far from a walk in the park. There are several issues, events and social interactions that college students are expected to maintain all in limited time. There are many stressors during this time of life and can leave students frustrated as well as exhausted. The worries of balancing academics, sports, friends, family, employment and sleep are worrisome. Managing time is not only a difficult task for college students, but also the general population. Here are some great ways to manage time and still get everything done, or close to it anyway!

Understanding Your Internal Clock

No, we are not talking about your alarm clock that rings two hours too early every morning. Did you even know that you have an internal clock? This can be seen by the difference in people and their sleep habits. Ever noticed that some people regardless of an alarm clock or not wake up 7:00 am on the dot, regardless of what time they went to bed the night before. Others have trouble waking up regardless of the fact that the alarm clock has been screaming for an hour. This is because their internal clock is preset and is different from person to person. So what does this have to do with time management? Understanding when you have the best concentration, feel your best and are the most alert will help you determine the best time to study. Studying is a huge factor and time stealer of college students, so make the most of the session.

If you are an early bird then plan on studying in the morning, at breakfast or shortly there after. If this is your alert time and when you are best able to learn or retain information than make the most of it. On the other hand if you are a night own and are best able to work or understand at dark then study at night. The only concern with studying at night is the fact that you may be tired from a hard days work and have trouble concentrating. Remember the importance of knowing your body to understand when you are at your best, that way you will not spend hours spinning your wheels and not get any studying done.

Having Appropriate Tools

Make sure that you invest in a pocket calendar so that you can manage your time and make sure that you make your appointments as well as engagements. Keeping up with events and upcoming dates is one of the most important aspects of managing time. That way you do not overbook yourself and promise the weekend meal with your family the same time as a banquet or other social engagement.

As far as academics it is important to have the appropriate material, texts and study guides to make the most of your academic time. If you will spend a little extra time and take good notes, keep your material organized then you will not spend half your time looking for your homework! Unorganization is a leading loss of time for everyone on the planet!

Balancing Social VS Academics

Finding time between keeping up with your academic work and your friends is sometimes very strenuous. Everyone wants to go out and eat, spend a day on the lake or watch a movie instead of writing an English essay. It is important to keep your studies up though because it is easy to fail a class. Not only does this cost you or your parents an arm and leg, but it also puts you behind. You came to college to earn a degree in academics not socializing. There is a time and place for everything, but put your college career first. Allot so much time to your friends, sports and other activities in order to avoid running out of time. If something must be skipped make sure that is not your school work. If you miss a test or perform poorly, your grades, scholarship and other financial aid status can suffer, but your friends will forgive you.

As for balancing sports and academics, you have to do just that, balance it. This can be a very trying feat because both can take a great deal of dedication and time. Again remember that you will not be able to continue your sports and be the star of the basketball team if you flunk out. Ever heard of the “no pass no play rule”? It gets excellent athletes all the time, how good are you on the bench?

Rid of Distractions

If you are trying to achieve a goal and there are several distracting factors you probably will not accomplish them. Ridding or removing the distractions is the best way to get your wish list completed in record time. Background music or other slight noise is acceptable during study time, but rap music, loud music or the blasting television needs to be eliminated. You can not study when your friends are having a party or a loud get together in the next room either. Pick a time and place that is quite and free of distractions to study.

October 26, 2005

Tips For Effective Praxis Study

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 3:03 pm

Passing a Praxis exam successfully can be your ticket to a highly rewarding teaching career. Not only that, the Praxis test series can also cement your reputation as an educator. That is why it’s important you don’t take chances with the study preparation for your Praxis tests, considering that proper study is key to passing the test and securing your future. Here are some tips to help you get ready for that Praxis test:

Know which Praxis test to take.

There are 3 Praxis test series you will need to take depending on the licensure and requirement you have to fulfill. Know what your specific test is and what type of tests to expect.

Study ahead of time.

Schedules for Praxis tests are posted on the websites of the Department of Education and the Educational Testing Services. Know how much time you have to study for your Praxis test by checking out the schedules online.

Familiarize yourself.

It would be a very helpful study strategy to familiarize yourself with the format and layout of the Praxis exam. Knowing how the test booklet will look like, where the questions will be found and how you will be using the answer sheet will not only save you time during the test but also help lessen your anxiety and pre-test jitters.

Know what kind of test content and question types to expect and find out what specific teaching skills each test will measure. Another important consideration during your Praxis study is the time limit, so you’ll know how to pace yourself when you’re taking the exam.

You might also want to check out some resources that can provide you with information about past Praxis tests. There are plenty of resources online that will familiarize you with the common methods and questions used in the tests. Don’t expect these to actually appear on your testing day, however. Praxis tests are reviewed and changed regularly so what you find online or offline may not appear on the actual test.

Study and study hard.

While a good number of test takers don’t study for their Praxis tests and still pass, there’s also a high percentage among failures who did not bother to prepare themselves. Remember that the Praxis test is an assessment of your knowledge and skills, many of which were obtained over your many years of study. The Praxis test series will not measure your interest or disposition in teaching so it will be necessary that you study all relevant material to help you pass the exam.

You might want to design an effective study schedule to help you gradually sort through and review your study materials. Read about case studies, do classroom observations and practice teaching. Learn how to identify specific information in questions to help you cut reading time.

Practice.

Learn about your pacing by taking practice tests from online sites. You’ll be able to observe your speed and accuracy by doing so and still be able to come up with corrective measures. If you’re confident about multiple choice tests, spend more time on constructed response tests to improve your score. Most importantly, keep track of the time you spend reading questions and writing your answers.

Should I use the services of a professional study center?

If you think you’ll need extra help with your Praxis study, go ahead. Just make sure to pick a reputable group to work with. Ask about their methods, rates of success and if you prefer, reviews from former students.

Tips For A Positive Distance Learning Experience

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 7:29 am

If you are new to the distance learning scene, you will quickly find out that there are a number of factors that you must consider to ensure that your educational journey is a pleasant one. This is really no different than starting your education in a traditional “brick and mortar” college or university, except you are taking your classes online.

With a little common sense and some research, most students can find a school that is a good fit for their own study habits and lifestyle. This is a key factor to consider because you will be expected to manage your studies, work schedule, and home life in a way that will allow you to accomplish your education goals. This will be much easier if you select a school with a curriculum and study schedule that complements your lifestyle.

To help you get off on the ‘right’ foot with your online education, we thought the following tips would help you sidestep a few of the most common online student issues:

Finding the Right School

Probably the most daunting task the online student faces is selecting the right school. Avoid schools that have a reputation for being diploma mills. The degrees issued by these schools are generally worthless while potential employers are often well aware of the names of these questionable educational institutions. Luckily, these schools are the exception.

There are many credible colleges and universities that can provide you with a top-of-the-line education at reasonable tuition costs. Your first course of action in the selection of an online college or university is to request a school catalogue and review their programs, online courses, and student support activities. Of course, an extremely important step you MUST take is to verify that your prospective school is accredited and that your online courses also have the appropriate accreditation.

Keeping Your Online Education Costs Under Control

There is no way to avoid this fact of life &ndash education can be pricy. But it doesn’t have to send you into bankruptcy either. Ask your prospective college if they have any programs, including student loans, to assist with educational costs.

And certainly don’t rule out scholarships and grants just because you are enrolling in online courses. There is a surprising amount of funding available for online education, and you don’t need to have a 4.0 grade point to be eligible. Receiving a scholarship or grant is an ideal way to dramatically reduce your education costs, but it will take some work to find all these funds.

Don’t Forget to Transfer All of Your Credits

In many cases, you will not have to start from scratch if you have earned credits at other schools. Be sure to send your transcripts from your previous school to your online college and request that your counselor review your records. Even if course equivalencies are not granted initially, you may be able to petition to receive credits anyways. Just state your case as clearly and logically as possible and leave the emotional aspects out.

There are a few schools that will grant life experience credits based on testing or a review of your portfolio. This may be a long shot, but a question that should be asked of your counselor. You may get a pleasant surprise!

We hope that these tips will help you on your way to a successful distance learning experience. Remember - doing a little research up front can save you a world of grief somewhere down the road. Don’t contemplate it &ndash just do it!

October 24, 2005

Tips For Efficient Studies When Going To College

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 7:37 am

It often happens that students study a lot, but still feel the need to excel more. They feel that the amount of input is not proportionate to the output. This is because there is so much to study and with other activities around, it is difficult if not impossible to memorize everything and store that in memory forever. For most of the students there is a problem in learning and remembering. Moreover, these days, students are not only burdened with heavy coursework, but also other non-coursework activities.

As such students need to know as to how they should develop efficient study habit. Our brain takes time to take in information and process it. If you go on with this process non-stop for a long period, the system will get tired and will take longer and longer time to process information. So take a break of about ten minutes for every 50 minutes of work. This will help to refresh your brain and make work longer. This way you will retain information for longer time even if you do not memorize.

Review your notes at the end of the by reading, writing, thinking or talking about it. You can also do this every after one hour of study setting aside ten minutes for it. Researches have prove that if you do not review or recall what you have learned, you are most likely to forget 50-80 percent of what you have learned in the next 24 hours. So try to retain as much as possible by reviewing your lessons.

Review your notes at the end of the week setting aside five minutes to each hour of material for that week. Also set aside two to four minutes of review, per hour of study, at the end of the month. Weekly and monthly reviews are done to make sure that you curb forgetting.

You can also try changing subjects or tasks every hour. You will feel easily bored doing or studying the same things for hours. Hence the brain will take longer processing time. You read a particular subject for an hour, take a break, refresh yourself and come back to study something new. Remember that the human brain does not easily assimilate the same material hour after hour. So better reorganize your studying routine so that you don’t get bored and end up squeezing your concentration power. The best concentration level can be retained for about half-an-hour. So change your task often.

Do not read with your mouth. Some students feel they learn faster when they are mouthing. But the fact is that the brain reads faster than the mouth. Moreover, the concentration level is also high when you read with your brain.

You should also read with a purpose. As you read, develop a questioning mind. Pose questions yourself as you read and also try to answer them. This way will develop an analytical reading habit that will help you to retain information for a longer period.

These study tips will be very handy for every student. For students pursuing distance education, these tips will be very useful. Since they don’t attend classroom lectures, and learn at home, they can benefit if they use these study tips. The same is true of students pursuing online degree programs.

October 22, 2005

Tips For Learning Spanish From Home

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 1:07 pm

Learning Spanish is not an easy process, but with some guidance in the right direction you could be grasping the lingo within no time. As opposed to conventional Spanish lessons, learning at home is becoming a more preferable way to pick up the language with a wide range of source materials specifically designed for home tuition. By following through a progressive language program at home, you too can build up your Spanish skills in no time, and for very little outlay.

As with any language, learning Spanish requires a great deal of time and effort. The less time you can devote to learning, the slower you will be to grasp new concepts and sentence structures. If you feel you can’t dedicate time to learning, it’s perhaps a bad idea for you to consider trying to learn at the moment. If, however, you feel you could spare around an hour a day, you will be amazed at your vocabulary by the end of a month, and within six months, you could easily be speaking fluently.

The best approach to learning a language like Spanish is to consider how a child learns English. Start with the basics; numbers, letters of the alphabet, days of the week. Learn the basic vocabulary and most importantly write down everything you learn with an English definition accompanying. This will enable you to produce your own reference guide to refresh your memory, and allow you to chart your progress over time.

Another good way to improve your Spanish skills is to read in Spanish, or listen to Spanish broadcasts. Of course this will be very difficult for a beginner, but if you can find English subtitles, this would help you to make a connection between the sounds and sentences structures of Spanish, which you could transpose into your own thinking. Additionally, visiting Spain or a Spanish-speaking region to try out your skills might also be beneficial, as this could help you practice your skills first hand and develop the necessary analytical skills to converse freely.

Learning Spanish requires time and dedication, but if you use your investment wisely, you will soon see the benefits. Within weeks you should be structuring complex sentences and contemplating your own punctuation, and within several months you should be able to write and structure prose. If you’re dedicated enough, you’ll see the results sooner than you think, and you won’t really have to spend a penny when learning from home.

Tips For Preparing For Your High School Graduation, Part 1

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 7:16 am

Preparing for your high school graduation is one of the most exciting, rewarding and also, emotional times in your entire life. Faced with many important and life-changing decisions such as work, college, and living arrangements, getting through graduation itself can be hectic and frustrating. However, there are several simple things that will better prepare you for this transitional period in life.

It’s a wise idea to begin preparing for your high school graduation as soon as your senior year begins, if not sooner. A meeting with the school’s guidance counselor at the beginning of the year will answer questions about graduation eligibility requirements. It’s not uncommon for students to be surprised at the end of their school year when they learn that they haven’t fulfilled all of the requirements needed to graduate. The requirements that are set forth by the schools may vary by location but generally state that a certain number of classes or credits must be completed before a student is given their diploma or even allowed to attend the graduation ceremony in some schools.

Viewing your transcripts before you have to think about sending them off to colleges and universities will give you a better picture of your academic performance thus far. In addition, this will allow you to see if there are areas that need improvement during your senior year. Also, keep close tabs on your GPA or Grade Point Average, as this will be one of the most important deciding factors for being accepted to a college or university.

After taking care of the academic portion of your graduation experience, you’ll want to focus on the lighter side such as the celebrations, and the parties. Many graduating seniors choose to send out pictures and announcements letting everyone know they are about to graduate even if they aren’t having a party. If a graduate is sending out notices just to spread the good news and isn’t looking for gifts, then be sure to include “No gifts please” at the bottom of the announcements to avoid confusion and also to follow proper etiquette.

October 20, 2005

Tips For Preparing For Your High School Graduation, Part 2

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 8:20 pm

The choices for graduation parties are pretty much endless and you are only limited to your own imagination. Decide whether you’d like to have an open house type of party with a lot of friends and family milling about or if you’re interested in a more intimate gathering. Perhaps a formal dinner or brunch is more your speed, or alternately, a graduation picnic or cookout can be a great way to celebrate the end of your high school career. If you’re headed to college, consider decorating for your party with the school’s colors and serve foods that are specific to the local area.

Preparing for your high school graduation is actually a lot more than just choosing the invitations and the color of the balloons for the party. It’s realizing that this is the final step into adulthood and into the stressful but rewarding world of responsibilities, duties, and obligations. Learning personal survival skills are as essential in preparing for your high school graduation as are getting good grades and SAT scores. Although, getting good grades and taking as many electives as possible without compromising those grades is a great way to prepare yourself for graduation, and ultimately, for college and life in the “real world” as an adult.

Personal survival skills are those vital, necessary tasks that self-sufficient people must do for themselves in order to survive. Some of these include getting a part-time job before graduation if possible, getting a driver’s license, volunteering in the community, and learning the basic financial skills needed to function in life such as balancing a checkbook.

A “part-time job” can include household chores and various tasks such as babysitting, mowing lawns, shoveling snow and doing odd jobs for friends and neighbors. Many high schools offer work-study programs that are beneficial to students in that they allow them to earn money while working toward their graduation and college goals.

Once a graduate-to-be is sure that they are capable of taking care of themselves without help from their parents or family, they should be confident in their abilities to succeed in college as well. By learning the basic skills that are necessary to function as a responsible adult before graduating from high school you’ll be prepared for college, work, and life in general. You’ll also be able to attend your graduation with the confident knowledge that you’re ready to successfully take on all of life’s exciting challenges.

October 18, 2005

Tips For Preparing Your Family For Fire Emergencies

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 8:33 pm

Hundreds of people die every year because of fire-related incidents, especially during the Christmas season. Thus, it is very important for us to be prepared for such emergencies. Each member of our family should know what to do in case of fire. More importantly, all of us need to know what to do to prevent fire.

Plan Ahead

One of the most important things that parents forget to teach their children is to prepare for emergencies, such as fire. Even at a young age, children should already be taught how to prevent fire and what to do in case there is fire. Fire drills have often been conducted in buildings and schools to help prepare building occupants and students in case of fire, so why can’t you have a fire drill in your home?

The first step is to check your house for possible fire exits. See if the windows and doors in your house are big and tall enough to be used as possible fire exits. Make a floor plan for each room, ensuring that there are at least two ways to get out of the room to escape fire. In making the floor plan, you need to include crucial details, such as stairs, windows and hallways.

After devising a floor plan, you should meet your children and discuss your fire escape plan. You should also make sure that your family has devised a way of warning other members of fire, such as bells, door tapping, etc. It would be best if each bedroom of your house has a flash light and a bell. Lastly, select a safe place outside the house where everyone will go after escaping the fire.

Preparing your family for fire emergencies

It is wise to act out your evacuation plan with the whole family. Teach your children how to stay close to the ground while escaping and is possible, let them memorize the way. Sometimes, the smoke caused by fire would make it very difficult to see the way, so it would really be wise if you and children know the way by heart.

You and your children should also know that during fire, you should feel the door first before opening it. You should not open the door if it is hot. Instead, find another way you could escape your room or house.

If the clothes of your children or any family member catch fire, tell them to fall to the ground and roll. This will help extinguish the fire.

Make your house safe from fire

Make sure that emergency numbers are placed near telephones. Such numbers should always be accessible and visible so that you can call authorities immediately when a fire breaks out.

You should also ensure that smoke detectors are installed in key places in your house. Once smoke detectors are installed, you should check their batteries once in a while. Usually, the batteries of smoke detectors should be changed yearly.

Place fire extinguishers in key locations. If your house has several floors, ensure that there is at least one fire extinguisher per floor.

It would really be best if smoking is prohibited inside the house because many incidences of fire are caused by improperly discarded cigarettes. However, if smoking cannot be helped, make sure that nobody smokes in the bed. Furthermore, let everyone know how to properly discard cigarette butts.

No matter how many times you have taught your children that matches and lighters are dangerous, some will still play with them. Thus, it is advisable to keep all lighters and matches in places that your children cannot access. If possible, put them in locked drawers or cabinets.

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