Advantages of Choosing an Apple Specialist

Advantages of Choosing an Apple SpecialistWhat are the advantages of choosing a tutor for our children at Apple Valley? At Apple Valley it is recommended that we should have regular eye and hand and physical exams by doctors to evaluate our child's progress. If your child does not have any eye or hearing problems, the doctors may decide that no further action is needed.It is very important that you must have a good teacher for your child. Parents need to consider buying an apple grade specialist as the teacher who will give them their best education, as it is very hard to find a good teacher who is totally dedicated to teaching. And how can we find such a teacher?When you are buying an apple specialist from Apple Valley, it is better to pay extra attention to the qualities like demeanor and the ability to educate. It is said that the quality of a teacher must be the quality of education that is given to your child. Therefore you should always make sure that the teacher will offer onl y excellent education to your child. By paying attention to these things you will see how much better your child will learn from him.As mentioned earlier the aim of buying an apple specialist from Apple Valley is to make sure that the teachers you choose are really caring and devoted to teaching. They should understand your desire to keep your child's interests up to date. The good quality of education offered by a teacher is based on many aspects including, the attitude of the teacher towards your child, how much he works with the child, the atmosphere he creates in the classroom and the learning tools he uses. The kind of music you listen to, the color of the room and the number of books he uses will also contribute to how good a teacher you hire.Apple Valley can be a helpful place where you can find teachers and tutors. It has some important advantages. The parents who will travel to Apple Valley will get a very good education and by doing so they will also benefit as well.There are many schools in Apple Valley, which can cater to the children's needs and goals. By buying an apple specialist, the parents can take their child to the best school possible and will also have the added advantage of the best teachers available.However, before making a decision about an apple specialist or a school, it is a good idea to consult a doctor. He will also know what else should be done in order to ensure the child is learning from a good teacher. It is advisable to look around and find a good apple specialist or an apple to school in your area so that your child gets the best education possible.

Find An Economics Tutor

Find An Economics Tutor The Benefits of Economics Tuition ChaptersImprove Your Performance in Economics LessonsLearn More Than You Could in Economics ClassesPersonalised Exercises with an Economics TeacherFurther Your Career with an A Level Economics TutorFind Economics Tutors OnlineEconomics continues to be a popular A-level subject across the UK, and it’s easy to see why. Economics provides students with a solid overview of the world around them and how it can be shaped by economic policy. Additionally, it compliments other popular A-level subjects, such as maths, very well.Whenever a course is popular, there is always going to be increased competition among students to achieve the best possible grades. Those grades can be crucial to securing your place at university.As a result, students increasingly are on the lookout for ways to improve their confidence and academic performance, and tutoring is one such way of improving your knowledge of a subject.There are so many reasons why getting an economics tutor can be beneficial. For example , an A level economics tutor can:Provide tailored teaching that suits your own learning style;Give you revision techniques and study strategies to help you succeed in exams;Let you learn at your own pace; andEnsure that you learn in an environment that’s free from distractionsAdditionally, putting the discipline and hard work in now when it comes to improving your grades in economics can pay off in the long run. For example, if you’re considering a future career in economics or a related area, such as accounting, you can give yourself the best possible start  academically by equipping yourself with a private tutor.Let’s take a look at each of these benefits in further detail below.Your A-level results are important for future job applications; andYour university place is dependent on all your subjects’ results.So even if you’re not going to study economics at university, if you need to improve your grades in economics to go to your first-choice university, then private tut oring can help that dream become a reality.Any Superprof economics tutor online understand how important getting good grades at AS and A-level are, and always strive to help students achieve their desired grades across all their subjects, including economics.A tutor can supplement what you learn in economics lessons. (Source: CC0 1.0, mcmurryjulie,   Pixabay)Learn More Than You Could in Economics ClassesThere’s a common problem that both secondary teachers and students face: what do you do when half of the class easily understands a topic, but the other half struggles to understand its basic concepts?If the teacher decides to revisit parts of the lesson to make sure no-one is left behind, then they run the risk of boring those students that already have a grip on the material. However, if they just move on to the next topic on the syllabus then that teacher risks losing those that were struggling.When you have your own economics tutor, problems like the ones above go away. A tutor gives you more freedom  and guidance than you have in economics classes, as a tutor gives you coaching and evaluation on topics that you need the most support with.For example, it may be that you are very knowledgeable on macroeconomics, but have struggled in class on microeconomics. When you have a tutor, you can have suitable supplemental instruction to catch up on topics that you are less confident with. This means that when you come to revise the topic in class, you won’t be one of the students that are struggling.Alternatively, you can also choose to use an economics tutor to study a topic in even greater depth. So if you already know a lot about monetary policy, for instance, you can use your time with a tutor to learn more advanced aspects or improve your essay writing skills, which may give you an extra edge in those all-important exams.Tutors can also help you cover any areas you would like to concentrate on, regardless of awarding bodies. So whether you’re following t he OCR syllabus or the AQA course, an online tutor can provide exercises individually or in a small group that compliments your course curriculum perfectly.Superprof has a range of tutors that have experience in teaching all the main awarding bodies, so you can rest assured that they will be familiar with your course’s content. Find out more about the cost of economics tutors.It's important to know how much an economics teacher costs. (Source: CC0 1.0,  George Hodan, Public Domain Pictures)personalised feedback on what topic areas you need to improve on; andtips for achieving  exam success, including time management.Further Your Career with an A Level Economics TutorPeople choose their A-level subjects for a number of reasons. Some students choose their subjects because they enjoy them or they are good at them, whilst others pick subjects that they think will help them in their future careers.Although you may have chosen to study economics for any of the above reasons, it is also true that it is a great subject to have at AS or A-level if you think you will pursue a career in business at some point.For example, studying economics at A-level can be great to have if you’re thinking about a future career as:An economist;A chartered accountant; andAn investment analyst, among others.Furthermore, an economics A-level is a great stepping stone to pursuing an economics degree at university, maybe even at Oxford or Cambridge, which will take you one step closer to your dream career.So if you want to pursue economics at university, and you currently study the subject at A-level, then there’s no better time to look out for the best tutors. Any head start you can give yourself in terms of your knowledge of the subject will pay off dividends when you attend university for your undergraduate degree.At Superprof, I found a great tutor for Economics tuition!Improve your grades in economics classes and you could go to Cambridge. (Source: CC0 1.0, Ricardo Mateos, Public Domain Pictures)Find Economics Tutors OnlineWe’ve seen how economics tutors offer students a variety of benefits. Not only can a home tutor help you to improve your grades in the classroom, but online tutoring can also help prepare you for those all-important A-level qualifications. This is because tutors can employ one on one study tips and techniques that help ensure academic success, whether that's in your homework marks or in exams.So, once you’ve decided to engage an economics tutor, the question then becomes where can you find one? There are a few ways that you can find one on one tutoring for your economics course.The first method is to ask your teacher directly for some extra or intensive help with your studies or coursework and see whether they would be willing to tutor you.The benefit of asking your teacher to teach you in the capacity of your tutor is that they will already be familiar with your capabilities as a student. As a result, they should know how to ignite yo ur passion and get the best out of you at each home tutoring appointment.However, teachers are usually exceptionally busy, and may not have the availability to tutor you or give you an extra assignment. If this happens, you can always ask whether your teacher could recommend an educator for you.However, there is another easy way to find a tutor. Many sites, such as Superprof, provide online tutoring services. Such sites give students access to a range of tutors across a number of subjects, including economics. If you decide to find a tutor online, then you have a wide database of tutors to choose from, at any time during the academic year. This means that:You can pick a tutor that you think you will really get on with;Your tutor can give you assignments designed to improve your learning process;You can find a tutor who can make your course  enjoyable; andYou can find a tutor who will help give you the best one to one learning experience.What’s more, tutoring services can be online -only or can be a physical meeting, so you have the power to decide how you interact effectively with your tutor. With so many tutors to pick from, it’s not surprising that students often choose to find their tutor online. So why not try and boost your academic performance today and find a tutor?

3 Ways High School Students Can Improve Their Public Speaking Skills

3 Ways High School Students Can Improve Their Public Speaking Skills Public speaking is often a challenging aspect of academia for many students. While impossible to avoid, public speaking can be a source of anxiety for high schoolers. Luckily, there are tactics students can use to refine their public speaking abilities. Ways high school students can improve their public speaking skills include participating in extracurricular activities, practicing during classes, and learning from others. Looking to upgrade your public speaking skills this semester? Keep reading to learn three ways high school students can improve their public speaking skills. Tip #1 to improve your public speaking skills: join related extracurricular groups One of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills is to practice public speaking. Research the extracurricular activities your school offers, and find ways to get involved. High schools tend to have various activities that can greatly improve your public speaking skills, including: Mock trial Speech or debate team Student council Theatre club. Joining a school-sponsored organization that encourages a fair amount of speaking in front of others can not only improve your confidence, but it will also enhance your college admissions resume. Involvement in organizations such as these allows you to improve your public speaking confidence in a capacity where youre most comfortable. [RELATED: How to Maximize Your High School Extracurriculars] Tip #2 to improve your public speaking skills: increase your class participation If public speaking is a source of stress for you, challenge yourself to participate more in your classes. This is a simple tactic to improve your public speaking confidence. Raise your hand to answer questions out loud in front of your classmates, and practice articulating your thoughts about your coursework. Another way to improve your skills is to take advantage of assignments that prompt speaking in front of the class. When given the option, for example, to write a paper or give an oral presentation, take this opportunity to build your confidence by presenting in front of your classmates. Spend time preparing your presentation and rehearse beforehandboth in front of friends and family and in the space youll be presenting, if possible. Show yourself that if you practice and put your mind to it, public speaking doesnt have to be intimidating. [RELATED: Top 5 High School Study Tips] Tip #3 to improve your public speaking skills: observe other speakers techniques In addition to practicing your public speaking skills, take the time to research other speakers successful techniques. This could involve watching TED Talks and noting the mannerisms that engage you as a listener. It can also be helpful to watch your classmates during class or extracurricular presentations. Note how they organize their speeches, the level of eye contact they make, and how they involve the audience in the presentation. Dont be afraid to ask them what techniques have worked to build their public speaking confidence, and consider incorporating those strategies into your routine. [RELATED: How High School and College Students Can Setand AchieveAcademic Goals] Public speaking can be intimidating. Use your time in high school to build your confidence and improve your skills through school-sponsored organizations, classroom participation, and observing your peers. Additionally, public speaking tutoring can provide you with personally tailored strategies to improve your public speaking skills. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, and strive to find tactics to excel. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Why is Personal Development So Important

Why is Personal Development So Important What Makes Self-Improvement Helpful? ChaptersWhat is Personal Development?How to Start Practicing Self-DevelopmentPick a Personal Development Plan That's Right for YouHow to Tap Into Your Human PotentialIn a world that is clogged up with advice on time management, self-confidence and self-awareness â€" it can be difficult to know what strategy will be best to implement in your life. Personal development is a concept that spans human history, which can make it even harder to sift through all the books, podcasts and data about management skills, communication skills, or emotional intelligence.Whether you’re looking to boost the soft skills on your CV or simply want to enhance your life, personal development is a great starting point. This guide will walk you through some of the most important aspects of sharpening your development skills, from tips and advice to resources you can check out.Find personal development courses with a coach on Superprof.Growth and development is a great personal journey TraceyPersonal develo pment Teacher 4.92 (9) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (7) £55/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AntonellaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors IsamPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndriyPersonal development Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MichelePersonal development Teacher 4.73 (7) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlloydPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliverPersonal development Teacher 4.33 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat is Personal Development?Self-development is a subject that has, in the last couple of years, gained a lot of traction both in society and in economics. While the shift towards developing more complex indices of wealth and well-being has been in the process for a while now, many of us are sti ll confused on how to emphasize personal growth in our own lives. The biggest reason for this can be found in the fact that much of society still struggles to define what exactly skills development is.The idea of developing yourself can be easily understood, actually, by looking at the first rule of investing: invest in yourself first. This can take on a wide range of different “investment” ideas, such as:Skills training in subjects you have a passion forPracticing your leadership skills by taking on a personal projectDeveloping an exercise routineLearning a new languageThe basic idea underlying all of these examples is that in actively goal setting for activities that make you happy, you will not only improve your personal skills but also, simply, be happier and healthier.Another great benefit in starting to take some time to develop scientific, theatrical or technical skills is the upgrade you will give to your career development. While personal development can increase your e mployability by heightening your interpersonal skills as well as non-verbal skills, it can also lead you to discover different career options.If you’re still a bit confused on what exactly personal development skills and plans are, you’re not alone. While the traditional vision of personal development seems to only include improving your abilities in effective communication, conflict resolution or verbal communication â€" this subject also has a lot to do with physical health as well.While it may not be as explicit in a job interview or CV, working on your physical and mental health can have many benefits on your career as well. There are two main routes this can take on: fitness or meditation. Many experts believe that sports combine both fitness and meditation. Included in these are:YogaMartial artsLong distance runningHow to Start Practicing Self-DevelopmentWhile there are many theories on personal development, one of the most popular bodies of thought was established by psyc hologist Abraham Maslow. What became to be known as the hierarchy of needs was originally established by Maslow as a simple representation of how humans develop life skills. While many have responded to Maslow, even delving into more experimental methods, this hierarchy of needs is a helpful starting point in understanding how you can implement self-assessment skills to improve your development progress.Starting at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid of needs, any development goals should be met after basic physiological and safety needs have been met. These cover necessities like food, shelter, exercise, security, routine.Development courses can be done individually or with a groupThe next rung on the pyramid deals with love and belongingness. While these two concepts might not seem as concrete as hard skills like programming or fluency in a language, it can actually be an important stepping stone towards accomplishing your personal goals. Feeling a sense of belonging to a g roup, whether that be social, work-related or family, is a vital form a psychological standpoint.This step goes hand-in-hand with the next component of Maslow’s pyramid: esteem needs. Self-improvement cannot be defined without confidence and self-respect. For example, something as simple as working on your presentation skills can be majorly improved by, simultaneously, building up confidence in yourself.Cognitive needs is the third to last element on Maslow’s hierarchy. People crave knowledge, which is why personal development should not be a short-term but long-term commitment. This can include taking development courses, which can be anything related to acquiring new skills. Having a mentor can also be extremely important in developing personal or professional skills. While many do find satisfaction in self-knowledge, or self-teaching, the majority of people enjoy learning from those that are masters in their field.The penultimate step is labeled aesthetic needs, meaning the n eed for order, symmetry and beauty. While accomplishing any of your development goals, such as running a marathon or learning excel, it is also important to develop the environment around you. Actions such as living in a city you enjoy or organizing your home into an personal space can be a major part of your development plan.The last step involves self-actualization, which basically translates into someone accomplishing everything they set out to be. Contrary to popular belief, however, undertaking personal development is something you should implement every day of your life and shouldn’t be viewed as a final destination.Pick a Personal Development Plan That's Right for YouLearning about personal development can often inspire you to start implementing it into your own life. While this is a great way to kick-start you into achieving your goals, relying on this feeling alone will not bring you any closer to improving your personal or employability skills. What will help you, on the other hand, is goal setting.Many of us have been taught from an early age to set goals that are achievable. The problem with this is bit of advice is the fact that many people don’t exactly know how to define what is achievable and what isn’t. While whole swaths of the population simply want to achieve not-binge watching series every weekend, or set vague goals like starting to exercise more â€" these may not be the best ways to expand your skill set.According to studies conducted by professors Locke and Latham, the more difficult and specific your goals are, the more likely you are to work with more determination and for more time. To give one example that can apply from your transferable kills to your stress management, setting a goal with the “do your best” or “try your hardest” mentality isn’t as effective as more concrete challenges like “beat your best score” or “work for two hours more than yesterday.”While this isn’t an exhaustive guide on how to pla n your growth and development, here are some tips on how to get started on formulating a personal development plan.Develop a GoalEvery successful personal and professional development journey begins with those who set goals. Personal development goals should be difficult but achievable targets is an effective way of determining what aspect of your life you’d like to work on.Plan Your DevelopmentWhether you’re taking part in development programs, career planning or personality development â€" development plans should begin by defining each step you will have to take to achieve your goals. This process should involve outlining what resources you will need and how much time it will take for you to accomplish each step.Start the ProcessYou don’t need a life coach to reach your human potential. Whether you’re turning to personal development for career exploration or simply want to learn new skills, don’t wait until tomorrow to start implementing your personal development plans. Time management can provide you with career guidanceHow to Tap Into Your Human PotentialImplementing the new habit of practicing self-help everyday is not an easy one. While you may have the passion to achieve your goals, procrastination caused by a lack of direction can often lead to an indefinite delay of your development process. While this is definitely not an exhaustive list of the advice you can implement during your journey, here are some tips and materials to keep in mind.Develop Self-Care RitualsIt’s not as complicated, nor as pseudo-scientific as it sounds. Personal development can be as simple as prioritizing some time every day to taking care of your fitness, mental health and career. Practicing mindfulness, which is the act of meditation, can take on many different forms throughout your week. Here are some examples on how you can develop yourself personally and professionally with the aim to relieve overall stress.Create a to do list for every day of the weekPartake i n job shadowing for other areas of professional life you’re interested inTry journaling every morning before starting your daySelf-help MaterialsSelf-improvement resources come in a number of different guises, all depending on what kind of development you seek. While the sheer volume of self-help books and courses can be startling, narrowing a couple of materials down can be made easier by picking which aspect of your life you’re looking to improve: professional skills, personal goals or self knowledge.

50 Beautiful Spanish Words For an Instant Mood Boost

50 Beautiful Spanish Words For an Instant Mood Boost Suzy S. There are so many cool Spanish words to choose from, that its hard to narrow it down to just 50! Spanish is a beautiful language, and as you listen to native speakers, youll notice how elegant it can sound. Scientists have even deemed it the happiest language, too! Not only is Spanish a cool language, but it also has a logical structure. Pair that with the many Spanish-English cognates, and you can see why its one of the most popular languages to learn. As you learn Spanish, youll come across many words that stand out whether for the melodic way they roll off your tongue, or their meaning. Check out the infographic below for  some of our favorite, beautiful Spanish words! 50 Beautiful Spanish Words 1. bonita: pretty (adjective) 2. precioso: precious/beautiful (adjective) 3. señorita: young lady (noun) 4. guapo: handsome (adjective) 5. rosado: pink (adjective) 6. amor: love (noun) 7. encantar: to enchant (verb) 8. desear: to wish (verb) 9. sonreîr: to smile (verb) 10. bailar: to dance (verb) 11. cantar: to sing (verb) 12. beso: kiss (noun) 13. vivir: to live (verb) 14. abrazo: hug (noun) 15. novia/novia: boyfriend/girlfriend ( noun) 16. contigo: with you (pronoun) 17. palabra: word (noun) 18. chocolate: chocolate (noun) 19. café: brown (adjective)/ coffee (noun) 20. naranja: orange (noun) 21. dulce: sweet (adjective) 22. ángel: angel (noun) 23. fuego: fire (noun) 24. cielo: sky (noun) 25. zapatos: shoes (noun) 26. corazon: heart (noun) 27. estrella: star (noun) 28. noche: night (noun) 29. caliente: hot (adjective) 30. rica: rich/delicious (adjective) 31. dinero: money (noun) 32. serenidad: serenity (noun) 33. mariposa: butterfly (noun) 34. fuerte: strong (adjective) 35. siempre: always (adverb) 36. seda: silk (noun) 37. favorito: favorite (adjective) 38. mañana: tomorrow (adverb) 39. bienvenido: welcome (adjective) 40. sol: sun (noun) 41. montaña: mountain (noun) 42. azúcar: sugar (noun) 43. mirar: to look (verb) 44. fruta: fruit (noun) 45. medianoche: midnight (noun) 46. luz: light (noun) 47. diamante: diamond (noun) 48. flor: flower (noun) 49. mar: sea (noun) 50. helado: ice cream (noun) SEE ALSO: An Introduction to Spanish Culture How to Use These Cool Spanish Words Want to start memorizing these cool Spanish words? Here are some additional tips to keep in mind as you study these fun vocabulary words. Categorize the words.  Try grouping words together based on their similarities. For instance, each of these pretty Spanish words is related to showing affection  besos (kisses), abrazo (hug), and amor (love). Create multiple lists with different categories to study. Try forming sentences.  When  you create your own sentences, its easier to  remember the definitions of the words because  of the relevant context. Try  writing a few sentences down with some of the words we listed above. Post them around your house. Labeling items around the house is a great way to learn new  words. You can label the chairs, refrigerator, doors, etc. with their corresponding Spanish word. Play vocabulary games. There are plenty of Spanish websites with free games to check out. You can also purchase apps, or make DIY games such as Bingo and charades. Good luck studying these beautiful Spanish words, and have fun along the way! Readers, what other cool Spanish words would you add to this list? Leave a comment and let us know. Post Author:  Breeana D. Breeana teaches Spanish lessons in  Willow Grove, PA. Specializing in Early Childhood and Special Education, she also has a Bachelors in Elementary Education.  Learn more about Breeana 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

Student Stress Tips - Private Tutoring

Student Stress Tips BobbiM Mar 20, 2013 The kids at the local high school by my house are taking the SAT Test and the ACT Test this week. Heres the crazy thing: a few of these kids go to my church and I could actually sense a visible and material signs of stress in their faces, voices, and in their mannerisms. In sum, these are some stressed out kids. Now, if you take my experience and multiply that by the tens of thousands of high school kids worrying about the ACT Test and the SAT Test, but also the college students stress from their classes the cumulative effect of all of that stress cannot possibly be good for anybody. Certainly not good. Now, Im an expert on meditation or anything, but I have some experience with stress and have meditated through my practice of martial arts. And, keep in mind, I graduated from Brigham Young University in 3 years while I worked 20 hours per week to support my wife and 2 kids. Later, I graduated from a top 5 graduate school while trying to juggle being a husband and dad to 3 kids. I have stared stress in the eyeballs and have won that staring contest! So, here are some suggestions from someone who has dealt with stress and isnt actually very stressed much anymore: Close your eyes and Breathe: Simple, I know. Seriously, turn away from what ever you were doing, close your eyes, and breathe. Breathe for several minutes by inhaling through your nose and exhaling out your mouth. Heres an important tip when you inhale, do not stick your chest out, instead stick your stomach out. Thats how babies breathe. Try it for several minutes. It will help you relax. Exercise and Sweat: For real get up and do something. When you are exercising, you are breathing. And, oxygen in your body is good. And, when you sweat, you are also releasing toxins (dont quote me on that one). Believe me exercise is good. It will help your mind relax. Drink Healthy Herbal Tea: I like chamomile and apple spice, but you can drink any healthy herbal tea. Warm tea will help you relax and the herbs will revive your mind. Go some place high: Go on your roof or on top of a tree or on top of a hill. If you can see the landscape and broad land beyond you, you will gain perspective. And, when you stressed, gaining the proper perspective will neutralize most stressful situations. Pray: If you are religious, then pray to your God. If not, then pray to something higher than yourself. It will bring you a sense of humility and help you realize that theres more to this world than your problems. Give these student stress tips a try. I hope they help you out.

A Pen Pal Exchange for Communicative Writing Practice

A Pen Pal Exchange for Communicative Writing Practice More on pen pals: Start a Pen Pal Exchange project for studentson the Virtual Writing Tutor. For instructions on how to create a pen pal exchange for your students, check out these step-by-step pen pal exchange creation instructions for teachers.Click here for an article on pen pals that students can read to introduce them to the concept of pen pal writing. For ESL/EFL instructors teaching beginners, finding authentic and meaningful communicative writing tasks can be difficult. One challenge is figuring out how to keep a substantial conversation going. Social media posts are often short, eliciting short comments and likes. Emails are often utilitarian vehicles for conveying digital information, with file attachments, or for making requests. They do not lend themselves to extended, deeply meaningful exchanges that sustain students interest over long periods of time. Blog writing and hypertext narrative writing tasks are different, but these are written equivalents of monologues, a type of one-way communication for broadcasting to the masses. And yet, Applied Linguistics has taught us that languages are best taught by maximizing the repeated exchange of meaningful messages with a focus on form, right? Isnt it strange, then, that when we teach writing, many of us teachers focus primarily on structure, form, accuracy, and critical thinking? Strange, but unsurprising because engaging, meaningful, focused, authentic writing tasks are hard to come by. How can we make writing meaningful, repetitive, form-focused, and engaging for learners? Languages are best learned through an engaging and repeated exchange of meaningful messages with a focus on target structures Instead of resorting to 5-paragraph essay writing activities, a discourse model that does not exist in the wild, we can support the development of Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) with online pen pal writing tasks instead. Think about it. Pen pals usually live far from each other and so try to convey theirday-to-day lives through letters. Pen pals often try to communicate who they are, their culture, their family, food, holidays, and life eventsthis is all basic, interpersonal stuff!So pen pal writing projects seem really well-suited for learners trying to develop their BICS. The obvious problem with pen pal writing is that it takes a long time before letters in the mail arrive where they are going, and longer still to get a reply. There are only so many weeks in a semester, so pen pal writing is impractical for instructed language learning contexts. It is something a learner might do in addition to an English Second Language course, right? Maybe not. Maybe there is still a way to integrate pen pal writing into an ESL course. Maximizing Repetitions Sending letters internationally takes about two weeks. Pen pals cannot, therefore, expect more than one letter a month. In terms of maximizing meaningful, form-focused repetitions, college writing teachers wont get much in a three-month English Second language course. Something needs to be done to maximize the number of exchanges. A colleague of mine gets students to write messages to anonymous pen pals in their Hilroy notebook as informal writing practice. He collects the notebooks and redistributes them to students in another group on a different day. They write replies or questions, and he collects them back up again and returns them to the original author. It is a lot to keep track of, but the students enjoy it he saysand I believe him! At theend of the semester, he arranges for the pen pals to meet each other at an end-of-semester party. The Pedagogy of Notebook Pen Pal Exchanges For the record, I love the idea of notebook pen pal exchanges because of the meaningful exchanges it produces. However, I have not implemented this activity in any of my courses because I cant figure out how to ensure that it prepares students for competency-based writing evaluations in a direct and coherent way. General, unfocused language practice is not the highest expression of good CLT pedagogy, is it? Here are a few thoughts on my pedagogical concerns with notebook pen pal exchanges at the college level. Later, I will propose a solution that should improve upon this otherwise excellent activity. Not evaluated: Since this type of pen pal writing is framed as informal writing practice, it doesnt count toward the students final score. What counts instead are formal essay assignments during midterm and final exams. As such, pen pal writing reduces the cohesion of a course. Students pen pal writing does not prepare them for writing that counts. Since the meaningful exchange does not prepare students for competency-based evaluations, its value is restricted only contributing only to general proficiency and a reduction to writing apprehension.Feedback on errors:Giving corrective feedback on weekly writing has proven impossible for my colleague. There is just too much writing to correct, so he doesnt. This makes pen pal writing ineligible for evaluation. If students dont get formative feedback, pen pal writing tasks cannot be used for summative evaluations.Feedback on target structures: Students are invited to use the grammar from the lesson, but there is no follow-up on theuseof th e targets.Drop-outs: Some students go missing for a week or two. Sincehe keeps the notebooks in his office, students cant participate in the exchange if they are absent. Some students drop out of the course and notebook pen pal exchanges become difficult to manage. Some students complain that their pen pal is delinquent. the teacher is quick to pair students up or substitute another pen pal who also lost a partner. Designing an Online Pen Pal Exchange for ESL Learners Whats needed, obviously, is a system that can match up students in the same class and or in other countries. Also, there needs to be a way to provide fast feedback on spelling errors and grammar errors, so that students can get help with their extensive grammar errors. Indeed, it would be useful to know if students are writing more than the minimum number of words. Short messages wont do. Finally, there needs to be a way of ensuring that students use the grammar and vocabulary that they learn in their lessons because of the problem of grammar avoidance. The VWT grammar checker robot can help Sounds like a job for the Virtual Writing Tutor, right? The Virtual Writing Tutor grammar checker can already, count words, check spelling and grammar, and check for target structures. All thats needed, then, is a way to match students up and track their progress. Introducing the Virtual Writing Tutor Pen Pal Exchange Project. Designed for ESL teachers, by an ESL teacher, the system can match up students within the same class or from different classes taught by other teachers. All they need is a free account. It can also, check spelling, check grammar, check for target structures, add voice recordings and photos, and automatically score each pen pal message based on criteria defined by the pen pals teacher. Find out how to create an ESL pen pal exchange on the Virtual Writing Tutor. Please follow and like us: