How Bill Gates Influences Education Reform

How Bill Gates Influences Education Reform Education funding may be down in the past few years, but one private donor is starting to pour more money back into education that one donor is Bill Gates. Gates is cracking his piggy bank to the tune of $373 million in 2009 for education and an additional $78 million to advocacy, according to an article in the New York Times. The $78 million poured into advocacy was four times the amount the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation spent in 2005 on advocacy. The money donated on education and advocacy do not go to the same areas. The advocacy money funds grassroots organizations that Gates and his wife support. For example, the Gates Foundation supported a group of teachers fighting against seniority-based layoffs, which were being debated in late 2010 and early 2011. These teachers were recruits in a national organization, Teach Plus, which testified before legislature, wrote briefing papers and published an opinion-edited article in the Indianapolis Star. The group described themselves as a group of local teachers who favored school reform. But together, they persuaded lawmakers to eliminate seniority-based layoff policies with the help of Gates generous funding. Gates support of this organization has marked a change in the way he funds education. For years, Gates simply focused his philanthropy on overhauling large schools and opening small ones. But, he is now more involved and ambitious, as he and his wife focus on overhauling the nations education policies. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is focusing on educators who pose alternatives to union orthodoxies on the issues of seniority systems and the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers. Gates is also funding Harvard-trained data specialists to collect information inside school districts and use that information to change policies. Major philanthropists, like Gates, are shaping education reform by creating new advocacy groups or helping existing ones grow stronger. These philanthropists can basically decide which issues they favor, fund them and help form education reform to their liking. Some experts are beginning to worry about Gates and other philanthropists power. They argue that they are squeezing independent thought too much and suggest that philanthropists need to be more transparent and open about their motives. After all, many reporters and politicians dont know that some of these grassroots organizations are heavily funded. However, the lagging American education system has become a concern of national interest. Journalists, teachers, grassroots organizations, private philanthropists, administrators and all the way up to major politicians and President Barack Obama are weighing in on education reform. These individuals all have different opinions on whats best for education. However, they are all including Gates donating their time, money and insights to make Americas education system as good as it can possibly be. They are all committed to making it better.

15 Yoga Poses with Powerful Benefits for Singers [Videos]

15 Yoga Poses with Powerful Benefits for Singers [Videos] Suzy S. You know how important breath support is for great singing but are you regularly incorporating breathing exercises for singing into your warm-ups? Read on as voice teacher Shannen R. shares 15 yoga poses to try out, designed to help with various elements of your singing   Get ready to free your vocal cords of strain, increase your breath capacity, and get the strength you need for powerful belts and the control for soft tones. Going beyond simple breathing exercises for singing, the following yoga poses free your neck, shoulders, and spinal muscles of tension. Your breath and sound will move freely, and your core muscles will grow stronger so you can manipulate your voice. 15 Yoga Poses and Breathing Exercises to Try 1. Three Part Breath Benefit: Strengthens your breath support for belting and long notes People tend to breathe shallow and in one favorite cavity of the body. Learning to use all cavities of the body will give you enough breath for belting and for long, held notes. Start either lying flat on your back or propped up with two yoga blocks, one block at the highest level and the second block at the medium height. 2. Seated Breath Benefit: Guides you to use your full breath capacity While the Three-Part Breath teaches you how to breathe into all your front body cavities, now we’re going to explore our back body cavities to use your ultimate breath capacity. Start seated with your legs crossed and your feet flexed. 3. Eagle Arms Benefit: Another breathing exercise for singing, this enhances your ability to hold belts The hardest area of the body to breathe into is the upper back. To find breath here, we will practice eagle arms.  This will also give you the ability to hold belts and soft, unwavering tones. 4. Kapalabhati Breath Benefit: Activates your core and clears your sinuses   In yoga we practice breathing techniques called pranayama. Kapalabhati breath, translated from Sanskrit to breath of fire, will activate your core and clear your sinuses to give you beautiful, open notes instead of nasal and strained notes. Repeat this for 5-15 continuous rounds. 5. Ujjayi Breath Benefit: Supports evenness of breath To hold long notes and maintain the correct pitch with an unwavering tone, your breath must be even. Ujjayi breath, another pranayama technique in yoga, is the practice of finding evenness of breath. Repeat for 5-15 rounds. 6. Neck and Back Twist Benefit: Relaxes your muscles to reduce vocal strain A lot of times when your voice strains to reach a note, your vocal cords are being pulled by tight muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back. To release these muscles, practice this easy restorative twist on a yoga bolster,  a few stacked pillows, or stiff folded blankets. You may hold this twist for up to five minutes. 7. Seated Neck Stretches Benefit:  Relaxes the neck muscles to reduce strain. Another way to stretch out the muscles in your neck is with seated neck stretches. These stretches will target the back and the sides of the neck, and can be practiced multiple times throughout a day. 8. Self Massage: Neck Massage Tool Benefit: Another relaxation exercise for neck muscles   One of my favorite neck massage tools is from Daiso, the most adorable Japanese store you’ll ever find. For this exercise you’ll need a towel and the neck massage tool, which can be purchased here or at your local Daiso store. 9. Self Massage: Neck Massage With Tennis Balls Benefit:  Another exercise for relaxing neck muscles If you don’t want to buy the Daiso neck massager, you can use tennis balls to relax your neck, which will help you avoid strain and increase your vocal range. 10. Self Massage: Back Massage Benefit: Relaxes the muscles in your spine   If your spine is tense, EVERYTHING goes wrong. This is because your spine is connected to your brain and is in charge of relaying messages to your body. If there is any tension in the spine, it can cause blocks in the message pathways, and result in excess anxiety and other mental obstacles. Spinal tension can also cause postural problems, which limit your breathing and create muscle tension. In the video below youll learn how to massage your whole spine with two tennis balls. Don’t be alarmed if it feels very tender the first time. Give light pressure and do not practice it for too long. The more you maintain a self-massage practice, the more comfort you will find. 11. Self Massage: Shoulder Massage Benefit: Relaxes your  shoulders, which can affect your neck, throat, and vocal cords The shoulders can be a tough place to get! Nail those shoulder knots that are pulling on your neck, throat, and vocal cords with this massage. 12. Spinal Twist Benefit: Relaxes your  spine, creates better breath capacity   Roll up a big fluffy towel and get ready for the cheapest and best spinal reliever of your life!  Space in the spine will create more space for your breath to travel, giving you more breath capacity when singing. 13. Tadasana Benefit: Relaxes your muscles to reduce vocal strain The key to singing is good posture   I’m sure you’ve heard this a billion times. Tadasana, or mountain pose, teaches you how to stand correctly and builds the muscles needed to avoid hunching the shoulders forward or arching the back so the ribs puff out. Correct posture will help you avoid straining your voice, and encourages evenness of breath to create controlled sound and power for belts. 14. Puppy Dog Pose Benefit:  Lengthens the spine and leads to greater power and control when singing A variation of the ever-so-famous downward facing dog, this pose will lengthen your spine, creating space in between each vertebrae, and is another great way to open up the shoulders.  Space in the spine equals space for breath, which leads to more power and control when singing. 15. Back Release and Shoulder Opener Benefit: Relaxes your  spine, shoulders, and neck, and leads to a fuller vocal range This forward fold and shoulder opener combo will have your spine, shoulders, and neck melting with relief!  This pose will relax all of your throat muscles and vocal cords so you can access a full vocal range. If you have any questions or if any of these stretching and breathing exercises hurt, make sure to check with a qualified teacher. Feel free to contact me through TakeLessons for additional help! Post Author:  Shannen R. Shannen Roberts is a yoga instructor, singer, pianist and keyboardist, singer and songwriter, and founder of self-help site The Strange is Beautiful. She teaches in Valencia, CA, as well as online. Learn more about Shannen 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

The Cost of Visiting Porto

The Cost of Visiting Porto How Much Does It Cost to Visit Porto? ChaptersThe Cost of Getting to PortoThe Cost of Accommodation in PortoThe Cost of Eating in PortoThe Cost of Visiting Attractions in PortoThe Cost of Public Transport in Porto“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” - UnknownSpain and Portugal share the Iberian Peninsula and Portugal is smaller than its neighbour. However, there are plenty of great reasons to visit Portugal.When it comes to visiting Portugal, most people think of Lisbon or the Algarve. However, the north of Portugal is home to plenty of wonderful sights including Azulejo and little cobbled streets.The air traffic into Portugal’s second city has increased by 15% in the space of a year. This is thanks to a lot of budget airlines which have made travelling to Porto much more accessible.So how much does it cost to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site? How much does a trip around the old town cost?In this article, we'll look at the cost of travelling to Porto, how much you'll spend on accommodation , what you'll need to budget for food, how much it'll cost to see the sights, and how much you'll pay getting around the city. IrineuPortuguese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GabrielaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoanaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (1) £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouisePortuguese Teacher 5.00 (2) £27/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RodrigoPortuguese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BlancaPortuguese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolinaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (6) £11/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Cost of Getting to PortoAre you dreaming of visiting Porto’s beautiful little streets? If you want to visit Porto, you first have to get there. (Source: MichaelGaida)Keep in mind that the city on the Douro river is now far more accessible. The arrival of budget airlines has helped tourism in the north of Portugal.  Thanks to Ryanair, Vueling, and EasyJet, almost anyone can visit Porto. Of course, the cost of getting to Porto will vary depending on the time of year. You can pay as little as £50 for return flights between London and Porto whereas at other times it can be far more expensive.The reasons these prices climb so much is due to Porto’s proximity to the sea. You should probably try to plan well in advance to pay as little as you can.  Keep in mind that if you can also get buses throughout the year across Europe but this does mean that you’ll have to endure several days on buses and coaches. Overall, flights are generally cheaper and quicker than every other type of transport.Finally, if you want to transport a lot of stuff, you can drive but this will take you around 20 hours of driving and cost you £250 for the trip (based on a drive from London).How you want to travel and when to go is up to you.The Cost of Accommodation in PortoAccommodation isn’t particularly expensive and you just need to pick the right hotel for the right price. Like any other city, different areas have different amenities and some are more expensive than others.Porto’s old town is where you’ll probably find the most expensive accommodation. For example, a 2-star hotel could cost you somewhere around £50 a night or £15 per night for a dormitory in a youth hostel.  You can also find Airbnbs for around £70 a night. Visiting Portugal isn’t necessarily cheap.There are sometimes some really good deals on accommodation or you could even opt to CouchSurf and you won’t need to pay anything!So what is CouchSurfing?CouchSurfing is staying at a stranger’s house for free. Put simply, you don’t pay anything and you can stay at a local’s home.This is a goo d way to speak with locals, learn more about the culture, and find out about great places to go. IrineuPortuguese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GabrielaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoanaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (1) £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouisePortuguese Teacher 5.00 (2) £27/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RodrigoPortuguese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BlancaPortuguese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolinaPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamPortuguese Teacher 5.00 (6) £11/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Cost of Eating in PortoEating in Porto might end up being a significant part of your budget. That said, the cost of food in Portugal is a fraction of what it is in the UK. In comparison to the UK, restaurants in Portugal are great value for money. (Source: martaposemuckel)Whether you’re picking up a coffee, a bottle of water, or a 3-course meal, you can get it all on a budget in Porto!Porto’s a great place to get pasteis de nata and a nice Port for very little. Port wine is from Porto and, unsurprisingly, wine production is thriving in the city, with winemakers offering wine tastings and tours of their cellars.After you’ve eaten, you can then start visiting the city!The Cost of Visiting Attractions in PortoThere’s so much to see and do in Portugal and Porto, in particular. This city is a goldmine for lovers of unusual monuments and activities by the Atlantic Ocean. Some things you need to pay to visit whereas some great sights are free. (Source: olafpictures)Once again, unlike cities in the UK, Porto is quite cheap and there are many attractions you can visit for free. Here are some of Porto’s tourist attractions and how much it costs to visit them:Lello Bookstore: €5Stock Exchange Building: €8 (adult) and €4.50 (child)Porto Cathedral: €3Clérigos Tower: €5Casa do Infante: €2.20Serralves Foundation: €10The Centro Portugues de Fotografia, Church of Santa Clara, Dom Luís I Bridge, and the Palácio de Cristal are all free! You can visit Porto and its attractions very cheaply.The Cost of Public Transport in PortoThe Portuense (the locals) have a great public transport system but walking is still often the best way to discover the city. You need to think about how much it'll cost you to get around the city, too! (Source: Schmid-Reportagen)Basic Public TransportYou can travel around Porto using the city’s public transport. The system might seem quite complicated for those visiting the city, but it functions in two ways.The Andante Card is a card you can buy for €0.60 and you can put credit on it with journeys costing €1.20. This also includes trips on the bus or metro.  You can also get the tram, which is an enjoyable way to get around the city. A ticket on the tram costs €3 or €4 with entry to the Porto Tram Museum.  Finally, if you’ve got money to spare, you can travel around the city by taxi for between €4 and €6, with trips to the airport costing around €20.Tourist TransportSince you’re visiting the city as a tourist, you might want to enjoy the city by travelling around in transportation designed with tourists in mind.  There are companies like Yellow Bus and City Sightseeing offering guided tours around the city. This is a good way to enjoy a short stay in the city and still get to see everything with trips starting at €15.  You can also get a boat trip from Porto Tours along the River Douro for around a tenner!Finally, you can also get the funicular railway between Batalha and Ribeira for a great view of the Douro and the Dom Luís I Bridge. This costs €2.50 for a 10-minute trip.The Porto CardAre you familiar with the Porto Card?This is a pass you can get when visiting Porto that gets you discounts on public transport.This costs €6 for a day, €10 for two, €13 for three, and €15 for four. The Porto Card also offers a 10% discount at certain shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions like:Clérigos TowerThe Archaeology MuseumThe Quinta da Macieirinha romantic museumThe Serralves FoundationThe Military MuseumAnd many others!You can get them in Tourism Offices or at the airport!As you’ll have understood, Porto is a town you can quickly fall in love with. Wh at’s even better, is that it’s cheaper than most towns in the UK.  With flights, restaurants, tourist attractions, and transport, a two-day trip to Porto could cost between £250 and £500.This could be a good time to start learning Portuguese, couldn’t it?Before you go to the largest city in northern Portugal and enjoy all the heritage sites, Roman ruins, and Portuguese cuisine, you might want to get in touch with a tutor to help you learn the language!Fortunately for you, there are plenty of talented Portuguese tutors on Superprof!. There are three types of tutorial available, each with its advantages and disadvantages: group tutorials, online tutorials, and face-to-face tutorials.Group tutorials are great for those on a budget as you can share the cost of the tutor's time with the other students in attendance. However, you will get less one-on-one time with your tutor and receive more generalised tuition. It could be useful if you're going to Porto with a group of friends, though.Similarly, online tutorials are good if you're on a budget as the tutor doesn't have to travel and can, therefore, charge less per hour. If you both have a webcam and a decent internet connection, you can get Portuguese tutorials from anywhere in the world. Your tutor might even be from Porto.Finally, face-to-face tutorials are between you and the tutor. This is the most costly type of tutorial but it's also the most cost-effective. With these tutorials, you can get bespoke Portuguese lessons and learn exactly what you need to know.

3 Tips to Succeed in Medical School

3 Tips to Succeed in Medical School The following piece was written by Dr. Sahil Mehta. Sahil has been featured in ourAdmissions Expert series and is a former admissions interviewer for Columbia University. He is the founder of MedSchoolCoach. So, youve gone through the application process. Youve written your personal statement, put on your best suit, shared your personal stories at your medical school interview, and just got that email or phone call saying you are in! Congratulations! That is an amazing accomplishment getting into medical school is probably the hardest part of your journey. But there are plenty of trials and tribulations that lay ahead. As a medical student, you will be expected to do things you never thought you could. On the wards, youll be looked upon by patients as their doctor sometimes, even though you may have just Googled their disease five minutes before meeting them! Relax everyone goes through it, but here are three basic tips on how to succeed in medical school. 1. Read every night Medical school will throw a mountain of information at you. From anatomy to physiology to pathology, youll be constantly bombarded with new material. The best thing you can do is to stay on top of your daily classes. Read every day so that you are not left having to memorize all of anatomy the night before your final. Its more important than you think many of you may have been able to succeed in undergrad by simply cramming for tests. That becomes harder and harder in medical school, as the amount of information is enormous. Take two hours every day to review the material you learned in class and to preview the next days lectures. Medical schools have great online resources and lectures, so its easy to know what is coming. 2.Understand what you can, rather than memorize A lot of medical school is about memorizing facts, whether it be anatomical locations, drug dosages and interactions, or the cell cycle. But whenever you can, try to understand the material, rather than memorize it. Why is the left recurrent laryngeal nerve important clinically? If you ask yourself that question rather than memorize where it goes, youll remember the material much longer, and it will be much more relevant to you when you get on the wards! 3.Form study groups Medical school is a great time to make new friends, but given your eight hours of class and two hours of reading every night, that doesnt always leave much time. Remember that studying can be a social activity. Get your friends to study with you, quiz you, and help you understand the material. Unlike college, every one of your friends in medical school is taking the same classes as you, so use it to your advantage. Small group learning is essential for success in medical school and in medicine in general! There are many more ways to succeed in medical school, but hopefully this short list will get you started! Best of luck in the future. Remember, while the hardest part may be over, there is still plenty more work to be done as you continue on your journey to become a physician. Check outMedSchoolCoachfor more information. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Ask a Private School Admissions Expert Amanda Uhry

Ask a Private School Admissions Expert Amanda Uhry Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Amanda Uhry is the founder and owner of Manhattan Private School Advisors, which helps up to 1,600 families per season in regards to preschool and K-12, boarding school, special needs admission, and college preparation. Before founding Manhattan Private School Advisors, she attended the University of Pennsylvaniaand Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. What is the typical timeline for private school admissions? Amanda: Getting in is a one- to two-year process before acceptance. Our many preschool and K-12 applicant families begin preparing for admissions one year in advance. Applications are due between October 15 and December 1. During that time or the spring before, parents tour schools and attend open houses and students are observed (younger children) or interviewed, a process which may go on until January. Parents are also interviewed separately at most schools. Final decisions are mailed or emailed in mid-February for continuing schools or early March for preschools. Parents have a number of days or weeks to make final decisions before schools go to wait lists. What is the typical process admissions officers go through to evaluate applications? Amanda: It depends on the school and the admissions director or staff, but all are generally looking for a child and family that might be a good fit for the school community. Children applying to kindergarten are often evaluated at a group or individual visit to the school, by school reports from preschools, and, at some schools, by AABL entrance exam testing. Children applying to older grades are evaluated via individual interviews or visits, transcripts and recommendations from teachers at present schools, and by scores on the ISEE or SSATentrance exam or often, both. What are the most important things children need to have represented on their applications? Amanda: Applicants need to represent who they really are and the same is true of parents in their parent statement. It is pointless to tell a school that a child is a brilliant, budding mathematician if he or she actually neither likes nor does well in math, just as it is a shame not to tell a school that an applicant is interested in any subject even if a parent thinks its silly. Classrooms are made up of all kinds of kids with all kinds of personalities and interests. Parents should not be afraid to discuss a childs weaknesses or areas that are emerging: this is the hallmark of an honest parent, not a flawed child! What are common mistakes parents and/or their children make when applying to these programs? Amanda: Children rarely make mistakes they are simply children. Parents make tons. They lie about their childs talents or interests. A five-year-old who likes to sing is not really the next Lady Gaga, just as a ten-year-old who won the science fair prize is not going to go for the Nobel Prize anytime soon. Parents also tell schools what they believe the schools want to hear and it often sounds silly and false. Parents need to work with qualified sources not get their info on schools and admissions from haunting parenting websites that often provide more disinformation on high-stakes schools admissions than usable or even reasonable advice. Just be yourself. Can you imagine spending K-12 at a school positioned as someone who is not you, not your kid, and not really your family? How should parents go about determining the culture of a private school, and whether it would be a good fit for their children? Amanda: The best way we have found is to connect applicant families with families who have students already at the schools. Parents at a school have nothing to gain or lose by being honest about that schools community. How important are standardized test scores when admissions decisions are being made? Amanda: That depends entirely on the school. At some schools, testing is very important. At some other schools, it is not important at all and some schools do not test. What is universally important is that subtests of admissions tests do not have glaring discrepancies. In the ERB for younger kids, for example, it is far better to have average scores on the verbal and performance portions of the test rather than high scores in one area and low scores in another. What are the most important things parents need to represent about themselves when meeting with admissions officers? Amanda: Once again, honesty is always the best policy. If you feel progressive education is a waste of time, dont go tell the admissions director at a progressive school you think its marvelous and vice versa regarding traditional education. Remember that if you get in, faking it til youre making it may not work in a school community. You could wind up transferring out and doing the entire nightmarishly-competitive private school admissions process all over again. How competitive? Well, a good number of schools have reported receiving more than 1,000 applications for an average 60 kindergarten spots, and it gets worse moving up. That is not including siblings and legacies. Know before you go and discuss what you want as a family. Dont be afraid to be funny and relaxed in your parents interview; its a marvelous ice breaker. Also, do not do not, and I repeat do not assume admissions officers and staff whom you meet are your new friends. They are nice to everyone and professionally distant with all. That is because, in the end, they have to reject or waitlist up to 90% of the applicants! How does networking and having in-school connections affect one's chances of admission? Amanda: Its helpful and nice, but it doesnt always result in an acceptance not at all. Connections to board members who know you, your family, and your child are helpful. Connections to active families at the schools are helpful, but somewhat less so. Connections to teachers and staff at a given school are often not helpful at all in an admissions decision. How can a student best prepare for admissions interviews? Amanda: Your student can be his or herself. Children should also get used to speaking with adults because this is often an issue. Looking a teacher or admissions person in the eye while speaking to them, shaking hands, and saying simple greetings and farewells goes miles in a student interview. Additionally, so does having the student think about one or two school experiences he or she has enjoyed recently at his or her own school and being able to recount and discuss this with poise and passion. Visit Manhattan Private School Advisorsfor more information. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Using Technology To Engage Students

Using Technology To Engage Students Falling asleep in class, theres the hooded sweatshirt pulled over the head, hide your eyes as you rest your head on your hand or the-Im-just-going-to-hope-teacher-doesnt-see-me approach, is something that just happens at times, despite actual effort or interest. However, teachers are wising up and using new ploys to catch and wake up students, ploys more effective than the if-you-sleep-or-daydream-I-will-catch-you ploy. Teachers, in attempts to keep students awake, paying attention and engaged in their classes, are now armed with technology. Professors and teachers are now giving their students small hand-held devices called clickers that resemble TV remotes to monitor their students attention spans and quiz them, according to an article in The New York Times. Each clicker has a series of numbered buttons on it, and every 15 minutes or so a professor will give short quizzes that correlate with the current lecture, requiring students to first be paying attention and second push one of the buttons to correctly answer the quiz question. Heres how it works: John Jacobs Jr. is sitting in his 8 am Economics 101 class. Mr. Jacobs Jr. had a late night last night, staying up studying for other tests. Mr. Jacobs Jr. is growing increasingly more tired as Professor Dr. Preston Hulcuth is lecturing on supply and demand correlations and how they relate to the world of micro economics. Mr. Jacobs begins to nod off in the back row of class as Dr. Hulcuth periodically quizzes his students using the clickers. Dr. Hulcuth, stuck on supply and demand curves, announces a sudden quiz that will count toward each students grade. He asks, True or false, generally speaking, price and demand are inversely related meaning as one increases the other decreases and vice versa. Press the button labeled one for true and button two for false. Then students who are awake and paying attention would press button number one, correctly answering the question as true. However, John Jacobs Jr., and other students who are not paying attention, will incorrectly answer the question or sleep through it, getting points off their final grades. Professors can also ask multiple choice questions with the clickers and take attendance. Students can push a button on their clickers to inform the professor that they are confused about something in the lecture or provide other information. Northwestern, Harvard, Ohio State and other universities have already implemented these clickers into classes, asking students to answer quiz questions and provide feedback every 15 minutes, keeping them paying attention and engaged in classes. Administrators also hope that these devices will keep students off their cell phones and other gadgets during classes. Early studies at Harvard and Ohio State suggested that using these devices or other gadgets (making iPads and BlackBerrys, etc into class-ready clickers) increases students learning of new material. Professors can then display students responses to questions and the feedback they give on overhead monitors at the front of classrooms. Some students feel that these products unnecessarily monitor students in a big-brother fashion; however, others enjoy the increased interactions with professors.

Online Proportion Formula Tutors

Online Proportion Formula Tutors Proportion is a fixed ratio between two substances. Proportion always maintains a fixed ratio between two fractions. For example, a / b = c / d. It can be written as a : b = c : d. This can also be called as the proportion formula. Proportion in math is defined as the similarity while comparison between two quantities or substances. Proportion is also used between two geometric objects where their dimensions can be compared. Example 1: Find the x in the proportion 2 : y = 10 : 3. Solution: Here the given proportion is 2 : y = 10 : 3. It can be expressed as a fraction in the form. 2 / y = 10 / 3 Now multiply both sides of the equation by y. This gives 2 = 10 y /3. Now multiply both sides of the equation by 3. This gives 10 y = 6. Now divide both sides of the equation by 10. So y = 6 / 10. Hence the value of y for the given proportion = 3 / 5. Example 2: Find the x in the proportion x : 5 = 1 : 15. Solution: Here the given proportion is x : 5 = 1 :15. It can be expressed as a fraction in the form. This gives, x / 5 = 1 / 15 Now multiply both sides of the equation by 5. This gives 5(x/ 5) = (1 / 15) (5). x = 1 / 3. Hence the value of x for the given proportion is= 1/3.

English Phrasal Verbs connected to Weather Learn English with Harry ??

English Phrasal Verbs connected to Weather Learn English with Harry ?? Here you will learn English phrasal verbs connected to weather. 10 Phrasal Verbs connected to Weather Hi there, this is Harry and welcome to my English learning podcast where we try to help you to understand some aspects of the English language.I help you with your conversational English, business English and a general understanding of certain grammar points.So today, we’re going to look at some phrasal verbs and in this context, we’re going to look at themed phrasal verbs. So the theme for these phrasal verbs is those connected to the theme of weather.Something we all like to talk about, and we all like to occupy ourselves. Whether you’re living in the UK or France or Spain or wherever the weather is always a very topical aspect. Particularly, in northern Europe.So, let’s look at some phrasal verbs connected to weather.TO CLOUD OVERMeaning: when the sky begins, and eventually, gets covered in grey clouds, whether light-grey or dark-grey.So we can wake up and say:So the day started brightly with sunshine and blue sky. As the day progressed it clouded over.Meaning the clouds c overed the sky.And at the beginning of the day, we can use two phrasal verbs or one phrasal verb with two different prepositions. We can say TO START OFF or TO START OUT.For example:The day started off brightThe day started out bright.The meaning is exactly the same.TO START OFF / START OUT means to begin.The day started off bright but, as the day progressed, it changed.OrThe day started off quite brightly but around lunch time it clouded over.So I can include both of those phrasal verbs in that particular sentence.The day started out quite brightly but, as the day progressed, it got gradually worse. There are couple of phrasal verbs that we can use in connection to very heavy rain.TO POUR DOWNMeaning: to rain exceptionally heavily, as if it’s poured out of a glassThe rain was pouring down.It was pouring down with rain.TO BUCKET DOWNMeaning: to rain heavily, more informal than TO POUR DOWNYesterday it bucketed down.Finally, some weather phrasal verbs with a little brighter outlook.TO BRIGHTEN UPMeans: to improve, the sky will become lighterExample:The day brightened up as we got near to tea time.TO CLEAR UPMeaning: to become brighter, to improve, it will stop being rainy or cloudyThe day began to clear up around noon. 10 Phrasal Verbs connected to Weather TO PICK UPMeaning: to get better graduallyExample: The weather is not so good at the moment. Do you think the day would pick up? I think it will pick up later on.We can also use TO PICK UP if we’re talking about wind speeds.Winds will pick up later in the afternoon, becoming strong by the evening.Meaning wind speed will increase, winds will become stronger.TO DIE OUTMeaning: to slowly disappear and stop completelyExample:Today we have very strong winds and that has brought a lot of heavy rain but by later afternoon these winds and the heavy rain will begin to die out.TO LET UPMeaning: to stop or improveExample:The weather recently has been freezing cold but the weather forecast says it will let up by the weekend.Okay, so there are the phrasal verbs connected to weather:Cloud overStart outStart offBucket downPour downBrighten upClear upPick upDie outLet upThat’s the end of today’s episode. Listen to Speak Better English with Harry English learning podcast on iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.