The trouble with this is that it significantly limits the time students spend each day reading. They must complete numerous other subjects, extracurricular activities, after-school clubs, athletic pursuits, and more at school. If they do not read at home, when will they?

Here are several reasons why reading outside the classroom is essential:

1. Reading Helps Students in a Wider Academic Sense

Developing a reading habit benefits students beyond the enjoyment of finishing a good book. For example, reading helps boost a student’s knowledge and critical thinking, which will likely spill over or come in handy in other academic subjects. It also adds to focus, attention span, and mental discipline, which will help students in their more comprehensive studies.

2. A Better Alternative to Digital Entertainment

Many parents are concerned about their children becoming addicted to smartphones and other devices. They (rightly) fear this addiction will turn into destructive time-wasting that directly impacts their studies. One good news is that parents do not have to remove the devices. Reading on tablets and smartphones outside class time is a great way to harness screen time better and make it constructive.

3. Reading is Everything in College

When students aspire to attend university one day, they had better be ready for the incredibly rigorous reading demands of studying for a college degree. University professors expect students to read and re-read the set materials for each class and to read widely from the recommended book list. If they have developed a healthy habit and hobby of reading outside of mandated class time, then they stand a better chance of succeeding in this environment.

4. It Offers Varied Perspectives

Writers come from different backgrounds, and their stories offer unique insights into life, the world, and just about every other topic. Reading is a way to benefit from others’ experiences without meeting them and see problems and ideas from different perspectives. Students should always take advantage of this kind of opportunity.

5. Reading Helps to Reduce Stress

Today, we will finish our list with another convenient benefit: health-related. Research published on Mercola.com and originally from the Social Science & Medicine Journal showed that reading fiction, for instance, was more effective at reducing stress than physical exercise, music, or herbal teas. The study showed that reading could reduce stress levels by as much as 68 percent. In these current traumatic and stressful times, students need every avenue they can find to help relieve them of their stress.

Reading: Not Just for the Classroom

Let us face it: we all know that reading is fun, engaging, and beneficial. It only makes sense to do reading in the classroom. A student should read at every opportunity they get. Moreover, parents/teachers should encourage their children/students to make reading their default pastime.

Finish your homely chores first.

The human brain does not like to stay on a single thought. Whenever you try to focus on a point, it will suddenly trigger, ‘’Hi, you must eat something first’’, “Are you sure the door is locked?’’ These little distractions sound harmless at first, but practically, they break up the tempo. That is why you must set aside study time after completing your home chores. Make sure you have eaten properly, too. Otherwise, these disturbing thoughts will keep on babbling, and you will not be able to concentrate.

Have a proper sleep.

Having proper sleep before initiating your study schedule is a must. Many students may think they will have more time to study if they sleep less, but it goes the opposite way. An improper sleep span affects concentration, creativity, memory, performance, reflexes, and understanding. Experts recommend 7 to 8 hours of sound night sleep for adults to perform their cognitive functions.

Add some music

Students should make their study time cheerful by adding background music. Experts say classical music is usually good for concentration. Nowadays, many apps are available with a variety of Beta and Gamma study/relax music tracks. Background music calms anxiety and keeps a person in a refreshing mood. However, it is a tricky aid, for music may sometimes be distracting. Do not select a track that you love or hate. Relaxing nature sounds is ideal for studying.

Fill your brain with thoughts, not words!

A common problem among people of all ages is that they read many pages when they begin to study but need help remembering what they just read. If that happens to you, it is normal! Mainly, this occurs at the beginning when your mind has no study-related thoughts. The human brain loves to be busy, so what it does is force your eyes to see over mere words while letting itself think about, “Which movie should I watch this weekend?”

The best way to tackle this problem is by making a warm-up study plan. How can you do that? Well, techniques may differ from person to person, but to be on the generic side, you can try the following:

• Do not read a page at all. Instead, look for some keywords that refer to the principal thoughts or ideas explained on that page.
• Skim over the pages by looking at headings, subheadings, graphs, pictures, or other visuals.
• Focus on phrases rather than reading word by word.
• Categorize each thought you read either by creating a visual image of what you read or pairing up the collected information with personal knowledge or experience.

Remember that it does not matter how long you take to memorize a book or chapter; instead, the mental effort you invest in it on the actual grounds counts.

So, these were some ways to improve focus. We hope they helped you. Remember, concentration is not a gift but a skill. There are no hard and fast rules to master it. Some people suggest you play mind games as a jigsaw puzzle, while others recommend meditation. Follow whatever you are comfortable with, but make sure to do it all by heart. It can be tough initially, but the continuous effort will eventually bring results.

Image courtesy: Getty Images

Changing Learning Spaces

As many teachers have quickly become aware, the online learning space vastly differs from the traditional face-to-face classroom experience. Lessons have to be conducted differently to suit this new space. Teachers who don’t adapt will find that many of the methods they took for granted are much harder to make effective in the online classroom.

Here are some of the best ways to adapt your classroom materials to the online space:

1. Maximizing Attention

Your online classes need to be busy and have plenty of engaging focal points for the students to interact with and use. When students are not on-site, it’s much harder to hold their attention with competing focal points that are around them. If they are at home, there is the allure of their TV set, laptop, games console, or other family members making noise. Your lesson has to have plenty to look at and plenty to do.

2. Making Students Vocal

With things moving online, one of the ways to maintain engagement is to get students talking, asking questions, and leading discussions. When students are talking, they have to be focused on the lesson, so including direct question-answer engagement is an easy and simple way to enhance lessons. Avoid the lecture-style class as much as possible.

3. Short, Sharp, Sections

In an online class, any single activity or section of the instruction that goes on too long is bound to result in the distraction or loss of focus of the students. For online classes, clear sections of about 15 minutes are the most ideal, and short activities can be completed in 5-10 minutes.

4. Use Props

If using lots of different media at the focal point is losing its novelty, then using real-life objects as props can help the classroom stay focused and interested. In addition, you could ask the students to prepare things from their homes or other spaces to hold up and talk about.

5. Slow Down and Enunciate

Finally, one of the top challenges for online instruction is comprehension among students and teachers. When you’ve been in a classroom for a long time, you take for granted that students- understanding you or not- hear your every word with clarity. Online, however, even a momentary interruption in signal strength or some background or static noise can drastically alter students’ ability to catch what you’re saying.

To that end, you should slow down as you speak, enunciate words more carefully, and be mindful of what a good speed is for online classes versus in-person lessons. You’ll find that there is a difference.

Change the Mindset; Change the Class

A new classroom environment warrants a new and creative approach to your teaching style. Never assume that everything you do in the classroom can be simply transplanted into the online learning space. Work hard to adapt, and you’ll find the online experience rewarding in its own way.

1. Try to act as though it were a face-to-face class

It’s tempting to take online classes less seriously. Depending on the class size, the teacher may be unable to see or hear you. This means you might feel the compulsion to divert your attention to something like your smartphone. If you want to get the most out of your online class, treat it as a real class, as though you were sitting in front of the teacher and they could see you.

2. Create a dedicated study space for your online classes

Some people think an online class means they can take it while in a coffee shop, sitting on the sofa, or even lying in bed! The best thing to do is to create a dedicated study space that you use exclusively for your classes. Find a quiet spot with a comfortable seat and a large, mostly empty desk or table space where you can feel comfortable spreading out your books and notes. You may not believe in positive energy, but there is something about a well-set-up study space that spurs creative thought and academic diligence.

3. Remove any distractions

The world of 2020 is one seemingly built entirely of time-wasting distractions — smartphones, social media, Netflix, video games, and endless notifications — that are steadily sapping the productivity of societies everywhere. Your study space should be as clear of distractions as possible. This means no smartphone or television in the room and no unrelated materials on the table. Close the door to your space if you can to block out any noise from family members or classmates in other areas of your home or school.

4. Prepare well for class

Online classes are harder for both students and teachers. Many facial and social cues we take for granted during face-to-face encounters evaporate completely in an online class. All of this means that you have to prepare for class especially well. Pre-read the materials if you can, review any previously learned materials, and get up to speed on any difficult terminology or concepts.

5. Master the functions of your online classroom

Finally, the online classroom typically comes with various teacher and student functions. If you’re taking an online class, be sure you know how to use these. Such functions might include raising your hand, submitting a written message, taking control of some free-draw, or other functions — it depends on the software. Take time to explore the functions and become an expert in being a student in that online space.

“Online” class should never mean “Inferior” class

There’s no reason an online class shouldn’t be as productive and fulfilling as a traditional one. Follow the tips above to get the most out of online learning and experience the many benefits that it can bring you.

Stay focused

The most common problem students face, regardless of age group or subject, is procrastination, an intended delay in work. Students need more talent or energy but are unwilling to meet whatever study goals they have been assigned on campus. A reluctance towards assignments followed by a strong desire to find pleasure in all the activities other than allotted work is quite ironic. According to an estimate, 50 to 95% of students go through this phase at least once in their academic career (Tefula, 2014). In this article, we will discuss some helpful tips for students on how to avoid wasting time.

Divide the main task into subtasks.

The thought of a whole task can be very stressful for its quantity and complexity. Only think about the whole assignment at a time; divide it into little chunks. For example, a student is allotted to develop a 3000-word essay; he needs to go straight to the significant figure, brainstorm the topic into subtopics, and specify a word limit for each. He can also develop another divisional strategy according to the nature of the allotted work. The trick is to reach the staircase step by step.

Give yourself rewards as well as punishments.

This approach works best. The law of any country or civilization also works on this principle. The human psyche will give them more energy to work if there is some reward waiting on the other side. Likewise, a probable punishment will restrain the individual from certain things. Therefore, students should set rewards and punishments according to their study frequency. Like, “If I complete this chapter today, I will have my favorite burger, and if I did not study today, I will not watch Netflix this week.”

Small goal but with full potential

The first wrong thing students often do is get excited enough and set a much higher target that is only sometimes manageable in provided circumstances. So, what happens at the end is much more disappointing. Rather than setting a higher target, go for the small ones. It is not the quantity of the study time that matters, but the quality; instead of studying 10 hours with scattered focus, study for just half or even less, like 4 to 5 hours, but with full potential and focus.

So, these are some easy-to-follow tips students can apply to their study plans. Remember, the work left for tomorrow has yet to be done. It is now or never. Buck up yourself and grasp this moment right now.

Reference

Tefula, M., 2014. Student Procrastination. 1st ed.

If you are unsure about the proper use of an apostrophe, this article is for you. We’ll take you through all the common usage and let you know the most common mistakes people make when using them.

Broadly speaking, apostrophe use comes in two forms. The first form indicates a possessive, and the second is in contraction.

Possessives
When you are trying to indicate that an object in the sentence belongs to someone, an apostrophe is an essential tool you need. There are several ways of applying it, however, depending on the exact nature of the word you wish to turn possessive:

• When it’s a singular possessive, we use ‘s — except with pronouns:

Example: Jennifer’s son is studying in Muscat.

Example: That ball is Nick’s.

When used with pronouns, we don’t use an apostrophe:

     Example: The cat has lost its appetite

    Example: The car is ours.

• When you have multiple possessors, use ‘s after the last item in the list:

Example: The idea was Tom. Nicola and Hanna’s

Example: Bill and Ted’s boss is a very strict person.

• When you have a singular ending in ‘s’ or ‘z,’ use ‘s

Example: Ros is my best friend at school. Ros’s mother has the same job as my mom.

Example: This dog is Rick Sanchez’s

• When you have a plural ending in ‘s,” use the apostrophe alone after the s — s‘

Example: The teachers’ salaries at Muscat Academy are very high.

Example: The students’ stress levels are increasing

When the plural is already modified and no ‘s’ is needed, you can use ‘s

   Example: The women’s bathroom is down the corridor on the left-hand side

     Example: One thing I am passionate about is children’s education

Contraction

The next common usage is with contractions — when we amalgamate or shorten words to make them quicker and easier to note down or to conserve space on paper. The apostrophe works as an indicator for letters that have been removed.

Example: I am = I’m — apostrophe replace “a”

Example: You are = You’re — apostrophe replaced “a”

The apostrophe can replace multiple letters

Example: Cannot = Can’t — apostrophe replaces “no”

Example: Of the Clock = O’clock — apostrophe replaces “..f the”

Common Mistakes Made by Language Learners

If English is your second language, no one will blame you for making a few mistakes with apostrophes. Below are some of the most common errors even native speakers occasionally make. Take note so you don’t make them yourself:

1. With mixed possession, using an apostrophe on all possessors:

Wrong: Tommy’s and John’s father is called Phil

Correct: Tommy and John’s father is called Phil.

2. Its Vs. It’s

The word “its” is the possessive form of “it.” As mentioned above, we don’t use an apostrophe because it is a pronoun. “It’s” is the contraction of “it is.” This one needs the apostrophe.

3. Your or You’re?

Another very common error. With no apostrophe, the word “your” is the possessive form of you. “You’re” is the contraction for “you are.”

4. Whose Vs. Who’s

“Whose” is a possessive meaning the thing belonging to “who” (whoever that might be), and “who’s” is the contraction form of “who is.”

Practice makes perfect

We hope you’ve learned all you need to know about the tricky world of apostrophes. If you can remember the above, you won’t go far wrong next time you need to use one.

Author : Thomas

Types of Articles

In English, two types of articles are recognized in writing and refer to nouns (or a group of nouns). They are called the definite and indefinite articles.

Rules for Articles

The proper use of articles in the English language is quite straightforward.

1. The Use of Definite Article “the”:

The definite noun “the” refers to specific nouns or groups of nouns.

2. The Use of Indefinite Articles “a” and “an”:

Some trouble may, however, arise when one is trying to determine which indefinite article—”an,” “a”—to use. At times like this, it’s imperative to remember that the choice of indefinite article will depend on the sound at the start of the noun being referred to. There’s a way to remember this.

Use “an” if the noun after the indefinite article has a first letter with a vowel sound. The vowel sounds in the English language are sounds that are created by any of the five vowels: “a,” “e,” “I,” “o,” and “u.”

Example:

i) An adversary of the people (“a” begins this noun, which is a vowel).

ii) An elder in the religious group (“e” begins this noun, which is also a vowel).

Use the article “a”’ when the noun that is after it has its first letter as a consonant sound. In English, consonant sounds come from the letters of the alphabet other than the five vowels.

Example:

i) My brother wants a novel for his birthday.

ii) A woman brought a dog to church today.  

Types of Articles

1. Definite Article

As stated earlier, the definite article ‘the’ in the English Language directly refers to specific nouns or groups of nouns.

Examples:

i) The hair on his on his head.

ii) The Louis Vuitton crocodile bag in my closet.

iii) The flash fiction magazines on her table.

It should be noted that the definite article ‘the’ in these examples refers directly to the noun or groups of nouns in these examples.

2. Indefinite Articles

On the other hand, the indefinite articles are the two words “a” and “an.” Like the definite article, these two articles are used in English to refer to nouns. However, the nouns being referred to in this case—persons, places, objects, or ideas—are neither specific nor direct. The function of indefinite articles in pointing out nouns is unclear, as it can be any noun or a group of nouns.

Examples:

i) A mango from the tree.

ii) An envelope from the shelf.

iii) A BMW from the car park.

Note that the nouns referred to are not precise in each of the three cases. The mango could be any mango ripe for plucking from the tree. Similarly, the envelope could be anyone from the shelf, or the BMW could be any car of the same make parked in the car park.