Contribute to your children's future
If you have a child or grandchild who has never participated as a beneficiary in a Registered Education Savings Plan and who turned 15 sometime in 2009, Dec. 31 is the last chance to contribute at least $2,000 to his or her RESP to be allowed to collect the 20% Canada Education Savings Grant for 2009 and create eligibility for the grant in 2010 and 2011. If you miss the deadline, the child or grandchild will not be eligible for any grants in the future.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Homework
How Much Homework Is Appropriate?
To What Degree Should Parents Become Involved With Their Child's Homework?
To What Degree Should Parents Become Involved With Their Child's Homework?
Here are two interesting articles on homework:
http://aplustutoringservices.vpweb.ca/WhatCanadianSchoolBoards.html
http://aplustutoringservices.vpweb.ca/HowInvolvedShouldParentsBe.html
http://aplustutoringservices.vpweb.ca/WhatCanadianSchoolBoards.html
http://aplustutoringservices.vpweb.ca/HowInvolvedShouldParentsBe.html
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ways To Learn English
It’s never easy learning something new, like learning English for the first time. It’s not an easy process, but with some guidance in the right direction you can be successful in no time. So here are the best ways to learn English:
Spare Some Time, Make an EffortLearning English requires a great deal of time and effort. The less time you can devote to learning, the slower you will be to grasp new concepts and sentence structures. If you feel you can’t dedicate even a little time to learning, maybe you’re not ready to learn English right now. If, however, you feel you could spare around an hour a day, you will be amazed at your vocabulary by the end of a month, and within six months, you could easily be speaking fluently.
Start with the BasicsThe best approach to learning English is to start with the basics; numbers, letters of the alphabet, days of the week. Learn the basic vocabulary and most importantly write down everything you learn with the definition in your native language. This will enable you to produce your own reference guide to refresh your memory, and allow you to chart your progress over time.
Surround Yourself with EnglishAnother good way to improve your English is to surround yourself with English by reading English books, magazines or newspapers, watch English movies and tv series and listen to English broadcasts and songs. It’s fun because you can pick any materials you like: celebrity news, your favorite English bands, or your favorite English author. Write a journal or start writing your diary in English. This way you learn to think in English instead of your native language. Speak English with your friend. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or sound stupid because speaking the language is the key to learning English, or any language.Read English Books, Magazines or NewspapersReading helps you learn new words and build your vocabulary. While you read, write down any new words you encounter and find their meanings using a good English dictionary. So make sure you always have a dictionary with you when you’re reading. By reading you also learn to form sentences and indirectly learn your grammars. Make sure you start with lighter materials like magazines, newspapers and novels to make it easier for you to learn.
Watch English Movies, TV Series and NewsAnother fun yet very effective way to learn English.You can watch English movies and tv series (the ones with English subtitles are better) to expand your vocabulary and listen to the flow of speech from the actors. By listening to the news you can also hear different accents spoken by the newscasters.
Watch English Movies, TV Series and NewsAnother fun yet very effective way to learn English.You can watch English movies and tv series (the ones with English subtitles are better) to expand your vocabulary and listen to the flow of speech from the actors. By listening to the news you can also hear different accents spoken by the newscasters.
Listen to English SongsEnglish songs are very popular and played all over the world by radio stations and MTV. Who doesn’t know The Beatles or Michael Jackson? Listening to music can be the most fun way to learn English. You just have to get the lyrics and try reading them as the singer sings. Try to understand the meaning of the song. Find the meanings of any new words you encounter. This way you also practice your reading and listening skills at the same time.
Test, Test, TestYou can only know how much you’ve progressed by completing exercises and taking tests. Just like in school where we have exams, exercises and tests give you a benchmark to compare your future results with. Only by comparing your score you realize just how much you have learned.
Test, Test, TestYou can only know how much you’ve progressed by completing exercises and taking tests. Just like in school where we have exams, exercises and tests give you a benchmark to compare your future results with. Only by comparing your score you realize just how much you have learned.
A Little TravelingVisiting England or any states in the US or any other English-speaking countries to try out your skills might also be beneficial, as this could help you practice your skills first hand and develop the necessary analytical skills to converse freely with the native speakers. Plus you’re surrounding yourself with everything English.Learning English requires time and dedication, but if you use your investment wisely, you will soon reap the benefits. Within weeks you should be structuring complex sentences and contemplating your own punctuation, and within several months you should be able to write and structure prose. If you’re dedicated enough, you’ll see the results sooner than you think.
SPEAK FIRST
There are countless recommendations on how to learn English, or any other language for that matter.
While a 'variety of methods' approach may lead to a balanced learning style, the problem is trying to focus on the one method that works the best.
If you think about yourself, or any other person for that matter, and how you learned your native language, you will recall that you learned to speak first.
Speaking a language on a regular, sometimes forced, basis is the single most effective way to learn a language.
This fact was driven home to me when teaching English in China. I found myself in front of 30 High School English teachers. I had come prepared with reams of material all geared for people whom I thought would have some grasp of English. I discovered, to my amazement, that they could barely speak the language.
Yes they knew grammar; some better than I, but the silence at the beginning of that first class was palpable. I quickly jettisoned all my materials and began to encourage them to speak. By injecting a lot of silly humour and many, many games they began to loosen up and speak.
So, if you want to learn English, throw out the grammar books, ditch the writing assignments and immerse yourself orally into the language. There are countless way to do this...just select the ways that are the most convenient for you - but remember: you must push yourself outside of your comfort zone if you want to make serious progress.
If you have any suggestions on how to immerse yourself orally into English, please let me know. I love to find new ways for my students to enjoy speaking English.
While a 'variety of methods' approach may lead to a balanced learning style, the problem is trying to focus on the one method that works the best.
If you think about yourself, or any other person for that matter, and how you learned your native language, you will recall that you learned to speak first.
Speaking a language on a regular, sometimes forced, basis is the single most effective way to learn a language.
This fact was driven home to me when teaching English in China. I found myself in front of 30 High School English teachers. I had come prepared with reams of material all geared for people whom I thought would have some grasp of English. I discovered, to my amazement, that they could barely speak the language.
Yes they knew grammar; some better than I, but the silence at the beginning of that first class was palpable. I quickly jettisoned all my materials and began to encourage them to speak. By injecting a lot of silly humour and many, many games they began to loosen up and speak.
So, if you want to learn English, throw out the grammar books, ditch the writing assignments and immerse yourself orally into the language. There are countless way to do this...just select the ways that are the most convenient for you - but remember: you must push yourself outside of your comfort zone if you want to make serious progress.
If you have any suggestions on how to immerse yourself orally into English, please let me know. I love to find new ways for my students to enjoy speaking English.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
ENGLISH MANIA
I love the English Language. It is so flexible and adaptable that it is no wonder it has become the world's language of choice. If you are a sceptic, take a boo at this: http://aplustutoringservices.vpweb.ca/didyouknow.html and click on "How Important is English?"
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