Study tips for kids

There are some things that parents can do to encourage effective study:

1. Group Work
Encourage your children to study in small groups (usually groups of 3-5). They can enjoy one another’s company, but also focus on the subject of interest. By quizzing one another on appropriate subject-matter, students can teach one another. Encourage your children to attend the group with questions and answers already prepared. As they ask one another their questions, they will usually cover most of the content in great depth, sharing answers and adding insight.
2. Goal Setting
Ask your child what he or she would like to achieve in a certain subject. By setting a goal and creating a pathway to obtain that goal, your child is far more likely to perform well. Goal setting is one of the most powerful ways to obtain positive outcomes in any area of life, including school.
3. Redefine success
By making success about effort rather than results, children will feel good for working hard. They are more likely to feel that they have been successful, regardless of the result, if their time is used productively in study. This is counter-intuitive in some ways, but emphasising results increases pressure and can lead to poor outcomes. Emphasising effort reduces pressure, often promotes MORE effort, and ultimately may bring about better results!
4. Removing Distractions
Internet, phones, games, television, and any number of other distractions can be harmful to study! Get them away from ANYONE who should be studying – until the study is over.
5. Just do it
Ultimately, study is really only going to be successful if your child will sit down, be dedicated, and put in the time that is required to learn the material.
The more a parent forces a child to study, the less effective the study will be and the less motivated the child will be. But the more the parent encourages the child to manage his or her own studies, work with other students on appropriate tasks, set goals, and minimise distractions, the more the child will study and be motivated to focus on worthwhile pursuits.

Best Way For Writing Scholarship Essay

If you are looking for ways to write an effective scholarship essay, your search ends here. All you need to do is make a resolution that you will be truthful while writing it. This is not a tip that you will get on “How-to” articles and tips for being organized. This is a different dimension for approaching the same problem of writing the best scholarship essay.

The reason why I am insisting on being truthful is because a scholarship Essay is written by you and for you. It’s not about a third person or thing. If you are a worthy candidate for a scholarship, you have to be honest, at least with yourself.

You are not the only person who is applying for that scholarship. There are plenty of others and all of them are trying to manipulate the scholarship judges in their best capabilities. Not that, they are lying but they are still not all that truthful. By being truthful, you step aside from the rest of the mob. You will now put more efforts in writing the same essay because you are not allowed to brag. Those efforts will reflect in the quality of your essay and to be honest, the quality of the writing is the first thing that the scholarship judges look for in an essay. There are more ways in which it will affect the results. Your mind will be forced to be more innovative and concerned while writing the scholarship essay and this will clearly reflect in your writing.

Think honestly why you need that scholarship and why you deserve that scholarship. After that, truthfully put your thoughts on to the paper. This is all that is expected from you. If you can truthfully convince yourself as well as the judges about these two questions, there is nothing more to be achieved from that essay. Frankly speaking, you do not even need to search Google for writing an effective scholarship essay. You will have to rely on your own capabilities if you want to really win that scholarship.

Lastly, if you feel that it is worth the efforts, you can write 2 different essays and get them reviewed by somebody you know. You will be surprised to see that the essay that contains the truth is much likely to win the competition. With that said, let me end this article. All the best for your pursuit of a good scholarship. You can also try this service if you are looking for professional help on writing scholarship essay.

Can Learning To Recognise Notes By Ear Improve Your IQ?

Learning to recognise and play back notes by ear has many benefits for a musician, but one may surprise you:

Improving your IQ.

The ability to recognise melodies, pitch changes, and overall rhythm changes can lead to improved memory and cognition, as well as better mathematics and language skills. At the same time, learning to recognise notes by ear at an early age can allow children to develop much faster reasoning and intuitive skills than other children. While learning to recognise notes by ear is difficult, its benefits can be significant if you are prepared to put in the time, and to encourage children with musical aptitude to start learning from an early age.

Let’s look at some of the ways that ear training to learn to play by ear can help with brain training too.

Memory Strengths

One of the key benefits of recognising notes by ear is that you can improve your memory skills. Being able to recall notes, and to identify common melodies can work here with singing lessons to build an understanding of very precise and subtle changes. Getting into good habits for learning notes can consequently translate into a more general ability to remember important information, which can in turn help to boost knowledge retention for taking tests.
Cognitive Strengths

Another benefit of learning notes by ear is that you can train your brain to develop faster, and more complex problem-solving skills. While repetitive, once you have mastered learning notes by ear, your brain will be able to process other problems, and will have developed some general skills, which can allow you to break down pieces of work and information for faster learning.
Improve Your Maths Skills

Musical aptitude, and a natural ability to recognise notes, can have a knock on effect in terms of boosting concentration for mathematics. Similarities between musical theory and mathematics can be found through mental arithmetic, as well as the ability to visualise complex numerical problems, and to know how to rearrange them to solve equations and other calculations.

Comprehension

Learning notes by ear can also help you to boost your IQ by developing a strong ear for languages. This can cover everything from small parts of sentences through to general rhythms and repeated phrases, and can work well with memory retention.
Early Learning Skills

Children who receive music lessons that encourage good ear listening and note recognition can lead to a higher IQ than children that do not receive intensive musical training. Young children are particularly able to process a lot of raw information, and trying to instill these skills at an early age can have significant positive effects.
Intuitive Effect

Being able to recognise notes by ear can ultimately help to encourage intuitive and communication skills, which work on a subconscious level to pick up patterns in music, and can then translate to other areas of life, such as recognition of complex solutions to difficult situations. Repeated practice can also make it easier for these processes to become much more embedded in daily thinking, and can increase the potential for the brain to stay strong at an older age.

Does Drinking Coffee Help You Ace an Exam?

When exam time rolls around it’s not unusual to see weary eyed students hunched over heavy textbooks sipping cups of lukewarm java. Although their main objective may be to stay awake until test time, can the benefits of coffee include better performance when exam time finally rolls around?

Interestingly, the benefits of coffee drinking for enhancing memory have already been demonstrated. In a study published by the American Psychological Society, drinking coffee was shown to boost memory in older adults, although decaffeinated coffee didn’t appear to have the same effect. It appeared to be the caffeine which enhanced memory rather than some other component found in the coffee. The researchers emphasized that other stimulants may have a similar effect to caffeine when it comes to optimizing memory.

Another study published in 2005 further confirmed the memory boosting benefits of coffee drinking. Researchers were able to show that caffeine enhances short-term memory by interacting with higher centers in the brain. The type of memory caffeine seemed to boost in these studies was “working memory” or the type of memory used to retain information for short time intervals, such as when cramming for an exam.

Despite this, not all studies have shown a memory enhancing effect. Some studies carried out on mice and rats have shown that caffeine may actually impair short-term and long-term memory.

Caffeine has also been shown to increase activity in the portion of the brain that controls attention which may allow for sharper focus on a task, in this case studying for a big exam. It appears that another benefit of coffee drinking may be allowing distractions to be tuned out so that new information can be absorbed more easily.

Although the benefits of coffee drinking seem to include increased attention and, possibly, enhancement of short-term memory, this may be a dose dependent effect. If high doses of caffeine are consumed particularly in a caffeine sensitive individual, negative effects such as jitteriness and anxiety may make it more difficult to retain information.

Some studies suggest a positive benefit of coffee drinking on memory and attention which may be helpful in preparing for an exam. Whether or not this is beneficial may depend upon the individual and how he or she responds to caffeine. It may also depend on how much caffeine is consumed.

The bottom line? When preparing for an exam, it’s probably best to study far enough ahead of time so you don’t have to depend on the benefits of coffee to ace the class.

Source: Does Drinking Coffee Help You Ace an Exam?

Exam Tips

If you’re equipped with the right knowledge, preparation for a federal government exam or interview is a simple and straightforward process.

In order to use all information provided by the hiring department or recruiting agency, there are simple things to consider:

Review the statement of merit criteria. The statement of merit criteria is the document by which the recruiting department or agency describes the eligibility criteria. These criteria are usually listed as follows: education, experience, competencies/abilities, personal suitability, asset qualification, operational/organizational needs, conditions of employment and/or other conditions of employment.
Review, search, practice and study all that is relevant to this position.You will want to read-up on the recruiting body, review your experience in relation to the position, search and understand how the recruiting body assesses knowledge and competencies in an interview or written examination.
Understanding the competencies listed on the statement of merit. Understanding the type of level of competencies for the job you are applying for will save you lot time and help you in written exam. Using concrete examples, prepare answers for your exam demonstrating how you meet each merit criteria based on your past experiences. If you clearly respond to these pre-screening questions, your application will draw attention and you will be given the opportunity to be invited to an interview.
Understanding the different types of interviews and interview questions.
The federal government generally uses structured type interviews: a structured interview is a formal interview which generally has more than 1 board member and where notes are taken in response to your answers.
Various types of interview questions are used by a selection board when assessing candidates:
Open ended questions: e.g. Tell us what you like about your current job;
Closed questions: e.g. What department is responsible for the application of the Public Service Employment Act;
Behaviour based interview questions: e.g. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example;
Situational questions: e.g. You disagree with the way your supervisor says to handle a problem. What would you do;
Personal questions: e.g. Tell us about yourself and what it is that you think you bring to this position.
Other methods used in the selection process:
Written exams: these tests generally assess the applicant’s knowledge, abilities and competencies;
In-basket exercises, role-playing and case method exercises.

Exam Tips

How to Make a Good Impression in Your First Month of Work

Have you ever wondered why you can't keep a job for more than a few weeks per job? Do you feel like you are doing nothing wrong and just think that the people that fired you had no reason to and are just evil? Well you need to read up on these steps for you to make a good impression in your first month at work so that you will keep your job for a long time.

STEPS:

1. Build a relationship with your co-workers: It is always good to get to know your co-workers. Making friends with your co-workers shows that you can fit into you new workplace and shows that you can build chemistry in your “team”. Also it helps to be on good terms with everyone in the workplace so in times of need of help on certain things your co-workers will be willing to help you since they like you.

2. Put in the extra time the first month: This does not necessarily mean that you need to put overtime in everyday for the first month. What this means is that you should put in the extra effort at work to make an impression to show that you have initiative and to show that you want to keep your job.

3. Always ask for help when needed: If you ever feel like you don’t know what you are supposed to do for the first month you should always ask for help. Whether it is the fact of being new and trying to understand what you have to do or whether you have been at the job for a month or year and you just can’t get an assignment done; ask for help. It would not look good in the first month if you go around trying to look like you know what you are doing but in reality you are not getting anything done at all. If you don’t know what you are supposed to do or you don’t understand how to do it ask for help.

4. Leave your home life at home and always bring a professional attitude to work: Leave the drama from home or friends at home. Your co-workers are not going to want to hear you complain about things that are going on in your life and some might think of it to be distracting if you constantly talk about it at work. This can lead to complaints about you to the boss and in the end could lead you to getting fired. No matter what drama is going on at life always try to bring that professional attitude to work and do that best job you can. The only time that you can bring it up is when your co-workers ask about what has been going on in your life, and this will only come from what was talked about in the previous steps, build a relationship with your co-workers.

TIPS:

1. Keep a positive attitude

2. Always act professional

3. Be to work on time

4. Don't take time off in your first month of work

5. Never ask about your salary at work or bring up your pay

6. Become friends with your co-workers

7. Leave personal drama at home

8. Dress for the job, Dress for "Success"

9. Always ask for help when needed

10. Finish assignments on time or early, NEVER LATE.

SOURCE: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Good-Impression-in-Your-First-Month-of-Work

How to Avoid Workplace Flu

Each year, approximately 15 to 60 million people in the United States get the flu, resulting in about 70 million missed work days. Workplace environments can be a breeding ground for the flu, spreading the virus through close contact and shared work spaces. Your co-workers can even unknowingly spread the flu virus a day before they develop symptoms. To avoid the workplace flu, follow these tips.

STEPS:

1. Get a flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is the most effective way to guard against flu in the workplace. The flu vaccine protects against three different strains of the flu virus. For example, the 2010-2011 flu vaccine in the U.S. protects against an influenza B, AH3N2 and H1N1 virus. Every person 6 months old and older should get the flu vaccination each year. Encourage your co-workers to get the flu vaccine, or work with local health officials to set up a vaccination clinic in your workplace.

2. Disinfect your work space several times throughout the day during flu season. The flu virus can live for about 72 hours on desks, doorknobs, copy machines, telephones and other work areas. Wipe these and other surfaces touched by others on a regular basis.

3. Wash your hands for a period of at least 15 seconds throughout the day, especially before eating. Make it a part of your routine after using the bathroom, making a cup of coffee, eating, attending a meeting, sharing office supplies like a copy machine or fax machine, or having contact with a co-worker.

4. Use hand sanitizer often. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer gel or a package of disposable hand wipes in your work area, and use them after every meeting or contact with co-workers. Offer hand sanitizer to co-workers who come into your office. When using hand sanitizer gel, pour a generous amount into the palm of your hand and rub it all over your hands until the gel is dry. When it is not possible to wash your hands, using hand sanitizer is a good way to reduce germs.

5. Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes while working at your desk or sitting in a meeting. Germs, including flu virus droplets, spread through warm, moist areas like these.

6. Talk to your boss about working from home if the flu virus is spreading throughout your office.

TIPS: Be on the lookout for flu symptoms in co-workers, such as a cough and runny nose. Other symptoms you might feel at the onset of the flu include a high fever, headache, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue. Some people may also experience diarrhea and vomiting.

SOURCE: http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Workplace-Flu