Learn English As Second Language Hints

Would you like to learn to speak English fluently? There are many advantages to be able to speak English. It can open up many opportunities to you that you would not have otherwise, but you have to learn English as second language in an effective manner in order to conquer it in as short a time as possible.
It is important that you take every opportunity that comes your way to communicate in the new language. Don't worry if you are not yet fluent, most native speakers will be very patient with you and if you are in class, then you should try to participate as much as you can as you are in a conducive environment.

Download Exam Drill of English Language for Vocational School

If you rely on your weekly lesson to become fluent, you will be waiting for a very long time. One of the things that you can do in order to practice your speaking skills and build stronger conversation skills is find a language exchange partner. If you live in an English speaking country, then it will be simple to find people to do it with. These work by helping each other with the other language: you teach them your language and they teach you theirs.
By widening the net you can learn English as second language and develop the skills you need in order to take advantage of different work or life opportunities that will come your way. By being proactive, you will find that you learn to speak it quickly and effectively.
If you do not live in such a country, there are other alternatives. You can find websites where you can converse through video chat software and practice. Of the four different skills, you are most likely to use listening and speaking most often, so these are the two skills to really work on, everyday if possible.
It is important to build up vocabulary too and using the internet as a tool will really help you. There are millions of websites that are set up especially for ESL, but also reading newspapers online, blogs or anything else that interests you is also going to help a great deal.
You should ensure that you find a teacher who teaches in the target language. If you spend half of your lesson listening to complex grammar explanations in your own mother tongue, then this is not the class for you. A lesson taught in the target lesson will dramatically increase your ability to function in English. After each class, you should also try to make it a habit of going over the lesson point by searching on the internet for follow up activities. These can help to reinforce the point of the class and help you to develop understanding more quickly.

Read More...

An Introduction to the World of Teak

The word "teak" is believed to have originated from the Malayalam (an Indian language) word "tekku" and is scientifically known as Tectona Grandis. Teakwood is characterized by its mellowed golden color, durability and fine grains. Teak is commonly found in monsoon forests and is a natural component of tropical and sub-tropical forests of South and South East Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and India. Teakwood is also extensively grown in government and private owned teak plantation in all over India, Indonesia, Thailand and other South East Asian countries. High demand of teakwood has resulted in efforts to naturalize it other areas like pacific island countries, tropical Africa and in northern Australia.

Download Exam Drill of Indonesia Language for Vocational School

Etymology and Botany apart, teak is considered to the crowning jewel in the diadem of trees. Teak furniture is characterized by extreme resistance to rotting and fungus attack and is unamenable to various elements of weather like rain, snow, moisture and sun. Teakwood is also characterized by a natural and strong resistance to termite attacks. These properties of teak make it the number one choice for any kind of furniture, especially furniture that will be exposed to rough natural elements or abusive human usage. The longevity and ability to withstand natural elements of attrition has also made Teak the automatic choice for flooring.
Teak belongs to the hardwood genus of trees and is characterized by very densely packed grains and high volume of natural oils. Presence of rich natural oils makes Teak stand apart from a plethora of other woods. These natural oils act as a natural preservative against the effects of weather elements. Presence of natural oil also results in a rich, natural texture of the Teakwood thereby obviating the need for external, artificial polish. Teak furniture is characterized by a rich and natural polish, excellent craftsmanship and ability to withstand harsh elements of weather. Furniture made out of aged Teak does not peel, rot, splinter, warp or disintegrate even after prolonged exposure to elements of nature. Teak furniture also exhibits a very strong resistance to termites and fungus attacks. Longevity comes naturally to Teak furniture and requires minimal or no maintenance. Even after prolonged exposure to rough weather, Teak furniture does not develop any structural defects.
Indonesia and Myanmar are two of the world's largest exporters of high grade Teak. Illegal poaching is endemic in South East Asian countries. Countries like Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar and India have witnessed extensive deforestation over the last few decades on the face of increased demand of Teak and Teak furniture. Vast stretches of natural forests have been wiped out to meet international demand of Teak furniture. The alarming rate of deforestation has prompted the local government to set up strict anti poaching rules in these countries. In Indonesia, the government has launched a policy of planned re-forestation and Teak plantations to meet the international demand for Teak as well as to counter deforestation. Teak plantation derives it origin to Dutch colonists who first planted Teak seedlings and pioneered Teak plantation way back in the 19th century in Indonesia. Perum Perhutani follows a strict policy of felling limited number of Teak trees per year and replenishing the same by planting equal number of Teak saplings.

Read More...

How to Study Math and Physics Effectively

At school I was useless at math. So was Albert Einstein I believe. Many years after leaving school I enrolled in a distance learning course at a university for a diploma in datametrics. I did well in all the computer courses, but I had to do a module in physics as well. I went to write the exam and managed to get a magnificent 38%.
The University allowed me to rewrite a supplementary exam, and I had two months to get myself sorted out. I had already learnt the work with all my heart. Two months later I rewrote the exam, and passed with a mark of 88% ! This enabled me to pass the Diploma cum laude, with distinction.

Download Exam Drill of Math for Vocational School

Well, I discovered a secret to learning subjects that involve figures, numerical problems and the like. The secret is simple: practice.
The text book I was working out of had the answers to all the problems at the back of the book. So I tried to do the sums without looking at the answer. Then I would check. If the answer was wrong, I would try again, using a different approach. If that didn't work out, then I would start with the answer and work backwards to the start. Then I would do the next question. I solved every question that I could find. I practiced and practiced.
I worked in pencil, with an eraser handy, so that if the sum got messy I could clean it up. I used lots of scrap paper. It was hard work, but after awhile the elation of solving more and more questions first time round started making it a breeze to do.
So to summarize:
1. Get a book with lots of problems to solve in it. Make sure it has the answers in the book.
2. Only look at the answers to check if you got it right. Try to solve it first before looking at the answer at all.
3. If you can't get it right, try again.
4. If you still can't get it right, start with the answer and work backwards.
5. Do every problem you can find. Do them again if you are not yet confident.
6. Be prepared to work hard, and it will pay off big time.
Just the other day I gave this advice to a granny who was looking after her 14 year old granddaughter. This young girl was failing math and Granny couldn't help her much. Three weeks later she saw me again, and couldn't wait to thank me. Like that guy Hunter said in the TV series of the same name -- It works for me!

Read More...

Web Design Day Rates Explained in Plain English

First Things First
If you are an employee it's easy to get confused about consultant or freelance rates. The thing to remember is freelancers can only charge for the time they are actively working for a client. However, they are not necessarily active for a client for 40 hours a week, 52 weeks of the year. Therefore their rates have to take into account all the time they are not billing a client and their running costs. Why Have Freelancers and Consultants?

Download Exam Drill of English Language for Vocational School

Freelancers play a vital role in the economy. Without freelancers companies would have to hire and train all their own staff. Can you imagine hiring a member of staff to carry out a specific specialised task that only needs doing once or twice a year?
How Day Rates Work
Companies providing services in many industries such as web design, SEO, engineering etc base their charges on day rates. These can be the source of confusion or contention for the companies who need to hire firms using day rates as the headline rate can seem high.
Often, when evaluating rates, people will take the headline day rate, multiply it by 261 (the number of weekdays in a year) and assume they are being ripped off. For example, a day rate of £325.00 is made to look like a salary of - 261 x £325 = £85k! Nice money if you can get it.
In fact this is a nonsense. In simple terms day rates are calculated thus.
Number of weekdays in a year = 261
Less - 25 Holidays
Less - 8 Bank Holidays
Less - 5 days allowance for being ill
Less - 24 days of non billable time
Less - 10 days for marketing and business development
Total - 72 days
Total billable working days in a year = 261 - 72 = 189 Days
Now the per person costs for running the business
£500 - advertising
£500 - Hardware and Software
£1000 - Servers etc
£100 - Affiliation costs (professional bodies etc)
£2000 - Client visits etc
£150 - Insurances etc
£500 - Accountancy fees etc
£2000 - Phone/Office etc
Total = £6750.00
This equates to a daily overhead of £35.71 (overhead divided by billable days)
Now the required salary including Employers NIC etc
A well qualified and experienced consultant salary = £40k (£44475.52 with NIC etc)
This gives a day rate of £235.32 (salary divided by billable days)
Next comes profit and 20% is an accepted level of profit = £54.21

Read More...

Enjoy Best Indonesian Cultural Performances

Jakarta has some excellent venues for music, dance and other cultural performances. Theatres in the city are perhaps the best way to explore the evolving culture of the place. Traditional theatre and cosmopolitan music is loved the most by both locals and those getting into city taking flights to Jakarta. Some non profit organizations at Jakarta organize plays in different theatres of the city to boast both tourism and the culture. Since last four decades they have been producing comedies, dramas, musical revues, murder mysteries, pantomimes, cabarets, theatres, and small and big shows. Some most popular theatres at the city are:

Download Exam Drill of Indonesia Language for Vocational School

Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center in Jakarta: This arts center is located in Jalan Cikini Raya 73. The center is named after famous musician, Ismail Marzuki. It is the best place to search for Indonesian art and culture after taking cheap flights to Jakarta It is the first institute of its kind in Indonesia, and is successfully purporting to the training and promotion of performing and visual arts. Dance, music, and theatre are performed here by both local and international artists.
The Bharata Theatre in Jakarta: Visitors love to take Jakarta flights to enjoy the dance drama known as wayang Wong at Bharata Theatre, and this dance drama is generally held in Bahasa Indonesia language. It is a mixture of dramatic and comic theatre with some dancing. After taking your flights to Jakarta you may go to this theatre from 8pm to midnight every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah: A culture-based recreational area located in East Jakarta is known as Taman Mini. Visitors taking flights to Jakarta like to visit this synopsis of Indonesian culture. This is the best place to enjoy at night. It is supposed to represent at least 27 highlight of Indonesian culture as Indonesia consisted of 27 provinces while this theatre was created.
It is the platform giving opportunity to both locals and international artists to perform any kind of performance including; music, dance and theatre. Audiences as well as performers take cheap flights to Indonesia from UK to attend this performing arts theatre.

Read More...

Using Printable Math Worksheets

printable math worksheets, an old-style teaching tool!
The Cause
Printable math worksheets can be used by both parents and teachers to help kids overcome some of their most common problems in leaning math.
You see, I'm a professional educator. I teach high school. I'm also a parent. (I wear both hats!) Year after year, I see kids come into my classes completely unprepared to learn math.

Download Exam Drill of Math for Vocational School

When I diagnose what the problem is, it's virtually always either they don't know their multiplication tables or, more often, they don't know how to work with fractions.
I teach the upper grades in my school, yet I continue to see kids who do not even have basic algebra skills in place.
As a parent, I'm very aware of what my own children are learning in school. For the most part, I've been happy with their progress, but as they rise in grade level, I'm starting to see more emphasis on a loose understanding of the concepts and less emphasis on skills--particularly skills with arithmetic of fractions.
The main problem with what I see with my students and my own children is that kids are taught "concepts" and are not taught skills--unless they're lucky enough to have a teacher who knows better.
Most particularly, children are not taught mastery of arithmetic with fractions. Unfortunately, virtually all of their future math education depends on being able to do fractional arithmetic.
Most of even beginning algebra depends on being able to do two things--one, doing multiplication quickly and accurately in your head, two, knowing how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions.
You might remember a concept in algebra called "factoring." Factoring means breaking up into parts that are multiplied together to give you the whole. You can factor numbers. For instance, 6 factors into 2 and 3--2x3 =6. In elementary algebra we learn to factor expressions such as x^2+4x+4. This particular expression is easily factorable into (x+2)^2.
Just trust me, if you don't know your multiplication tables, you can't factor. If you can't factor, you won't do well at all in algebra, geometry, or trigonometry.
The same is true for mastery of working with fractions.
So, in general, kids who don't learn their multiplication tables and arithmetic with fractions usually don't do well in math. It's been proven that success in science depends to a great extent on success in math. So, these same kids usually don't do well with science, either.
If you want your child to have access to the major portion of jobs in the future, your child must master math. The Solution...or at least part of it
Teachers are actually doing their best to educate children. The problems with education aren't so much on the level of teachers as with the institution as a whole. It's kind of like the state of communications in our country before the deregulation of the telephone companies. Before deregulation, one and only one advancement--the touch tone phone. After deregulation, well you have cell phones, the Internet, instant messaging, you name it!
What dedicated teachers and parents need to do is to supplement public school instruction with strategies that work, that have always worked, to get kids to really master the fundamental skills of elementary math.
One of the most effective ways I've found to help kids in a focused area of weakness are printable math worksheets. The big problem with concept-based instruction is lack of practice. Printable math worksheets solve this problem nicely.
As a teacher, I supplement my lessons with appropriate worksheets. I can then check a student's progress. For parents, printable math worksheets are a great tool for drilling their own kids in those same skills.
Make no mistake, printable math worksheets are not a relic from the past that needs to stay buried. They are useful, focused tools for the classroom or at home.
You can find resources all over the web for worksheets. Finding answers for worksheets, however, is not that easy.
For that you often have to use paid subscription services.

Read More...

The Global Language of Communication

There are many different languages in the world, and there are simply none more impactful than the English language. The English language is an amazing language, and it is beautiful. The shear amount of people who speak it are breath-taking, and there are many countries that teach the global language of communication in primary schools.
With about 400 million people who speak it as their primary language, and the total of English speakers at nearly 2 billion people around the world, it is no wonder why this language is the global language of communication.

Download Exam Drill of English Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Background and Origins
Historically, the language that is language is one of West Germanic descent, with origins in Anglo-Saxon England. The language is a culmination of many words from many pre-existing languages around the world, but specifically influenced by the Old Norse language of the Vikings. After the Normans conquered, where we had Old English, it transformed into what we called Middle language, which was borrowed mostly from their language, as far as spelling and vocabulary are concerned.
Shortly thereafter, Modern English was developed, coming along with what was called the Great Vowel Shift, which happened in 15th century English, where they incorporated words from a great score of different languages and dialects. In this, it is where we started using more and more words that were rooted in Greek and Latin, especially in the use of technical words.
The Significance of English
English is considered something called the lingua franca, the world's first. This basically means that the language of English is something that is basically an international language of people not speaking a mother tongue. So, it's not uncommon around the world for people to speak English if they want to communicate with someone not from their country. It is also the dominant language in many fields, such as business, science, entertainment, radio, and diplomacy.
The use of the English language is something that is considered a requirement in many fields of business, especially in the higher echelons. Even in countries where English is not the country's primary language, a basic knowledge of English is generally required. This fact is definitely true in the fields of medicine and computing, where one is bound to have to communicate with someone that was not born in the same country that you were. In learning English, there can be many things that can be achieved than if not. Chances there will more than likely be a time where a person would need to communicate with someone from another country, and if it's the global language, a person definitely could be benefit from learning it! And with this global language of communication, it will definitely not be an effort in vain.

Read More...

Why Men Love Women From Indonesia

Men often look to Asian countries to find mail order brides. Many women of Western countries are often curious about why a woman would ever be a part of a mail order bride. The truth is that Indonesian women are not really that safe in their natural culture. Women are not treated equally, although the constitution requires them to be. In fact there are hundreds of thousands of murders and rapes of women there each year.

Download Exam Drill of Indonesia Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

With this in mind, men of the Western world also think that Indonesian women are also quite beautiful and attractive. They are often attracted to the ethnic look that Indonesian women provide. In addition, Indonesian women often take very good care of themselves. In addition to natural beauty and a willingness to take care of themselves, Indonesia women are often quite smart as well. They are trained by society to be able to hold great and intelligent conversations about many things. They are very interested in politics and other worldly issues and make perfect dinner companions.
All in all, men love Indonesian women because they are the total package. For a man to score a mail order bride from Indonesia, is a blessing. In addition they will have a partner they can discuss worldly issues with and create a lifetime of great memories with.

Read More...

Easy Mathematics

Many students consider mathematics to be a difficult and scary subject. Difficulties can be overcome when you replace your fear with curiosity. If you give proper attention to this subject you will surely begin to like it. Math becomes very easy once you stop hating it.
What is the importance of math in real life? In fact, its scope is far beyond daily calculations and planning your monthly expenditure. It is said that all biology is ultimately chemistry; all chemistry is ultimately physics and all physics is ultimately mathematics. Today economics is one of the most popular subjects. Every curriculum pertaining to economics also has math as its integral part. At an advanced level its applications are incredible. For instance, the Nash Equilibrium (in Economics/Statistics) can be used to predict stock market trends and even in resolving war between countries. Learning math improves your mental skills. If you are good at math you will be able to solve day to day problems easily. This is because your thinking becomes logical when you properly study it.

Download Exam Drill of Mathematics for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Very few students have an aptitude for this subject. Nevertheless, everyone has the basic capabilities that are needed to study the subject at the school level.
Yet all the theorems, axioms and formulae sound like double-dutch to most of us. First of all, your knowledge of the subject's basics is not sound. Secondly, it could be because of your faulty approach to the subject.
Dealing with the first problem is more difficult. You will not be able to understand anything about Conditional Probability if your concepts of Permutations and Combinations are not clear. Speak to your teacher about any such problem and seek their guidance. If possible, try to consult books from the previous term. You should deal with this problem as soon as possible. The longer it persists the harder it gets.
As far as your approach is concerned, you should never attempt to learn math. The only way to learn mathematics is by understanding it. Try to make it a pleasant experience. Reward yourself with, say, a candy every time you make even a small success. Our brain learns new things by observing and repeating. There is no alternative to persistent practice.
It will become a lot easier if you try to understand it in practical terms, as opposed to theory. For instance, let us speak in terms in LPP (Linear Programming Problems.) There you have to express practical situations, such as rate of production of a certain machine, as a mathematical expression. A proper understanding of both practical and algebraic form of the problem is required in such cases.
Math is easy if you let it be so. Remember that if you do well in mathematics, you will have many exiting and promising career opportunities. People with goods mathematical skills are always wanted in computer related fields. Even animation can't be done without programing that involves a high level mathematics.

Read More...

Why English Is an Important Language

Many people ask why English is considered an important international language in the world?
Why do many people want to learn English? English is one of the main languages used in commerce and spoken by millions of people around the world. Many people try to learn and speak English to meet their needs in their work. We can find that many languages are spoken in Europe, but English is the language that many people used to communicate with each other.

Download Exam Drill of English Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Many people around the world could not stand on without learning English. They can't mange their business or communicate with their clients without learning English. So that English is a global language that everyone should learn it as possible as he could.
Learning English and master its skills of reading, writing and speaking will help you succeed in your business and get your work well. You can contact your clients and communicate with them any time in an easy and active way.
You will be able to contact your clients and mange your business without confusing. English is spoken by the majority of recognized democracies in the world, so knowing English can play into the role of political freedom in some countries.
English language enables you to get in touch with the latest world information and commercial news around the world. If you didn't start learning English yet, you should now start to learn it as possible as you can. You can learn it in an easy and active way on the internet. Learning English online becomes the most famous way to start learning immediately.
With the knowledge and skills that English offers, you will be able to understand more about the world around you as events occur. You will be able to see English television shows and hear radio shows with more insight to the stories and culture of those involved.

Read More...

Do You Need an Indonesia Visa For Bali?

For those ready to go on a well-deserved holiday to Bali should know if they need an Indonesia visa. For most nationalities this can be arranged upon arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. The single-entry tourist visa is valid for up to 30 days though.
The following countries can arrange a single-entry tourist visa upon arrival at the visa booth; Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan Territory, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the USA.

Download Exam Drill of Indonesia Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

It cost US $25 for a 30-day single entry visa and US$10 for a 7-day visa.
Nationals who carry this permit are not allowed to extend or convert this visa. Every day that you stay longer until 60 days will cost USD $20 and after these 60 days it will cost 25.000.000 rupiah or a 5 years prison sentence. If you want to stay longer your best option is to buy a return ticket to Singapore.
You then go through the same procedure of a single-entry tourist visa upon arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport.
There are even nationalities who don't need an Indonesia visa at all. They'll receive a visa free permit. Here is a small list of those countries; Nationals from Chile, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Peru, Macao, Morocco, Brunei, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam don't need the 30-day visa for staying in Bali. They are issued a maximum 30-day visa free permit.
This visa is also not extendable or convertible into another form of Indonesia visa. For this visa free permit count the same rules as for those holding a single-entry visa. Every day that you stay longer until 60 days will cost USD $20 and after these 60 days it will cost 25.000.000 rupiah or a 5 years prison sentence.
When you take a domestic flight you'll pay 30.000 Indonesian rupiah.

Read More...

Mathematics in Computer Programming

Mathematics is applicable in various traditional fields of engineering: mechanical and electrical engineering are among them. Mathematics is used in computer engineering too.
As Venn diagrams are helpful in understanding the concepts of logic, they are also helpful in the programming. For instance, De Morgan's laws are used in writing statements involving decisions and Venn diagrams are helpful in understanding these laws.

Download Exam Drill of Mathematics for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Calculations are also important in the science of computers. The text you read on the computer screen is presented in a particular format. Geometry is used in the development of graphics. Actually a graphics screen resembles the co-ordinate plane. Just as we have points in the co-ordinate plane, we have pixels on the graphics screen. Though there are endlessly many points in any bounded part of the plane, while the number of pixels on the graphics screen is limited, yet the techniques of coordinate geometry can be used in drawing various figures on the graphics screen.
Various transformations play a part in the development of software. Two such transformations are famous as 'pop and push transformations'. As the graphs are useful in understanding different kinds of transformations, these help understand, in particular the Pop and Push transformations too.
The classical computer programming language namely 'the C language' makes a lot of use of mathematics. Different graphics commands of this language are based on the mathematical logic.

Read More...

The Economics of the Job Market

The Supply and Demand of the Job Market
Owning an executive search firm for the past few years, I have seen that compensation packages for any professional at any level follows the basic economic principals - the inverse relationship between supply and demand.
However, in this scenario, supply must be defined. The supply of candidates is the actual number of people whom you are seriously competing with when sending in your resume and actively pursuing a particular job or group of similar jobs.
These actual contenders are intelligent, proven professionals that are being actively recruited by multiple companies for similar roles within a similar industry. They have good, stable resumes and worked at good companies where they were successful and highly respected.

Download Exam Drill of Economics for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

For instance, somebody who is on the job market and has been working at big banks is not considered "Supply" if you are in software and wish to work for a start-up.
Who Are the Most Sought After Candidates?
The candidates who are consistently learning, energetic and have true career aspirations are the highest paid professionals as the supply of them is quite low while the demand for people who don't need to be trained for months is exceedingly high.
Sometimes, demand gets too high because companies always want what other companies want. It's an insecure, indirect professional reference check of sorts.
What Are The Most Effective Ways To Increase Your Demand and Compensation?
Increasing your demand on the job market to get a higher offer at your next company, there are certain implementations that work and some that do not.
Getting An MBA? More likely than not, getting a MBA will not increase your value or worth. It is what you learn at the university that is helpful. The degree can not be used to justify higher pay. Employers decide what you are worth.
I have seen MBAs from the best universities not even get past the resume screening process. Taking the highest offer because it's the highest offer is one of the worst things one can do to their future demand.
It is a surefire way to set yourself up to become bored with a job and a company, thus leaving and creating a bad mark on your resume.
Instead of giving a few years of your life to the company with the highest offer, consider the firm, their products and your interest in the people whom you will call your new team members.
If you like your job, you're eventually going to make the money that you forfeited by declining the leading offer. Happy employees make money because they work hard and keep learning.
Unchallenging and repetitive work, regardless of the monetary sum wired to your bank account bi-weekly, is painful.
Can You Kill Your Demand During Negotiations?
The answer is absolutely. Future companies will base your demand or what you are worth via what former companies paid you in the past.
"I was making $110,000, but I'm willing to go lower for the right job."
This is a big mistake as employers see this as a cry for help. It appears to be a willingness to settle because you just want a job. Who ever wanted to actively date the person sitting on the bleachers at each high school dance that you attended.
Companies want employees who are desired by other companies. To give another analogy: would you buy from a salesman who dropped the price of a product before you even said a word?
A high base salary at your previous job is impressive. For the time being, use those numbers to your advantage.
After the interviewing process, let the company come in with a lower offer or go higher because they budgeted correctly.
Your actions and thoughts when seeking a new job, should revolve around the aforementioned principals.

Read More...

Teach Your Baby Geography

It is so much fun to teach babies because they are so eager to learn new things. They love to mimic the behavior they see and they are easily excited. If parents capitalize on these qualities, they can teach their babies all sorts of things. With a good puzzle and a few minutes a day, babies can easily learn geography, whether world or U.S. geography.
When parents are looking for toys for their babies, they should keep in mind that it is just as much fun for a baby to build a puzzle of the United States as it is to build a puzzle of a kitty cat. It may actually be more fun for baby to build the map puzzles, because they are more challenging. Babies love a challenge and they love to prove that they can learn anything.

Download Exam Drill of Geography for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Parents can also teach geography using a map. They sell place mats that are maps of different places. If you use a place mat, just point out different locations at each meal to your baby. How much better it is to let your child practice their manual dexterity of pointing and putting pieces together while learning things that will have lasting value for them, as opposed to just putting together a pretty picture.
Certainly there is benefit in playing with toys, but parents have the opportunity to expose their children to much more educational materials and still call it play. There are songs that teach geography as well. It is simple to teach your child some geography with some upbeat music while you point out the areas.
Teaching your baby world geography will help them understand that the world is a much larger place than they think it is. During high school when your child needs to know these skills and learned them with ease as a baby, they will be thinking you.
If you go to You Tube and type in Smarty Pants Dance, you will see a video of a little girl, less than two years old, who knows her U.S. geography.

Read More...

The Development of Sociology

The development of sociology was born out of two revolutions: the French Revolution of 1789, and the Industrial revolution. Both of these events destroyed all previous social norms and created a new social organization: the modern industrial society. In particular, the French Revolution destroyed not only the political and social foundations of France, but almost every country in Europe and the North Americas. Ideas of liberty and equality were put into practice, setting the stage for a completely new social and political order. These changes also represented the victory for the downtrodden in France, and the beginnings of societies in other countries based on the individual and individualism. A new class of people, emboldened by what happened in France, appeared on the political stages of Europe and North America and were not afraid to fight for their rights as citizens and human beings.

Download Exam Drill of Sociology for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

The concept of modernity came about when classical theorists needed to understand the meaning and significance of the Twin Revolutions and the effects of industrialization, urbanization, and political democracy on rural societies. The term 'modernity' was coined to capture these changes in progress by contrasting the "modern" with the "traditional." Modernity referred to a world constructed anew through the active and conscious intervention of individuals. In modern societies, the world is experienced as a human construction, an experience that gives rise to a new sense of freedom and to a basic anxiety about the openness of the future.
Modernity consists of three elements: traditional, institutional, and cultural. Traditional modernity means that there is a historical consciousness, a sense of breaking with the past, and a post-traditional consciousness of what is going on in the world. Institutional modernity is concerned with capitalism, industrialism, urbanism, and the democratic nation-state. Cultural modernity entails new beliefs about science, economics, and education. It involves a criticism of religion and separation of religion from politics and education.
A new social science was created in the wake of these events and was given the name 'sociology' by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher and he is thought of as the founder of modern sociology. Sociology is not only about intellect, but is connected with developments in the social world and changes in society. One reason why sociology is different than the other social sciences is that it attempts to describe different sets of social forces that develop in a society at different times and places, with different actors and results. As societies change, it is the nature of these changes that sociologists attempt to explain, and it is the changes themselves that lead to different explanations of these changes.
For example, Marx's political-economic theory is an explanation of nineteenth century capitalism as it developed in Britain. Weber's analysis of bureaucracy and rationalization could not have emerged much sooner than it did, because the bureaucratic structures and the forces of rationalization had not developed all that much before Weber's time. And Durkheim's analysis of the changing division of labor could take place only once some of the economic and social trends of modern, industrial societies became apparent. The same is true today: as society changes and becomes more modern, new sociological theories and approaches are developed in an attempt to understand and explain these changes.
Marx, Weber, and Durkheim had different views on modernity. For Marx, modernity is capitalism and he felt that the ideal of true democracy is one of the great lies of capitalism. He thought that the only ideas that came out of a capitalist society was alienation, class conflict, and revolution. He also thought that capitalism will be eventually destroyed by revolution. Humans participate in their own oppression through false conscious, any belief, idea, or ideology that interferes with an exploited and oppressed person or group being able to perceive the objective nature and source of their oppression.
Weber construes modernity as rationalization, bureaucratization, and the "Iron Cage." For him, the history of modernization was increased rationalization. Everything humans depend on would be controlled by large capitalist bureaucratic organizations.
Durkheim saw modernity as moral order, anomie and the decline of social solidarity. In his analysis of modernity, there is a breakdown of social values, the breaking down of traditional social order. Anomie is a transitional problem, lacking moral regulation. Increased egotism is also a problem. All three of these classic theorists had a very critical view of modern capitalism and society.

Read More...

Learning English Online for Beginners

Whether we need to learn how to speak or write in English for a job, a test, or for business and personal travels; we will find that learning English online is the more convenient way for us to learn all the basics about the English language since we can take lessons right from the comforts of our homes.
With the help of online English tutorials, we no longer have to enroll for English lessons and take these in an actual classroom set-up. This is ideal for those who do not have enough time to spare for extra lessons in English.

Download Exam Drill of English Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

We can find all the appropriate tools for our lessons right on the internet and these are available for free, for basic lessons. For a more comprehensive English tutorial, there are websites that offer extensive English lessons for a fee.
Different Needs, Different Lessons
Depending on our needs, there are various tools for learning English online that we can use. From basic ABCs to English translations of simple words, we can find the appropriate lesson tailor-suited for our needs.
We can also take lessons in grammar and constructing sentences through proper subject-verb agreement. Whatever our level of understanding for the correct usage of the English language, there are corresponding lessons to help us develop our skills.
For websites on learning English online that offer paid services, we can try out their free trials first to see if what they provide are exactly what we are looking for.
Other than learning everything we need to know about grammar, we can also greatly improve our English vocabulary right on the internet; if we are looking into learning English online.
English as a Second or Foreign Language
Conversational English is also very important to learn. Once we have developed the skill of conversing in the English language, we can confidently and comfortably carry a conversation with English-speaking colleagues, clients or bosses; which could actually be a big plus for us if we are working in a dominantly English-speaking company.
Online, we can find tips, guides and practice lessons in conversational English; starting from the basics like greetings or salutations, using please and thank you, asking questions, asking for directions, and even placing orders in a restaurant.
If we want to keep practicing on our lessons, there are also websites that offer downloadable practice sheets that we can work on. To keep learning English online even more enjoyable, there are lessons presented as games so we'll have a little bit of fun while learning more about reading, writing and speaking in English.
We will find that the lessons being offered were designed and are conducted by actual teachers who have been providing lessons in learning the English language for many years so we are assured that we will be getting quality tutorials from the experts.

Read More...

Saya Cinta Indonesia

Saya cinta Indonesia
I love this country deeply
From Sumatra to Irian Jaya
Working at the tsunami epicenter
Speaking in Sorong and Jayapura
Surfing in Bali, Uluwatu and Kuta
Bringing repentance and reconciliation
To those in East Timur during the war
Noticing intolerable injustices for sure
Nevertheless wisely opening the door
For peaceable negotiation and alteration
Among the Timorese, both East and West
Praying for the removal of outside interference

Download Exam Drill of Indonesia Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Urging patience, human kindness, and tolerance
Uplifting people above and beyond self-reliance
Into the loving arms of their heavenly Father
So the islanders can live as sisters and brothers
Graciously bury the hatchet, forgive and forget
Those who honorably do shall in never regret
For Indonesia, you God did choose and select
To be amazingly the world's largest archipelago
Now increasingly unite so the world will know
People with differences can agree and cooperate
As you don't tolerate murder in Sulawesi
Enforce punishment for offenders governmentally
Stop violent fanatics from acting aggressively
Let the religious help the weak, poor, and orphans
Take in a lonely child and mercifully adopt them
Assist enslaved prostitutes and deliver them
Solve and resolve pressing societal problems
Take action and quit rhetorically trying to refute
The needy require assistance without dispute
Rid your country of corruption economically
Build proper infrastructure in each and every city
No more permit the robbing of your citizenry
As they pay taxes, support, and wait expectantly
Indonesia, my beloved and cherished country
You are a great land of potential and opportunity
Come together most noble islandy citizenry
Your future is wonderful and burns brightly
Your warm hearts make life celebratory
Be encouraged, comforted, and take rest
For your people historically have stood the test
Arise! Be bold, creative, and courageous
Indonesia is a land that shall become famous
Therefore guard your people, heart, and resources
Secure your homeland beyond military forces
Fight for justice, truth, tolerance, and peace
Indonesia most beautiful, you hold the keys
To unity, diversity, liberty, and prosperity
Whenever you need, you can count on me
Indonesia, I stand ready to honorably serve thee

Read More...

Why Advanced Mathematics is Hard

If you are wondering why you have trouble understanding the likes of advanced mathematics, you might consider that the writing and teaching quality in this field is abysmal at best. As someone who has studied mathematics at the graduate level and beyond, I can say without reservation that there are very few books, and indeed, even fewer teachers, who can convey an understanding of this subject at the higher reaches. Mathematics is a wonderful tool which permits us to understand our world; however, the latent complexities of the subject start to manifest as we try to use this tool to understand the likes of black holes, antimatter, and genomic transcription. Yet understand mathematics we must, as we progress and problem solve in direct proportion to our decoding of this wonderful discipline.

Download Exam Drill of Mathematics for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

For many algebra and pre-calculus set the limits of their mathematical understanding. Moreover, to understand the nature of the universe and the myriad mysteries of life, we need much more advanced tools: topological spaces, advanced number theory, chaos theory, and partial differential calculus. The lower branches of mathematics provide the raw tools to unravel the mysteries of these higher branches, yet these higher realms once entered, mystification rules and most quit before they even have the chance to start unraveling the fascinating mysteries of mathematics.
As I see it, the main problem in understanding more advanced mathematics boils down to patience on both the teachers and writers who try to promulgate this material. Many professors and teachers will argue that there is not enough room in a text to break down the subject matter too much, that there would be too many breaks in continuity to proceed in this manner. Yet by not providing adequate exposition, these very same "promoters" of the subject are actually losing their audience to obfuscation.
Personally, I enjoy shedding light on the mysteries of mathematics. Granted I am human and subject to the same limitation of comprehension that everyone else is. Thus I find it daunting when I cannot make heads or tails out of the more advanced reaches of this subject. People interested in mathematics want to be able to understand the likes of partial differential equations, abstract algebra, and their underlying theories. Many individuals (talented at that and potential mathematicians) could understand advanced mathematics if we had better writers and educators. Alas, it seems that many who have finally understood the more advanced reaches of the subject insist on keeping such arcana "secret" and only allow certain chosen ones to enter the circle of understanding. Only then can we propagate mathematical education efficiently and thus create more scientists and mathematicians who will at least give us a chance eventually to help solve the many problems confronting us in the world today.

Read More...

Taking a Degree in Biology

From their tiniest structure, their functions, origins, evolution, growth, to the relationships with their environment. Biologists are the professionals who do such studies, constantly researching, discovering and developing more procedures to enhance the various aspects of life. There are times when biologists will discover an organism and would attempt to classify with existing organisms them by determining each individual feature the organism exhibits, including their interactions with the surroundings.

Download Exam Drill of Biology for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Some biologists would work in laboratories, while others may work in the field where they can make observations on organisms in their natural habitat. Some of the general subjects students will need to take are like biology, chemistry, ecology, research, math, and statistics. The study of microorganisms is called microbiology; the study of animals is zoology; and the study of plants is called botany. Below this hierarchy would be the breakdown of each group of study, which would be molecular study, cellular biology, physiology, and ecology. Depending on the area of specialization, the biologist will adopt the job name based on the type of organism studied.
The degrees offered for Biology would be the Associate, Bachelor, Master's, and the Doctorate degree. There are also online Biology degrees available that are recognized, so long they are accredited. Having either of these certifications will open up doors to many agencies, like government agencies, medical research facilities, and environmental groups. Nevertheless, having a Bachelor's or higher degrees of either conventional or online Biology degrees will enable one to find jobs of mid- to higher level positions. Some common positions include researchers, project managers, or even consultants.

Read More...

Distillation in Modern Chemistry Laboratory

In simple terminology, distillation is defined as the method of purifying a liquid by boiling it and condensing its vapors. In other words, any liquid when it is heated and becomes fully boiled, the process of distillation captures and cools the resultant hot vapors, and collect the condensed vapors. This method or process is not a chemical reaction but a unit operation or physical separation. In a modern chemistry laboratory, distillation is a very important requirement to identify and purify the organic compounds.

Download Exam Drill of Chemistry for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Boiling Point Determination
The chemistry teaching labs make use of distillation regularly, for two purpose: identification of organic compounds and the purification of organic compounds.
The boiling point of a compound implies the physical features or properties of a compound by which it is distinguished. In a laboratory, distillation is used to purify a compound. This is done by separating the compound from less-volatile or a non-volatile material. There are different compounds in different points in a mixture and the individual components are separated, when there is a careful distillation of the mixture.
This point is actually the temperature at which there is an equality of vapor pressure of the liquid phase of a compound to the external pressure working on the liquid's surface. This outside pressure is usually the atmospheric pressure. The liquid is heated. The vapor pressure of the liquid will increase where there is an increase in the temperature of the liquid. The liquid will boil when the vapor pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure. It is known that different compounds boil at different temperatures because each compound has its own vapor pressure. It is to be noted that compounds with higher vapor pressures will boil at lower temperatures.
The distillation process of determining a boiling point measures the temperature of the vapors above the liquid and these vapors are the same temperature as the boiling liquid. If the boiling point is used to find a solid compound, it is necessary to compare this with that of the true compound.
Compound Purification Distillation
Simple Distillation: In chemistry laboratory, simple distillation is used. Fractional Distillation: When the boiling points are similar, mixtures of liquids cannot be separated by a single simple distillation. In such cases, fractional distillation is used. It is used to separate the components by vaporization-condensation cycles within a fractionating column and this is repeatedly done.
Vacuum Distillation:This distillation is done at a reduced pressure. In this process, the compound need not be heated to very high temperature for it to boil. This is because, the boiling point of a compound is lower at a lower external pressure. This distillation process is used to distill compounds that have a high point.

Read More...

Quantum Physics and Magical Resonance

Resonance has two meanings that can be applied to the human energy field. One, related to electricity, is "the condition of adjustment of a circuit that allows the greatest flow of current of a certain frequency." In human terms this means that the state of mind and body determines what kind of energies will most influence it.
To put it simply, what ever fear you have will resonate to, or be influenced by, additional fear around you; and whatever confidence you have will be more resonant to additional confidence. This is why the most important first step in healing is to build up a person's confidence.

Download Exam Drill of Physics for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

The other meaning of resonance, from a Quantum Physics point of view, is "the reinforced vibration of a body exposed to the vibration, at about the same frequency, of another body." To make it more comprehensive, this means your fear will tend to increase the fear of those around you and your confidence will tend to increase the confidence of those around you.
The proximity and strength of human energy fields are closely related because, generally speaking, the closer you are to the source of the field, the stronger - more energized- it usually is. Your Aura extends infinitely, but your mental and sensory attention usually do not.
Frequency considerations aside, human beings tend to be more influenced by physical energies perceived through the physical senses (sight, sound, touch etc.)than by mental energies perceived through mental senses. So proximity is an important factor.
The strength of a field has to do with energy intensity, which has to do with vibrations. The quality of vibration has two components, frequency and amplitude, or to put it another way rate and intensity. Using ocean waves as an example, the number of waves in a hundred yard stretch would determine the frequency of the waves. The size of each wave would depend on the amplitude. Obviously there would be more energy in six-foot waves than two-foot waves. In the human Aura, frequency is determined by focus and amplitude by emotion.
Putting all this together, it means the sub-conscious is influenced by the strongest, nearest,most resonant field. If you walk into a room of people in a state of potential anger (meaning there are things in your life that anger you, but you are not presently feeling anger), and there is a person in the room who is currently very angry but not showing it openly, it is likely that you will start feeling increasingly irritated and angry without knowing why. If you have a subconscious habit to suppress your emotions you may tighten your muscles, and the longer you stay in the room the more ill or drained you may feel. It is not just people who can influence your emotions. Physical environments can, too. A little bit of stress carried into a highly energetic environments like an air-conditioned offices or a busy shopping mall can be amplified to a large amount of stress accompanied by fear or anger depending on your habitual reactions to stress.
The practical knowledge to be gained from this explanation is that, while you do create your own emotions, the intensity of those emotions may be influenced by someone or something in your environment. If you like the experience enjoy it. If you don't, there are some techniques you can do to combat it such as white light, love light etc. This will be elaborated on in future articles.

Read More...

English Speaking and English Writing

Why do people choose to learn English? The reason is very easy: people want to communicate with others more and make more money even sometimes. Thus flocks of them try to learn speaking and writing, for the two parts are really something that can give you knowledge and profits. However, if you hope to learn this language very well, you have to make all your efforts to work.
People always use their mother tongue to communicate with each other, so they can speak the language very fluently. If you can use English to speak with one another as you do in your native language, you will speak English as you speak your native language. In this case people who want to learn English very well have to exert to speak as much as possible. But this sentence is too general for you to comprehend, we need to analyze it.

Download Exam Drill of English Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Once you decide to practice this language, whom do you hope to communicate with? Definitely you should choose to speak with foreigners. But I think you need to speak with native English speakers who have accepted fairly good education. Of course, communicating with common English natives is suitable to the English beginners. Or perhaps sometimes they think they can learn something by a software. Definitely they can, but they need to well-use the product at hand and must often spend some time staying with native English speakers.
Then once you desperately want to speak this language well, what kinds of things do you need to speak with your foreign friends? Yes, you can start talking with your partners on some life style things which can always give others time to breathe the fresh air. As for English writing, you can touch it if you have strong interest or hope to get some money by using it. Some people would like to use this language to write stories or essays, for they want to be the writers in the future. But this is quite a tough way, for it is even not easy to use your native language to write something, how could you use another new language? So the harshness will get doubled if you determine to do so. Others may need to write something online about some products or important documents in English, so that they can get money, then they choose to learn English writing. But no matter which aim you have to write English, you need to work hard still and read lots of advanced English everyday.

Read More...

Dinar and Dirham in Indonesia

The Gold Dinar remained the official Islamic currency until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1924, when it disappeared for 77 years. Indonesia as a country with highest muslim population in the world must have a big history about Islam economic. Islamic currency had ever been exist in Indonesia.
Nowadays most of Indonesian people do not know that Dinar and Dirham were ever made and applied in Indonesia as a legal money more than 600 years ago. In Ying Yai Sheng Lan book, written by Ma Huan, the office clerk and translator of Admiral Cheng Ho, during his visiting to North Sumatera (1405-1433), said that Samudera Pasai used Dinar with 70% gold, and Keueh made from tin (1 Dinar = 1600 Keuehs). As we know, Cheng Ho was a voyager. He was born around 1371 in China's southwestern Yunan Province (just north of Laos) with the name Ma Ho. Ma Ho's father was a Muslim hajji (who had made a pilgrimage to Mecca) and the family name of Ma was used by Muslims in representation of the word Mohammed.

Download Exam Drill of Indonesia Language for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

Samudera Pasai published first Dinar as Sultan Muhammad held the power (1297-1326). In the period of Sultan Ahmad Malik az-Zahir, Dinar was better known as Derham Mas, published in 2 form, Derham and half Derham (1346-1383). Then when Aceh conquered Samudera Pasai (1524), tradition of publishing Derham Mas spreaded out to entire Sumatera and Malaka Peninsula, even Derham was still applied till Nippon army got landed in Seulilmeum, Aceh Besar, on 1942. Today, the use of gold unit (1 gold = 2.5 gr) can still be found in West Sumatera, as a measurement of trading, especially for land trading.

Read More...

Music and Mathematics

If you thought music was not a mathematical language, then think again. Here we examine a relationship that clearly demonstrates the strength of this tie. Let the music begin.

For those with a rudimentary knowledge of music, the diatonic scale is something quite familiar. To understand why certain pairs of notes sound good together and others do not, you need to look into the sinusoidal wave patterns and the physics of frequencies. The sine wave is one of the most basic wave patterns in mathematics and is depicted by smoothly alternating crest-trough regularity. Many physical and real-world phenomena can be explained by this basic wave pattern, including many of the fundamental tonic properties of music. Certain musical notes sound well together (musically this is called harmony or consonance) because their sinusoidal wave patterns reinforce each other at select intervals.

Download Exam Drill of Mathematics for Senior High School Complete with Good Solutions

If you play the piano, then how each of the different notes sounds to you is dependent on how your instrument is tuned. There are different ways to tune instruments and these methods depend on mathematical principles. These tunings are based on multiples of frequencies applied to a given note, and as such, these multiples determine whether groups of notes sound well together, in which case we say such notes are in harmony, or poorly together, in which case we say such notes are out of harmony or dissonant.

Where these multiples come from depend on criteria set by the instrument maker and today there are certain standards that these fabricators follow. Yet criteria notwithstanding, the multiples are inherently mathematical. For example, in more advanced mathematics, students study series of numbers. A series is simply a pattern of numbers determined by some rule. One famous series is the harmonic series. This comprises the reciprocals of the whole numbers, that is 1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4...The harmonic series serves as one set of criteria for certain tunings, one notably called Pythagorean Intonation.

In Pythagorean intonation, notes are tuned according to the "rule of the perfect fifth." A perfect fifth comprises the "musical distance" between two notes, such as C and G. The "distance" between each of these notes is called a half-step. When we number the notes in a musical harmonic series, the number ascribed to the C note and that ascribed to the G note will always be in the ratio of 2:3. Thus the frequencies of these notes will be tuned so that their ratios correspond to 2:3. That is the C-note frequency will be 2/3 the G-note frequency, or vice versa, the G note frequency will be 3/2 the C note frequency, in which frequency is measured in cycles per second or Hertz.

Now, continuing by tuning according to perfect fifths, the fifth above G is D. Applying the perfect fifth ratio, the D note will be tuned to a frequency which is 3:2 the G frequency, or looking at this from below, the G note is 2/3 the frequency of the D note. We can continue in like manner until we complete what is called the Circle of Fifths, bringing us back to a C note by applying successive ratios of 3/2 to the previous note in the cycle. This takes twelve steps and when complete, the frequency of the second C, or the higher octave C note should be exactly twice the frequency of the lower C note. This is a requirement of all octaves. Musicians have rectified this problem by resorting to none other than the field of irrational numbers. Recall that those numbers are such that they cannot be expressed as fractions, that is, their decimal representations, like the number pi or the square root of two, do not end and do not repeat. Thus as a result of the failure of the Pythagorean tuning method to produce perfect octaves, tuning methods have been developed to obviate this situation. One is called "equal temperament" tuning, and this is the standard method for most practical applications. Believe it or not, this tuning method incorporates rational powers of the number two. That is correct: fractional powers of the number two. So if you thought you were learning rational exponents for nothing in algebra class, here is one example of where such a topic is used in real life.

The way equal temperament tuning works is as follows: each note throughout its octave has its frequency multiplied by successive twelfth roots of two to get to the next higher note. Since the twelfth root of two is equal to 1.05946 to five decimal places, A# would be tuned to 440*1.05946 or 464.18 Hertz. And thus the tuning continues with the next note B obtained by taking 2^(2/12)*440. Note that we increment the twelfth power of 2 by 1 each time, obtaining powers of 2 which are 1/12, 2/12, 3/12, etc.

What is nice about this method is its exactness, unlike the inexactness of the Pythagorean intonation method discussed earlier. Thus when we arrive at the octave note, the next A above the standard A, which should vibrate at twice the frequency of the original 440 Hertz A, we get A octave = 440*2^(12/12) which is 440*2 = 880 Hertz, as it should be---exactly. As we stated earlier, when tuning by the Pythagorean method, this does not happen because of the repetitive use of the ratio 3/2, and therefore accommodations must be made to bring in line the inexactness of this approach. These accommodations result in perceptible dissonances between certain notes and in certain keys.

This tuning exercise demonstrates that mathematics and music are well intertwined, and indeed one could say that these two disciplines are inseparable. Music is truly mathematical and mathematics is, well, yes musical. Since many people think of musical talent coming from the "creative" types and mathematics ability coming from the "nerdy" or non-creative types, this article in some part helps disabuse these same people of this notion. Yet the question remains: If two ostensibly different fields as music and mathematics are happily married, how many other fields out there, which at first seem to have nothing to do with mathematics, are just as intricately linked to this most fascinating subject. Meditate on that for awhile.

Read More...

Incomparable Inimitable Indonesia

The world grows smaller every day. Far flung outer regions that once seemed the other end of the world, today are just a hop, skip and plane ride away. What once seemed an adventure and an exploration is now commonplace and the excitement of visiting a town or city is absent. One city melds in to another and countries all seem to be images of others with superficial changes. Indonesia is the amazing combination of the completely unexplored and yet safe and benign.

Download Junior High School Exam Drill for Bahasa Indonesia

Wherever you choose to visit in Indonesia, you can smell and feel the adventure in the air twining with the beauty of Indonesian culture and hospitality. Bali, which is the first thought for a holiday destination is gorgeous - all sunny, sandy beaches and some spectacular snorkeling and dive sites. It also has some of the best Indonesia hotels because of its popularity as a tourist destination. The hotels provide the nightclubs and nightlife to the many youngsters. But for an al fresco party paradise, it's hard to beat Kuta beach. This is where backpackers of the world converge to have a good time. In complete contrast, a boat ride away is the serene Gili islands. Here, you can experience the quiet tranquility missing in Kuta.
Explore and Experience Excellent Indonesia
Mount Bromo is another destination where the drive though the end point is spiritual, hushed silence as hundreds look on in awe at the spectacular, multi-hued sunrise.
Another experience that is absolutely unique to the individual is the beautiful ballet performed in Indonesia. Accompanied by the sonorous gamelans, the dance and the dancers can touch hearts. If you're lucky, this has been preceded by a sumptuous village feast. The beauty of the experience depends on the depth of feeling in the performers and the reciprocal feeling in the audience.
This is the best place in the world to reduce your life to the basics and experience the world at a very simple level - Food, shelter and nature.

Read More...

Vocabulary Teaching in Middle Schools

An English famous linguist Wilkins said: "without grammar, little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed". It can be seen that as one of the three basic language units (pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar), vocabulary plays an important role.

It is about the meanings of words and how the words are used. In the process of learning English, the most difficult issue facing middle school students is the lack of vocabulary. The importance of vocabulary decides that vocabulary teaching is an indispensable part of English curriculum. But some traditional vocabulary-teaching methods seem to isolate words from the context or break away from the scientific rules, in that way, they cannot help students to develop language competence in the long run but cause them to lose interest in English. Middle school English teachers are the premier ones who introduce students to the field of English, thus they should take great responsibility for this. To realize why vocabulary teaching is important in middle schools and find scientific methods to improve English teaching is necessary.

Download Junior High School Exam Drill for English

D.A.Wilkins, a famous British linguist, once said: "Without grammar we can convey a little, but without vocabulary we can convey nothing." Some studies also reveal that students with good grammar and large vocabulary can do much better than those with good grammar but little vocabulary.
In China, however, English teachers sometimes tend to overlook the importance of the lexical system and neglect the vocabulary teaching, which is especially obvious in middle-schools.
Lexical items may also have appeared to be of secondary importance because they have sometimes been seen as that which is used to "flesh out" the structure or to exemplify parts of the sound system. However, words are the basic of language and without lexicon the major meaning-caring element in language is missing.
The following part will analyze from two aspects: six main drawbacks of the present vocabulary teaching, and three distinguishing features of English words and some scientific techniques for middle school teachers to teach students.

Read More...

Science Experiments For Middle School

One of the problems when your child gets to middle school is that often they will go off on their own and do not always tell you when they have science experiments for middle school students as a long term homework assignment. This can be good news and bad news for the family dynamics.

The good news about science experiments for middle school
They are learning independence so the lessons learned now will set up good habits for high school.

Any habits that get set now, make the high school experience go more smoothly.
Parents get to back away from the homework scene, which is a good thing.
Middle school is when strain between parents and the kids can start to become more of an issue. If the parent is just a supervisor, then that takes the emotional out of it.

Download Junior High School Exam Drill for Natural Science

The projects will be more interesting than elementary school ones were. These experiments will be a little more involved. Supervisor role or not, the parent will eventually be involved in some small way, even if it is just proof reading, so it will be less boring with a more involved topic.
The bad news about your middle school child and science experiments
They do not always take the time to totally read directions.
They think they can remember everything from class.
If you do this step, it makes up for messing up on the first one. Some kids will play helpless and ask for too much help. They liked it better in elementary school when the parents were more involved, may-be even too involved.
Then there are the ones that ask for too little help.
Parents can be help in a lot of ways. The kids need to learn the sorts of things that work best to form a kind of partnership. Checking the materials list to be sure the supplies are on hand, proofreading, or even some printer computer trouble shooting would be in order. Growing pains work both ways and there is nothing better to bring these to the surface than science experiments for middle school long term assignments.

Read More...

10 Tips For Teaching Middle School Math

As a teacher for 11 years and middle-school math teaching consultant, I've seen a wide array of different math programs and classes. I'm sharing here the 10 best teaching tips I've compiled over the years.


1. Provide compelling content to study.

Years ago, a colleague I was working with said, "Maybe class can be fun, but I can't make class compelling. I have to teach math!" It's an assumption worth exploring.
Take Ron Berger's middle-school math project to study levels radon in their own homes. Studying radon is boring. But Berger's class project has got to be one of the most compelling projects in math class history. What if his students discovered dangerous levels of radon in the homes of one geographic area and published the results as they had intended? So what's the trick? You can't trick students into finding something compelling if it isn't. Take a little bit of time to develop a few topics of study throughout the year that you find compelling- the Economy, the Presidential Campaigns, the Human Body, etc. Find an authentic way to present your result- the paper, the web, a magazine. Keep the project small, authentic and do-able.
Students of teachers that do take this kind of time have better outcomes on state tests than students of teachers who only stick to the text. Almost any social studies context provides a backdrop for learning that adds depth.
Even teachers who hold a math "topics" class only once a month see real benefits, so you don't have to abandon your regular class. And, you'll find that students are more engaged when regular class is held.
If you want to go really deep and have solid administrator support, look into the school reform movement of Expeditionary Learning Schools who have an excellent approach to thematic teaching.

Download Junior High School Exam Drill for Mathematics

2. Don't use extraneous rewards such as candy, purchase points, stickers, etc.

There is nothing more certain than seeing the culture of a math class decline over a period of years when a teacher bribes them. A teacher cares about his or her students and wants the very best for them. "I don't care how they learn math," one teacher said to me. The teacher cared enough to purchase candy out of her own pocket, but the real message to students is this: the "positive reinforcement" of candy means "math isn't worth doing on its own." The research is clear on the matter too, and shows us that extrinsic, non-relevant rewards hurt learning.
Even if the effects aren't immediate, over time so called "positive reinforcements" like these mentioned above erode an otherwise high-quality math program. As a teacher, you are much better off trying to create inherently compelling curriculum than buying candy.

3. Build a culture where students teach each other.

For many teachers, one student helping another is called cheating. But I actually found that the better middle-school math programs all encouraged students to team together at certain times throughout the week. The activities were usually graded as complete or not-complete, and when tied to meaningful tasks, such as building a survey together and collecting original data, student comprehension was greater than on individual tasks.
Building the kind of culture that works for student pairs or groups takes years and lots of practice.

4. Give less, but more meaningful work, including homework.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study labels the curriculum in the United States as "a mile wide and an inch deep." Their review of math texts in middle-school found that some were almost 700 pages long. With heavy pressure to teach to the standards, as a teacher you might be tempted to skip and jump to many topics throughout the text. It achieves little learning.
Teach the concepts you do teach with depth.
The national advisory counsel formed from the study recommended "put first things first" and suggested that indeed, less is more. Take the time to cull the curriculum to a manageable size for your students, and present them with only that. If you have to "cover" standards, find out what standards and document when you indeed teach them in class. You'll find that teaching with depth often reaches to a broad array of standards.
It's helpful to know what's driving the breadth. As the national study panel concurs, publishers are trying to meet demands of hundreds of different districts by including everything that any school might want. And while publishers have been attempting custom publishing, it is just as difficult to create a math curriculum for a small district as a large one. Thus, the challenges of book publishing lead to a single, uniformly created overarching textbook. Often this is a very large text or an entire series.
In the classroom, teachers and students become overwhelmed and unable to handle the scope or breadth of learning in this form. As teachers, we have to recognize that predominantly negative emotions surround math in middle-school, and that anything we can reduce those emotions will go a long way toward gains in learning learning. Placing a 500 page text in front of a 7th grade student is unlikely to help, so use it sparingly and build little, home-made notebooks for daily use.

5. Model thinking, not solutions or answers.

Don't show a student how to solve something. Instead "think aloud". I am confused about..." Model exactly what you thinking including confusion, emotions, skills, strategies and more.
When you do this, also let your students know how mathematicians think. One piece of research that is helpful to know is that mathematicians spend a long time thinking about how to set up a problem, a little bit of time doing the problem, and a long time "looking back" by asking the question, "Does this make sense?' Model that for your students, by putting up a complex problem on the board and spending time not just jumping into a solution, but just talking about what strategies you might use to solve the problem.

6. Provide feedback that is immediate, relevant to the task, non-comparative, and leads the way to next steps.

Many teachers believe that grading is a form of feedback. Grading, when done well, can be a form of assessment of learning, but the distinction should be clear. Grades are not an effective tool as assessment for learning. Grades are the end of the road, when you assess what has been learned, but they should not be intended to inform a student where to go next.
Take, for example, three groups of students who received different kinds of "feedback" on math papers they had "turned in." The first group received only narrative feedback (no score) informing them where and how they made mistakes. The second group received a grade (or score) and narrative feedback. The third group received just a grade. Not surprisingly, the students who received narrative feedback improved when re-tested. There was no difference between "grade-only" group and the group that received the grade and narrative feedback. Why? The students who received both a grade and narrative feedback completely ignored the written suggestions and only looked at the score. "I got a blah, blah, blah... what did you get?"
Because we live in a world where grades and formalized assessments are so important, work with the system by differentiating assessment for learning and assessment of learning.
When you are grading, one guide is to reference Rick Stiggins strategies of assessment for learning. That way, when you are conducting an assessment of learning (i.e. grading), you'll notice that you are momentarily stepping out of the role of improving a student's learning and won't have the conflict of trying to do two things at once.

7. Change mimeographed sheets to problems you and your students personally develop.

A pervasive aspect of our culture is to give out page after page of information. In faculty meetings, business meetings and conferences, hundreds of pages of documents are handed out. It makes us look organized and prepared. It's also a way to "cover" content. But for a middle-school math student, it also makes it hard to determine what is important. Was it the fractions part? Was it the decimals section? Was it the number line? Was it the triangle puzzle problem? Was it the cartoon?
Instead of another mimeographed page, have your student write their own story problems. Tell them to add artwork for comprehension. Give them the latitude to make them fun. Celebrate them by posting them in class. Give them 5 home-made story problems they create for homework instead of a mimeographed sheet with 30 problems, and really dive into improving them through revision.

8. Use story to teach math.

Write a story, a real story with characters and plot, and add the math problem set. Write about wizards that need to use angles for their sorcery. Write about spice trading ships on the deep seas. Write a story that lasts a whole page before even getting to the math portion. You've engaged the right-side, or less analytical, part of the brain and you'll see a powerful effect of enhanced engagement.

9. Get math tutor volunteers once a week for two-months before state testing.

As a teacher or administrator, spend time during the fall months by planning for and scheduling a single day each week during the months of February and March (right before testing) to have volunteers come in to teach math in small groups. But what's nice is that if developed correctly, these volunteers don't need to have any special training in math.

Each student has 10 skills they have chosen to work on during the whole class tutoring session and have written down their practice problems in class. The phone calls are made, the specific planning with an administrator is done, and volunteers come in and help the students answer the 10 questions during class with support. Schedule tutoring once every week for two months before testing and see your scores greatly improve.

10. Work with the emotions your students have for math.

10a. Ask your students how they feel about math. Use a bit of class time periodically to gain a better sense of where they are. If your students can't stand math, you will gain far more ground by seeing their perspective than trying to prove they are wrong. As a teacher this is hard because we are so accustomed to trying to "fix" the situation, and of course, our ego is tied to student emotion. If our students are bored, we feel like we aren't doing the right thing. But the larger truth is that there is an ebb and flow in all of us for the topics we are learning. When the boredom, frustration and negativity does emerge, try understanding it. Perhaps class does feel a little boring. 10b. Go slowly. Changing the direction of your math class is like trying to change the direction of a large ship, especially when dealing with emotions. Even once everything is place for the changes to occur, you will notice the "ship's" momentum going in the same old direction before you sense any real shifts. This is part of the process. It took me three years to develop a coherent math program at my middle-school and even then, we occasionally slipped in to old patterns. Good luck!

Read More...