How to Stick to Your 2018 Goals Tips From Introverted Celebrities Whove Done It in the Past - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / How to Stick to Your 2018 Goals Tips From Introverted Celebrities Who’ve Done It in the Past - Introvert Whisperer How to Stick to Your 2018 Goals: Tips From Introverted Celebrities Who’ve Done It in the Past Kayla Matthews January 1, 2018 Career Development, Self-Promotion No responses Go to top Most of us are either extroverts or introverts. Extroverts find their energy from other people and usually crave the company of others, while introverts recharge with alone time and often become overwhelmed by overstimulation. There is no right or wrong personality, but a fair amount of misunderstanding exists in today’s society when it comes to extroverts versus introverts. Since grade school, teachers have coached children to come out of their shell and interact more with others, as if reading a book by yourself instead of playing on the playground indicates social anxiety. We’ve grown up with the belief that we are supposed to be as social as we can be to fit in and be accepted. However, some of the most successful people in history were or are introverts. Read on for ten tips from introverted celebrities. 1.  Bill Gates “Well, I think introverts can do quite well. If youre clever you can learn to get the benefits of being an introvert, which might be, say, being willing to go off for a few days and think about a tough problem, read everything you can, push yourself very hard to think out on the edge of that area.” Bill Gates The Microsoft founder and philanthropist wants you to know introverts can be very successful in life. He’s living proof. There are benefits to being an introvert that extroverts don’t often have. Use your ability to retain knowledge, analyze a problem and come up with solutions. Being able to think on your own is a gift. 2. Emma Watson   “I’m kind of an introverted kind of person just by nature, it’s not like a conscious choice that I’m making necessarily. It’s genuinely who I am …coming to realize that about myself was very empowering.” Emma Watson The actress and activist has always fought to find her own identity, especially after her “Harry Potter” days came to an end. Her declaration of how genuine she is empowers others around the world â€" you can do the same. Continue to be yourself and empower people. Have your own mission. 3. Steven Spielberg “I never felt comfortable with myself, because I was never part of the majority. I always felt awkward and shy and on the outside of the momentum of my friends’ lives.” Steven Spielberg One of the most famous directors of our time openly admits he would rather watch back-to-back movies on the weekends than go out. Like many other introverts, Spielberg relates to not quite fitting in with his friends or the majority, which allows room for personal growth and creativity. Express yourself in your own way. 4. Eleanor Roosevelt   “Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.”Eleanor Roosevelt While the former First Lady is often remembered for her shyness, she eventually came out of her shell and had strong opinions about life. She’s even been referred to as the introvert who wouldn’t keep quiet. Her words still ring true in today’s world â€" love yourself above all else, before you can love others. 5.  Albert Einstein   “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” Albert Einstein Einstein believed that solitude and time alone is really sacred â€" that this time should not be looked at as being all alone because it’s a strength. Don’t be afraid to be alone with your own thoughts and self-reflect on your life and its path. Is there something you want to do differently? Do it. 6. Mahatma Gandhi   “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”Mahatma Gandhi You don’t have to be loud and outspoken to prove a point or be heard. In fact, introverts have subtle and effective ways of sharing their thoughts and ideas. Bring positive change to the world with simple things like kindness towards others. 7. Andy Warhol   “People are always so boring when they band together. You have to be alone to develop all the idiosyncrasies that make a person interesting.” Andy Warhol You’ve heard the saying that you should always be a leader, not a follower. Time alone will teach you about yourself and help you to form your own opinions and ideas. Don’t feel pressure to conform to those around you. Stand out. 8. Stephen Hawking   “Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Stephen Hawking Introverts are often quiet because they are thinking â€" always stuck in their minds about something. Hawking wasn’t concerned with being the life of the party. He was more entertained inside of his own mind, a mind that was always running, like a machine. Take care of your machine and nurture it. With it, you can do anything. 9. Selena Gomez   “I’m not trying to get validation, nor do I need it anymore If youre broken, you do not have to stay broken.” Selena Gomez You do not owe anyone anything. What’s most important in life is that you find your happiness and stay true to yourself. None of us are perfect even if we pretend to be. So admit your faults and work on them. Validation from others will not feed your soul. 10. Steve Wozniak   “Im going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone. Not on a committee. Not on a team.” Steve Wozniak Most of us grew up with our teachers putting us in small groups to work, which many of us loved because it took off the pressure of thinking on your own. You can’t learn to think and act on your own if you are being influenced by everyone else. There are many careers perfect for introverts where you can work alone while growing your interests and thinking creatively. Do things alone, and watch your imagination bloom. Although extroversion is viewed as the ideal in today’s world, introversion has become more accepted and understood. It’s these quiet thinkers who discover groundbreaking technology and create our greatest works of literature and music. These introverts are our influential leaders, our inspiration and our future. Make your mark in the world in 2018.   Photo by: Tessa Rampersad Go to top Do you know what your next career step is?  Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Watch Now How to Play Pumped Up Kicks

Watch Now How to Play Pumped Up Kicks Suzy S. The song Pumped Up Kicks has been a huge hit for indie rock group Foster the People, spending eight consecutive weeks at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., and even earning a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.   Following the breakthrough success of the song, Foster the People have now earned their place alongside similar genre-defying bands like Phoenix and MGMT. And best of all, this catchy song is easy to play.   There are four main chords youll need to know, and you can be on your way to leading the karaoke with your friends and family.   Join TakeLessons staff member and guitar instructor Aldo B. as he shows you the four Pumped Up Kicks chords youll need to know below: Did you find this tutorial helpful?   What other songs would you like to learn how to play?   Leave a comment below or stop by our Facebook page to sound off! Looking for a guitar teacher near you? Click here to search by your zip code and lesson type! Like these posts?   Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!   Click here to subscribe. You might also like Watch Now: How to Tune a Guitar Videos We Love: Man With No Hands Plays Guitar Videos We Love: Walk Off the Earth Thinks Outside the Box

Learn the Violin Using Online Resources

Learn the Violin Using Online Resources Advice for Learning to Play the Violin Online ChaptersSet Clear GoalsPut Together a Programme For Online Violin LessonsPractising the Violin RegularlyPlay as much as PossibleListen to Violin PiecesChoose the Right Online Violin Lessons and ResourcesBe Motivated and PersevereWhether film soundtracks, classical music, or rock ‘n’ roll, the violin (or fiddle) is attracting new fans. But before you start playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, you need to have a look at a few tabs or study some music theory.Learning music theory (treble clef, bass clef, keys, reading sheet music, etc.) can take some time. You’re not going to become the next Vivaldi during your first lesson, after all.Music requires a lot of concentration, motivation, and teaching skills, learning to read sheet music and understand music theory needs to be done progressively, and the violin can be one of the hardest musical instruments to learn.If you want to learn music in more interesting ways, there are some who choose to learn violin with apps and new technologie s. There are plenty of ways to learn to play the violin on the internet (websites, YouTube videos, etc.).Which methods should you use in order to learn as effectively as possible?How do you avoid picking up bad habits without a tutor there to correct you? TomViolin Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StacyViolin Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtieViolin Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BenedictViolin Teacher 5.00 (8) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TaisiiaViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AmyViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LuísViolin Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoViolin Teacher £45/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsSet Clear GoalsWhy do you want to learn how to play violin?This is the first question you should ask yourself before you go online or start looking for violin te achers.Your goals won’t be the same if you’re wanting to become a professional violinist as they would be if you just want to play violin music with your friends on the weekends.Take more online violin lessons to improve your skills.There are plenty of good reasons for learning violin. (Source: StockSnap)While the basics will be the same for both, an amateur musician can skip over a lot of music theory and focus on violin playing while someone aspiring to go pro will need to be well-versed in the international language of music.This is why you’ll need to understand what your goals are and why you’re learning.  This can also help you focus on your learning and stop you giving up when things get tough. This is especially true when you’re teaching yourself as you’re the only person you have to answer to and there’s no music teacher spurring you on.Motivation can come in many forms. You might have a show at the end of the year, be playing at a friend’s wedding, you might have joined a band, or you might be applying to a music school at the end of the year.  Find a reason to stick at it.Put Together a Programme For Online Violin LessonsOnce you know what your goals are, you need to move onto the following step: putting together a plan.  When it comes to music lessons, it can be tricky putting together a coherent plan to follow.For example, you might find a video on vibrato you want to watch right after learning how to correctly position your hands.These two lessons can’t really be put one after another. Vibrato is far too complicated for somebody who’s just learnt about where to put their hands.  In order to make sure you’re progressing as you should, you need to make sure your lessons follow a coherent structure.So how do you do this?You could find books on violin playing in a library or even go on websites specialising in learning how to play the violin. Music schools also tend to explain the structure of their courses.You need to find the r ight order for all the violin topics you’re going to teach yourself:Positioning your handsImproving your postureHolding the violin bow and bowing techniqueNote valueRhythmMusic trainingFinding sheet music for violins and broadening your repertoireImprovisingTempoPerforming a concert as part of an symphony orchestra, quartet, or soloistComposing musicMaintenance such as changing violin strings and tuning your instrumentEtc.Some programmes might not suit your needs, either.Why not put together a list of violin learning objectives. (Source: Congerdesign)Don’t hesitate to change things by adding or removing certain lessons if they’re not suited to what you’re trying to learn.Practising the Violin RegularlyTo succeed in music, or any other art for that matter, you need to regularly practise:You should be able to practise the violin at any given moment.Don’t regularly change your daily schedule.If you leave too much of a gap between your lessons, you’ll start forgetting things you learnt in previous lessons. Studying regularly is key to retaining information you've taught yourself or learnt from a violin teacher.The more regularly the practise, the less likely you are to give up. By setting aside an hour each week for practising the violin, you’re forcing yourself to work on your playing. TomViolin Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StacyViolin Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtieViolin Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BenedictViolin Teacher 5.00 (8) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TaisiiaViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AmyViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LuísViolin Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoViolin Teacher £45/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsPlay as much as PossibleJust like friendships, you need regularly work on playing the violin.  Y our efforts will be in vain if you only practise the violin every two months.  As we said, you need to practise regularly if you want to make any significant progress.If you only practise once a month, you’ll not make as much progress as someone practising regularly even if you practise for just as much time.  About an hour per week is the very least you can practise.It can be quite difficult to schedule 10-minute practice sessions. By the time you get your violin out, choose a video, and learn in such a short time.  Between 30 minutes and an hour is generally enough time to get settled and learn effectively.This gives you enough time to go back over the last lesson and build upon it with new topics. If you are learning the violin as an adult, remember that learning new things will take more time than if you were still a child. That, and everyone learns at their own pace - you will get there eventually!Check for the best violin lessons near me on Superprof.Make sure that you make time for playing violin. (Source: Obpia30)Learning the violin can take a lot of time.  The more you practise, the closer you’ll get to your dream of quickly mastering classical pieces by Vivaldi, Mozart, or Bach.  So go get your violin!Listen to Violin PiecesEven if you don’t have perfect pitch, you can work on it by regularly listening to violin pieces.  You can then move onto playing these pieces.  By regularly listening to violin pieces, you’ll get better at hearing mistakes and correcting yourself.Without a teacher, it can be difficult to notice your own mistakes.  So here are a few songs that are great for those learning how to play the violin:Palchelbel’s CanonLindsey Stirling - CrystallizeLouise Attaque - Je t’emmène au ventJean-Jacques Goldman - Tournent les violonsAmazing Grave - TraditionalShostakovich’s Second WaltzPerfect - Ed SheeranYou can also find plenty of YouTube channels with these songs and tutorials on how to play them.You might become the next big thing on the platform like Lindsey Stirling.Why not film yourself playing and put your performances on YouTube?If you're still looking for music for violin, why not check out some of the greatest violinists of all time:NameBornDiedAntonio Vivaldi16781741Johann Sebastian Bach16851750Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart17561791Niccolò Paganini17821840Pablo de Sarasate18441908Jascha Heifetz19011987David Oïstrakh19081974Yehudi Menuhin19161999Isaac Stern19202001Choose the Right Online Violin Lessons and ResourcesWhen you learn the violin online, you have to carefully choose which resources you use.  It’s very easy to get lost in all the resources available on the internet.Do You Want An Online Violin tutor?It’s important that you consider who’s teaching the lesson you’re going to follow.Are they a real violinist?How many years have they played?Are they a good teacher?You should check out a few of their videos before deciding on whether or not you’re going to follow their course.  It’s u seful listening to other beginners so that you know which common errors you should avoid before embarking on your journey.It's important you choose the right teacher. (Source: Sasint)Choose the Right Resources for Your Learning StyleSome classes will be better than others depending on your background as a musician and your learning style.  Take the time to get to know the resources you’re going to use.Try finding complete courses that don’t stop once you’ve learnt the basics. There’ll come a time where you’ll have to go from a beginner to an intermediate player.Be Motivated and PersevereEvery musician will tell you that motivation is key to learning a musical instrument.  You shouldn’t really look at naturally gifted musicians such as Mozart to inspire you but rather look for rags-to-riches musicians.Sometimes a lack of time can cause problems, but a lack of motivation will always cause you problems. In addition to setting up a programme and following it to the letter, m ake sure you actually want to learn to play the violin.If you have the necessary motivation, learning will come naturally to you.When you’re motivated, it’s a lot easier to put the effort in.“Music is the language of emotions.” Immanuel KantDon’t forget to bring your passion for music to teach of your lessons. Beginner violin lessons can end up being quite dry before you learn how to play anything of note.  The same goes for any other music classes (guitar, saxophone, piano, clarinet, flute, ukulele, accordion, harmonica, bass, drums, harp, trumpet, synth, etc.).After all, when it comes to music theory lessons, using the bow, left hand fingering techniques, and violin scales, violin lessons and music classes aren’t always really exciting.  This is especially true when you’re teaching yourself to play the violin. Motivation will play a major role in this case.

Quick and Easy Student Recipes

Quick and Easy Student Recipes What Are the Quickest Dishes for Students to Make? ChaptersAvocado Toast, a Quick Classic for StudentsCheese Toasty or Grilled Cheese, a Simple, Quick, and Effective DishMarble Mug CakeThe One-Pot Pasta, Quick Pasta for StudentsFennel Carpaccio, a Quick Way to Prepare VegetablesAvocado Cream and Crab, Healthy Food in a PinchRoquefort Quinoa, Ready in 15 MinutesTomato and Mozzarella Omelette, Student Cooking RevisitedMatcha Tartlets, a Quick, Easy, and Original Dish“Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors - it's how you combine them that sets you apart.” - Wolfgang PuckStudents are often limited by what they can make in the kitchen. Be it due to a lack of time, means, small flats, whatever, students need to be inventive when they cook. As a student, you need to find simple, easy, and quick recipes.Peppers, lasagne, spaghetti, spinach, omelette, or chickpeas are all good for students with the right recipes. Generally, students aren’t as bad at cook ing as you might think.The main problem is that students don’t have enough time to cook good dishes. They mightn’t have the time to prepare a good meal between two classes.So which are the best quick recipes for students to make?Place them into the fridge for a few minutes and take them out of their moulds. Garnish the tarlets with a bit of yoghurt, raspberry, and serve. It’s simple, quick, healthy, and a whole lot easier than pancakes.So there you have some simple, balanced, and easy-to-make dishes that you can quickly make in a few minutes.Student cooking doesn't need to be boring!If you need some help with your cooking, consider getting in touch with a tutor on Superprof. There are three types of tutorial on offer: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials.Face-to-face tutorials are the most costly but also the most cost-effective as you have a tutor preparing tailored lessons for you.Online tutorials are cheaper since the tutor has fewer expenses and ca n pass their savings onto their student.Group tutorials are more like your traditional cooking class London at school as there are multiple students. However, you can get a few friends together and share the cost of a tutorial.

2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference - Heart Math Tutoring

2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference - Heart Math Tutoring 2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference 2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference January 3, 2019 By Heart Program Managers Sarah Cover and Kelsey Ripley Sarah and I joined the Heart Math Tutoring team as Program Managers this summer, and in October, we had the opportunity to join Heart Program Director Cydney Kramer in attending the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference (NCCTM) in Greensboro, NC. We were joined by hundreds of other North Carolina math teachers, facilitators, and researchers. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many other education professionals who are working to creatively and effectively address the challenges of math instruction. As a Heart Tutoring team, we had many of our mathematical beliefs confirmed, and we also learned important new things about how to best support our students and families! We’ve summarized some of our findings below. Heart Tutoring Program Coordinators Sarah Cover and Kelsey Ripley with Heart Program Director Cydney Kramer at the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference (NCCTM) in Greensboro, NC. The Power of Productive Struggle The best way to help a student is to be less helpful. While seemingly contradictory, the best action we can take for our students is to step back and allow them the time and space to struggle through solving a problem. The notion of productive struggle maintains that by allowing students to experiment with different strategies, they will figure out what works best for them, rather than imitating procedures they don’t fully understand. This exploration is key to their understanding of not only a particular concept, but also key to what mathematics is about! Thanks to Heart’s one-on-one model, we have the time to encourage productive struggle in our students, allow them to explore new concepts, and support them as they work through their math anxieties. Should your students read a word problem and stop, waiting for instructions on how to solve it, ask them: “What is this problem about in your own words? What information do you know? What information do you need to know?” Give y our students the opportunity to solve the problem however they’d like, then ask them to explain their reasoning. By sitting back and allowing your students to tackle the problem on their own, you are showing them that you trust their learning process. Struggling through math concepts provides students the opportunity to take control of their learning and grow their thinking! Discovery Through Assessments “Give children time to work on a concept in a million different ways.” In a keynote session delivered by Kathy Richardson, we were reminded of the value that time and variety add to the learning process. Often assessments can take the form of a checklist or a series of tasks that students “ought to know.” What if we changed our perspective and instead treated assessments as exploratory opportunities to learn what students actually know? This approach can allow us to assess more frequently and more effectively, driving our instruction toward individual student needs. When we approach math (and math assessments) as a sense-making process, rather than a box to be checked, we give students the opportunity to discover what they know and what they do not yet understand. At Heart, our tutoring hour each week is designed to offer students time for that discovery. We use an assortment of materials and methods throughout our curriculum and mini-assessments to clarify our understanding of each student’s progress. The focus of an assessment doesn’t have to be on getting the right answer, but rather on the math making sense. What Does Math Practice Look Like at Home? Heart Tutoring Executive Director Emily Elliott with keynote speaker and leading educator on elementary mathematics, Kathy Richardson While it’s relatively common knowledge that families should read with their child in the early years, how to support your child in building math foundations is often more ambiguous. Studies have shown that if students don’t find meaning or engagement in math, they can lose motivation as early as first grade. Not only does this finding affirm Heart’s emphasis on elementary instruction, but it also reveals the urgent need to support connections between home and school environments in order tomake math more meaningful for our kids. Many families see math as a static set of skills to be learned in a classroom, but math in the early years is much more about play, reasoning, and exploratory problem solving. Parents don’t need a degree in algebra to support the foundational learning of their child. Instead, they simply need the time and space to play! This learning looks like sitting on the floor and counting out a series of objects or putting together a puzzle and describing the pr ocess of fitting the pieces together. The discovery of math can be found everywhere â€" it’s just about knowing what types of questions to ask. For more ideas about how to foster meaningful math at home, check out our Heart Family Page!

Other Words for Difficult in English - Increase Your English Vocabulary

Other Words for Difficult in English - Increase Your English Vocabulary There are other words for difficult that you need to know.Hi there this is Harry and I want to talk to you today about the word difficult. D I F F I C U L T.  How and when we  use it and what does it mean. Other Words for Difficult - Transcript Of course, its not such a difficult word to explain and we use it a lot when we have a problem with homework, when we have a problem with our sports activities or relationships so its a common word and in that use.But with English and particularly when Im teaching English I like my students to understand alternative options, synonyms that they  can use so they dont have to repeat the same word over and over again.And, of course, if youre studying English seriously and you want to take some exams (FCE, IELTS) then a broader and wider vocabulary is absolutely essential.Particularly for the spoken and written parts of those exams.Even if youre going on to higher level English and you want to do some perhaps creative writing. Well, then you know vast an increased  range of words is really really  important.  So as I said, difficult is a word we use when we have a problem.  My  work is difficult because my boss keeps  asking me to do more and more.My social  life is difficult because I do nt have a  girlfriend.My sports life is difficult because Im  not fit and I cant get on the football  team.  Okay. So we can use the word  difficult difficult difficult.Here are  some alternatives that you might like toconsider instead of difficult:TOUGHHARDFORMIDABLEAWKWARD  (Ill come back to  that.  A  little bit of a question about  whether we should we shouldnt use it)CHALLENGINGONEROUSARDUOUS Other Words to Say Difficult in English Enjoyed this infographic? Here's what you can do next: So there you  have a lot  of alternatives that you can use.  Some of  them directly can be substituted,  others  you just have to be careful in the  circumstances in which you use them.  So  let me give you some examples.TOUGHThe  exam was really tough.The questions were  very tough.  I wasnt sure that I will be  able to answer them all because some  parts I have not covered in my course.Tough is directly substituted or  substitutional for the word difficult.My  exam was very difficult.  My exam question  number 2  was difficult.Question number 2  was tough.So they can substitute those  directly for each other.HARDAnother  word that we can substitute directly.My exam was difficult.My  exam was hard.  Question number 2  was  very hard.Okay.  So exactly the same meaning here as  tough and exactly the same meaning as  difficult.  DEMANDINGWhile demanding can  have a few different meanings and we can  say something is difficult its  demanding but when its not impossible.The work he has t o do these days is  quite demanding because he recently got  promoted and therefore theres more  expected of him.Married life can be  quite demanding.  Pressures of  relationships, buying a home,  repaying the  mortgage,  having children these are all  aspects of married life that are quite  demanding.And again we could use the  word difficult.FORMIDABLEHere this  could have the same meaning as difficult  but has a slightly different context.The opponents that we are playing on Saturday are quite a formidable team. They havent been beaten all season so were really going to have our work cut out (meaning: its going to  be difficult)  if were going to get  anything out of the game.  If we are going  to beat them.So this opposition is quite  formidable.His opponent in the boxing  match was the most formidable person he  has fought to date.  This person has never  been defeated and he is really strong. Hes really well-built, he is extremely fit and it would be  quite an achievement to w in that fight. So this opponent is quite formidable.We  could say difficult but difficult  wouldnt quite give you the same meaning  whereas formidable gives you more  expression that hes tough,  hes strong, hes fit and you know its going to be  quite an achievement to succeed.

Can video games help students learn - Tutor Hunt Blog

Can video games help students learn Can video games help students learn? Can video games help students learn?SchoolsMany parents would say that their children spend far too much time playing computer games, and might wish they had as much enthusiasm for their studies as they have for gaming. But what if video games were an actual school subject, and were treated as seriously as drama, sports, or the arts? This is not so unlikely as it initially appears - Singapore has recently opened numerous training classes, where students can learn advanced strategies and skills in certain games. Japan and South Korea also have training classes for students wishing to learn from seasoned professionals. This is in preparation for huge competitions akin to video games sports events - viewed by millions of fans across the world. The new term for this rapidly growing activity is e-sports - and before you write it off as a group of social misfits playing games in a darkened room, you should consider that the market forecast for this new pastime is set to exceed $1.5 billion USD within the next three years. The pioneer in the e-sports field has always been South Korea. `Pro-gaming` tournaments are regularly broadcast, and attract millions of viewers to the live games. Considered a national pastime, it is not unusual for viewing figures to exceed 10 million, and the world`s first e-sports stadium was built in Seoul in 2005. With major tech companies such as Samsung and HTC getting involved in sponsorship and training, the e-sports industry is thriving. Can playing video games actually be beneficial though? Do they teach any particular skills that can`t be learnt elsewhere; and might excessive playing have a deleterious effect on an individual`s health? Scot Osterweil is a research developer in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology`s Comparative Media Studies program, along with creating Education Arcade, a system designed to explore how video games can engender learning. Early findings suggest that, besides definite gains in reflexes and eyesight, students may benefit from abstract cognitive thinking by playing certain games. Many video games require extensive 3D manipulation, and this sort of puzzle solving with complex shapes can help the developing mind in abstract areas, such as topology, a branch of mathematics that deals with shapes. Prof Daphne Raveller, working at the University of Geneva, has conducted extensive studies, focusing on the visual abilities of those who play video games vs those who do not. Her tests require participants to track a group of smiling and frowning emoji type faces, as they move around a bounded area. The studies have shown that gamers (especially those who play action games) have a far higher ability to track multiple moving objects; and her theory is that these gamers have developed skills in attending to multiple sprites through the playing of video games. Prof Simone Kuhn, working at the Max-Planck Institute of Human Development in Berlin, made functional MRI scans of subjects playing Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo DS. Over just a short period of three months she discovered that three areas of the brain, the right hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum, had grown. These areas are thought to be concerned with fine motor control. Prof Kuhn has hypothesised that the particular navigational aspects of the game, which feature a 3D playing area, along with a 2D map, require different levels of spatial thought, which encourage brain development. An unexpected educational benefit of video games could be what they offer to the training of medical surgeons. Dr Hoedemaker is a keyhole surgeon, and he has helped design a popular game called Underground. Playing this game requires the use an innovative controller: two gun shaped devices, each possessing long steel bars extending from their muzzles, which terminate in the base of the unit. This device mimics the two tools keyhole surgeons use, and the doctor actually uses the game to help train his medical team. Despite these numerous interesting accounts of the benefits of video games, it is unlikely that picking up a joystick and blasting away some nefarious alien invaders will soon become a core part of the educational curriculum. The idea that video games are a lazy pursuit though, with people barely thinking while playing, seems to be a huge misconception. Many games require huge levels of skill - and they don`t just demand lightening quick reflexes, but also call for imaginative and demanding solutions in order to be completed. The fact that most children seem inordinately interested in playing them suggests that we should tap into just what makes them so appealing for developing minds, and develop learning tools that accord with them.> 2 years ago0Add a Comment

Boost Your Brainpower With Brain Food!

Boost Your Brainpower With Brain Food! Nutritional therapist, Jane Jo Lewis recommends eating well to optimise both mental and physical health. Low GI wholegrain foods such as oats, brown cereals and pasta along with wholegrain bread, can help slowly release glucose into your body; a great source of energy- ideal for long stretches of revision or exam prep. Good sources of fatty acids including; linseed (flaxseed) oil, soya bean oil, pumpkin seeds, walnut oil and soya beans are suggested for a good functioning brain. Whilst binging on blueberries and tomatoes may be effective in improving or delaying short term memory loss- making it the perfect snack when cramming in some last minute revision. Whilst these foods alone do not sound overly appetising, BBC good food offer some brain functioning, healthy recipes that are budget friendly. Boost Your Brainpower With Brain Food! Nutritional therapist, Jane Jo Lewis recommends eating well to optimise both mental and physical health. Low GI wholegrain foods such as oats, brown cereals and pasta along with wholegrain bread, can help slowly release glucose into your body; a great source of energy- ideal for long stretches of revision or exam prep. Good sources of fatty acids including; linseed (flaxseed) oil, soya bean oil, pumpkin seeds, walnut oil and soya beans are suggested for a good functioning brain. Whilst binging on blueberries and tomatoes may be effective in improving or delaying short term memory loss- making it the perfect snack when cramming in some last minute revision. Whilst these foods alone do not sound overly appetising, BBC good food offer some brain functioning, healthy recipes that are budget friendly.