Learn to Sew These Simple Embroidery Stitches For Beginners

Learn to Sew These Simple Embroidery Stitches For Beginners Basic Embroidery Stitches and Techniques for Beginners ChaptersSimple Embroidery Stitches and TechniquesDrawing with Needles: Types of Stitches and Embroidery WorkEmbroidery Techniques from Around the WorldThe reason embroidery is not simply colourful plain sewing is that is uses more than the three or four stitches of hand sewing. Most embroidery stitches are decorative in their own right, while others best show off their advantages when colouring in a surface on a motif.Or nué: couching stitches in coloured silk over laid gold thread to create scenes and patternsCrewel work: colourful, usually floral motifs over a large surfaceBlackwork: patterns in black thread, usually in Holbein https://hands-across-the-sea-samplers.com/double-running-or-the-holbein-stitch/ stitch.Learn our best tips for embroidery for beginners...Drawing with Needles: Types of Stitches and Embroidery WorkEmbroidering a scene or motif onto cotton or linen can be likened to drawing. First you need your line drawing, then you can colour it in. For advanced artists th ere are more complicated techniques such as stumpwork or couching stitches; for those who like paint-by-numbers, there is counted work.Line StitchesLine stitches are used for contours and simple decoration, along the edge of a tablecloth, sleeve cuff or shirt neck. However, just because you are sewing in a line doesn't mean you can’t fill in surfaces with a stem stitch or a chain stitch - many early pieces of embroidery do just that. A few simple line stitches are:Stem stitch:Stem stitch. from Samplers and Stitches, a handbook of the embroiderer's art by Mrs Archibald Christie, London 1920if you look at a hand-sewn backstitch from behind, you will see a stem-stitch. But unless you want to embroider all your work on the reverse, The Spruce has a simple guide. Stem stitch takes its name from flower stems, for which it is often used in needle painting and crewel work.Chain stitch:Chain stitch. By Grace Christie (Mrs. Archibald H. Christie) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsA chai n stitch will be worked just on either side of a line. You can make it more or less open depending on how far apart you enter and exit your needle.Split stitch:Split stitch. from Samplers and Stitches, a handbook of the embroiderer's art by Mrs Archibald Christie, London 1920A split stitch is much like a backstitch, only you come up within the last stitch and split it as you come up.Threaded running stitch: sewing this stitch with threads in two contrasting colours gives a vivid and eye-popping effect with very little effort. Simply sew a running stitch (keep moving forward with your needle so the thread leaves gaps along the line), then take your second colour and weave it in and out of the visible stitches in a wavy line. Note: you are not piercing the fabric with the second thread. You can also use this method on backstitch.Immerse yourself into the lengthy history of embroidery!Surface stitches for filling in shapesYou will not only need to draw the shapes, but fill them in. Her e are a few stitches that can help you with that:Satin stitch: though it looks simple, satin stitch is a little tricky to do cleanly. Be very careful when setting the next stitch to get the edges nicely lined up.Herringbone stitch: ideal for leaves, this easy stitch looks lovely in a silky embroidery floss.Trellis stitch, or Jacobean couching stitch: a two-part stitch technique, you are laying down a trellis in single long stitches and couching the meeting points with small cross-stitches. Lovely for crewel or Jacobean work and doodle embroidery.Counted WorkCounted-stitch embroidery is called that because you are working from a pattern and sometimes have to count the stitches of one colour to make sure you are sticking to it. It’s the colour-by-numbers of the embroidery world, but the effects are often quite stunning.Cross-stitch:The first step in cross-stitching. Photo credit: comofaz on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-SAcross-stitch - little crosses - is the most common embroidery sti tch today; you will be hard-pressed to find embroidery magazines that are specialised in anything else. It’s a quick way to make letters and figures, and there are plenty of adorable patterns for pixellated creatures to spruce up your towels, cushions and the collars of your shirts.Needlepoint: designates a number of counted-stitch techniques that used to be called “canvas work”. Nowadays, it generally refers to petit point, where a design covers the entire canvas (the background is filled in as well) and is executed in tent stitch. This is usually what awaits you when you buy a needlepoint sewing kit from your local haberdasher’s to make your own cushions, throws or footstools.Brickwork: no longer commonly used, brickwork was very common in the Middle Ages and Renaissance for sweets bags, book bags and even whole tapestries in German brick stitch.Discover what supplies you need for a complete embroidery kit...Embroidery Techniques from Around the WorldEach culture combined different stitches and colours to create their own special embroidery techniques.Ribbon EmbroiderySilk ribbon embroidery originated in France in the 18th century. It makes delightful, three-dimensional designs and is relatively quick to make. A lot of the stitches are the same as for thread embroidery, but there are a few unique ones as well.Hardanger: A Norwegian Whitework techniqueHardanger is a fairly popular whitework technique that includes various embroidery types, from satin stitch to cut-and-drawn-work (where threads from the embroidery fabric are cut and drawn out, then gathered together to make patterns) to needle-weaving.Hardanger. Photo credit: withoutastitchon on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-SASwedish huck embroideryHuck weaving or Swedish huck is a needle-weaving technique - the needle is passed forward over and under the warp and weft of the embroidery fabric to make patterns. It has a lovely rustic feel, perfect for half-curtains, kitchen towels or cuff embroidery.Hunga rian redworkThe bold, thick, almost geometric floral patterns of Hungarian redwork look gorgeous on linen - for tablecloths, sheets, or even short, flaring skirts.Needle painting: satin-stitch Chinese embroideryWho hasn’t admired the beautiful embroidery of Chinese court dresses, slippers, and baldachins? These brilliant designs with their subtle shading are almost entirely done in satin stitch, though some styles use chain stitch as well as a few others. There are several large schools of embroidery that choose their designs and colours according to different criteria.Discover how you can improve your sewing through complex embroidery patterns.Chinese embroidery is some of the most beautiful in the world.Photo credit: jensteele on Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-NDBrazilian embroideryBrazilian embroidery uses 3-D stitching techniques to make beautiful designs, often floral, that literally pop off the canvas. Various types of buttonhole stitches and knots give that lovely 3-D effect.Brazil ian embroidery specialises in three-dimensional flower motifs. Photo credit: Aardvark Ethel on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NCMexican Tenanga embroideryThe Otomi people of the state of Hidalgo in Mexico have long produced beautiful embroidered shirts. When a drought threatened their livelihood in the 1960s, they started commercialising their beautiful embroidery patterns, done in a variation of the herringbone stitch by applying them to tablecloths and pillows and other sellable items. It is characterised by large animal patterns in bright colours.Indian Shisha (mirror) embroideryA particularity of traditional embroidery in some parts of India is the integration of tiny mirrors into the embroidery patterns. The mirrors are round and set into brightly-coloured patterns.Indian shisha embroidery. Photo credit: RubyGoes on Visualhunt / CC BYMending with style: Japanese Shashiko embroideryThe origins of Shashiko are said to lie in the fact that Japanese peasants were only allowed to own dark b lue or grey cloth, with stitching no bigger than a grain of rice. With new cloth for clothes being very expensive, peasants would mend their garments using patterns of tiny white running stitches to make them more decorative. Now, Shashiko is wonderful way to pretty up your shirts or blouses or even mend rends in your trousers.Shashiko embroidery was originally a decorative mending technique. Photo credit: Saké Puppets on VisualHunt / CC BYTemari: Japanese embroidered ballsTemari balls are intricately-embroidered balls that were traditionally given as New Year’s gifts in Japan. Though the designs are very intricate, only a few different types of stitches were used, including herringbone stitch. Why not make some unusual and beautiful Temari Christmas ornaments?Quillwork: embroidering with porcupine quillsBefore Europeans came and flooded the market with colourful beads, many Native American tribes decorated their clothing with needlework made from dyed porcupine quills. The patte rns are usually geometric and are a fascinating alternative to European thread embroidery for decorating shirts and boxes.Discover our best tips and tricks for learning embroidery...If searching for sewing classes  come directly to Superprof and find your sewing classes from Edinburgh to Sewing classes London.

Famous Russians

Famous Russians Who Are the Most Famous People in Russia? ChaptersFamous RussiansThe Great Russian Political FiguresEssential Russian ArtistsOther Famous Russian Figures“I love your country, Russia, its people, its historyc, its writer. My father was a communist at the time, he listened to Radio Moscow! It’s my culture, too.” - Gérard DepardieuAre you completely lost when we mention the Soviet Union, communism, or Leningrad?We’re talking about famous Russians, of course.Did you know that there were only 28 Tsars in charge of Imperial Russia from 1547 and 4 Presidents since the creation of the Russian Federation in 1991?While Vladimir Putin has spent over 5,000 days in charge of the country, political figures aren’t the only famous Russians worth talking about.In this article, we're going to look at famous Russian political figures, historical figures, artists, and the Russians that everyone should know if they're studying Russian culture or learning the Russian language. LavaRussian Teacher 5.00 (8) £25/h1st lesson free!Discove r all our tutors LarisaRussian Teacher 5.00 (2) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors InaRussian Teacher 4.88 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors IrynaRussian Teacher 5.00 (8) £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EvgeniaRussian Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnastassiaRussian Teacher 5.00 (2) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NikolaRussian Teacher 5.00 (4) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MargaritaRussian Teacher 5.00 (3) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsFamous RussiansIvan the Terrible, The First Russian TsarIvan IV Vasilyevich was commonly known as Ivan the Terrible because of the regime he put into place during the 1560s. He led military campaigns against the Tatars, the Polish, and the Swedish. He remained head of Russia for nearly after that.Ivan the Terrible appears regularly in the arts, even in the West. He’s appeared in everything from a painting by Ilya Repin to the video gam e Age of Empires.  He’s an important figure who's responsible for starting the Tsarism in Russia.Peter I or Peter the Great, the Emperor of All RussiasThen there was Peter I (or Peter the Great), who became the Tsar of Russia in 1682, then the Emperor of all the Russias in 1721. He is famous for wanting to bring together the clergy and nobility.Saint Petersburg was named after Peter I. (Source: fitzgeraldbc)The name of the city of Saint Petersburg was inspired by this leader who founded the city and made it the capital in 1703.To show off his power, he tried to get closer to the West. Following the Great Northern War, which ended with the Treaty of Nystad, Peter gained control of the Baltic Sea and the title of Imperator.Learn more about Russia with Russian language lessons.Russian Empress Catherine the GreatCatherine II, nicknamed “Catherine the Great” was Empress of all the Russias from 1762 and was part of the Romanov Dynasty. She was married to Peter III of Russia and is o ne of the most famous women in Russian history.Did you know that Catherine II was raised by a French Huguenot, Babette Cardel, who taught her the customs of the French court?She’s known for both her foreign and domestic policies as well as all the things she mentioned in her memoirs.Nicholas II of Russia, the Last Imperial Head of StateThe last Tsar in Russia history, Nicholas II, or Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov, reigned from 1894 to 1917. While the Soviets have a negative view of the tsar (owing to his opposition against the Bolsheviks), he was nicknamed Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer.In the animated Anastasia film from 1997, the protagonist's father is Nicholas II. Of course, the story is completely romanticised but there are several theories that Anastasia survived despite the other Romanovs being murdered in 1918.Under his reign, Russia grew economically, politically, and culturally.The Great Russian Political FiguresLenin, the Creator of Soviet RussiaVladimir Ilyich Ulya nov, also known as “Lenin”, was the most famous revolutionary in Russian history. He was one of the leaders who created a Soviet Russia founded on socialism, an evolution of communism. The Marxist theorist became famous following the October Revolution in 1917 that overturned the imperial regime.Lenin played a huge role in Russian history. (Source: Niko_Shogol)Lenin was also famous for his skills as an orator. In 1918, when he was on a train that was stuck in the snow, he gave a speech about the proletariat that motivated the passengers to dig the train out of the snow.Pretty convincing, right?The bloody events of the resulted in Lenin taking the role of head of state of the new Soviet Russia. He created the communist block in 1919 and installed a single-party dictatorship. He died in 1924 following an illness.Stalin, the “Dear Father” of RussiaStalin was the ideological (and elected) successor to Lenin. However, Stalinism was different to Leninism, especially with the arriv al of Gulags, the Soviet forced-labour camps. Joseph Stalin had many affectionate nicknames, including “Dear Father”.The term “Destalinisation” came about following his deaths.  He is well known for a dark period in Russian history owing to the nationalisation of land and the Great Purge (also known as the Great Terror). That said, he is still a hugely influential and famous figure.Mikhail Gorbachev, the USSR’s Last PresidentGorbachev was the leader behind the end of the Cold War as well as responsible for ending the Leninist and Stalinist communist regime in the USSR. He created economic, cultural, political programmes dubbed Perestroika and Glasnost.  Somewhat paradoxically, the Russian people hold a generally negative view of one of their most democratic leaders...He was a philanthropist, pacifist, environmentalist, and a staunch critic of the Kremlin.You should know that we won’t be talking about Putin in this article. We’ll probably have to save that for another a rticle.Find out more about Russian TV.Essential Russian ArtistsAlexander Pushkin, the Franco-Russian PoetA 19th-century Romantic poet, playwright, and novelist, Pushkin is famous for the following works:The Fountain of BakhchisarayPoltava, 1828.Mozart and Salieri, 1830.The Captain's Daughter, 1838.The Russian language and civilisation institute is called the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute.Dostoevsky was also one of Russia's most famous artists. (Source: jackmac34)Nikolai Gogol, a Russian-Speaking WriterNikolai Gogol was a Russian writer of Ukranian origin who often wrote about Saint Petersburg.The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich, 1832.Nevsky Prospekt, 1835.The Portrait, 1835.Mirgorod, 1835.His earlier works were signed under the pseudonym V. Alov.  His work Revizor (18360) brought him literary fame.The Countess of Ségur, a Writer of Russian OriginBorn Sophie Rostopchine, the Countess of Ségur was her literary name. She was from a noble family and she spent her youth in Russia before marrying a French ambassador.  Her works reflect her ideology of “write what you know”.Her works help us to see the links between Russian and Western European culture.Other Famous Russian FiguresThe Myths Surrounding RasputinRasputin was a Russian mystic and is famous for influencing the Russian court.  He commonly appears as a character in the arts, be it in cinema, music, or video games.However, a lot of his life is shrouded in mystery. This has led to myths including one that claims he was the Devil in human form sent to kill the Tsars.Take a Russian course London.Olga Khokhlova, an Influential Russian ballerina.Khokhlova was one of the most influential Russians of the 20th century. She was the star dancer of the Ballets Russes directed by Sergei Diaghilev.Did you know that she was Picasso’s mistress and then his wife and had two children with him?She also inspired the painting Olga Khokhlova in the Mantilla, one of Picasso’s most famous paintings.Yuri Gagarin was also huge celebrity in Russia and is still famous today. (Source: snow-dog)Andrei Sakharov, the Most Famous Russian ScientistBorn in 1921, Andrei Sakharov was a Russian nuclear physicist who was famous for having worked on the atomic bomb. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for his work in fighting for human rights in the USSR (a prize that he was not allowed to go and collect so his wife had to go in his place).Did you know that the Sakharov Prize was created in 1988 by the European Union for organisations that promote human rights?For one reason or another, you should know of these famous Russians.Did you know them all? Who are the most famous?Learn more about Russian radio.If you're interested in learning more about Russian culture, you should learn more about the Russian language. Since Russian isn't the most commonly taught language in British schools, you should consider learning it through private tutorials.With private tutorials, you can get bespoke tuition and learn about all the aspects of the Russian language, culture, and history. There are three main types of private tutorials offered on Superprof: one on one private tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials.Private tutorials are usually the most expensive option but they also offer a bespoke service. Online tutorials are cheaper because the tutor has fewer overheads in terms of travel and can schedule more tutorials throughout the day. Finally, group tutorials are cheaper because the cost is divided between the students. However, this final option won't give you a completely tailored service.If you speak Russian and would like to tutor, it's very easy to create your profile on Superprof. Many tutors on the platform also offer the first hour of tutoring for free to entice students.

Become an Economics Tutor

Become an Economics Tutor Steps to Becoming an Economics Tutor ChaptersHow to Set Your Prices for Economics LessonsFinding Students for Your Economics LessonsPlanning Your Economics LessonsSurely you have a love for numbers, statistics and analysis; otherwise, you might not have selected economics as your major, nor would you anticipate building your career around economic principles.Whether you abide by them in your computations for a company or teach them to eager minds, you, more so than most, would be keenly aware of the laws of supply and demand, and consumer habits.Or, you may turn to the academic side of the subject you hold most dear, as these economists in India did, to discover heretofore unseen patterns that reveal inequality.Who knows? You might even win the Nobel Prize in Economics for your work, one day!The world of economics: markets and trade, behavioural economics; financial economics or even environmental economics â€" the study of environmental policies' financial impact...This world is indeed fascinating and complex... and, f or some with absolutely no head for figures, a real snoozefest!Obviously, that is not you. You have mastered the econ, written your graduate thesis, perhaps on economic development in postwar Germany...You are now looking to promote your vast stores of knowledge with the intent of gaining a solid reputation â€" and, through your work, a satisfying income as a tutor of Economics.Unfortunately these days, it is not as easy as hanging out a shingle and waiting for passersby to knock on your door.In this digital age, when commodities and futures can fluctuate more furiously than a frenzied feathered flock, there is veritable competition among tutors for students of economics (and other subjects).Likewise, every undergraduate studying economic theory endeavours to retain the very best tutoring services that provide them the greatest satisfaction for their incomes and the prices they face.According to George Mankiw, that would be the third principle of economics... right?From your perspec tive, you are most likely looking to embrace the fifth principle: equitable trade.Let Superprof now lay out the steps to becoming an economics teacher of merit, as recommended by our most successful tutors, so that you too can join their ranks. Those are obvious ways to find and retain students. But, have you thought of volunteering at your local Council or library?True, volunteering runs counter to the principle of earning a living, but on the other hand: doing so gives you exposure to a broader client base.Economics students don't only haunt college campuses.You may find a  richer teaching experience by instructing a more diverse student body, perhaps consisting of:senior citizens looking for an education on investment and mortgage prior to retiringcivil service hopefuls who need a better grasp on economic analysis for their examadventurous world travellers looking to learn more about their future home country's economics, or the global economy in general.You could also create a S uperprof tutor profile free of charge, wherein you list your teaching and learning experience. You may even opt to teach online or at clients' homes!One demographic is strangely lacking from the world of economics, and may particularly benefit from your mentoring.In spite of the controversy surrounding the Nobel Prize in Economics â€" most notably the snub of economist Joan Robinson, the award has been distributed 48 times... but only once to a female.Find some online tutoring jobs here.Perhaps you could make it your mission to recruit more females into the world of economics!Planning your lessons can take any form, as long as it remains flexible Source: Pixabay Credit: RayedigitaldesignsPlanning Your Economics LessonsThanks to your competitive pricing and aggressive canvassing for students, you now have most of your nights and all of your weekends booked.Perhaps you will host a seminar for all of your macroeconomics and microeconomics students.Or, you might consider workshops for g roups learning about one specific aspect of the discipline: labour economics perhaps, or international economics.Although these are great ideas to plunge yourself into the lucrative world of private tutoring, most likely, the bulk of your work will be as a one to one instructor.Should that be the case, the most reliable tool you will have to organize your teaching and mark quantitative progress would be by drafting lesson plans for each of your charges.Perhaps the best aspect of formulating lesson plans is that they incorporate time within the lesson for flexibility and spontaneity.Because Economics is not the most spirited of subjects, it is important to render it interesting, perhaps through debate or an energetic QA session, all of which should fit within the framework of the lesson at hand.Any experienced teacher will tell you that it is so easy to be thrown off-track by a theme parallel to the topic you should be discussing.A lesson plan focuses your time in such a way that suc h discussions are permitted, as long as you keep an eye on the clock.The organized teacher structures his/her lessons the same way:Warm-up: around 5 minutes to greet your student, exploring retention of last week's materialIntroduction of new materialPractice what has just been learned, perhaps using worksheetsProduction: this is where your student works on his/her ownReview: the last few minutes of the lesson; you may discuss just-learned concepts or preview next week's lessonIf you, like most tutors, instruct in hourly increments, you may find this breakdown easy to follow and adjust for each of your students.If you have never created a lesson plan, there are several approaches to it, as well as several templates available for download.Becoming a tutor of Economics is a multi-faceted endeavour that requires a lot of knowledge, planning, skill and ability.You are most surely up to the task; we hope to have provided you with additional information to help you succeed in your venture .

Building Self-Confidence in Academic Tutoring

Building Self-Confidence in Academic Tutoring “I’m stupid.”Nothing brings my lessons to a halt quicker than hearing a student say those two words. It breaks my heart to hear a student say that, and it is something that I have to address before the lesson continues. I have had many different students utter these words: some who were not doing the best in the class and who were just trying to catch up, some who are nearly at the top of the class and beating themselves up for not being the top person, and everywhere in between. Click here to read up on our approach to math tutoring!To the students who are trying to catch up: my job is to help you. I want you to succeed in your class. I understand that there are many reasons you could be either behind in your academics, or just not where you wanted to be: illness, stress, home-life, or just the class being a bit more difficult than what you imagined it would be. No matter the situation, I am not going to judge you. My job is to help you get through your class. I (nor anyone at AJ Tutoring) will think any less of you because you ask a question, or because you don’t know the solution right away, or because you don’t know the entire process. You are here to learn and practice just like everyone else. The more you ask, the better we understand where you are coming from, and the easier it is to help you through your class.To students near the top: stop comparing yourselves. Some of my students are actually great at math, but they don’t believe it because others in class are doing better. There will always be people who understand the material quicker than you, people who do better on tests, and people who get better grades. By constantly comparing yourself to someone else, you’re only seeing the things you don’t know, and you’re turning a blind eye to everything you do know and everything you got correct. It is good to challenge yourself and to try to be better, but simply focusing on the negative is not the way to do it. To everyone: your grade d oes not show how smart you are, whether you understand integrals the first or the twenty first time you see it does not determine if you’re intelligent or stupid. Everyone processes things at their own rate and how long it takes to process is not a direct correlation to your intelligence.The 1-on-1 environment at AJ Tutoring is ideal for building academic confidence in a supportive environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and working at their own pace. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help, give us a call.

Teacher Rejuvenation During the Summer

Teacher Rejuvenation During the Summer Students need a break after an intense school year, and so do you! Even if you have professional development plans or other education goals while youre not in school, it is essential that you take time to rejuvenate your mind and recharge your batteries. Here are a few tips: Make a summer reading list. Just like you tell your students, summer is the best time to rediscover your love for reading for the fun of it. Make a list of pool reads and commit to unplugging and reading a little bit each day. Exercise. We all know that exercise is good for the body, but study after study shows that it is good for the mind and the soul, too. Start walking, hiking, or practicing yoga. Youll feel better and be glad that you did. Reflect on the year. Within a week or two of school ending, take a notebook and head to your favorite coffee shop for some reflection. What worked well last year? What didnt? Set goals when your mind is fresh. After reflecting on the year, set a few goals. What would you like to improve or change next year? How will you make those changes and what milestones can you set to ensure you do? Summer is your chance to breathe in between school years and give yourself a much-needed mental break! Use the time well so that when the next school year comes, you feel excited and ready to make it a great year.

6 Ways to Ace that Job Search! - TutorNerds Irvine, CA

6 Ways to Ace that Job Search! - TutorNerds Irvine, CA Ace Your Job Search With these Six Tips Ace Your Job Search With these Six Tips Once college seniors ace four years of exams they get to be tested all over again at countless job interviews. In many ways these can be some of the most important tests in a young person’s life. How well a graduate performs on an interview can determine how quickly they can enter the job market and start working towards a career. Unfortunately, most colleges dont offer a course in how to get a job. However, there are a few things that new grads can think about before they go in for interviews. 1. Dont apply to every job you see on the internet Applying for one or two jobs can be exhausting. There are countless forms to fill out, customized cover letters to write, and in-person interviews to prepare for. So, how long will that energy last if youre applying for 20 jobs in one week? Its a good idea to pace yourself even if you really want that new job ASAP. Pick two or three jobs a week to really invest your time in and give it your all. This way the hiring department will see that youre excited and enthusiastic rather than mistake your fatigue for disinterest (READ: 5 Steps to Acing a Job Interview). 2. Do your research Although there are a few professionals who simply dont want their contact information to be found, most people’s information can be located somewhere on the internet if perhaps not on the company’s website. Make sure you know who you will be talking to, what pertinent information you might need about the specific job youre applying to, and the company in general. Think of the research as studying and the interview as the final exam. 3. The cover letter One thing many new grads dont do is write an individualized cover letter for each job. Its tempting to think that a job application is like the Common Application, one and done. However, applicants who dont take the time to write a separate cover letter from scratch generally dont get hired. This is why its important to focus in on just a couple of jobs at a time rather than spread yourself too thin and lose the opportunity to shine (READ: 6 Tips for a Successful Skype Interview). 4. Apply for a job you actually want Although this seems obvious, many people apply for tons of jobs they have absolutely no interest in. Of course at some point people have to work just to make money, but its a good idea to start out with an idealist point of view. Start by giving your enthusiasm to a field or company you feel passionate about. The hiring manager will definitely be able to tell if you love the job or if you are trudging through it and dont really want to be there. 5. Connecting and contacts Although there are many avenues in which to get hired, making connections still proves to be one of the best ways to get a foot in the door. Make as many relevant contacts as you can but make sure your interactions are genuine. People wont want to help you out if they feel you are only in it for yourself. Be honest about your intentions (they will know you are looking for a job after all) but make sure your personality shines through during any communications or businesses meetings. 6. Patience is paramount Although our current economy is making it easier for new grads to find a job, it doesn’t mean that they will find a career in their field straight away. It also doesn’t help that family and peers will be consistently comparing your job search to others but remember that good things come to those who wait (and work hard). Hang on to that part time student gig while you look for the perfect career fit (READ: 5 Things Employers Look For in a New Employee). All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

The Ultimate Guide to Language Learning Flashcard Apps

The Ultimate Guide to Language Learning Flashcard Apps Flashcard 411: Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Language Learning FlashcardsFirst, were going to take a quick look at all the reasons why flashcards are perfect for language learners. There are certainly a lot of reasons, but these are the strongest!  Why Do Flashcards Work for Language Learning?Theyre beyond easy to useWell, dont get me wrong, many  language tools are quite easy to use. Everyone can read a grammar book, dictionary or thesaurus. Anyone can listen to podcasts or watch movies.Everything is easy. Until you meet a grammar book you dont understand or listen to a podcast where the hosts speak so fast you cant even make out individual words.Flashcards are simpler on a whole different level.Flashcards are so easy, so simple and so unassuming that learners often underestimate their power. Were so used to thinking that unless a tool has all the bells and whistles, it couldnt do a great job.But the sheer  simplicity of flashcards, both in paper and digitized forms, is t he very feature that makes them  so powerful. As youll soon learn, the next 3 bullet points spring from the fact that flashcards are so deceptively simple.Those rectangular spaces really do grab  our attentionA feature of flashcards is that theyre confined to a limited (rectangular) space. As it turns out, this is very helpful in learning. Unlike a single book page which may contain several paragraphs and dozens upon dozens of sentences, a single flashcard often contains just a few wordsâ€"sometimes even just one word or one image.And this one word, in that very instant, becomes our whole universe. Its daring us to answer or guess whats behind the card, and in that moment its our entire point of focus.Nothing else matters. No extraneous factors dilute or demand our attention. Its like being in a gun duel and all your focus is spent on  that dark silhouette in front of you. It’s just you and the flashcard, there’s no tomorrow.I dont wanna get too theatrical, but that’s what fac ing a flashcard is like. It’s just the word and you. And the only question is, can you conquer it?They give us instant feedback and course correctionWhether you use print flashcards or the digitized versions of today, flashcards have an  instant feedback mechanism. You simply flip the card and expose what’s behindâ€"then youll know who won the duel.This instant feedback and course correction is vital for enhanced learning.  Because the correction is in real-time, you can immediately learn from your mistake and incorporate the learning into the very next question/card.It’s not like taking a long exam, passing the answer sheet to your professor and waiting for one week to get it back.Instant feedback allows you to self-reflect and review your train of thoughts immediately after you discovered your mistake. The mistakes and lessons learned are painfully fresh, which makes it memorable.They encourage repetitionâ€"the key to learningThe Romans have a saying: repetitio est mater stu diorum. (Repetition is the mother of all learning).How true! The role of repetition in learning is well understood in Psychology.Flashcards are quite effective because they promote the act of repetition. Because of their inherent simplicity, which weve already talked about, flashcards easily lend themselves to repetition. Thats why theyre  so freakin’ awesome. Theyre simple and unassuming, but they can pack a mean punch.You can have another go at the deck without fear because you know you can stop anytime you want to. You don’t have to finish the whole thing. (Unless of course you are somewhat slightly obsessive-compulsive.)You think you can do better with Spanish verb forms in the next round? Simply shuffle the cards, and voila! You got a brand new randomized deck.Flashcards can even be mildly addicting. Especially when youre getting good at the lesson and you just have a few mistakes in the round. You’re gonna be itching to make up for  all those careless mistakes and end up with a perfect record.So guess what just happened? You overlearned and burned the lesson into your long-term memory. Not bad at all.Okay. Now that we know why flashcards are your buddies in learning a language, let’s dive deeper into this topic and investigate the ways that we can pack even more punch into these babies. The defining features of an awesome flashcard system are up next.3 Characteristics of a Great Flashcard System1. Different sensory cues are integrated for maximum impactWe know that there are visual learners. They learn best with images and colors. We also know that there are auditory dudes  who like melodies and sound with their lessons. Finally, there’s kinesthetic learners, who learn best when theyre moving and actively doing things.Now just to make it clear, we all learn visually, auditorily and kinesthetically. It’s just that people have certain preferences or modalities where they learn best. So a kinesthetic bloke  can still learn visually, albeit not a s effectively as when he’s jumping around, running after people and generally making a mess of things.Going back to flashcards, what do you think will happen to the learning process when we have cards that hit on multiple sensory modalities?In other words, whats the effect of having multimedia elements like images, sounds and videos to the flashcard ?Answer: Enhanced learning.Memory will be served well by multimedia as the brain can have multiple points of anchoring.Studies have shown time and again that hitting many varied  sensory nerves makes the event, object or, in this case, language lesson more memorable.A great flashcard system is one that hits the eyes with images. Not just ordinary, boring pictures mind you, but funny, cute, interesting or shocking ones.For example, if you want an “el gato” (cat) vocabulary card, dont just place there a picture of an indistinct feline. Choose one that’s funny or cuteâ€"like many of those cat memes. Thatll make it so much more memor able.Use interesting fonts and colors as well for your “el gato” text.If you can have a video of a cat hopelessly chasing a laser pointer, even better.2. Language is always presented with good  contextThe brain cant hold information that exists in a vacuum, at least not for very long. That’s why memorizing a bunch of meaningless numbers is futile. Itll only take a few minutes before you forget them.Youve got to make all your learning meaningful.One way of doing this through flashcards is by creating context for your card. That’s why Voxy’s system (which well learn more about later in the post) is so goodâ€"it allows you to make flashcards out of the pictures in your phone’s photo gallery. That means the pictures that youre using already have personal context. Theyre already anchored. You already hold memories of themâ€"you only have to add a language lesson.The picture of your drunk uncle on New Year’s Eve, for example, can be used as a Spanish vocabulary card for “t ío” (uncle).A great flashcard system makes every card meaningful. Otherwise, itll be just a boring vocabulary list.3. It performs spaced repetitionWhat is spaced repetition?Let’s say you have card A and card B.  Card A, you know by heart.  You get shown Card A, you quickly answer and with 100% accuracy. You get shown Card A, you think your intelligence is being insulted.Card B is a little different.  You’re not so familiar with Card B. It takes you a couple of seconds to give an answer. And youre not even sure of your answer.A spaced repetition system  will make sure that you meet Card B more often than Card A.Spaced repetition is a great way to maintain the “freshness” of your flashcards. It means youll always be learning something new. You will always be challenged.  A great flashcard system is not random. Its algorithmically determined so youll only keep studying words you really need to study. Time is saved in the process.Now that we know all that, let’s see some pr ime examples of both traditional and digitized flashcards.The  Hottest Flashcard Apps When we were kids, nobody wanted to be the nerdy flashcard kid.Now that were all grown up, being a nerd is where its at.They used to call the studious kids nerds, just because they were  using their  big stacks of  mom-made flashcards in class.Maybe you were one of em!They had flashcards for everything: multiplication tables, vocabulary, words beginning with the letter “J,” male and female names of animals, the whole lot!The rest of the class just thought they were begging for wedgies.Then the test season came and wentâ€"those nerds got stellar grades.And you know in your heart of hearts why that is. But you can’t seem to admit it to yourself.It’s those darn flashcards! That’s why they were tearing through the test like it was toilet paper.You learned at a young age that the crude technology of flashcards works. But you can’t seem to get around to using them. Why not? Because theyre so not cool. They’ll destroy your reputation of being the kid who winged it all.In this post, I’m gonna convince you to give flashcards a shot. Because theyre simply that awesome.Let’s go find out why flashcards workâ€"particularly for  learning a new language.Don’t worry, nobody’s looking. Flashcard 411: Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Language Learning FlashcardsFirst, were going to take a quick look at all the reasons why flashcards are perfect for language learners. There are certainly a lot of reasons, but these are the strongest!  Why Do Flashcards Work for Language Learning?Theyre beyond easy to useWell, dont get me wrong, many  language tools are quite easy to use. Everyone can read a grammar book, dictionary or thesaurus. Anyone can listen to podcasts or watch movies.Everything is easy. Until you meet a grammar book you dont understand or listen to a podcast where the hosts speak so fast you cant even make out individual words.Flashcards are simpler on a whole different level.Flashcards are so easy, so simple and so unassuming that learners often underestimate their power. Were so used to thinking that unless a tool has all the bells and whistles, it couldnt do a great job.But the sheer  simplicity of flashcards, both in paper and digitized forms, is the very feature that makes them  so powerful. As youll soon learn, the next 3 bullet points spring from the fact that flashcards are so deceptively simple.Those rectangular spaces really do grab  our attentionA feature of flashcards is that theyre confined to a limited (rectangular) space. As it turns out, this is very helpful in learning. Unlike a single book page which may contain several paragraphs and dozens upon dozens of sentences, a single flashcard often contains just a few wordsâ€"sometimes even just one word or one image.And this one word, in that very instant, becomes our whole universe. Its daring us to answer or guess whats behind the card, and in that moment its our entire point of focus.Nothing else matters. No extraneous factors dilute or demand our attent ion. Its like being in a gun duel and all your focus is spent on  that dark silhouette in front of you. It’s just you and the flashcard, there’s no tomorrow.I dont wanna get too theatrical, but that’s what facing a flashcard is like. It’s just the word and you. And the only question is, can you conquer it?They give us instant feedback and course correctionWhether you use print flashcards or the digitized versions of today, flashcards have an  instant feedback mechanism. You simply flip the card and expose what’s behindâ€"then youll know who won the duel.This instant feedback and course correction is vital for enhanced learning.  Because the correction is in real-time, you can immediately learn from your mistake and incorporate the learning into the very next question/card.It’s not like taking a long exam, passing the answer sheet to your professor and waiting for one week to get it back.Instant feedback allows you to self-reflect and review your train of thoughts immedia tely after you discovered your mistake. The mistakes and lessons learned are painfully fresh, which makes it memorable.They encourage repetitionâ€"the key to learningThe Romans have a saying: repetitio est mater studiorum. (Repetition is the mother of all learning).How true! The role of repetition in learning is well understood in Psychology.Flashcards are quite effective because they promote the act of repetition. Because of their inherent simplicity, which weve already talked about, flashcards easily lend themselves to repetition. Thats why theyre  so freakin’ awesome. Theyre simple and unassuming, but they can pack a mean punch.You can have another go at the deck without fear because you know you can stop anytime you want to. You don’t have to finish the whole thing. (Unless of course you are somewhat slightly obsessive-compulsive.)You think you can do better with Spanish verb forms in the next round? Simply shuffle the cards, and voila! You got a brand new randomized deck.Fl ashcards can even be mildly addicting. Especially when youre getting good at the lesson and you just have a few mistakes in the round. You’re gonna be itching to make up for  all those careless mistakes and end up with a perfect record.So guess what just happened? You overlearned and burned the lesson into your long-term memory. Not bad at all.Okay. Now that we know why flashcards are your buddies in learning a language, let’s dive deeper into this topic and investigate the ways that we can pack even more punch into these babies. The defining features of an awesome flashcard system are up next.3 Characteristics of a Great Flashcard System1. Different sensory cues are integrated for maximum impactWe know that there are visual learners. They learn best with images and colors. We also know that there are auditory dudes  who like melodies and sound with their lessons. Finally, there’s kinesthetic learners, who learn best when theyre moving and actively doing things.Now just to mak e it clear, we all learn visually, auditorily and kinesthetically. It’s just that people have certain preferences or modalities where they learn best. So a kinesthetic bloke  can still learn visually, albeit not as effectively as when he’s jumping around, running after people and generally making a mess of things.Going back to flashcards, what do you think will happen to the learning process when we have cards that hit on multiple sensory modalities?In other words, whats the effect of having multimedia elements like images, sounds and videos to the flashcard ?Answer: Enhanced learning.Memory will be served well by multimedia as the brain can have multiple points of anchoring.Studies have shown time and again that hitting many varied  sensory nerves makes the event, object or, in this case, language lesson more memorable.A great flashcard system is one that hits the eyes with images. Not just ordinary, boring pictures mind you, but funny, cute, interesting or shocking ones.For ex ample, if you want an “el gato” (cat) vocabulary card, dont just place there a picture of an indistinct feline. Choose one that’s funny or cuteâ€"like many of those cat memes. Thatll make it so much more memorable.Use interesting fonts and colors as well for your “el gato” text.If you can have a video of a cat hopelessly chasing a laser pointer, even better.2. Language is always presented with good  contextThe brain cant hold information that exists in a vacuum, at least not for very long. That’s why memorizing a bunch of meaningless numbers is futile. Itll only take a few minutes before you forget them.Youve got to make all your learning meaningful.One way of doing this through flashcards is by creating context for your card. That’s why Voxy’s system (which well learn more about later in the post) is so goodâ€"it allows you to make flashcards out of the pictures in your phone’s photo gallery. That means the pictures that youre using already have personal context. Theyre already anchored. You already hold memories of themâ€"you only have to add a language lesson.The picture of your drunk uncle on New Year’s Eve, for example, can be used as a Spanish vocabulary card for “tío” (uncle).A great flashcard system makes every card meaningful. Otherwise, itll be just a boring vocabulary list.3. It performs spaced repetitionWhat is spaced repetition?Let’s say you have card A and card B.  Card A, you know by heart.  You get shown Card A, you quickly answer and with 100% accuracy. You get shown Card A, you think your intelligence is being insulted.Card B is a little different.  You’re not so familiar with Card B. It takes you a couple of seconds to give an answer. And youre not even sure of your answer.A spaced repetition system  will make sure that you meet Card B more often than Card A.Spaced repetition is a great way to maintain the “freshness” of your flashcards. It means youll always be learning something new. You will always be chal lenged.  A great flashcard system is not random. Its algorithmically determined so youll only keep studying words you really need to study. Time is saved in the process.Now that we know all that, let’s see some prime examples of both traditional and digitized flashcards.The  Hottest Flashcard AppsFluentUFluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.Greatâ€"but what does this have to do with flashcards?Well, FluentU just happens to have developed one of the best interactive flashcard systems to date. Everything that your senses will ever need is provided for: example sentences, dynamic games, relevant images, audio pronunciation examples, usage examples from real-world videos and more.Plus, all the language on the flashcards is pulled from video content that youve been enjoying and studying on the site. That means every last word is anchored in context thats personally meani ngful to you. Your flashcard decks will be perfectly customized to your FluentU progress.Try this out if youre looking for the liveliest possible flashcard experience.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.AnkiAnki is the Japanese word for “memorization.” And that’s what this program is for. Anki is offered as freeware for anybody who needs to memorize anything (so basically every breathing human being on the planet).Students can use it to memorize formulas, historical dates and figures, countries’ capitols and currencies, definitions of terms, scientific names etc.For language learners, the program can be used to memorize sets of vocabulary, grammar rules, important phrases, pronunciations and more.  It’s media-friendly and can support clips, images, videos and sounds.There’s a feature where you can download the flashcards shared by others so that you can also benefit from their lessons.  And because its open source, you can customize the features to perfectly suit your learning style.Brainscape“What would you like to learn today?” That’s the question the folks from Brainscape would like you to ask yourself. Because whatever that is, whether it’s Spanish verbs, French adjectives, cocktail proportions or keyboard shortcuts, Brainscape can help you learn these things faster.With their unique Confidence-Based Repetition (CBR) system, you spend more time learning the things that you find challenging and less time on those youve already got in the bag.With every flashcard, youre asked to gauge the difficulty level and decide how often youd want to review that particular card. Their adaptive learning algorithm then jumps into action scheduling the card to come up at the most optimal moment.So with Brainscape, your learning is highly targeted and personalized. Youre getting the most out of  the time you spend studying. And, for students, that leaves you with more time to play!VoxyImagine this. Youre taking one of your morning walks. Youre listening to a language learning podcast on your mobile. Then suddenly, something catches your eye. A man wearing a cowboy hat is walking in the opposite direction. It made you wonder, “What’s the Spanish word for hat?”Voxy is the app for that. You can take a picture of that hat, and then this (free!) app is going to analyze your picture and transform it into a flashcard with the word el sombrero  on it.Wouldnt that make your day, knowing that you can take pictures and turn your daily life into one big, exciting vocabulary lesson?With Voxy’s app, you can even use the pics in your galleries to make the smart flashcards. You can also add notes to provide richer context for your pictures.And in order to further boost your language learning, the app comes with 3 exercises to help reading and listening comprehension.Boom! There go all your excuses for not learning a new languag e. Its too much fun to resist!British CouncilYou know flashcards are effective when British Council is  getting in on the action. With its mission of spreading development, uplifting the arts, promoting social equality and championing the English language, the Council only promotes methods that are practical and seriously effective.The site has a flashcard maker that helps both student and teacher to print out engaging and informative flashcards. They can be most useful in a  classroom setting where playful interaction with fellow students increases the lesson’s “retainability.”Here youre just going to find good ol’ flashcards flipped and shuffled by hands. But for some language learners, especially the kinesthetic and social types, this is the most  effective way to go.StudyBlueThis app  has one of the better interfaces around. Its easy on the eyes and easy to use.Youll know right away that the makers of StudyBlue didn’t want you to study alone. You can actually share you r flashcards with  everyone in your class, as well as benefit from the flashcards of others.With StudyBlue, you not only get the standard options  to add text, pictures and audio to your cards, but youre also given stats, search options, reminders and a study saver so you can really get down to learning Russian, Spanish, French, Korean or any language of choice.StudyBlue is one of the best Android flashcard apps around. So if youre gonna find yourself idle while waiting in line for that hot java, fiddle with StudyBlue and get that learning going.So how about that? Are beginning to change your mind? Ready to give flashcards a chance?Then get downloading! And One More ThingIf youre digging these apps, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.We talked about its flashcard features earlier, but it has plenty more to offer learners. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny comme rcials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.