MLA Style: General Guidelines

Over the last couple of days, we have been looking at how to cite properly within the formatting guidelines of MLA—or Modern Language Association—style. Just to remind you, MLA is the style you will be asked to use when writing papers for classes that can be classified as humanities (i.e. history, English, religious studies). Today, to wrap up our three-part series on MLA style, we will be discussing overall formatting under the current MLA guidelines.

First of all, your paper needs to be double-spaced, in a twelve or eleven point legible font (such as Courier New or Times New Roman), and have one-inch margins on all sides. To most people, I know this seems like a given, but sometimes the simplest things are the easiest to mess up. Check these things before you even start your paper, that way you will be sure that the format is right.

Secondly, every paragraph must be indented five spaces. Most word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, do this for you, but check anyway. Also, and this is important, there should only be one space between sentences. This is different than in APA style, where there are two. Sometimes this is a hard habit to get into, but you can set your settings on just about any word processing program to show you your spaces.

MLA style, unlike APA, does not require a separate page for your title, unless your instructor specifically asks for one. Because of this, the first page of your paper should be formatted as follows:

Name

Date

Course Name

Instructor’s Name

Title of your paper (Centered, NOT underlined, NOT in italics)

Your pages must be numbered!!! The page numbers should be in the top, right-hand corner of your pages and start on the second page of your paper, unless you are specifically asked to start numbering from the first page.

Your paper should be written in third person. Do not say something like, “When reading Dr. Seuss, I felt like children could relate to his illustrations and rhyming syntax.” Instead, try something like, “The illustrations and rhyming syntax utilized by Dr. Seuss allows children to relate to his stories.” See this difference between the two? One sounds like an opinion anyone could have, while the other lays out the same thesis with authority.

Congratulations! We have officially made it through MLA style formatting! Happy writing!

The Need to have and Importance of Environmental Education

The next horizon for improvement is secondary school.

In what follows, we will look at the needs and entitlements of children entering secondary school who have identified special education needs and those who are entering and later discovered to have a special education need.

My child has been receiving extra help in primary school. What should I look for in a secondary school?

You should look for a school with a special education teacher in place on a full-time basis to support all children with special needs in the school.

A child who has been receiving special education resources or support in primary school is eligible for continued support at secondary level so long as they continue to have a special education need.

Your child will be entitled to the same general provision he or she received in primary school. This support is to be determined based on need with the number of hours of support being determined by the Individual Education Plan (IEP) drawn up in the last year of primary school. In general, students in secondary school are eligible for the same supports as in primary school. Remember that upon entering secondary school a Transition Plan may be in place that slightly alters the previous IEP. The Special Needs Organizer (SENO) assigned to the school should be alerted as well as the appropriate special education teacher(s). Speak to your child’s special education teacher first and be clear about your concerns.

Not all children who have special education needs come to the attention of parents or educators in primary school. In secondary school, the curriculum subjects become incredibly complex each year. There are students who have had no difficulty suggestive of a special education need at primary school who suddenly seem to have many difficulties in secondary school. It is important to recognize that some students, no matter how well they performed in primary school, may have a special education need that does not appear until secondary school.

First, speak with your child’s teachers. Begin with teachers, speak to Year Head, go to Principal if necessary and do not forget the Special Education Needs Organizer (SENO).

If your child is found to have a special education need an IEP should be written. This is, as stated previously, a road map to your child’s education plan. The special education team often referred to as a multidisciplinary team, will be responsible for writing the IEP.

Autism/Asperger’s in Secondary School

Unfortunately, there is little that can be done if a school refuses to enroll a child on the autistic spectrum. There are considerable challenges in the future to our secondary schools in education these children and it is time to get it right. Those schools, which stubbornly refuse to enroll children on the spectrum, are in the stone age of education.

ADHD

As in the case of children on the autistic spectrum, once educators and schools get it correct for children with ADHD they have improved the educational provision of all children.

Special Education in Ireland’s Secondary Schools

Individuals and organizations can choose from a number of environmental courses to understand the importance of environmental education. Environmental licensing, evaluation of environmental impacts, environmental auditing, environment and sustainable development, etc. are some of the courses available online. The Environmental Licensing and Environmental Assessment course has gained great prominence. Social responsibility and sustainability, solid waste management, auditing, environmental education and ethics, etc. are some of the popular courses.

Looking for an authentic essay writing service

The world of internet has grown greatly. It is now possible to get most of the services sitting at home with the help of the internet. Internet helps the people a lot to carry out their studies also. One of the best services that are being provided by many websites these days is essay writing. The people can now provide the topic to the website and the experts will write the essay for him. The person has to just submit the topic to the website and the experts will write the essay for him within the time that is given by him. The essay writing services also provide various other facilities such as proof reading of various thesis and projects. In most of the cases, some amount of money is charged by the website. Thus, the person has to find the best one so that he can get the best value for the money that he has invested. Thus the person should see that the writing service meet some standards.

The first thing that should be taken care of is the reputation of the website. These days there are many such websites that provide writing service to the people. However, not all of them are able to provide high quality essays to the people who are taking their service. For this, the person has to Visit website of the company. Once he has done that he can also have a look at the various essays that has been already written by the experts of the company. This will give him an idea about the quality of the writing that is provided by them. He will also come to know about the fee that is charged for various types of writing. He can also have a look at the reviews that has been provided by the people who have already taken the service.

International Student Loan – Solution For Students Studying Abroad

Yearly, there are 200,000 students from the United States that study in foreign universities. Because of the greater financial commitment, many students forfeit the opportunity because they do not have the financial help that they need. Somehow, the student has to pay for their air travel to and from the country, local housing arrangements and travel inside the country. One solution for students who desire to study abroad is an international student loan.

Many of the students who study abroad apply for grants and scholarships, but even when they receive one, it doesn’t pay for all of their expenses. The advantage of an international loan is that it will pay for all of your university expenses minus the grants or scholarships you have received.

You must be a U. S. Citizen or have your permanent resident card in order to apply for an international loan. You must, also, be enrolled in a foreign university for a short time with plans to return and earn your degree in the United States, or be attending a university on the list of approved schools on a full-time basis with intention of earning a degree. To apply for federal international student loans you must have a FAFSA pin number.

The best types of international loans are federal loans. The best advice is to apply for all the federal loans, scholarships and grants that you can, and, if possible, get all of your financial aid from them. The other type of international loan is a private loan. These have much higher interest and should only be used as a last resort.

The federal loans that most students apply for are Stafford loans. Any students can apply upon showing that they have a financial need and that the school they are attending is on the approved list of foreign schools.

If you do not want to make payments while you are in school and for six months after you graduate, then apply for a Stafford loan. They even give you the benefit of paying your loan back early without charging you any extra. You can, also, follow and manage your account on-line. They will not do a credit check on you.

Either legal residents or citizens of the U. S. Qualify for an international student loan. With this excellent opportunity, it is time to go ahead and make plans to get your degree in a foreign university. Do not lose the opportunity to study in another culture.

Hire a Writer or Essay Writing Service

Writing essays are inescapably part of a student’s life. In every school term, a student gets to write a dozen of essays for each academic subject. It is one way of a teacher to measure and evaluate his/her students’ writing and comprehension skills. Becoming a good essay writer takes time and requires a lot of writing exercises to master it. No doubt, the school is the best place and quite a training ground to harness our essay writing skills, which we can greatly use once we graduate and find our own jobs.

While other students find writing essays to be fun, there are also others who struggle with it and considers it a burden on their part. Not all students are given the gift to write well. Some are really “slow” and really requires a special attention by a teacher to supervise his/her writing activity. Similarly, not all students also have enough time to write an outstanding essay. Active students tend to prefer in participating with different school and social with their fellow students rather than sitting down in a table with a pen on its hand and a blank paper in front. Essay writing, thus, seemed to be not for everyone.

If you are struggling in writing essays, do not get depressed. There are plenty of ways to finish your term paper, research paper, case studies, and other essay writing assignments. One best alternative is to hire a professional writer or avail an essay writing service to get things done.

While others consider hiring an essay writer or an essay writing service to be cheating for students, there are a number of benefits you can still get out of it. Reading a custom essay will expose you to different writing techniques, which you can also adopt when you create your own. Professional essays also assure you that correct grammar, sentence construction, and proper punctuation marks are used. You can also seek professional help and seek help from professional writers online. It is like hitting two birds at the same time: you get to submit a good essay and learn writing techniques at the same time.

Therefore, if you are willing to spend some penny, you can buy essays online from different essay writing service companies, which offer quality output for a reasonable free. One thing to note though: do not rely on these essay writing services at all times or else you won’t learn anything. Consider them as an inspiration when you write your own essays in the future.

Do You Need to Learn Computer Programming?

The answer to the question, ‘Do I need to learn programming?’ is: It depends. It depends on what exactly you mean by programming. You need to know a little bit of web programming like HTML and JavaScript so that you do not need to depend on someone else for additions and editing your work (if you intend to build your own website). Those two languages are some of the basics that everyone should know.

If you’re referring to software programming then the answer is: No you do not need to learn programming. You do not need to learn it to get ahead as it is usually the concept or the idea which can make you money and not a programming tool or language.

Further, the world is getting more and more specialized. In order stay in tune with it, you need to find your niche and build with it. Nobody can be good at everything. It’s about delegation. Unless you plan to become a professional programmer, and getting a formal education for it, leave development up to other experienced developers.

Additionally, from a practical standpoint, it is dangerous for everyone to try to do web programming. Some of the coding, for example one of the variables the tell-a-friend script pulls from the form is openly included in the message it sends out. The problem with that is if someone who knows what they’re doing, with regard to programming gets a hold of it, they could easily recode the tell-a-friend form into an open spam relay. It is a script with a major hole just sitting there waiting to be exploited. That’s the risk you run when you don’t understand the ramifications of every line of code. If you do not have the time or desire to learn serious coding, and some basic code security techniques, you will only make life harder for other netizens and in the end, for yourself.

So unless you plan to become a professional programmer and take the time to study these things, there’s really no need to learn programming. Rather, hire someone who is a professional and let them do the work for you. Finding a professional programmer is easy too. All you need to do is visit and put out a bid for your project. You’ll get programmers from all over the world quoting on your project. Entrepreneurs use them all the time and have wonderful results. Hiring someone is not only far more effective, but it leverages your role as the project manager and takes you out of the creator mindset.

Concentration Tips for Your Study

To delve deep into your subject matter and to gain a good understanding requires concentration. To ensure you are able to do this there are a few conditions, which if fulfilled, will enable an optimal study experience.

A quiet space

Your first requirement is a good space without distraction. You need to be sure that you will be uninterrupted for a couple of hours. If your accommodation does not offer this possibility then go to the library and find a spot free of too much traffic. One great advantage of working in the library is the immediate availability of reference texts should you come across a problem that needs further investigation or referencing. Make sure you have all that you need with you. Your concentration will be broken if your pen runs out of ink or you need more paper and have to leave to get more.

Inner space

In order to focus sufficiently on your work you need to leave other concerns behind for a while. Tension, stress, emotion, will all have an adverse effect. Deal with these issues using some of the good tips, make sure you get a good night’s sleep, and eat well. Exercise regularly to keep fit.

Work schedule

It is difficult to work well if you are behind time with your work schedule. Try and keep ahead and you will be less worried and more focused. Take a short break at approximately every half hour to forty-five minutes. Five minutes is long enough to go outside and breathe some fresh air and stretch your legs. Stop working when you become tired and your attention begins to wander.

Be well organized with your filing system. You really do not want to waste time searching for that little piece of paper that you jotted some notes on.

Concentration techniques

Now the scene is set to begin work it is time to look at concentration itself. The above preparation will help you to create a working atmosphere but it does not guarantee your ability to concentrate. It helps to note down your aims for the study period and to keep to them. if ideas keep coming into your mind that are not related to the work you are doing then keep an extra piece of paper ready and jot them down. That way you will not worry about forgetting them and for the moment they are out of the way. Do not feel intimidated by anything you do not understand immediately. Persist and re-read, noting down any questions that arise. Return to the problem later after completing your work and place it at top of your list of goals for the next study period.

Writing down what you are learning as you read, or in class while listening to your lecturer, helps you to memorize new facts more easily. Essay writing offers an excellent opportunity to learn and memorize in depth so always aim to write a thorough and well researched essay. Take notes on all your subjects and file them for later revision.

It is difficult to concentrate on one area of work for too long so apportion a length of time to each subject. This adds variety and freshness but make sure you have spent enough time on each lot of work. If you find it more difficult to concentrate on a specific subject then break down the time you have decided to spend on this subject into shorter portions of twenty to twenty-five minutes.

As a general rule work for as long as you feel alert and absorbed in your work. When you are finished do something enjoyable. You will find it very satisfying after a successful study period.

You are not alone

Do not forget that there are many other students in your class and it is good to meet and discuss what you have learnt. Share and you will notice the benefits in increased ease at remembering and re-producing your subject matter. The mind is like a muscle in that regular practice will improve your power of concentration.

Colleges no longer base their acceptance on test scores…

For years, ACT and SAT scores have made high school students all over the country shake in their boots. There’s pressure, lots of studying, and a ton of stress involved, because colleges based their admissions largely on those test scores.

So where does that leave the kids who hate testing or just aren’t good at it? You know the ones… those students who do amazingly in the classroom but poorly on tests. Sometimes it’s because of pressure, sometimes its nerves, and other times it’s just testing anxiety. They know they could do well, but when that timer starts and the test booklet and Scantron sheet gets put in front of them, they freeze. Deer in headlights! Except in this case, the deer is the student’s brain and the headlights are the empty bubbles waiting to be filled in.

This can be a very dangerous thing for the students, both in the testing process and for the effect it could have on their futures. For this and other varying reasons, many colleges have decided that test scores are no longer the deciding factor in a student’s acceptance into their institutions. Instead, they’ve begun basing their acceptance on the applications and the students’ performance in the classroom.

This is good news! High school students can now rest easy and stop stressing out about their test scores.

This seems to be a growing trend, especially since colleges like Stanford and Harvard have also switched to something called common applications. This secure online application lets high school students submit applications to colleges and universities without having to necessarily do amazingly on the admittance tests. You’re more than just a test score, just like Zinch’s web site says! This is a beautiful thing and allows for more students to have a chance at getting degrees, especially if they’re underprivileged.

When it comes right down to it, students are so diverse that a sit-down test can’t possibly give the best idea of someone’s potential and skill set. Many colleges have now decided to focus more on the students’ ability to function and thrive in the classroom. According to Education Portal, “Most institutions found that, after making the tests optional, the qualified number of applicants went up significantly in many formerly underrepresented groups, including first-generation, minority and low-income students.”

So what’s the moral of the story? Test scores aren’t everything! High school students can now celebrate the fact that more institutions are realizing this, and let’s hope that we make further strides in improving the education system and process for everyone. There are a ton of students who need a chance, and that’s it… if they never have the opportunity to further their education, then through no fault of their own they’re robbed of experience and education.

I love the fact that this is happening for the simple reason that my kids will have a better chance of getting into a college based on their skills and knowledge, not their ability to stay calm during a test or perform well in a high-pressure situation. After all, this isn’t the TV show Chuck and most students don’t go to college to learn how to become a CIA agent. Most students just want to be able to follow their interests and get good jobs, so college is a good way to help make that happen.

College in a New Country – How to Orient International Students on Your Campus

The first few months of college are difficult for any new student. For international students starting college in a new country, this time can be even more challenging. It is important that college orientation staffs do whatever it takes to get international students acclimated to their new home. Read on for tips about how to orient students from other countries to life at a United States school.

Hold a mixer

Fellow international students are likely the best friends for new students from abroad. Make sure international students meet one another by holding a group dinner or meet-and-greet event. This is especially helpful for people who do not speak English as their first language. Finding friends who know the same native language can make the experience of studying in another country much easier. If you do hold a mixer, be sure to invite upperclassmen from other countries too. These experienced international students will be able to guide their new counterparts through their first days of college.

Assign a friend

Sometimes, an American friend is what it takes an international student to learn his or her way around a new city. You may want to give international students a native roommate. Alternatively, you could assign a friendly American student to meet with an international student one a week. Either way, make sure there is someone available who can explain the ins and outs of life in the States. It can be difficult for a new foreign student to learn about things like tipping in restaurants, grocery store behavior and other tasks we take for granted. A good guide will help alleviate most of these problems.

Give a tour

Any new student needs help finding classrooms their first day of school. This is especially true of international students who may have problems with English. Help by showing each new student where his or her classrooms are the day before the first day of class.

Assist with contacting home

Most students will have computers and cell phones, so contacting home should not be too much of an issue. However, some things are different in the United States, and it cannot hurt to make sure international students know how things work. Give a guided tour of how to use your school’s email system, how to use pay phones and how the post office works. All of these things may be difficult for a student from another country to navigate at first.

Be available

Perhaps the best thing you can do to orient international students is to have a member of housing staff available at all times for any questions that may come up. International students often need extra help the first few days of school. Reassure them that it is okay to have questions. Direct international students to offices where they can find help and give out phone numbers and email addresses too.

After the first month or so of college, most international students should be fine on their own at a new school. Nevertheless, do not assume that everyone will acclimate to life abroad the same way. Keep checking up on new students and schedule regular social events after their first mixer. With good planning, international students will love their time abroad.

APA Style: General Guidelines

We have spent the last couple of days talking about some of the intricacies of APA style citations. APA — or American Psychological Association — style is the format you will most likely be asked to use when writing papers for classes that fall under the categories of science or social science. So far, we have talked about the proper notation of in-text citations and the formatting of your references section. Today, wrapping up our three-part series on APA style, we will discuss the overall formatting of a paper under current APA guidelines.

First off, your entire paper needs to be double-spaced, in a legible and reasonably sized font (11 or 12 pt. Times New Roman is usually best), and have one inch margins on all sides of your standard 8 ½ by 11 inch piece of paper. I know that these items seem pretty basic, but many students inadvertently forget to set margins appropriately or double-spacing and are docked points unnecessarily. Don’t be one of them.

Secondly, your paper needs to have a separate title page. This, obviously, is the first page of your paper and should include the following information, double-spaced and centered on the page:

Title of Your Paper

Your Name

Your Class, for instance Psychology 100

Your Professor’s Name

Your University

The next thing that it is pertinent you do is number your pages! The page numbers should be placed in the top right corner of your paper with your title page being page one and your reference page being your final page number. If you are working in Microsoft Word, this is done under the insert menu. Within this menu, click Page Numbers… and enter the alignment and position where you want your numbers placed. While this may seem nit-picky, numbering your pages actually safe-guards you in the event that your paper is accidentally bound wrong or should a page fly away on your way to class.

Any research paper, and specifically one in APA style, should be in third person. This means you never, ever say:

“I found that grass is green.”

Instead, you say:

“The study found that the grass is green.”

This makes you sound more professional and authoritative.

This concludes our three-part series on APA style formatting. Tomorrow we begin our series on MLA style formatting. Happy writing!