Learn Foreign Languages - Language Tutoring Jobs in Exeter Devon

Learn Foreign Languages - Language Tutoring Jobs in Exeter DevonWhether you're an English or French native speaker, there is certainly a large number of language tutoring jobs in Exeter Devon. In fact, there are plenty of them available in Exeter and the surrounding area. You may find that you have a lot to choose from, if you are a language exchange student, which is becoming increasingly popular. What a fantastic way to improve your English language skills and acquire the vocabulary and terminology to speak to your parents, neighbors and friends!With the majority of Exeter teachers joining the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to prepare their students for further studies, more opportunities to get involved in these exciting teaching opportunities are opening up. The other major attraction is that there are more French and English speakers in Exeter than ever before.This is partly due to high standards of education in the area and the quality of the teachers who teach in Exe ter. Yet, there are many more potential teachers with experience in the area as well, which could help you find more opportunities to work with.There are plenty of opportunities to work in Exeter and the surrounding area, just check out the local newspaper and check out your local websites, websites of local businesses or classifieds to find information about language learning centers, language schools, and language tutoring. These websites can offer a quick, easy way to find out about the qualifications and training that the person looking for employment has and also give a brief summary of the work that is being offered. There are also many individuals on the internet, if you want to write, you may be able to get a job as a freelance writer and if you would like to take up a full time job, then you may be able to get your work published on some of the internet's largest and most reputable directories.If you have a love for language or any language, then learning another language c an be an exciting and enriching experience. There are so many opportunities to enhance your knowledge and your confidence, by working in a professional environment.By visiting Exeter you will quickly realize how many of the language speakers who live in Exeter are from France or England, this is a testament to the amazing local talent, talents and the passion for language, that exist in the area. There are literally hundreds of jobs available in Exeter and the surrounding area, you should have no trouble finding what you are looking for if you look hard enough. This is mainly because the majority of people who have spent their whole lives learning a second language are not going to give up.So, if you are interested in language tutoring jobs in Exeter Devon, check out the local papers and information that are available online. If you can talk well, you should find that there are many opportunities to practise and learn the language, from local, international and even from your own ba ckground.

What is it Like to Attend Brigham Young University

What is it Like to Attend Brigham Young University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Lisa is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. She is an Atlanta tutor who specializes in Phonics tutoring, Reading tutoring, and Elementary Math tutoring. Check out her review of her alma mater: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. How urban or safe is the campus? Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Lisa: The campus is in a suburban area. There is a good public bus system (UTA) that can get you around to where you want to go if you dont have a car. There are plenty of places you can reach by walking or biking also. There are many shuttles that will take you to and from the airport if needed, but they can be pricey (the airport is about a 45 minute drive). If you have a car, parking can be tight, especially around the dorms and some housing complexes. There are a lot of job opportunities on campus, so it is possible to be able to work with no car. There is very little student parking near campus and most students find it easier to walk from their apartments than drive. But there are many areas and shops that are too far by bike or take a long time on the bus. A car is not necessary for campus life, but can be very helpful in visiting the surrounding area. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Lisa: My experience with the teaching staff was very positive. All had office hours posted and were more than happy to meet with you during that time. I found that most students didnt take advantage of office hours or study sessions. When I went to meet with professors or to study sessions, I always felt it was a good use of my time and received greater understanding or clarification as a result. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Lisa: Dorms are occupied mostly by freshman. Upperclassmen tend to move into apartments near campus. The dorms are currently being renovated and many of the old buildings were completely torn down and rebuilt. The Morris Center and Cannon Center (two dining halls) had great food and were a great place to meet or socialize. There is also the option to live in a dorm with a kitchen and be able to prepare your own food. The common areas were very nice and offered a lot of socialization opportunities. LDS wards (congregations) are dictated by certain dorm clusters, so you get to know many of the other students through church and activities. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Lisa: BYU is well known for many of its Business Schools and the Law School. There is a large selection of strong programs to choose for majors. I majored in Elementary Education, but enjoyed my English Lit classes so much that I added English as a minor so I could take more classes. I had a great program that really prepared me for working as a full-time teacher. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Lisa: I participated in a performing group which helped me make friends and be involved as a freshman. There are many clubs, performing groups, service groups, and intramurals which provide a great opportunity to meet new people. BYU also has Freshman Academy which pairs freshmen with an upperclassman mentor to help ease their transition into college and help them make friends in their area of study. There are no sororities or fraternities at BYU. VT: How helpful is the Career Center and other student support services? Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Lisa: The Student Support Services offer a lot of classes and workshops as well as the opportunity to meet with a counselor if you so desire. When I was applying for jobs after college, the Career Center was extremely helpful in getting my transcripts and other necessary documents out to where I needed them. There are a lot of great companies that recruit at BYU. VT: How are the various study areas such as libraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Lisa: The library is huge and there is a lot of space to study there. When the weather is nice, you will see a lot of students studying on the green areas around campus and the dorms. The student center and most of the college buildings have plenty of seating and other places to study. I never had trouble finding a spot to study. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between? To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Lisa: There are a lot of restaurants and commercial places to go for fun, but BYU also has great outdoor areas. Tons of hiking, camping areas, close access to Park City, Sundance and other ski areas, caves, tubing on the Provo river, and many other outdoor activities are right next door. You can rent equipment from a shop on campus if you dont have your own. There is also plenty of shopping at the Riverwoods outdoor mall, University mall, and other areas. There is plenty to do around campus, but a lot of people do things away from campus on weekends, too. Salt Lake is only about 45 minutes away and offers a lot as far as concerts and other events. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Lisa: BYU has a large student body - around 30,000 students. Most general classes were very large, auditorium-style classes, but Major classes and Religion classes typically offered a smaller setting. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one you regret the most. Lisa: I had so many great professors, but I especially enjoyed my Linguistics professor. I often struggled with his assignments. But if I met him during his office hours, he would go over the assignment with me question by question until I understood the principle and was able to complete the work. I found almost all of my professors were willing to help as long as you asked. Check out Lisas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

When You Translate French to English Watch Out for These 3 Things

When You Translate French to English Watch Out for These 3 Things Megan L. French is one of the most beautiful of the romance languages. Spoken as the official language in 29 countries, French is the second most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union. Learning to speak and understand any language is a process of immersion. To truly understand and be able  to translate French to English  means understanding French culture and the idiosyncrasies of the language. One highly effective method for truly understanding a language beyond simply speaking it is to translate French  into your mother tongue. When learning to translate French to English, there are three areas that can prove challenging. Idiomatic expressions, false cognates, and slang are three areas that can prove challenging to translate for non-native speakers regardless of the language. To help you get started translating French, let’s take a closer look a how to translate French idioms, false cognates, and slang into English. French Idioms Every language uses  idioms on a daily basis. They often hold either a cultural or historical place in the language so it’s best to memorize them if you want to develop a good conversational base in the language. The French language is full of interesting, funny and often colorful idiomatic expressions. Many idioms, or argot have their roots in some unlikely places, while others are very close to expressions in the English language. Learning idioms can be one of the most fun tasks to developing skill in any  language. It’s an excellent way to impress and engage native speakers and it gives you the ability to learn the language beyond the common methods of grammar, gender, sentence structure, and vocabulary. The Benefit of Learning French Idioms Learning French is entertaining, and enriching. Becoming familiar with idioms and their use in conversation is a helpful tool towards fluency and can help you to attain a native speaker’s knowledge of the language. Committing French idioms to memory can take time and you should use care when learning to translate French idioms into English. While some are remarkably similar in meaning, others can have completely different meanings and it’s important to understand them from a cultural standpoint. Common French Idioms And Their English Translations The French have an obsession with the culinary arts and a surprising number of French idioms have culinary origins! While many have drastically different meanings in English, often when you translate French idioms to English, you’ll find some that  have remarkably  similar meanings. Here are some common idioms and their English translations “Ne pas être dans son assiette English: to not be on one’s plate This is a well-known expression with its roots in the culinary world. The English translation is literal, but the actual meaning in French is loosely “to feel under the weather” “Occupe-toi  de tes oignons” English: mind your onions The “culinary” based idiom, the literal translation seems silly, but the cultural “translation” is basically “mind your business.” While it’s not a phrase that would be used in polite conversation, it often pops up in more informal social situations. While some idioms (like those above) translate differently than their “cultural interpretations” some have remarkably similar meanings in both languages. For example: “Prendre le taureau par les cornes” English: to take the bull by the horns Others, while literal translations almost match, can have vastly different meanings from a cultural standpoint, like: “Avoir les dents longues” English: long in the tooth This is a perfect example. In English, this is almost a derogatory statement that means the person is old. In French, this phrase is actually a compliment meaning “to have ambition.” While most expressions differ slightly and don’t use similar words, some match up smoothly with their English equivalents because the idea behind them is almost the same, for example: English phrase: “it’s raining cats and dogs” French: “il pleut des cordes” English literal translation:   it’s raining ropes And another example: English phrase: “to have other fish to fry” French: “avoir d’autres chats â fouetter” English literal translation: to have other cats to whip Cant get enough of these funny French sayings? Check out the video below for even more French idioms. While some idiomatic speech will need to be memorized in order to understand, other colloquialisms can be figured out literally, or culturally. Often, the best course of action is to learn these in the native language, then translate French to English and see how they match up. French False Cognates Cognates are words in two different languages that look similar and mean  basically the same thing in both languages. While there are cognates between French and English, you’ll need to be careful. While French and English share a linguistic history, there are plenty of “faux amis”(false friends) between these two languages. False cognates are words that look the same in each language, but have different meanings, sometimes, vastly different meanings. When speaking with a native French speaker, improperly using these words can easily trick you into saying something senseless or embarrassing that you didn’t mean to say at all! Here are some common examples to watch out for: 1.  Ancien / Ancient While ancien can mean ancient, it’s primary meaning is “former.” For example, your ancienne voiture is the car you used to own. A good rule of thumb, if ancien comes before a noun, it usually means former, not ancient or old. 2.  Bras / Bras Votre bras means your arm, it doesn’t have anything to do with the female undergarment! The French word for bra is un-soutien-gorge. 3.  Blessé’ /Blessed Blesser means to wound, physically or emotionally. So for example un enfant blessé  isn’t a child you are expected to worship, but more likely a child who needs a bandaid! 4.  Monnaie / Money Monnaie means loose change. So technically, you could have plenty of money, but no monnaie! 5.  Déception / Deception This is a sneaky one! The verb decevoir, the noun déception and the adjective décu all mean being disappointed or disillusioned and not actually deceived. This could be a problem in conversation if you think that someone is accusing somebody of deceiving the, rather than disappointing them. 6.  Envie / Envy This is another tricky one, be careful! The verb envier can be used as “to envy” but the noun envie actually means “to desire.” For example, you could say “J’ai envie d’une glace” which means “I want ice cream,” but if you mean to say, “I envy you” be careful not to say  â€œJ’ai envie de toi”  because you’re actually saying “I want you!” This could prove to be a bit “sticky!” In any case, listen to lots of French pop music as part of your learning and you’ll not make this mistake. The phrase comes up a lot! 7.  Grand / Grand In French as in English, grand can mean great, as in un grande ècrivan â€" “a great writer,” but it can also mean “big. “ Or, when used to describe physical appearance,  â€œtall.” 8.  Joli / Jolly Joli(e) means pretty, unlike jolly in English, which means happy or joyous. 9.  Journée / Journey This is a common faux ami! Une journée translates to “one day.” So if you’re every whished a “bonne journée” they are saying “have a nice day” not wishing you “bon voyage!” 10.  Coin / Coin Coin  in French means corner, not the change jingling in your pocket! Those would be either pieces or monnaaie. Dans le coin means in the nearby or immediate neighborhood. These are just ten examples of common French false cognates. As you are learning vocabulary, make it a point to recognize, make note of, and memorize the faux ami.  It will help you as you translate French to English to make a note of them! Quiz: Can You Spot These French False Cognates? French Slang Every language has expressions and colloquialisms that add color, spice, and “native status (or ”street cred”) when spoken. French is no different, and in fact the French slang well is particularly deep, colorful, and rich! Slang is constantly evolving and often the vanguard of the young since expressions can go out of favor quickly. You may be familiar with the slang form known as “le Verlan” which is created by inverting syllables in a word. Verlan is actually an inversion of the word l’envers, which means reverse. Many common French slang terms have survived over time like un bouquin for book, and un mec for “a guy,” but with the younger generation a newer form of slang has emerged known as le parler d’jeunes. The French youth of generation “Y” have created a complex style of slang. It incorporates traditional slang, verlan,   English and Arabic word and even shorthand SMS messages into their speech, even going so far as to create compound forms like inverting syllables in Arabic words! Remember, as with slang in any language, different interpretations are possible and variations can occur regionally, and even among different age groups. Here are some common French slang expressions for you: • Faire gaffe This is common across generations and in the south. It’s an alternative to faire attention or watch our, be careful. Remember to conjugate faire properly. • Bosser / Taffer Colloquial version of travailler â€" meaning to work. When using the noun, le travail can be replaced with le boulot. •   Nickel French slang for “perfect.” When something is ok you can confirm it with this word. • Bouffer / la bouffe informal slang for “to eat” (manger) or “food (la nourriture) • Bof / Bah / Euh These are great words to use to give your speech a true “native” flair. The French equivalent of uh, or um, used to fill space.   These three are all small interjections you should incorporate in your French speaking. Bof â€" signifies mild boredom in English this roughly translates as “meh.” Euf is the French equivalent of uh, or um used to stall while “finding your words.” Bah â€" is another filler word. Usually used at the beginning of a sentence, it indicates when a person makes an obvious statement. • Mec / Nana Used pretty much throughout the country and understood as the French equivalent of “dude” and “chick” • Santé! In English we say “cheers” when celebrating with friends: In France they use santé!  It’s a way to toast to each others health. Culturally, make sure to look your guest in the eyes otherwise you may be called out for being rude! • Oh bonne mère This phrase is used primarily in Marseille and is the equivalent of “oh mon dieu.” The French language is beautiful and rich. Filled with colorful words and phrases you’ll need to be aware of these idioms, false cognates and slang phrases when you translate French to English. These are just a few of the choices you’ll have when learning to speak like a native. Like any study, immersing yourself in the local culture will yield a treasure of regional speech that can have you sounding like a native in no time! When studying the language, make sure to include current popular music and film in your studies. These are both great areas to hear idioms, false cognates and slang in everyday use. Remember, slang is constantly evolving, so when you’re progressing with your studies, make sure to stay current! It will make your speech sound even more authentic! What obstacles have you encountered in translating French to English? Share what youve learned in the comments below! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Ã"scar Velázquez

3 B-School Application Mistakes to Avoid

3 B-School Application Mistakes to Avoid Your b-school application is your key to entering business school. If you follow the directions provided by your school regarding how to submit your application and what components to include in your package, you should be on your way to MBA success. However, double- and triple-checking your MBA application would be prudent, especially if youre applying to multiple programs. Youre competing with qualified applicants from all over the world for a spot in your schools class. To make your application stand out, its important to avoid application mistakesincluding submitting your first draft and missing the application deadline. Looking to secure your spot in your desired b-school? Keep reading to learn three b-school application mistakes to avoid. B-school application mistake #1: not doing your research Its important to develop relationships early on with the schools youre especially interested in attending. So, speak with someoneideally in personfrom the admissions office of your prospective schools. Before initiating a phone call or meeting, ensure that youve performed exhaustive research on the school. Dont ask an admissions officer questions you can find the answers to on the schools website, such as: Do you offer an executive MBA program? Do you accept either the GMAT or the GRE, or both? However, you could ask an admissions officer questions specific to your situation, including: Based on my years of work experience, would a part-time program or an executive MBA program be a better choice than a full-time program? In your experience, which types of students perform better on the GMAT or GRE? Show that youve done your homework on the program you want to apply for, so that youre using the conversation to not only gather information, but to also present yourself as a prime candidate who is ready for business school. [RELATED: 3 Ways to Prepare for a Business School Interview] B-school application mistake #2: submitting the first draft of your application The first draft of your b-school application should not be your final draft. Before you click the submit button, have at least one other person read your entire application and make notes, at minimum for typos that spell check missed. Having multiple sets of eyes on your application can help reduce the risk of mistakes. Its key to submit an application that has been thoughtfully constructed. Double-check all application requirements to ensure youre submitting a complete application that can hold up against the others. [RELATED: 4 Steps to Take Today to Prepare for B-School] B-school application mistake #3: missing the application deadline Its vital to submit your application by the due date. That being said, its also important to submit your application when its ready. These two recommendations are not at odds with each other, but they do require planning. Depending on whether youre applying in Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3, work backwards from the deadline to schedule what you need to get done. Filling in the standard forms, crafting your essays, and managing your recommendations all take time and energy. Therefore, allot the necessary days, weeks, and months on your calendar to complete your package to the best of your ability by the deadline, so that admissions officers can assess your finest work. [RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About B-School Admissions Rounds] Applying to b-school can be fraught with stress, anxiety, and long nights. However, with strategic planning, you can make your MBA application process smoother. Build cordial relationships with admissions officers at your schools, ask for help in proofreading your work, and submit your application on time. By taking these steps, youll improve your chances of succeeding during b-school application season. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Get Online Physics Tutor For Exploring The Mysteries Of Matter And Motion

Get Online Physics Tutor For Exploring The Mysteries Of Matter And Motion 0SHARESShare The knowledge of nature and exploration of concepts related to motion and study of matter is all physics is about. It is quite important for higher studies in any branch of science and getting  online physics tutor could help you waltz through your academic struggles and improve your grades. The laws of motion and gravity and the theories associated with it make for quite a fascinating study and sub disciplines and branches offer glorious career opportunities. Physics branches into a variety of disciplines and sub disciplines and for all these, a firm grasp of the fundamental is required and an  physics homework help could help you with it. Some of the toughest topics that students find quite difficult to master are motion, gravity, quantum theory, pressure, thermodynamics, etc. At advance levels, these topics become difficult still and it becomes very hard to make do with what is taught at school or at college. Physics homework help could come in handy to help with your doubts, queries and clarifications. You can exploit the advantages of online help and derive a multitude of benefits out of it. For instance, you get to study at anytime and from anywhere. Also, with an online platform, you can rope in a subject expert from across the globe as your online physics tutor and expand your exposure and knowledge levels. Uploading of notes, sharing and printing them and participating in discussions â€" the scope of this medium is unlimited and it is up to you to derive maximum benefits out of your physics assignment help  or tutor. [starbox id=admin]

Teaching the Social Curriculum

Teaching the Social Curriculum Schools usually have a very strict and clear academic curriculum. The social curriculum can be less clear, but it’s just as important for the development of children into healthy adults. The social curriculum relates to teaching students how to interact and empathize with others. Learning these things helps young people to build healthy relationships and feel good about themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of schools don’t know how to teach the social curriculum. As a result, students who have trouble learning how to interact and empathize with others are usually labelled “troubled” or “disruptive,” and then punished. Instead of labelling and punishing people, schools ought to stick to what they are good at: teaching. Impediments to learning the social curriculum Students come to school from a myriad of different home situations. These environments are something the school, teachers, and students have no control over. Home is where we first learn how to react in certain social situations. Unhealthy or unstable home lives teach young people disruptive and antisocial behaviors. Students from coercive families are used to a constant battle at home. As a result, when their teacher requests them to comply with classroom rules and behaviours, they see it as the beginning of a battle and strongly resist any authority from the teacher through disruptive behavior. When a student has an inconsistent or unstable home, they crave structure and stability. Unstructured classes will prompt disruptive behavior designed to get more guidance from the teacher. Students who become aggressive in class often do so because they face the threat of violence at home. They strike others to avoid becoming the victim of violence, themselves. Students who have a history of low performance can be disruptive in the face of academics. For them, sometimes facing punishment is a better consequence than confronting the schoolwork they believe they cannot learn. Methods of teaching the social curriculum need to address the reason why students act out, as opposed to punishing negative behavior without discovering its root cause. Understanding their behavior can help teachers get to the root of what is happening with disruptive students, and help them to understand their feelings and frustrations. Go away! There has been no proof that disciplinary removal is beneficial to students in any way. If sending disruptive students out of class were beneficial to the individual student or the safety of the school, that would be different; however, neither of these is the case. Individual students who are sent out of class, or receive suspensions or expulsions are often repeat-offenders, proving that the punishment does not teach the lesson it intends. For these students, disciplinary removal is often more of an affirmation that they do not fit in, rather than a lesson about appropriate behavior. Similarly, schools do not become safer by having problem students suspended. Instead, students are more likely to want to retaliate against the school that repeatedly shows it does not want them there. Source: http://captaincapitalism.blogspot.com/2015/08/there-are-no-more-calvins.html Teaching the social curriculum One of the key aspects of teaching the social curriculum is the school environment, especially for those students who do not have good home environments. The school should be a safe, communal place where every individual has value. Students should learn from a young age to cooperate with one another, empathize, and use kindness in their interactions. A key part of teaching these skills is for teachers to lead by example, treating their students with respect and empathy. The second key to teaching the social curriculum is to approach it as one would teach any other element of the curriculum, by providing a clear presentation of the material to be learned, opportunities for meaningful practice, and timely feedback on performance. Framing the social curriculum has to be adjusted to the age of the learner. The Golden Rule, “do to others as you would have them do to you,” teaches young children empathy by referencing their own needs. As they get older, this rule is less helpful. Once a child is out of elementary school, he or she needs to learn to “treat others the way they want to be treated.” This second rule emphasizes that we cannot assume that our own selfish desires are universal. We have to be sensitive to what others want, as well. In short, teaching the social curriculum involves making desirable classroom behaviours explicit to students, showing empathy and respect to students with difficult home lives, and providing timely feedback when expectations have not been met. When that happens, the class can focus more productively on the academic curriculum. Sources: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kaitlin-roigdebellis/the-importance-of-learnin_1_b_4455595.html http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~coesyl-p/principle7-article1.pdf http://www.texasdisciplinelab.org/resources/alternatives-to-school-discipline/ Please follow and like us:

Using the Science of Habits to Improve Performance in School Part I

Using the Science of Habits to Improve Performance in School Part I Improving Academic Performance We write a lot on this blog about how academic success (and other types of success) is much more a function of the choices you make and the effort you put in than a function of your intrinsic or genetic talents. In other words, most recent research suggests, and we firmly believe, that academic skills are built through practice and success comes through developing better strategies and making better choices. So where do habits fit in this story? A habit is essentially a tool that the human brain has developed to become more efficient. Instead of spending brain power to analyze a situation and make a conscious decision, habits kick in, and we act automatically. The mental processes that power our habits can be a force for good or evil. Habits can help us sense danger and flee automatically, exercise regularly, and eat better. But they can also explain why we abuse alcohol and fight with our spouses. In The Power of Habit, Why we Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg argues that habits might be far more important than any other factor in explaining our successes and our failures. And this of course includes academic success. Drawing from Duhigg’s book, in this two-part article we will: Introduce the “habit loop,” a framework for understanding how habits work Discuss how to change habits Discuss why habits are so important, as well as a key concept called the “keystone habit” Apply the theory of habits more directly to success in school The habit loop: a framework for understanding how habits work In Duhigg’s book, he explains that habits have four dimensions. To explain, he uses one very common habit that you probably have: brushing your teeth at night. The habit of brushing your teeth may have play out as follows: The cue: you feel your teeth have a bit of a film on them, or perhaps it’s just morning or night, around the time when you always brush your teeth The craving: when you notice that cue, you feel this intense craving for that particular tingling feeling which tells you your mouth is clean The routine: you brush your teeth The reward: your teeth are clean and shiny Most habits play out like this. You don’t analyze the pros and cons each morning and night of brushing your teeth. You just do it. It’s a habit. Other habits work this way too. Let’s envision a well-trained high school student in the habit of doing his homework. His habit loop might be: The cue: I’m home from school, and I’ve had a snack The craving: I want to be able to tell my mom I’m done with my homework AND feel that sense of accomplishment The routine: do your homework The reward: a sense of accomplishment and freedom to do whatever you choose for the rest of the night But let’s consider a bad habit many students have. Let’s say that whenever you are studying you have a habit of using social media or texting your friends, which is distracting and wastes time. This interrupts your studying, reduces your level of focus, and makes it harder to learn new things, finish your homework, and generally be productive. How do you go about changing a habit? There is more than one way to change a habit. James Clear, a blogger on productivity, offers a range of helpful ideas about how to change habits. But one thing is clear. It is incredibly difficult to remove a habit simply by exercising willpower. You’ll be far more successful by changing a habit. To do that, it’s generally accepted that you need to a) identify the cue and b) change the routine so that you can c) realize the same or a similar reward. Back to that habit of checking your phone when you are supposed to be studying. The solution might not be all that complicated or even interesting. Perhaps your cue is literally just seeing your phone or feeling it in your pocket. The routine is checking your various social media channels, driven by a craving to be socially connected and see what others are up to (and because you view homework as a little boring). The reward is connection with others on social media. There is a potentially very simple habit change that results in much better academic outcomes. As we said earlier, the key to changing habits is identifying the cue and changing the routine such that you still see the reward. In this case, what if you say to yourself, you know, when I feel my phone in my pocket, and begin to crave the social connectivity that Facebook provides, instead of immediately checking my various social media channels, I’m going to commit to doing whatever I am currently doing for 20 more minutes. At that point, I’ll take a break and check Facebook. You have now substituted 20 minutes of additional studying for checking Facebook right now. At the end, you get the same reward: the ability to check Facebook and feel connected. What are habits so important? And what is a keystone habit? If it’s not obvious already, habits are so important because so much of what people do is controlled by them. We may think we are in control as we go about our day. But in fact, our brains our filled with lots and lots of habits, and those habits are driving how we act. Taking a shower, brushing your teeth, exercising, eating healthy foods, not getting too upset when things go poorly at home or at work, being committed to finishing a project on time, etc. â€" these actions are all in large part a function of habits. To change your behavior and reach your goals, you typically have to spend a lot of time identifying and modifying habits. And, it turns out, according to the research the Duhigg cites in his book, that some habits are more powerful than others because they make it easier for other habits to take hold. Duhigg calls these “keystone habits.” In this blog post on keystone habits Sam Davies describes them as “the habits that change, remove, and re-shape your other habits. Duhigg suggests that exercising regularly tends to be a keystone habit. Once you are regularly exercising, you are more likely to stop smoking and start eating better. This seems intuitive. Once you are doing one good thing for your body, you have built up some momentum. It is good to exercise regularly but also eat well. The two habits complement themselves. In part two of this article, we’ll explore keystone habits in a bit more detail, and discuss a number of ways to improve performance in school by leveraging the power of habits.