Why teachers abroad need to make cultural competence a priority

Why teachers abroad need to make cultural competence a priority With demand for teachers internationally at an all-time high, there’s never been a more exciting time to explore teaching abroad. However, for many teachers abroad, finding their feet in a culturally diverse classroom is one of the biggest obstacles they’ll face in their teaching career. Teachers abroad need to be mindful of cultural differences in the classroom and how these can impact teaching and learning outcomes, both inside and outside the classroom. Without this awareness, they risk creating a cultural gap that can hinder positive relationships with students and their families. We recently asked our teaching community to share with us any areas of their teaching practice they most wanted to improve on. The vast majority of teachers we polled identified a critical gap in their teaching practice - specifically in the area of culturally responsive teaching. This didn’t come as too much of a surprise to us at Teach Away. Despite the steadily increasing numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse student populations in schools worldwide, research has shown that teacher preparation programs still lag behind when it comes to embracing culturally responsive teaching practices. That's why we’re happy to announce that we’ve launched a brand-new professional development course to help our teachers abroad better relate to students from a broad range of racial, cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds. Culturally Responsive Teaching: Connecting with Students and Parents of Different Cultures was designed with a leading diversity expert to give international teachers the tools that they need to better support their students and create culturally inclusive classrooms. By taking this course, teachers abroad can make the transition to becoming a culturally competent global educator. Culturally Responsive Teaching marks the first in an ongoing series of online teacher professional development courses from Teach Away, focusing on delivering learning opportunities, directly relevant to a teacher’s practice, that respond to critical needs in the classroom. Additional Teach Away course offerings are in the works for later this year, so stay tuned to the blog for more on that front!

Help Your Teen Adjust to Fall Semester - TutorNerds

Help Your Teen Adjust to Fall Semester - TutorNerds 5 ways to help your teen adjust to fall semester Teenagers have just gone back to school and are undergoing the adjustment from summer vacation back to the classroom environment. This can be a tough time for both teens and their parents because academic expectations become higher as students get closer to their senior year. There are lots of things parents can do to help their teen successfully adjust to the fall semester and help them be successful academically. Whether a student needs help with organization or a particular subject, its better if the first few weeks of school are low stress and positive our private Los Angeles tutors are here to help your teen adjust to fall semester. 1. Keep organized After enjoying summer vacation, most students will have forgotten the organizational tools that worked for them the previous year. Its beneficial if students have a little help getting started with their organization but still be independent enough to make choices that work for their schedule and learning style. Students might need help keeping subjects separate, keeping track of due dates, or concentrating on challenging topics. Planning is one of the keys to a successful semester and can make the entire year a better experience (READ: 5 Ways to prepare for the ACT this fall). 2. Supplemental education As students progress through high school, their academic workload will get heavier, and the assignments will become more difficult. Many students benefit from supplemental education services to help them stay on track and tackle challenging topics. Whether a student is working on college prep or dealing with core subjects such as math or English, working with a one-on-one tutor can make their academic life a lot easier. Tutors can help teens tackle stressful elements of a particular course and can help them efficiently prepare for exams. Whether a student works with a tutor for a few hours here and there or has a regular weekly appointment, supplemental education can benefit nearly every teen. 3. Keep education social Students often enjoy working together and have great ideas to share with one another but may start to feel overwhelmed by their current workload and shy away from group study. Being part of a study group of motivated students, however, is a fantastic way to keep education social and keep teens interested in discovering new topics and ideas. When students work together and have similar goals, they can also encourage each other to stay on track and keep their grades high. 4. Develop a healthy routine Its important for every student to have a routine that helps them stay on track academically but this becomes even more important as students progress through the teen years. Students should have enough time to complete their homework successfully, study for exams and prepare for college, enjoy extracurricular activities or work a part-time job, and have sufficient downtime to rest and recuperate from their academic assignments. This is a lot easier said than done and requires a delicate balance. High school students should be sure only to take on the responsibility they can handle and adjust to new responsibilities slowly so they can successfully adjust to each change in their schedule. 5. Get to know the teachers As students get older, they will have several different subject teachers rather than just one teacher in a classroom. Teachers are one of the best resources students can utilize to understand the material and be successful, but they often shy away from asking the teacher questions or contacting them outside of class. Teens are encouraged to write down any questions they have about assignments or a classroom lecture and make an appointment with the teacher during their free period or email them after school to stay on top of assignments and exams. Have you booked your private Los Angeles tutor for the fall semester? Whether its for test-prep, college admissions, or academic tutoring, TutorNerds has you covered. Call us today for more information. 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.