Learn Hindi With Hindi Books and Newspapers

Learn Hindi With Hindi Books and Newspapers Learn to Read Hindi with Hindi Newspapers and Books ChaptersLearning to Read Hindi and UrduUsing Hindi Newspapers to Learn HindiUrdu Newspapers for Learning HindustaniHindi Magazines, Ezines and BlogsUsing Hindi Books to Learn to Read the LanguageSo you’ve signed up for Hindi language courses, have learned the Devanagari alphabet and are eager to practise your Hindi reading skills outside of the Hindi learning class room. What options do you have at your disposal? most vowels are written as modifications to the basic consonant letter.This takes some getting used to - and the best way to do that is to read, read, read in Hindi!Writing the Urdu languageUrdu, the variation of Hindi spoken in Pakistan, is written in another script entirely - so if you are learning Hindi, there is no point in reading Urdu newspapers to perfect your reading comprehension!Urdu uses a Persian calligraphy script - a variation on the Arabic script - called Nasta’liq. It is written from right to left, and letters look slightly different depending on whether they are at the beginning, middle or end of a word.Some Urdu communities in India use a variation of the Devanagari script instead.Using Hindi Newspapers to Learn HindiThe advantage to practising your Hindi by reading Hindi news is the great variety of themes you will encounter. Each will introduce new Hindi words. In fact, reading news articles might possibly be the best way to build up your vocabulary!Another advantage is that newspaper articles are usually fairly short and written clearly. The sentences are not too primitive, but not too long, either.Their length makes it easier for a student of the Hindi language to sit down in the morning with their dictionary and read some Hindi. You won’t have hundreds of pages starting back at you, daunting in their length. As a beginner, you can choose one or two articles, based on their length or your interests (cricket? Hindi TV shows?). As you advance, you can read more articles, until an entire newspaper in Hindi is no great feat for you!Some Hindi newspapers to improve your vocabularyUnless you have family in India or are living there, you should probably stick to newspapers with a large circulation rather than small local papers, as their articles are more likely to be of interest to you:Dainik Jagran, or the Daily Awakening, had the largest circulation of any newspaper in India in 2016. It’s a daily first published in Jhansi in 1942 as a voice for nationalistic India. It’s produced in 32 Indian cities including Delhi, Lucknow, Meerut and Jammu.Aj, or “Today”. It is said that “if you want to learn Hindi, read Aj” - since it was founded in 1920, it has helped spread Hindi literature among the general population - and not just native Hindi speakers! It is available in 12 citiesDanik Bhaskar is the second largest daily newspaper in India. It was first published under the name Subah Savere in Bhopal and Good Morning India in Gwalior; it first expanded in 1983 with an Indore edition. It is available in 63 editions, not only in Hindi but also in Gujarati, Marathi and English.The third-largest daily Hindi newspaper is Hindustan Dainik, with 21 editions throughout the Hindi belt (circulated in Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand). It was founded in 1936.Rajasthan Patrika, or simply Patrika in some states, was founded in 1956 as is the fourth most-read paper in India. It also publishes bi-monthly child magazines in the Hindi language - Balhans and Chotu-Motu - perfect for beginner Hindi students!Reading the newspaper is an excellent way to learn the Hindi language. Photo credit: yumievriwan on VisualHuntYou will want to steer clear of several well-known Indian newspapers such as the Financial Express, the Deccan Chronicle, the Deccan Herald, Business Standard and Business Line as these dailies are English-language newspapers.Check out how to learn Hindi in a fun way.Online Hindi E-newspapersIt isn’t always easy to get a hold of Hindi newspapers outside o f India (we recommend bookshops at large train stations or, if you travel a lot, in airports). Fortunately, the Internet is your friend, and several of the main Hindi newspapers have a news portal or news website with a digital version of their articles in Hindi.Dainik Bhaskar has an Epaper version as well as a news app for Android, iPhone and Windows.Other papers offering an online version are:Hindustan DainikRajasthan Patrika  Balhans - a Hindi magazine for childrenYou might want to start out with children’s magazines and then work your way up to your interests.Name of magazine monthlySubjectPublishedIndia Today, Hindi editionNews magazineWeeklyPanchjanyaGeneral interest WeeklyMeri SaheliWomen’s MonthlyGrihshobhaWomen’s magazineMonthlySaritaFamilyFortnightlyKadambiniLiteraryMonthlyArkhand JyotiSocial issues, scientific spiritualityMonthlyChampakStories, puzzles, comics (children under 12)FortnightlyChakmak Science (children 7-15)monthlyUsing Hindi Books to Learn to Read t he LanguageThe problem with articles is that it’s not easy to learn words in context, without help from a dictionary. Because of their condensed format, every word counts and there isn’t much underlying narrative that can help you figure out a word.So if you like to experience a language without running to a dictionary every few minutes, you could try reading stories in Hindi.Children’s Books: How to Choose?The wonderful thing about children’s books is that there is always something at your level, and it’s easy to find out what.Children's books are not just for children - they are excellent ways of learning Hindi with books at any age! Photo credit: peterwmdavis on Visualhunt.comWhen you are first learning Hindi, there are two types of books that will help you along:Word books or illustrated dictionaries (such as DK’ Hindi-English Bilingual visual dictionary,  My First Picture Dictionary by Maria Watson and Anand Joshi or the themed Children’s Bilingual Picture Diction aries (such as Numbers, Vehicles or Clothes by Richard Carlson Jr.)Books for Toddlers and Early Readers (NYU has a series of children’s stories online, as does the website Learning Hindi).Here are a few Hindi children’s books available in the UK:Purple Turtle and his friends: Purple Turtle Learns to Use Less  and Roxi Learns to Swim.What are you feeling, Dragon?As well as some lovely bedtime stories.Then, as you progress, you can choose longer books aimed at elementary school children.And finally, Young Adult books tend to have more engaging stories while still keeping sentence structure fairly simple:Saraswati’s Intelligence (Book 1 of the Kishkindha Chronicles) is a re-telling of some of the myths of the monkey god Haruman.A Sad Smile is also available on amazon.co.ukAs are two of the Harry Potter books in Hindi:  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets  and The Prisoner of Azkaban.Adult Books: Novels or Nonfiction?While all in all, it’s up to you, I would recommend readin g novels or short stories for adults rather than non-fiction. The prose tends to be less convoluted (mostly) and it’s easier to pick out words in context than in non-fiction. Once you become fluent in Hindi, you can, of course, read anything you like!I would also recommend you stay away from religious texts at first. For one, not all of them are in Hindi (many are in Sanskrit), and for another, hymns and sutras are very poetic and hard to understand for a beginner  student.Once you progress far enough, though, Indian sutras are very beautiful. Advanced level is also when you should start reading poems (intermediate is fine, too, if you find a poet who isn’t too abstract).Read Hindi books to become fluent in Hindi. Photo credit: quinn.anya on Visualhunt.comIf you want to know more about the Hindu language and culture at a beginner or intermediate level, there are some tales of Buddha and the gods that make good reading; you will find them in children’s books, often as morality tales.Once you know what you like, you can read such classics as Gunahon Ka Devta by Dharamvir Bharati, Painstth Lakh ki Dacoity by Surender Mohan Pathak (a novel about banditry), Kitne Pakistan by Kamleshwar or, if you like epic fantasy, Chandrakanta by Devaki Nandan Khatri (from 1888.)Short stories for learning Hindi.For those with little time or stamina, there are various websites that offer shorts at various levels for learning Hindi, such as:Learning Hindi, with shorts of only a few paragraphs and the relevant vocabulary right there in the lessonYour Story Club with short stories by various authors. This is a free publishing platform dedicated to Indian short story writers; the quality may vary, but the choice is great.The women’s magazine Meri Saheli also offers short stories on its websiteThe health magazine Gyan Ka Khajana has short moral stories aimed at children.With all these possibilities, there is nothing standing in the way of learning to read Hindi fluently! But if you stumble and get discouraged, why not hire a Superprof tutor to discuss your reading and help you with vocabulary?

How to Pass the ACT Online ACT Prep Online Tutoring Tutorpace

How to Pass the ACT Online ACT Prep Online Tutoring Tutorpace ACT test is a recognized test in the United States and high school students take this test to showcase their academic capability and their readiness to start their college life. ACT test examines a students logical and conceptual knowledge in 4 subjects and good scores in these sections displays the students ability to take on college level courses. Therefore most colleges and universities accept and recognize these scores as it helps them make a decision regarding a students selection. In order to get good scores, students should learn and improve their basic concepts in a subject. ACT test paper consists of 4 main sections: English, Mathematics, Reading and Science Reasoning. Some colleges also prefer students writing scores and ACT offers an optional Writing section and students have the choice to take it. To do well in the English section, students should improve their grammar and rhetoric skills such as punctuations, verb-pronouns usage, sentence structure etc. The organization of a sentence, tone of voice of the author etc. are the few important things students must focus on. For the Mathematics section, students should practice math questions from various topics learnt in their high school or in other lower grades. It is important to know how to use the math formulas and should also practice answering them in a limited time. Reading and Science sections consist of questions based on the given passages, so students should be able to comprehend and relate the given passage to the question.

Why You Should Always Listen to the Quiet Ones - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Why You Should Always Listen to the Quiet Ones - Introvert Whisperer Why You Should Always Listen to the Quiet Ones Not everyone can be supremely confident in meetings or group discussions, but employers would be wise to listen to the quiet ones.   You’ll often find that those who shout loudest in the workplace are sometimes the ones with the least to say, while those who keep their peace will almost always bring something valuable to the conversation. Rather than give the floor to the most vocal individuals in the room, here is why employers should give the quiet ones more room to talk. Dominating meetings   We’ve all sat in meetings where people keep talking over one another, or voices get louder and louder as the discussion becomes more heated.   The most vocal people can generate a lot of heat and not much light, so determined to get their contribution heard that they completely switch off from what everyone else is saying. No meeting can progress if there’s too much voice-raising and not enough  listening, and therefore useful  debate.   If those in charge of the meeting want to make some real headway, the best course of action is to take charge, tell certain people to pipe down and maybe invite the quieter ones in the room to chip in.   Giving them a platform will encourage them to speak up if they do have a worthwhile contribution, but they’ll also know to pass the baton back if they have nothing to add. A way to get everyone in the room contributing is to go round the group, inviting people to share ideas and suggestions one at a time.  Some individuals dont like to be put on the spot, which is why its best to  inform  those contributing in the meeting beforehand to come prepared. Thoughtful Contributions Chances are that while everyone else is speaking, the quiet ones are mulling things over and will have something genuinely useful to contribute if and when they get the chance.   People who are too quick to jump in and have their say seldom offer up fully-formed ideas â€" if you’re too quick to open your mouth, what tumbles out is rarely worth hearing. That means that when the quiet ones do chip in, they really can have words of wisdom to impart.   You might spot them taking notes, which can be a good sign that it’s time to invite them to take the floor.   Never push someone to join in if they’re clearly not comfortable with the situation, but also don’t mistake shyness for disinterest.   They’re usually the most engaged people in the team. Time and Space Quieter team members aren’t always the strongest verbal communicators, but you’ll probably find they more than make up for that through the written word.   Inviting people to drop you an email if they have any more ideas after the meeting can be the quickest way to hear what the quieter ones are actually thinking, and their thoughts are just as valuable for being written down as they would be spoken out loud. Writing things down instead of speaking up also gives them more time to reflect and find the best way to phrase things.   If you get a follow-up email with something really valuable in it, you can always pass it on to the rest of the team.   Check that they don’t mind being credited with the ideas, though, because some people would rather remain under the radar. There’s truth to the saying that still waters run deep.   If you have quieter individuals on your team, be sure to give them the time and space they need to express things in a way they’re most comfortable with.   You’ll often find that those who keep quiet have the most to say. Lizzie Exton writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for  internships. To browse our  graduate jobs London listings, visit our website. Go to top Power-Influence-Office Politics: it comes down to your Strategic Relationships and understanding of how you build each one of these elements. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that outlines all of this and meaningful actions you can take today!   Start watching now by clicking here! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

The Anatomy of Great Online Reputation Management

The Anatomy of Great Online Reputation Management ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog Every tech-savvy student realizes that there’s a ton of information about them online (most of which they’ve posted themselves) and that this information is widely accessible by their peers. Fewer students consider how their online presence will impact their admissions to colleges or to the work-force. And fewer still consider how they can take control of their online presence to ensure a positive impression of them shines through amongst the cluttered returns of a Google search. One organization is working hard to educate and inspire students to assume control over their digital footprint. Cornerstone Reputation, an educational company committed to empowering students to understand the impact of their online presence, has crafted a straightforward virtual workshop that helps students answer the question of what they should be doing to manage their online reputation. Designed to be segmented into a series of homework assignments or classroom sessions, the workshop consists of modules with lessons on: Learning the essentials of online reputation management Getting a personalized Internet domain name Building a customized website Setting up and optimizing primary social media profiles Aligning your privacy settings to match unique personal preferences Performing the technical magic needed to ensure students control what Google finds Getting content creation guidelines, designed to fit into the time students already spend online Each module concludes with a quiz, to ensure that the key points are highlighted and retained by students. The workshop is ideally suited for students in high school and college, and takes approximately two hours to complete. Cornerstone embraces a research-driven approach to the guidance they provide for students. Since 2014, the company has conducted annual surveys of hundreds of college admissions officers and athletic recruiters to learn first-hand how these gatekeepers make decisions based on their online research of student applicants. Cornerstone’s most-recent survey revealed that almost one quarter of admissions officers believe that having a strong online presence gives an applicant an advantage over other applicants. This indicates a potential opportunity for students who go beyond “sanitizing” their online presence and actively build a positive reputation. Cornerstone’s virtual workshop responds to this data by providing students with the tools and skills to take ownership of their online reputation management. View Cornerstone’s Virtual Workshop explanation on YouTube. About Cornerstone Reputation Cornerstone Reputation is an educational company committed to empowering students to understand the impact of their online presence. Through tools and knowledge, Cornerstone seeks to ensure the time students spend online contributes to a positive reputation in today's digitally interconnected world. By Jennifer SchwartzCornerstone Reputation

Does Better Sleep Equal Better Grades

Does Better Sleep Equal Better Grades Improving Academic Performance Just as the energizer bunny must recharge his batteries every now and then, humans must also take time to power down, rest and recharge for the following day. But just how important is it to get a full nights rest? Could getting the right amount of sleep (which for many people nowadays means more sleep) beneficially affect academic performance? Indeed, this is exactly what much of the data shows. In fact, learning, memory and brain development are some of the most important reasons we, as human beings, even need sleep. Sleep deprivation is shown to have deleterious effects on multiple body and organ systems (Aldabal et al., 2011). Studies show that sleep deprivation is the number one factor associatd with poorer academic performance among multiple educational levels from middle school to college students (Pagel et al., 2010). Even more worrisome is the fact that adolescents that reported tiredness and trouble sleeping associated with negative academic performance were likely candidates for drug/alcohol abuse, negative mood, antisocial behavior and feelings of isolation (Pagel et al., 2010). If it’s not surprising that we need more sleep to perform better and feel happier, what is stopping us from getting it? Turns out there are a few simple techniques you can excercise to battle fatigue and increase your quality of sleep that this article will discuss. Technique 1: Stop texting/instant messaging in bed after “lights out”! A new study in the Journal of Child Neurology states that messaging after “lights out” caused students to report shorter sleep duration, higher rate of daytime sleepiness, and poorer academic performance (Grover et al., 2016). It’s no surprise that children and adolescents today are glued to their electronic devices, particularly smartphones. The advent of social media has revolutionized how we interact with the world and our social relationships with our fellow man and woman, boy and girl. However, while we do seem more connected on one hand, recent evidence indicates there may be detrimental aspects to excessive social media use and electronics use in the developing mind. Thus, it is important to disconnect from the digital world upon bedtime and focus on relaxation and sleep. Unlike normal face-to-face conversation, texting leaves things “open ended” making it harder to disengage from a conversation since it’s never really “over”. This may cause increased stress, a nxiety and anticipation at nighttime preventing sleep. Refraining from instant messaging and digital screen exposure at nighttime before bed has been shown to increase the quality and duration of one's sleep (Grover et al., 2016). Technique 2: Listen to relaxing music during bedtime. A 2008 study by Harmat et al., demonstrated that relaxing classical music is an efficacious intervention to reconcile sleep problems such as insomnia and difficulty falling asleep. The study explicitly stated that music can reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, decrease anxiety, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate and may have positive effects on sleep via muscle relaxation and distraction from thoughts (Harmat et al., 2008). Thus, after you finish texting and decide it's time for bed, try putting on a little Mozart softly in the background to help you drift off to sleep! It’s a much cheaper and safer alternative to taking sleep medications. Technique 3: Mindfulness Meditation There has been a lot of data and talk about the benefits of meditation lately. Indeed, as a long-time practitioner, I can attest anecdotally to its innumerous benefits on the mind and body. However, from a research standpoint, there is much data out now that can be translated and applied to everyone’s daily lives. The practice of mindfulness meditation can be invoked to lower blood pressure, improve the quality of ones sleep, and even reduce inflammation by reducing levels of NF-?B, an inflammation factor in our bodies (Black et al., 2015). To learn more about mindfulness meditation, click here to hear my good friend and fellow neurologist, Dr. Matthew Markert, speak on the Benefits Barriers to Mindfulness in Medicine in which he discusses a few techniques on practicing mindfulness. Technique 4: Melatonin The majority of the advice given in this article was meant to steer one away from taking any sort of medication or pills to promote sleep as to confer long-term benefits and healthy behaviors instead of simply invoking a temporary short-term fix. While there is several medications that can, rather quickly at times, induce sleep, they are ineffective long-term remedies due to the dependence they cause and the side effects they carry. However, there is one natural supplement that has proven its novel use in promoting sleep for decades now, and that supplement is: Melatonin. This supplement has gained a lot of popularity a being a “wonder drug” for the many individual suffering from sleep disorders. It is known that melatonin helps regulate circadian rhythms and promote sleep. Furthermore, it is shown to reduce the onset of sleep in children, which can be very beneficial (Buscemi et al., 2006). Technique 5: Diet; Don’t Eat Right Before Bed! It probably shouldn’t be surprising after reading my last article on nutrition that eating healthy has an effect on our sleep cycle. A 2011 study indicated that consuming food right before bed can have detrimental effects upon sleep quality (Crispim et al., 2011). I suppose this calls into question an old saying my father used to tell me, “after lunch nap a while, after dinner walk a mile!” Perhaps this would be beneficial since lunchtime napping sleep quality probably isn’t as important as sleeping at nighttime (not to mention, unless you’re in Spain, not too many people have time for naps after lunch!) In any case, allowing your food to digest and giving yourself enough time between your last meal and going to sleep may significantly affect sleep quality. There is a widely diverse ocean of data and studies that overwhelmingly support the notion that better sleep equals better grades. Such aspects of diet, nutrition and sleep should be further encouraged in the classroom as a mechanism to promote healthier lifestyles, and consequently, better grades. The data calls for more research on this topic; however, the current database of literature provides various techniques, such as the aforementioned, to improve sleep quality as a method to increase academic performance. About the AuthorGaurav Dubey is the Founder Executive Producer of BIOLITICS Podcast Biolitics.org. He has his Master's of Science in Biotechnology from Rush Univeristy.He's a publishedstem cell biologist who left his doctoral research to further progress the state of scientific journalism through Biolitics other related endeavors. References Aldabal, L., Bahammam, A. S. (2011). Metabolic, endocrine, and immune consequences of sleep deprivation. The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal, 5 doi:10.2174/1874306401105010031 BaHammam, A. S., Alaseem, A. M., Alzakri, A. A., Almeneessier, A. S., Sharif, M. M. (2012). The relationship between sleep and wake habits and academic performance in medical students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Medical Education, 12(1), 1-6. doi:10.1186/1472-6920-12-61 Black, D. S., O’Reilly, G. A., Olmstead, R., Breen, E. C., Irwin, M. R. (2015). Mindfulness meditation and improvement in sleep quality and daytime impairment among older adults with sleep disturbances: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(4), 494-501. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8081 [doi] Buscemi, N., Witmans, M. (2006). What is the role of melatonin in the management of sleep disorders in children? Paediatrics Child Health, 11(8), 517-519. doi:pch11517 [pii] Crispim, C. A., Zimberg, I., dos Reis, B. G., Diniz, R. M., Tufik, S., de Mello, M. T. (2011). Relationship between food intake and sleep pattern in healthy individuals. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM : Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 7(6), 659-664. doi:10.5664/jcsm.1476 [doi] Curcio, G., Ferrara, M., De Gennaro, L. (2006). Sleep loss, learning capacity and academic performance. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 10 doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2005.11.001 Grover, K., Pecor, K., Malkowski, M., Kang, L., Machado, S., Lulla, R., . . . Ming, X. (2016). Effects of instant messaging on school performance in adolescents. Journal of Child Neurology, 31(7), 850-857. doi:10.1177/0883073815624758 [doi] Harmat, L., Takacs, J., Bodizs, R. (2008). Music improves sleep quality in students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(3), 327-335. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04602.x [doi] Pagel, J. F., Kwiatkowski, C. F. (2010). Sleep complaints affecting school performance at different educational levels. Front Neurol, 1 doi:10.3389/fneur.2010.00125

5 Surprisingly Good College Majors To Consider

5 Surprisingly Good College Majors To Consider ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog MyGuru doesn’t discriminate â€" we provide tutoring in almost all subjects and standardized tests. However, students certainly request tutors in some subjects much more than others. This got me to thinking about the various classes students can take in college, and the various majors to which those classes lead. This is a three-part post that covers two topics: What criteria to use in choosing a college major and 5 example majors which are surprisingly good choices In this post, part 1, we discuss the criteria one should use in choosing a major and the first recommended college major: Philosophy. When I was in college, which was longer ago than I’d care to admit, there were certainly some majors which lacked credibility and/or were viewed as less effective or desirable on the job market. But at the time that students are choosing these majors during their freshman and sophomore years, some significant portion of the student body doesn’t really know what they want to do with their lives yet. Luckily, the process of taking various classes in college has a way of helping determine one’s future career path. But this creates a potential and obvious problem. What if you choose a major which requires you to take relatively specific classes, but then find out you don’t really enjoy that major and the career path to which it leads? What can you do to avoid this situation? Here are some suggestions. If you don’t know exactly what you want to do, you should choose a major which: Doesn’t require highly specialized classes during the sophomore or even freshman year Is difficult, and thus impressive to potential employers Creates options in terms of future career paths You have some reason to believe you are good at You have some reason to believe you will enjoy With these criteria in mind, we’ve developed five recommended college majors. The idea here is to suggest majors that might make you think twice â€" which at first glance seem like risky choices because of a lack of job options or too narrowly focused, but which actually cover most of the points above. I’ll also make a point to compare the suggested major with other, more common majors to explain why my suggestion might be a better option. The college majors we’ll be recommending in this three-part series include: Philosophy Economics History Physics English Suggested Major #1: Philosophy Many people consider Philosophy as a major and immediately dismiss it. They might ask what profession leads directly from a degree in Philosophy. You might say, “well, you can really only hope to go to graduate school, then get your PhD in Philosophy, and become a professor.” That’s certainly an option. But, it’s not the only option. Many people imagine Philosophy majors as abstractly thinking about high level questions that have absolutely no bearing on everyday life â€" why are we here, what does it mean to be good, etc. The end result of this type of thinking is â€" “who in the world would hire a Philosophy major?” Well, I certainly would. Having taken Philosophy classes and received a minor in Philosophy, I’ll tell you that they are not easy classes. They require you to think really hard about scenarios and construct strong arguments. The required amount of analytical thinking and logic is extremely high throughout a Philosophy curriculum. It might be obvious to most people that a Philosophy major reads a lot and writes a lot of papers. What might not be obvious is that they also take more than a few logic classes. Have you ever taken an actual logic class? Well, it comes very close to Math. As a high end business strategy consultant prior to founding MyGuru, my job involved relatively intense analytics â€" mining data, running statistical analyses, looking for insights and trends about the business or industry. At the same time, we needed to communicate and influence our clients, peers, and superiors, through both in-person meetings and written documents. Over the years, I’ve reviewed a lot of resumes and done a lot of interviews with potential business analysts. I’ll tell you that a Philosophy major was much more impressive to me than a Marketing, Business Administration, or Communications majors. I’d argue that the optionality provided by a Philosophy major is much, much higher than many assume. You can get into business, law, and any career involving lots of writing. And, if you want, yes â€" you can become a Philosopher. If you're interested in taking Philosophy courses but may need a tutor to truly understand all of the information and abstract ideas, check here for a list of our tutors who have experience with Philosophy. In our next post, we’ll cover two more recommended majors: Economics and History. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, '6baac2ae-05a3-4610-9d1f-265c8cbd809f', {});

?? How should we learn in schools

?? How should we learn in schools How should we learn in schools? Wanis Kabbaj, a transportation expert, tells us how he imagines a future transport system, in which there are no traffic lights, no lanes, no speed limits and modular cars. Where did he get these ideas? Biology. Our veins and arteries.Watch the TED talk which inspired this article, here.Kabbaj suggests that the best way to find a solution to the lack of space in our cities and the unsustainable pressures on our road networks, is to look to the lessons we can learn from the 60,000 miles of blood vessels inside each of us (which is two and a half times the Earth's circumference, by the way). It seems obvious to look to this as a source of a potential solution, now he has pointed it out at least, but something I know that I would never have thought of.Is this a failing of mine? Probably. But is it one I share with others and, if so, why?It seems to me that, whilst I don't imagine everyone being able to conceptualise artery-like transport networks, this way of thinking is limited by our subject-specific approach to learning, which is prevalent in our modern education system within schools.We are all familiar with the lessons we sat in maths, English, science, geography and so forth. The linear paths of knowledge set out within these subjects are clearly beneficial for teachers and students in the way they allow for knowledge to be built upon over time, moving from the foundations of basic concepts to the intricate awnings of more complex theories. These pathways are clearly important for learning, but should they be the only structure afforded to learners?If children and y oung people are never given the opportunity to refer to learning from other subjects and combine approaches, why would they start doing so as adults? It is true that some students will develop these skills naturally, but should they not be ones that we deliberately foster in our students?Life is rarely split into segmented sections of knowledge, which are applied independently of skills acquired from other disciplines. In schools, however, there is little cross-over between subjects and children are, therefore, not given the opportunity to amalgamate the understanding they have built in geography and science, maths and design, German and art, or in all of the above (okay, so that would be a crazy project, but you can take my point).Many of you, I know, will be screaming out that this sounds like a call for the pendulum to swing back to the project-based learning of yesteryear. It is not. Clearly, as I have already stated, subject-specific learning allows for an important framework f or teaching. But perhaps the pendulum can swing too far in the other direction, if we entirely miss the value this project approach affords to students.Many schools have seen this as a problem and have adapted interesting approaches to reinstating cross-discipline thinking into the curriculum. Google is famous for it's 20% time, in which workers are given a fifth of their working hours to embark upon projects of their choosing. As a teacher at Bradway Primary School, we trialled 20% time with Year Five children, giving them two afternoons a week to work on their own initiatives. Of course, unlike Google, there was a little vetting of the ideas, as we were well aware of the likelihood of some 'less-than-educational' ideas. One group designed and made a Lego chess set.I was, however, astounded at the scale of the children's ambition and the marvellous projects they undertook, which included:A working chess set designed and made out of lego.A paper mache scale model of the solar system.A rally car race planned across Africa.They were asked to present their ideas for sign-off, and had to pitch them to teachers before being allowed to get going. Resources were sourced by themselves, or requested at least 24 hours before the next lesson, demanding project management and co-operation between team members.By allowing children the freedom to choose their own projects, they were wonderfully excited about the afternoons.Most importantly, it gave the pupils a chance to pull together their knowledge from all of their learning and combine it to solve problems or develop new concepts of their own.Some of the projects were dismal. I won't rose tint the picture, as this certainly wasn't an escape from planning or mark ing - these afternoons were some of my most tiring as a teacher! But those who struggled, were the children who had not developed the skills of independent thinking which our modern world demands of them.And it was not always the children who did well in individual subjects who flourished - after all, those children had learnt best in a more structured setting.I am not suggesting that every teacher now starts to give children 20% time, or that we rush to find similar initiatives to launch in every school. Perhaps, however, we should all be contemplating the opportunities we afford children to be freer in their thinking?If we continue to focus solely on the subjects we are individually responsible for, or seek to neatly box ideas as being subject-specific, we miss out on the beauty of the solutions more creative, interdisciplinary thought can achieve. And then who will design our artery-like driverless cars of tomorrow?