PracTutor launches the pre-registration to help students learn Math and English in an adaptive innovative way

Louisville, KY. September 08, 2012 – PracTutor (www.practutor.com) is an adaptive learning platform to help students excel in Math and English. PracTutor was established with just one focus – THE STUDENT. PracTutor is trying to solve the challenge of how can we make any student love, learn and enjoy Math and English.

There are 39 million students in US in K-8 in public and private schools. Only 69% students make it to a high school and less than 70% to a college. Most of them falter at one of the numerous high school or college admission tests.  In college, majority of the students need to take remedial courses in Math and English.

About 40% of the students take some form of Math and English training program to prepare for high school and more than 75% to prepare for college admission tests. The students get frustrated with the narrow focus of such trainings or possible interventions not available when needed. PracTutor experience is personalized and it understands the student’s strengths to challenge them more on their strengths and it understands their weaknesses to eliminate them.

PracTutor is virtually effortless and very intuitive for the student to use. It applies intelligent algorithms to understand the student’s abilities in Math and English and provide practice and training to strengthen their skills. This training is mapped to each and every standard of the common core curriculum. PracTutor involves the parents and the school teacher in the student’s progress and provides all the elements required for the success of the student. A private tutor can help the student whenever they need any help.

“I created PracTutor because I was frustrated after using quite a few after-school Math and English programs for my two sons in Grades 3 and 5, I felt there had to be a better way, a better product and not seeing one, decided to create one.”, said Vatsal Ghiya, co-founder, PracTutor.

“I have seen a lot of my cousins and sons and daughters on my friends struggle with Math and English with numerous programs they work on. All of the training programs seem to be missing one or several elements.

We wanted to provide the entire ecosystem – a complete solution. That is what PracTutor is.”, said Hardik Parikh, co-founder and CEO, PracTutor.

PracTutor’s team comprises experts on Math and English from common core team, web designers, software developers, child psychologists, parents and school administrators.

PracTutor is in development right now and we would like to invite users for beta testing as soon as we have it out.

Watch what we do at http://youtu.be/HTo_D6N-CVI
Take a tour of the product at –http://www.practutor.com/tour
Pre-register using this link - http://www.practutor.com/

About PracTutor

Started in April -2012, PracTutor (www.practutor.com) is an adaptive learning platform to help students excel in Math and English. PracTutor is part of emPower Training Solutions (www.empowerbpo.com) that has been providing online compliance solutions to 100+ healthcare practices and hospitals since the last 4 years.

To learn more about PracTutor follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way
Louisville, KY 40243-2311
http://www.practutor.com

Contact:
Hardik Parikh, Co-founder and CEO
12806 Townepark Way,
Louisville, KY 40243-2311
Direct (502) 400-9374
Email: hardik@practutor.com
Twitter: @hardikvparikh
Blog: http://hardik.practutor.com

All press related inquiries to press@practutor.com

Myths and realities associated with tutoring

Tutoring is a very noble profession. But there are various myths that have been associated with it. In this blog; I have tried to uncover the realities behind these myths so that tutoring can get the distinct position in the education field.

I have always encouraged a healthy discussion in my blogs. Usually the topics have been about children as they are the future of our world. But today this write-up discusses about different myths and realities associated with tutoring. After reading this write-up you will come to understand the relevance of tutoring, the various benefits associated with tutoring neglecting the myths that have been based on false judgment of some people. But through this blog sanity will prevail and I will try to uncover facts that will make you realize that tutoring is also a very important aspect of education sector. But first of all let us try to understand why tutoring has become such a big deal in recent years? We all know that in conventional classroom environment it is not possible for the teacher to concentrate on each and every child and I have already said these thousands of times that the grasping power of each individual is different. Hence; it becomes quite difficult for a teacher to handle so many students in one classroom and answer all their queries. Due to these things there are times when certain students lag behind; and are not able to perform according to their knowledge. During such stages tutoring is required.

So now as you have understood the need for tutoring let me shift my attention to various myths that have been associated with tutoring. I will also try to uncover the realities associated with these myths so that we can get a clear picture in the end as to whether tutoring is required in today’s dynamic education environment or not. So let us start off this journey by discussing these myths and realities:

• Myth 1: Tutoring is only required for laggards

• Reality: Please note that tutoring is provided to children who take longer to grasp things but that do not make them laggards. Moreover; there are examples where even intelligent students have taken tutoring as an option to get more personalized attention and get good knowledge from the subject. No child should feel ashamed while asking help from tutors as this is essential for their overall progress.

• Myth 2: Tutoring is only for rich people

• Reality: There are various families who spend thousands of dollars on private tutors to make the future of their child but that does not mean that tutoring in general is expensive. There are different types of tutoring courses which are provided in accordance to needs of the child through online means. These online courses are very reasonable in cost and finding a relevant online tutor for your child is quite an easy task. You can learn about different pay scales of tutors based on major cities by copying and pasting the link below to a separate browser:

http://blog.tutorspree.com/post/15257341578/state-of-tutoring 

• Myth 3: Tutoring is required only if the teacher is not their job perfectly

• Reality: The reason for hiring a tutor can be different from the skill sets of their teacher. A teacher normally has to handle a classroom filled with large number of students. Hence; it becomes very difficult for them to pay attention to the individual needs of a student. In such cases to derive more knowledge from the subject tutoring is considered as an option. This is not to say that the teacher is not doing their duty properly; it is just that your child needs a little more attention than the other children.

• Myth 4: Tutoring saves students from getting “F” grade

• Reality: Like I have already depicted earlier; a knowledgeable child can also take the help of a tutor. Hence; it is not very important to think about grades when you first enroll for a tutoring course. The ultimate objective should be to gain knowledge from the course. If the child derives the requisite knowledge they will get much higher grade than F in their tests and exams.

• Myth 5: Tutoring takes lots of time

• Reality: Always remember that quantity does not ensure quality. Hence; even an hour’s study on a lesson can have an everlasting impression on the minds of the child. Once the child develops confidence in the tutoring style of the tutor it becomes very easy to enhance their confidence and make them learn new topics easily. Most tutors also give adequate amount of time to ensure that the child gets desired attention from them and get requisite knowledge from the course.

• Myth 6: Tutoring will solve all the problems of the child

• Reality: Tutors are not walking encyclopedia, they cannot provide answers to each and every problem of the child. But if you stay in contact with the teacher at school and ask them about the weaknesses of the child then they can be overcome with the help of tutors. Tutors will make your child develop independent quality to solve problems; and apply their knowledge, to get the desired resolution after understanding their weak points; and work on the improvement of these points.  

Hence; after going through these myths and realities I can safely conclude that tutors are required in today’s educational field. But they should be selected quite wisely after proper scrutinization. I would like to conclude this blog by mentioning a quote from Thomas Jane,

“We always need more tutors, because there are students who are waiting for a tutor to help them improve their reading, writing, math, or basic computer skills."

If you wish to provide your feedback and comments on this blog; follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor, http://hardik.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way

Louisville, KY 40243-2311

United States

http://www.practutor.com

Envisioning creative end of the chapter activities for children through online tutoring

In my blogs; I have always enumerated different ways through which online learning can be made better through creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. This write-up is no different; except that it includes certain points which will help online tutors to create out-of-the-box end of the chapter activities for children.

How many times I have been discussed about the need for creativity in online courses during my blogs. But have I ever spoken about the need for originality in developing end of the chapter activities for children? Teaching a child is the most difficult task, more so; if yours is an online course. But the toughest job is to make a child to homework; which we call as end of the chapter activities in online education. If you have made the child interested in the course; then half of your job is completed as you have already created the curiosity in the child. That also means that a major burden of your shoulder has lighten; but it is not the end of the hurdle. The bigger test is to make the child like the activities after the chapter ends.

It is possible that the child may develop lack of interest in doing the activities which you think will help him gain additional knowledge from the activity. But the difficult part is that you can never be there with the child to make him/her understand the importance of doing these activities earnestly. So what is the possible option left to you? I have already researched a lot and found that majority of e-learning course providers have a quiz at the end of the chapter which gives an assessment to the child about their grasping power. But don’t you think that if you were in their shoes; you would have studied only to get through the quiz in flying colors without worrying about gaining knowledge from the course. If that is the case then what is the big difference between class room education and online education. Since there are many students in a class, teacher cannot concentrate on each and every child hence; children need extra help of joining a tutoring class. Now if an online tutor cannot help the child and provide the requisite knowledge to them; then I cannot possibly understand the need for enrolling in the online course at the first instance.

Now what we need is an innovative solution to this problem which is not easy; but it is possible. The only reason for me to continue writing this blog is to find creative ideas for online tutoring; so that children can enjoy studying online in a fun-filled manner. But the current teaching mechanisms are very far from the benchmark that I have set while envisioning a great online course with creative end of the chapter activities for children. You can always try to include something different something unique; and mix them with the orthodox teaching techniques to make a winning recipe for children. It is all about thinking like a child as discussed in my every blog. That is the secret to making a connection with them. Without that it is impossible to get the desired results from your course. So let me now provide various activities that can make you stand out from your online competitors; and make you instant fans amongst parents and children:

For English: I have already discussed in my previous blog titled “Determining a breakthrough teaching mechanism for English online tutors”; that there should be an innovative way of teaching children. In fact I have already discussed some breakthrough ideas in that blog. Now the major challenge is to go a step further and create end of the chapter activities for children so that they are still interested in the chapters after getting through the chapters. One way of doing that is; by showing couples of minutes of footages of animated story created out of the lessons; and then ask them to write the dialogues for each of the characters without changing the story line. The other alternative is to give them match the following kind of stuff; wherein you show animated images of characters in the lesson and ask them to match the characterization of each individual without browsing through the animated series of the chapter. This way child will love to engage in the activities; and will not feel it as just another way of evaluation. Try to fix a minimum criterion that the child needs to meet before proceeding further. This will give them an opportunity to know whether they have gained expertise in that chapter. Even if they are not able to achieve the minimum criterion there is nothing to worry. They can see the animated series of the lessons once again; and then try to give their best in the activities; so that maximum knowledge can be gained from the activities.

The sole objective of conducting the activities at the end of the lessons is to make sure that the child retains the story-line and gain knowledge from the chapters thereby; getting insights from them. The other way of looking at it is giving something different to the children; so that they can enhance their creativity and showcase their talent. This can be done by asking them to write the synopsis of the animated series in their own words, mentioning the role of central characters in the story and the moral behind the story. This way children would be able to retain the lessons for a longer period of time without much effort. 

For Math: Now this is a very sticky situation because it is very difficult to design engaging activities for children especially if we talk about Math as a subject in online tutoring. But since I have already discussed about innovative activities that can be done for English it is only natural to showcase different innovative ways through which Math education can also be made fun-based for children. Now as far as activities are concerned they would go in the line as discussed in my previous blog titled “Challenging task of making math a fun-loving activity for students”. Since I have already discussed innovative methods of making Math an interesting subject to teach in online tutoring. Let me go a step further to evaluate different activities that can add a new feather to Math education; as far as end of the chapter activities for children are concerned. So let me start off with the activities.

Remember when you were 10-15 years old you were fond of various super-heroes. So we will use the same concept in our activities. For example; if we are talking about division problems. Then the activities would be something like this: 

Batman is fighting a supreme battle in the Gotham City against Bane, a ruthless monster who wants to take down the Gotham City with a nuclear bomb. Now if Bane has planted 4 different nuclear bombs in different locations of Gotham City and Batman has only 2 occasions to find out the exact location before the bombs diffuse; how many tries does he have in total to save Gotham City from the nemesis from happening?

This can be a very interesting division problem; and but it cannot be that simple for a 10 year old to solve but it will keep them engaged in the problem and get the solution. I will give you another example of fraction to showcase that these kinds of activities can not only be creative; but also enriching for the critical thinking of the child as discussed in my previous blog on Math titled ““Challenging task of making math a fun-loving activity for students”. 

Captain Jack Sparrow is joined by Angelica to search for fountain of youth. But the only glitch is that once they are there they will have to encounter a fatal encounter with a “one-legged man”. Now there are also mermaids in the story which are quite vicious. The trick to get to the fountain of youth; and get eternal youth is to get tears of sorrow from one of the mermaids and put it in a cup and drink it. Now this is not an easy thing because they are vicious and attack individuals like predators. So if there are six people including Jack, Angelica, Mermaid, One-legged man, Phillip Swift (who falls in love with the mermaid) and BlackBeard, who practices voodoo magic and yields a magical sword to control the ship. Who amongst these six will be able to get eternal youth? The only problem is there can only be one person that can gain eternal youth. Find out who amongst these six individuals would be that lucky person?

The answer is quite simple; 1/6. But for a 10 year old the most fascinating part would be to imagine being in the adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow; and trying to figure out the eventual winner who gets eternal youth out of the six participants.

Although the examples that I have given are based on movies you can create your own fictional characters. But bear in mind that children should be fond of the characters. These characters should have some sort of connection with children like Batman and Captain Jack Sparrow. This can lead to further enhancement of knowledge in children in a very creative and interesting way. Similarly different examples can be given for solving problems and puzzles by giving interesting characterization to children.

In the end I would conclude this blog by saying a very famous quote by Vincent van Gogh,

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” 

So always think big and try to go out of the way and follow your dreams; because they are not just visions or hallucinations but they are your pathway to future success.

If you wish to share your opinions and comments follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor,  http://hardik.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way

Louisville, KY 40243-2311

United States

http://www.practutor.com

Four Illuminating Guidelines For Successful Online Teachers

Online learning has become a trend in recent times. With that the importance of online teaching has increased. In this article; we look at various guidelines which will be helpful for successful online teaching.

Online education has become a holy grail for many K-12 educators. With the advancement in technology, e-learning has become 21st century learning tool which not only provides enchanted learning but it also transforms education to another level. Hence; online teaching has become one of the most important jobs in recent times. There are special sets of skill and attitude required for online teachers. Let us look at some of the key criteria required to become a successful online teacher:

• Personalized contact: Classroom teaching and online teaching are totally different from each other. In classroom teaching there is a huge opportunity for the students to have one-on-one interaction with their teachers. But in case of online teaching, the only way to make your message personalized is through email. Online teachers need to have a far greater confidence and emotional security in terms of their professional competency. Online teachers need to work hard to personalize their message as far as possible so that students do not think of it as a robotic interaction.
• Know thy students: It is always advisable for the online teachers to know the strengths and weaknesses of each of their students individually by communicating effectively with the students. This will help them to have clear and to the point communication with the students. They can even track the performance of the student at an individual level.
• Lose complete control: Classroom teaching enables teachers to gain complete control over the students and get the task done beautifully. However; in case of online teaching, there is no control over the teaching pattern. The students have the choice of selecting independently when to study and take quizzes. Even in traditional classroom teaching there are chances of cheating more so in case of online teaching. But if the online teachers are able to convey their message to the students about the satisfaction and benefits derived from the courses then there is a tremendous potential for them. But if coercive techniques are used to extract information from the students then it becomes very difficult for the online teachers to get the desired results.
• 24 x 7 support: Online teaching is more of a lifestyle than a job. It is very difficult for online teachers to set reasonable boundaries on their workday. If a student runs into trouble the basic instinct is to help them as soon as possible. Majority of times online support is asked by the student from 10 pm to midnight.

Online teaching is a specialized job. It not only caters to providing innovative education solutions to the students instantly; but it also takes the sphere of 21st century learning to another level.

To learn more about PracTutor follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor, http://www.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way
Louisville, KY 40243-2311
United States
http://www.practutor.com
http://hardik.practutor.com