Monday, June 23, 2014

Excel in Pages Listed on Nigerian Blogs Awards

Yours dearest has been listed on the Nigerin Blog Awards site. Although the listing doesnt't qualify the site for any award yet, it is a positive step in that direction.

Excel in Pages features educational and instructional articles for the consumptions of Nigerians and the general internet users who want to improve their academic performance, succeed in ther exams or improve in their character.

The listing would be the first for me, but i hope to go on to win in my segment of the bloggers award and then proceed on to the African bloggers award.
the Nigerian Blog Awards was created to celebrate Nigerian bloggers and their contents.

Excelinpages.blogspot.com is listed under the educational and instructional blogs section.
To view this, go to Nigerian Blog Awards, click About then list of Nigerian blogs or go straight to Nigeria Blog Awards

Monday, June 16, 2014

Ten Signs You Need a Private Tutor

Wikipedia defines a tutor as an instructor who gives private lessons. Shadow education is a pejorative name for private supplementary tutoring that is offered outside the mainstream education system.
Private tutoring has come of age, Egyptians were known to hae practiced this form of learning. Today many families still rely on private tutors to equip their children for the future.

In case you are wondering, when do i need a tutor for my kid. Here are a few sign that should make you consider hiring a private tutor .



# When you child is getting over familiar with you 
Remember the old saying, "familiarity brings contempt" well even with you kids the same princple applies. Your should begin to suspect this when your child begisn to take assignments unseriously and sleeps when you are the one teaching.

#When you are too busy
This is onw time when we want to be responsible parent but other demands are on our neck. This is a good opportunity to hire a tutor.

#When mummy is expecting a baby
Pregnancy can be very stressful, so couples can agree to get a helping hamd with the kids homework and stuff when mummy is pregnant and some months after her delivery.

#When you childs school is crowded
a crowded class means that your child would not be able to get the full attention of the teacher. When you notice this and you still don't want to pull your child out of the school, you can setle for a tutor. You can also read about what to consider before enrolling your child in a new school here.

#If you just hate teaching
Actually not all parents are good at teaching, that is where professionally trained or experiencec tutors come in. They would take the stress of forcing yourself to do what you don't enjoy.

#When your child takes special subjects in school
Your child may be taking a special subject such as music classes or a language class that you as a parent is not familiar with. A tutor familiar in that area will surely be a relief.

#When your child is physically challenged
Physically challenged or disabled children need special attention. A great way to solve this problem is to get a tutor who is experienced in handling children with disabilities. A professional tutor or teacher should be able to solve and help such a child.

#When there is a big exam coming up
Yeah! some big exams require extra study and preparation, this is a time to consider a tutor. Example are WAEC, NECO, JAMB and the likes.

#When you have the cash
Money does answer all things, if you have got cash and are hoping to add extra value to your kids learning, a splash on acquring a private tutor is a big plus. Guess what, old Greek warriors, generals and even kings usually had tutors too.

#If it is recommended
Some children are quite slow in picking up things and can thereby slow down the pace of learning of others. A school's administartion may recommend you getting an extra hand for your ward, kindly follow the recommendations.

I do hope you found this piece quite usefu either for you or some other person. Don't forget to share.
I would also like to know if you know any other sign that shows  a need for a private tutor, drop it as a comment.


Monday, June 09, 2014

Reading Novels - a boost to Your Brain


Neuroscientists have discovered that reading fictional novels can improve the functions of the brain function on different levels.
The recent research, the brain benefits of reading fiction was conducted at Emory University. The study titled, “Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain,” was recently published in the journal Brain Connectivity.
Researchers discovered that becoming engrossed in a novel boosts connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. Interestingly, reading fiction was found to improve the reader’s ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes and expand the imagination in a way that is similar to the visualization of a muscle memory in sports.
Carol Fitzgerald of the Book Report Network said: “People are interested in escape. In a number of pages, the story will open, evolve and close, and a lot of what’s going on in the world today is not like that. You’ve got this encapsulated escape that you can enjoy.”

source: psychologytoday.com

Monday, June 02, 2014

Some Useful Tips on Effective Note Taking

Hello, its me again your friendly academic
excellence OP. Today I want to share simple
nuggets, yes nuggets because you may have
known them but not applied them before.
First, note taking is an act of memory boosting, the
truth is that no matter how good you are you just
can't store everything up on the brain. By the way,
when your brain has reached saturation point, it
goes to shot down mode. Think of it as that time
when everything comes in through one ear and
goes out through the other.
Simple secrets.!
#1 Rest - when it comes to brain efficiency,
nothing works like rest.
#2 Eat - simple but easily neglected, and please
not balance stomach ..
#3 Watch out for noise- noisy areas reduce brain
assimilation rate. A simple trick is to plug
earphones playing cool, I mean cool music.
#4 Watch out for distractions - such as traffic,
friends! yeah friends. Television and those things
that easily captures your attention.
#5 The smaller the better- if you want to improve
memory, remember this golden rule. the smaller
the better. If you have to upload lots of information
up into the brain, break it into sizeable chunks.
I hope you find this useful be you a student,
working class or just layman.
Feel free to share and ask questions.
Your friendly Academic Excellence Coach.