L.O.A.S.H’s Guide to (nearly) Everything: Reading How to Read

Quote of AWESOMENESS: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

!school edition!

 

Reading may be difficult at times, however, with a proper game plan this process may not be as painful. Okay, I’m overreacting a little bit here. Reading is awesome! There are some many books out there that inspire, teach, and share so much amazing stories and information. Aside from books, there are also great blogs (*cough* L.O.A.S.H. *cough*), articles, and more to learn from.

Now, time to read how to read. Here are some tips!

 

~ BEFORE READING ~

– Attitude –  

Okay, before you start reading (or, really before you start anything that you want to go well) it’s always best to start with a positive attitude. If you’re complaining and keeping a bad mood, this attitude influences that way you feel which then leads you to affect what you remember and have learned what you’ve read negatively.

 

– Scheduling –

Create a reading schedule! Put aside some time every day for reading. This is a good habit to form. This will help you to spread out the reading over a course of time.

 

– Preview – 

Before you read through, skim through it first. Notice all the bolds, words in italics, in all CAPS, and what seems to stand out.

 

– Questions – 

It is very helpful to take down questions you may have while you read to retain the information before you better.

 

 

~ DURING READING ~

– Chunk it – 

Don’t just go through the motions and stop just looking at it word for word. Read the ideas. Where are these founds? Ideas are found in groups of words. So, remember, read in chunks!

 

– Stop, Reflect, Summarize – 

As you finish each section of what you’ve read, pause. Think back on what you’ve just read and summarize it.

 

– Answers – 

Remember the list of questions you may have made? Now is the time to answer them!

 

– Mark & Annotate your text – 

As you read, highlight the important information you find.

Ask yourself:

“What are the key concepts?”

“What are the supporting ideas?”

 

– Notes – 

Going through the reading, take some notes. If there are any definitions that don’t seem familiar, look it up, and jot down what it means.

 

 

~ AFTER READING ~

Reflect on what you’ve read. Ask questions about what you’ve read to see if you can answer them. Reread the difficult passages to fully comprehend it, you may have to do this a couple of times. Recite the highlighted areas out loud. Talk about what you just read and explain the main ideas to someone. 

And, there you have it!

 

These tips are really great for studying! I hope you enjoyed reading how to read 🙂

 

 stay awesome peoples

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H
© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

Understanding a book: Points of Views

This is, once again, from the Well – Educated Mind.

In several books and stories, you will encounter the different types of views and aspects. And, to fully comprehend a book, I suggest the best idea is to understand from which and angle and what view are you reading from. I’m going to introduce to you the 5 basic points of views:

1. First – Person:
   1. Uses “I”
   2. Immediate but limited point of view
   3. Hear the thoughts of this character
   4. Only see the story through the eyes of this character
   5. You will only know the facts this certain character is aware of
2. Second – Person:
   1. Uses “You”
   2. Not commonly used in books
   3. More commonly used in interactive stories or adventure games
   4. Keeps you, the reader, closely acquainted & involved with the story
   5. Cutting reflection of the past
3. Third – Person:
   1. Also known as, third – person subjective
   2. Uses he or she
   3. A bit of distance from story
   4. Different points of view of different characters
   5. Multiple perspectives
4. Third – Person Objective
   1. Tells story from a far and distant perspective
   2. Narrator sees everything like hovering over the whole story world
   3. Narrator cannot describe what the characters are thinking or feeling
5. Omniscient Point of View
   1. Not commonly used in this century
   2. More commonly used in the 19th century
   3. The write makes you see and hear everything most commonly described as a god

Gap Year: Pros and Cons

What is a gap year (A.K.A a sabbatical year )?

Usually, it’s a year after finishing high school and before college where you take your time off school. Yay. But, it originated in “United Kingdom in the 1970’s as a way to fill the 7 or 8 month gap between final exams and the beginning of university. The intention in the UK for that time was to contribute to the development of the student usually through an extended international experience.” (Source: A.G.A). After United Kingdom started the gap year, America then followed.

There are various reasons for a student to take a gap year.

WORK & JOB EXPERIENCES 

One of the reasons a student would go on a gap year would be to have more work experience. For example, if a student were to try various types of jobs and learn from it, the experiences that the student has learned will be added to his/her resume, and, since a student has already the experience in working in different places, it will be simpler for the student to adapt when he starts working after school.

TRAVEL | EXPLORE | LEARN

Aside from work, students just want to have fun and travel. Some students just want to check new places, learn new languages and meet new friends!!! Just stay away from super over – friendly dudes. Also, the feeling of traveling and being ‘free’ (for an amount of time) from school and studies and just checking out the world could give the student an idea of a place or country he/she may want to stay in the future. But, remember, you won’t be pulled into a magical place where it’s easy to travel and all, nothing is free. Save up now for your future gap years. ^__^

LIFE GOALS | RISKS

Another reason for taking a gap year is ticking some of those boxes of your bucket list! Explore. Most of the students that take the sabbatical year also choose to push their limits and take chances. Students get this push to take risks and explore their options when they are alone and feel adventurous. Just make sure you will be prepared in an accident, that will be some of the consequences! Be aware of your surroundings (and, maybe, even learn some first aid and self – defence before going out into the world).

 

 

So, would you want to take a gap year? Why? Some people say that it is better for a student to go on a gap year before college to learn new things and find out (maybe) what they want to do in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

University with No Teachers: “A miracle?”

Would you think a University with no teacher is cool? Would you, let’s say, ‘survive’ better? Well, if you’re searching for a school with zero teachers, then you need to know that there is a teacher – free school that opened in Paris in 2013 and there is another one of these schools that opened in California around October 2016. Lets try it?

Also, one of the benefits, there is no tuition fee! I think this is what they call magic. Ca- Wait! I haven’t even told you the name of this school yet! They call this school, 42. The school was founded by a French technology Billionaire called Xavier Niel and apparently, according to BBC News, the school’s name was inspired by  “the answer to the meaning of life, from the science fiction series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. Okay, so there’s no teacher, no tuition fee and they named the school 42!

Most of the graduates that have graduated from 42 have entered the big game, like, IBM, Amazon, and Tesla, as well as starting their own firms. I think this really give students big chances to really leap out into the world and take chances and become successful. There are hundreds of students struggling through their university going through debt and that’s why there are a lot of people happy with 42 as it give students ranging from 18 – 30 a chance to have good education with free accommodation and tuition. Yes, a place to stay…..for free.

If you want to learn more on 42 then I suggest you check:

• BBC News
• 42 (You can read more about how they work here)
• 42 US(There is a video on the review on 42)

Finland Education

Surprisingly, while Finland’s schools don’t have tests, inspections, uniforms or fees, they are known and ranked as the top best schools in the world. While other schools deal with their students with standardized tests, stress, and competition, Finland had done the opposite, such as, having collaborations, showing warmth and getting teachers who encourage rather than let down, and with this new tactic, Finland has been receiving very surprising results.

Aside from the results of the students who graduate and most students having one of the highest test scores in the world, the school also affects the teachers, in a good way. Let’s compare US and UK to Finland:

The United States and the United Kingdom:

• Crowded rooms
• 85% of students are reading below grade level
• Pricey for students
• British students face bills as high as £9,000!
• Teachers are undervalued
• Teachers are burned out
• Teachers Overwork
• Teachers are underpaid
• Teachers sometimes need 2 jobs

And, research has shown that 50% of their teachers have quit their jobs after 5 years.

Finland:

• Free tuition
• Free meals
• Free transport
• Free books
• No uniforms, no extra payment
• Teachers customize their curriculum
• Teachers can work one on one with the student
• Teachers get their own office
• Teachers are highly respected, students thrive

Also, research has shown that 90% of the teachers working in Finland have stayed in their area of work their whole career. Also, according to Independent, they mentioned that “in Finland, the profession commands a great deal of respect, with applicants needing a master’s degree to teach, in line with doctors and lawyers. “. Apparently, everyone interested in the field of teaching others wants to work in Finland. Who wouldn’t? The teachers are brilliant and the school’s are 100% state funded.

Aside from the fact the teachers are very well respected and that few applicants are accepted which this builds more confidence and give a boost of motivation for the teachers who were given the opportunity, I wanted to go over the ages and the grades in Finland. So, the age when a kid starts is at 7. Maybe, you re-read the last sentence back there because I made no mistake I really meant 7. You might think that they would be delayed, but even I was proven wrong to think about it. The reason for this is that at age seven, they are at a certain stage where they get to understand, and, are more developed and ready to jump in and learn. It is scientifically proven. Nine years of compulsory (which means by law) school is then followed after the first year. Once the student has reached the age of 16, they are then given 3 choices and, according to Filling My Map, the three choices are:

Upper Secondary School:  This three-year program prepares students for the Matriculation Test that determines their acceptance into University.  Students usually pick which upper secondary school they would like to attend based on the school’s specialties and apply to get into that institution.  I think of this as a mixture of High School and College.  (In recent years a little less than 40% choose this option.)

Vocational Education:  This is a three-year program that trains students for various careers, as well as gives them the option to take the Matriculation test to apply for university.  However, the students in this track, are usually content with their skill and either enter the workforce or they go on to a Polytechnical College to get further training. (A little less than 60% choose this track.)

Enter the workforce. (Less than 5% choose this path)

Which path would you choose? I think entering the workforce is pretty wicked, but, I’m going with Vocational Education. I was really interested in joining the Vocational Education, especially with all its pros. One more thing, Less === More. Here is an extended version which supports the idea of Less = More by Filling My Map:

1.  Less Formal Schooling = More Options

2.  Less Time in School = More Rest

3.  Fewer Instruction Hours = More Planning Time

4.  Fewer Teachers  = More Consistency and Care 

5.  Fewer Accepted Applicants= More Confidence in Teachers

6.  Fewer Classes= More Breaks

7. Less Testing = More Learning

8. Fewer Topics = More Depth

9.  Less Homework = More Participation 

10.  Fewer Students = More Individual Attention

11.  Less Structure =  More Trust

Okay! Well, that’s the end of it! Comment down below on which choice you would pick if you were in Finland. And, if you think their ways of teaching is awesome please comment as well!!! Bye!

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H