University of Toronto Tuten Tai Chi School - Live and Online

University of Toronto Tuten Tai Chi School - Live and OnlineThe University of Toronto Tuten Tai Chi School offers two full-time, live and online programs in Tai Chi. The instructor that is going to teach you the exercises and meditation, will be someone that has been trained in Tzu Chi and is a certified Tuten Tai Chi teacher. In order to get started with Tai Chi Tuten Tai Chi School, you are going to need to meet a few prerequisites first.First, you need to either have a computer, or a Bluetooth enabled phone, and an Internet connection. If you are interested in the full-time program, then you may need to meet with a tutor in person, as there is no online program available right now. For those that would like to do the online program, you need to log on to the University of Toronto Tuten Tai Chi School website, and fill out the registration form. You will be able to find out how many students are taking the course, the cost, and how long it will take to complete.Once you have found your class schedule, you need to determine if you can come into the campus, or if you would like to come to the school. Once you know what your options are, then you can decide if you want to enroll online, or if you are going to be taking the class on campus. Since online students need to go to the classroom, you will not get the same benefit as someone that took the class in person.On top of that, if you are going to be doing the class on campus, you will need to be more flexible when classes are over. If you are going to be using the live tutor, and you cannot go back to campus when class is ending, then you may have to be ready to cancel.This is the advantage of the online option. In addition to that, you can find out about what type of student you are going to be once you have signed up for the online program. If you are going to be the type of student that can take the class at anytime, you can be sure that you will have the proper time that is required to complete the program . Those that want the program to be complete as soon as possible can find out about the speed of the online program.Those that are committed to doing the program at the exact time that is expected, can be guaranteed to have the best results with the online program. This is because you will not have to rush through the program, since it is going to be done by someone that has been trained in Tzu Chi.The University of Toronto Tuten Tai Chi School provides both a full-time and online program. Students can choose which one they want to do, and the choice of which program is going to provide them with the benefits that they need.

Get Ahead - Phrasal Verb of the Day

Get Ahead - Phrasal Verb of the Day Todays phrasal verb of the day is: Get AheadInfinitive form: Get AheadPresent Tense: Get Ahead/ Gets Aheading form: Getting AheadPast tense: Got AheadPast Participle: Gotten Ahead/ Got AheadGet Ahead is an inseparable English phrasal verb. It can be used in the following way:When you become successful in the professional environment and make good consistent progress in your life1.  Some people get ahead by mischievous ways while others really work hard for it.2. They say that time does not matter in getting ahead. What matters is you are consistent in your efforts to succeed and rarely stay down for too long. You want to win the game of life slowly but surely.Exercises: Write your answers in comments and we will correct them.iframe width=560 height=315 src=//www.youtube.com/embed/yJFx7BvL8jY?rel=0 frameborder=0 allowfullscreen/iframeFill in the gaps from the video above:No wonder you ___ _____.Complete the sentences below with the correct form of Get Ahead.1. What is your secret in _____ ____ so fast?2. ______ ______ is part of the plan, but it shouldnt be the main plan, since there are other important things too.3. Amanda _____ ____ by working diligently everyday without faltering.4. To ____ ____ in advertising means to have an edge and be smart about how you do business.5. Sure, you _____ ____last time, but this time, its my turn.Change the example sentences above to negative sentences (or positive, if the sentence is already negative). Then change them to questions.

5 reasons why you should teach in China

5 reasons why you should teach in China China isn’t just home to the world’s oldest civilization, with a rich cultural heritage (and delicious food). It’s also a great location for new and experienced teachers alike looking to teach English abroad. As the fastest growing market for teachers abroad right now, with an estimated 300 million students learning English, it’s not hard to see why China remains the holy grail for licensed teachers and ESL teachers the world over. So, why the massive growth in the Chinese ESL industry? As China’s economy continues to grow exponentially and trade with other countries increases, the number of Chinese people looking to learn English - the international language of business - shows no sign of slowing down. English language learners in China are also getting younger by the year, as Chinese parents increasingly realize that the ability to speak English fluently can offer their children a better chance of acceptance into universities overseas and a well-paid job in the future. Recent estimates show an additional 100,000 teachers are needed in China right now - meaning there are more teaching jobs in China than qualified teachers. Without further ado, let’s quickly cover five reasons why China should be at the top of your list of countries to teach abroad. China is set to be a powerful influence in the global marketplace. While having international teaching experience, in general, can benefit your resume, it’s an undeniable fact that over the past few decades, China has risen to be a global power player. This means that having Chinese work experience on your resume can give you a competitive edge in the global job market. Teaching in China also gives you a chance to immerse yourself in one of the most universally useful world languages - Mandarin language lessons are often subsidized by teaching programs in China. There are plenty of big-city options for teachers abroad. English teachers, whether newly graduated or experienced, are in high demand in China. At Teach Away, we regularly recruit for teaching positions in various cities across China. It’s truly a teacher’s market - some of the world's most rapidly evolving and cosmopolitan cities are in China. You could opt for a teaching job in the bustling capital, Beijing, Suzhou, with its vibrant expat community, coastal Shanghai or tropical Guangzhou. Check out our guide to teaching locations in China for more on these great cities. The cost of living is cheap. The average cost of living in China is much lower than many western countries. The low living costs, in combination with special expat tax rates, means teachers in China can enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle, travel on weekends or holidays and still set savings aside for the future. Teachers get great pay and benefits. Chinese teaching programs are keen to recruit teachers abroad - and it shows in the compensation packages offered to expat teachers. Not only are teaching salaries steadily on the rise in China (full-time teachers can command anywhere from $2,100 - 2,800 USD each month) many schools offer extra perks like free flights, housing, vacation, bonuses and health insurance. The travel opportunities are endless. It’s no big secret that China is one of the world’s most fascinating countries, boasting the second highest number of UNESCO heritage sites in the world. Not only can you experience China’s rich culture and traditions first hand - Asia happens to be a massive, diverse place with the widest range of travel options in the world, so it’s worth keeping an eye on cheap flights and airfare deals! Looking to kick start your job hunt? Check out our site for the latest teaching jobs in China and get applying today!

Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied Languages

Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied Languages Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied Languages You loved that band before they hit it big.You were a regular at that bar before the hipsters found it.Yeah, yeah.Its great to be ahead of the curve.But sometimes going mainstream is underrated.Take language learning. While it can be very rewarding to study lesser known languages, there are also definite benefits to jumping on a big ol bandwagon.Not convinced?Well, sit back, take a sip of that kombucha you knew about before Whole Foods started carrying it, and well walk you through seven of the worlds most studied languages and what makes them so valuable for their many students. How Do Some Languages Get So Popular?There’s a correlation between a language’s popularity and the number of countries where its spoken. It makes perfect senseâ€"the more widespread a language is, the more potential opportunities it offers to language learners.Then there are languages that offer specific advantages to their speakers. For example, some languages can open up career opportunities or broad en your professional connections across the global economy. Others are great for travel and become favorites of anyone with wanderlust. Some are needed for educational requirements or just personal goals (crossing items off a bucket list is always a plus!).Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied LanguagesIf one of these languages interests you, immersive learning (surrounding yourself with the written and spoken language) is the fastest way to join its community of students. Of course, if you arent currently located in an area where its spoken, immersions a lot harder to achieve.  FluentU  is a great way to mimic the immersion experience no matter where you areâ€"it offers authentic videos like movie trailers, music videos, inspiring talks and more.Each video comes with interactive captions, flashcards and exercises, so you’re  actively building your vocabulary while you absorb the native sounds of the language. FluentU also keeps track of your learning and suggests m ore videos that’ll suit your level and goals. Better yet, you can take this personalized and immersive language practice anywhere  with the FluentU mobile app.FluentU has programs for the popular languages that we’ll cover below, including Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian  and English, among others.Throughout this post, well be using  statistics about language study and speaker populations from this  Washington Post article, unless indicated otherwise.FrenchNumber of learners: 82 millionFrench is the only language other than English that’s spoken on five continents! Total, more than 220  million people speak French, making it the sixth most widely spoken language in the world.Many language learners are interested in French because its a smart investment.  French is one of the fastest growing languages in the world, with 750 million people expected to speak it by 2050.According to the  Financial Times, French is also one of the languages thats in dem and among businesses in the U.K., so this is a great option if youre located there and want to expand your professional opportunities without moving.Fun fact: When the French Revolution took place, not all French citizens spoke the nations mother tongue. In fact, 75 percent spoke something other than French. And until the 1800s  people in Holland and Germany spoke more French than people living in some parts of France did. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? But the language made up for all that, with French speakers tripling since 1945.The surge in popularity looks poised for even further expansion!ChineseNumber of learners: 30 million16 percent of the global populationâ€"or 1.39 billion peopleâ€"speak Chinese as a native or additional language. It’s no wonder that numbers so high, considering China is the most populous nation in existence, with more than 1.3 billion citizens.Chinese has a reputation as being difficult for English speakers to learn, but that may be a misconception. Becau se Chinese has no verb tenses and no gender rules to memorize, among other elements, its actually a great option if you want to learn a new language without tearing your hair out over grammar.You probably wont be surprised that Chinese also carries significant potential in the business world. (Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is a Chinese language learner!) China is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures, yet its jettisoned itself into position as a global economic powerhouse. The Great Wall is the backdrop to newly-emerging business opportunities.Fun fact:  There are over 50,000 written Chinese characters! When I was in China I spent a lot of time admiring the characters and photographing them. I didn’t understand a word but they were still highly intriguing.SpanishNumber of learners: 14.5 millionThere are  389 million total Spanish speakers. Spanish is the official language of 21 nations.But you dont need to be located in Spain or Latin America for the lang uage to be useful to you. Did you know the U.S. actually has more Spanish speakers than Spain doesâ€"and is projected to be the country with the most Spanish speakers anywhere by the year 2050?These facts make Spanish an especially popular language for residents of the U.S. looking for employment opportunities or those who just  want to be able to communicate with more of their neighbors.But how about if you want to expand your communication abilities beyond physical boundaries?  Spanish is the third most widely used language on the internet behind English and Chinese!Many English speakers also choose Spanish because its considered one of the less difficult or time consuming to learn. The FSI (Foreign Service Institute) ranks it as a Category 1 languageâ€"easy to learn with only 600 hours of study time needed to achieve proficiency.Fun fact:  It’s helpful to know that Spanish is called both Español (Spanish) and  Castellano (Castilian). A language that needs two names? Definitely noteworthy!GermanNumber of speakers:  14.5 millionThere are  132 million native German speakers and 95 percent of Germany’s population speaks German as their  first language.Many business sectors involve German companies. BMW, Adidas, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, among others, are German-owned so people whore thinking of working for some of these economic biggies often consider the language behind the companies to be useful.German is also a vocabulary-lover’s dream! There are several amazingly long words in the languageâ€"they’re probably not easily pronounced by beginning learners but are loads of fun to learn, regardless.Fun fact:  Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften (an insurance company providing legal protection) is considered Germans longest word, even though its not actually in the dictionary. Let’s just hope we never get that one on a spelling test!ItalianNumber of learners: 8 millionItalian has 67 million total speakers.  Italy’s thriving economy and its pla ce as a solid market for U.S. exports make this beautiful language a contender among internationally-minded learners as well as academics and culture-lovers.We all realize that Italys famous for its art and culture. Thats been the case since the Roman Empire. But present-day Italy melds both the old-world treasures (Michelangelo, anyone?) with economic openings that anyone with a working fluency of the language could find life-changing.Fun fact:  If you’re wondering how this language spread across Italy and Europe, wonder no more. Dante’s famous “Divine Comedy” is widely credited for the spread of the Italian language. Today, 15 percent of the Italian words in use can be traced back to the man some consider the father of the Italian language.JapaneseNumber of speakers: 3 millionAcross the world, 123 million people speak Japanese as a native or additional language.There are many factors that motivate learners to undertake Japanese. Some reasons are fairly basic, and range fro m employment opportunities to educational exchange programsâ€"popular organizations like the JET Programme  make it possible for English speakers to live and work within Japanese communities while improving their language skills.Another motivation that fuels many language learners is the desire to understand Japanese anime in its original language.Fun fact:  There are two major dialects of this melodic language, Eastern Japanese and Western Japanese.EnglishNumber of learners: 1.5 billionEnglish is the most-studied language. Its the only language that tallies more than a billion students.Across the globe, more than 520 million speak English as a native or additional language, and it’s the official language of more than 50 countries.It’s no surprise that English is so popular or heavily studied. In many nations, global contentâ€"think news, politics and entertainmentâ€"is often initially reported in English. And since its one of the worlds most widely spoken languages, it facilita tes global communicationâ€"even in countries where it isn’t necessarily the official language.Numerous international organizations and companies use English as the language of choice when conducting business, so English speakers have a leg up in many employment situations. English is one of the working languages of the United Nations and is the  official language of the World Bank.Fun fact: As a speaker of English, you can amuse your friends with the popular pangram (a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet), “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Say that three times, fast!So there you have it, a breakdown of the world’s most studied languages. As you can clearly see, languages become widely studied for many reasons.Now that all the facts are laid out, are you ready to become one of millions of language learners? Are you ready to add one of these popular languages to your repertoire?You can’t go wrong choosing a language from this list. And you’ve got e verything to gain and nothing to loseâ€"so why not go for it? Good luck!

Winter Solstice Math Puzzle

Winter Solstice Math Puzzle Today, December 21, is not only the shortest day of the year â€" Winter Solstice â€" but also Crossword Puzzle Day. As a twist I have a cross-math puzzle consisting of numbers, penguins, balloons, bows and minions. Here is a hint about the first line: One minion with 4 balloons is 8. That is one minion counts for 4 while each balloon counts for 1.

Winners of the Valentines Notebook Contest

Winners of the Valentines Notebook Contest Valentines Day has come and gone.  Chocolate was eaten, dances were danced, and  I love you was said in many different languages. Although we are sad Valentines Day is gone, we are, however, very excited to announce the three winners of our Valentines Day Notebook Contest.   All contest winners will be receiving 20 USD of italki language lesson credits (200 ITC). There were many great entries, but here were the three that really surprised us for their originality.  Check them out below. How to say I love you in Japanese by  ???? How to say I love you in Spanish by  El estudiante How to say I love you in Portuguese by  Marynara We wish to thank everyone who participated in this contest.  We enjoyed reading each and every notebook entry, and we cant wait to see more of our users creativity in our next competition. Sincerely, Sam B italki Community Manager Winners of the Valentines Notebook Contest Valentines Day has come and gone.  Chocolate was eaten, dances were danced, and  I love you was said in many different languages. Although we are sad Valentines Day is gone, we are, however, very excited to announce the three winners of our Valentines Day Notebook Contest.   All contest winners will be receiving 20 USD of italki language lesson credits (200 ITC). There were many great entries, but here were the three that really surprised us for their originality.  Check them out below. How to say I love you in Japanese by  ???? How to say I love you in Spanish by  El estudiante How to say I love you in Portuguese by  Marynara We wish to thank everyone who participated in this contest.  We enjoyed reading each and every notebook entry, and we cant wait to see more of our users creativity in our next competition. Sincerely, Sam B italki Community Manager

What Is Dissociation in Chemistry?

What Is Dissociation in Chemistry?When it comes to chemistry dissociation the first thing that you should know is that there are two main types of dissociation, regular dissociation and molecular dissociation. Regular dissociation is when two atoms or molecules to separate from each other through chemical bonds. There are two different types of regular dissociation: detachment and epimerization.Molecular dissociation occurs when molecules break up or separate from each other and form a larger molecule. For example, when hydrogen atoms bond with carbon dioxide atoms, this will cause the carbon dioxide molecules to change into water molecules. In this instance, it's a regular dissociation, which means the bonded hydrogen atoms break off the carbon dioxide molecule. Then there's dissociation that is chemical.Chemical dissociation occurs when the bond between two dissimilar molecules breaks and they separate. For example, when iron atoms form a bond with oxygen atoms, the oxygen molecule will start to evaporate and eventually break apart. And that's one of the most common forms of chemical dissociation.Dissociation in chemistry is a normal process that occurs when two similar compounds are put under the same temperature and pressure and separated. In the case of the oxygen and iron dissociation, the molecules continue to get closer, until they reach equilibrium and make a new molecule. As you can see, dissociation is really not that difficult to understand.Dissociation in chemistry is the normal process that takes place when two similar compounds are put under the same conditions and temperatures. In the case of the oxygen and iron dissociation, the molecules continue to get closer, until they reach equilibrium and make a new molecule. As you can see, dissociation is really not that difficult to understand.Dissociation in chemistry is the normal process that takes place when two similar compounds are put under the same conditions and temperatures. In the case of th e oxygen and iron dissociation, the molecules continue to get closer, until they reach equilibrium and make a new molecule. As you can see, dissociation is really not that difficult to understand.Chemistry is a field that deals with the properties of substances and the ways that they react with one another. And dissociation is one of the things that happens when two substances are put under the same conditions and temperatures. You can see that chemistry is really not very hard to understand, at least in the simplest terms.