What To Expect From Your Violin Lessons

What To Expect From Your Violin Lessons What To Expect When You Are Learning To Play The Violin ChaptersViolin Teaching Methods:What To Expect When You Learn ViolinWarm Up Exercises For Playing The ViolinTop Tips For Learning ViolinLearning to play the violin is a fantastic goal to train to reach. It takes dedication, motivation and a passion for the instrument. One of the amazing things about violin lessons, however, is that it not only trains you to be able to play the instrument, but it also teaches you how to be a better person. It takes time and precise to learn how to play the violin well.Today we are taking a look at what to expect when you are learning to play the violin. TomViolin Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StacyViolin Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtieViolin Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BenedictViolin Teacher 5.00 (8) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TaisiiaViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AmyViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £25/h1st le sson free!Discover all our tutors LuísViolin Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoViolin Teacher £45/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsViolin Teaching Methods:Traditional Learning TechniquesThe traditional violin method is a collection of teaching styles that all share a common structure, teaching the student how to read notes. Even as a beginner violinist using this method, you will learn to read music. Although this may be the only commonality among the various teaching styles. It is core to the belief that starting to read notes early on helps music students to become strong sight readers and gives them the opportunity to join in with recitals, music groups or a junior orchestra from early on.Advantages Of This Style:Students can learn the notes by reading music and then later memorise them to help with their technique.Parents are not required to be involved in this technique, and so it is a very low-maintenance style to study.There are lo ts of study aids available to instructors which can help them to teach the violin better.Disadvantages Of This Style:Having to read music while playing the violin can be a bit of an overload and can get in the way of the technique.Additionally, for a very young student who is learning to play the violin, it can be challenging to implement at learners as young as 3 years old may not yet even be able to read books let alone music notes.There is little accountability at home as parents are not involved in music lessons.Suzuki Violin MethodThe method is invented by a violinist from Japan called Shinichi Suzuki, It was his observation that children could learn their mother tongue with relative ease and so he developed this inspiring system using that idea as the foundation. It relays heavily on parent involvement, positive encouragement and repetition.The Suzuki method delays learning to read music, which they call the mother tongue approach. This method treats music classes as a languag e. Immersion is one of the primary ways that students of this method learn.Advantages Of This Style:Students can focus on playing music and on all of the other things they have to remember as reading music is introduced much laterThis method allows you to learn at an increased speed which allows the student to become confident quickly.Because parents are heavily involved in the lessons, the child and parents learn together creating a healthy relationship for learning. Empowering the parents to be able to coach children at home. Which creates a very complete learning program,This method is excellent for music students of all ages. An especially excellent learning method for younger kids.Disadvantages Of This Style:Delaying note reading until so late in the violin classes, may impede the student later on.It is hard for the kids to take part in an orchestra or group shows because they do not read music. They use mostly ear training.Problems can arise for children who don’t work well with their parents.Learning how to play the violin takes time. Photo Source: UnsplashWhat To Expect When You Learn ViolinYou Have To Lose Your EgoLearning how to play the violin takes time, and many other students find themselves getting discouraged when they discover that they are not as good as talented child prodigies. But the violin isn’t about being better than other students it is about being passionate about your music and following your own privately created discipline.Your Violin Needs A Lot Of CareLearning how to play your violin is only part of the work to be done you also need to take care of your violin. Especially if you want to sound your best when you are playing and practising. This will become natural to you over time and is an essential part of being a violinist. As well as tuning your violin you also need to take care of the bow making sure to loosen the violin strings when not to retain the curve in the strings. Violinists use a violin rosin to do this which i s a tool that attached to the strings to create the friction required to make the sound.Unless You Are A Prodigy, You Won’t Sound Good For A Long TimeIt takes a lot of time, dedication and determination to be able to play the violin well. In the beginning, you will likely find that the sound that you create is very unattractive. It is important to remain enthusiastic and try to focus on remaining motivated. There is lot’s that goes into mastering the violin, and to play well could take as long as a few years.You Will Become Part Of A CommunityBecause of the dedication, it takes to learn to play the violin, you find that there is an active community around the instrument. People group together as s form of encouragement, this creates a supportive and passionate community.Having to read music while playing the violin can be a bit of an overload. Photo Source: UnsplashWarm Up Exercises For Playing The ViolinFinger PlacementFinger placement is crucial for playing the violin, If you don’t master finger placement, you will never create a great sound. Playing simple scales in the first position is a well know tip to help to tune your ear to the sound of the notes and train your fingers where to go. It is a good idea to play with a tuner so that you know that you are getting the right sound for each note each time.Playing Long StringsPlaying long open strings is an excellent way to learn bow placement and practice making consistent and clear sounds. When practising move to stand in front of the mirror and slowly draw the bow over the each of the strings paying close attention to placement. This also a good time to learn about the weight of the bow and focus on how it moves across the strings.String CrossingBeing able to move smoothly from string to string with precise placement, is very important, as is maintaining good posture and focusing on your movements as you practice.Fourth Finger PracticeWe don’t often use our little finger for much, but it is just as important as any of the other fingers in violin. If you hope to reach professional musician level with your practice, you will need to learn to use all of your body to play the music. Your little finger, in this case, is critical as sometimes you won’t be able to reach the strings in the correct location with your other fingers. In this case, you must strengthen your little finger so and practice with it so that you can give yourself more reach while playing.Finger placement is crucial for playing the violin. Photo Source: UnsplashTop Tips For Learning ViolinUse online  violin mobile apps, you can find apps to track your progress, for tuning your notes or for joining a community of other musicians. Since you probably use your phone quite a lot, integrating your violin practice with your phone apps makes good sense.Make sure to focus on your posture, it is an integral part of your music. Good posture helps you to play even better and prevents fatigue. Exercises to loosen and open u p your body before playing can support better stance in the long term. It is probably worthwhile finding a short exercise routine that allows your body the flexibility needed to play well.Create a violin practice habit and stick to it, if you are serious about getting better, you will need to practice playing the violin every day. If you have a set time to practice you are more likely to stick to it. Distractions are bound to come, and sometimes you may seem too busy but maintaining a constant practice is the best and most efficient way to become a violinist.Keep your sheet music together and in good order and keep a pencil with it so that you can write any breakthrough down as you are practising. As you practice each day, you will need to be able to find the song that you were working on. Even if you can remember how to play without the music, your notes written on the sheet music will still be an invaluable resource to have with you as you practice.Make sure to tune your violin at the start of each and every practice session. This is some you will be doing a lot so either learning how to use this by ear or getting an app that can help you will be important. You cannot play the violin with an out of tune instrument. If you do, you will be damaging your violin and your ear. You do not want to practice and learn notes that are not in tune if you are serious about improving your skills.Final tip: look for a violin teacher near me.For students of the violin whether you are thinking about violin lessons with a tutor, just learning to play, an intermediate learner or a professional violinist. Learning the violin naturally instils students with skills such as patience, focus, precision, confidence and many other skills which are very useful to have in life in general. Enjoy your music program.

Online Pre Algebra Tutor can bring in good results when TutorPace teaches you

Online Pre Algebra Tutor can bring in good results when TutorPace teaches you Education is an important part of our lives. Every single child should go through the process of learning. Learning helps a child to grow up better and brighter. The learning phase is long and so parents now take pretty much concern with the education part of their child. They want to provide their child with every single best amenity in their life within their reach so that their child can never come up saying that they were not provided with such and such. Today education has become very expensive and this is the reason that most of the time parents cannot reach to the best due to the high charges they charge. It is very natural that every parent wants their child to get the best and so they try to admit their child into any good school so that the base of education is strong and appropriate. But schools are not the end. There are certain other things that are needed by a child to perform better as schools reach out to a large mass and so schools cannot keep checking for one student all round the clock. Those students who are intelligent know how to learn from school but some average students and some weak students cannot cope up with some tough subjects. Among the tough subjects, mathematics is one such subject that is tough as well as interesting. Though interesting is only for those students who are intelligent enough to solve all the sums that appear in front of them. Algebra is one of the topics that are tough as well. You need to have good knowledge over the topic to crack the sums. The weak students are stuck into these difficult sums. This topic has various sub sections in it and so people who are into this subject needs good level of concentration and knowledge over the subject. Those students, who are very weak and are unable to catch up with the problems of the subject, need an extra help to learn better. The extra help will make them go easy with the subject and thus the students can learn better. Apart from private tutor, you will also have online tutors. Online tutoring is a new concept but within very less time it is catching up lot of popularity and thus students are getting inclined to it. As per a general survey you will find that online tutoring service is far better than any other way of learning and this is due to many types of advantages it provides to the students who enroll themselves in such types of institutes. Moving further you will have a curiosity that what online tutoring is and how it works and also that what are the features that drags a student towards oneself. Online tutoring is a way to teach students using the most updated way of communication. The entire process of online tutoring is carried off through internet. Internet, which is said to be the easiest and the fastest way of communication in the present era helps in completion of any work with ease. The students of the present generation make it a point to know each and every detail about internet. Some of the basic features are also there that helps the parents also to get an over view about what the process is about and how much is it effective. Advantages of online tutoring The advantages of online tutoring are loaded below for the readers. This will help the parents and the students get a clear view about the entire concept. The teachers who are present in the online tutoring world are very efficient and have a good grip over the subject. This is because the institutes make it particular that the teachers’ appointment should be done in a very strict manner. The interview process is very tough and thus good and expert teachers are appointed for the institutes. The teachers make it a point to understand the problems of the students that will help them to get a rough overview about what the student wants and what the student is unable to get. After getting proper knowledge the teachers’ structure out the way that helps the student to learn faster and the subject also appears to be easy for them. The online teachers do not have any time limitation with the classes. The teachers are present to help and teach the student all round the clock. This will help the student to clear their doubts whenever they arise. This saves time and energy of a student and that can be applied or devoted in the learning process. This feature also gives lot of help to the student as they can attend the class as per their comfort ability and when they want. The students can avail the class easily as they can sit at home and avail the classes. This is one of the best services that can be available for any student. The students do not have to move about here and there and they also do not have to spend their time and money for each class. The classes can be attended sitting at home in your most comfortable couch and getting the learning experience. This is one of the best and the easy way through which you can learn easily while wasting less time and energy. The one on one service is one of the unique services that is available only with online tutoring facility. This service provides the students with a single or individual teacher who are present with them all round the clock. Anytime they face any doubt, the teacher is present to help you out. Weak students are benefitted with such type of help or facility. It is effective and less time taking as well. Tutor Pace, one of the best and reputed online tutoring service that will help the students in all the ways possible. It has best teachers’ along with great services like Online Pre Algebra Tutor as well.

Maths GCSE Syllabus Whats new

Maths GCSE Syllabus What’s new Outlined below are the new topic areas that have been added to the Foundation and Higher tier Maths GCSE syllabus. Knowing the new topic areas for each tier can be helpful in preparing your child for the summer exams. With the introduction of the Maths 9-1 GCSE new material was introduced that was not part of the old GCSE syllabus.  This change was made to make these exams more challenging. Therefore, it’s good to know which topics your child should be paying extra attention to! This list can also serve as a useful revision checklist.  Clearly laid out are the new topic areas for each tier as well as any new topics that are required learning for both tiers. Firstly, you may be wondering, why are there two tiers in the new maths GCSE? Each student must either take the higher or the foundation tier. They differ in content, and grading. For the higher tier paper your grade will be in the range 4 to 9. If you are looking for information on the sample papers and grade boundaries please see our blog ‘New Maths 9-1 GCSE’. SO, new topics have been added to the Maths 9-1 GCSE syllabus, but what are they? The Foundation Tier Candidates for the new Maths 9-1 GCSE who are sitting the foundation tier are now required to learn content that was previously only a requirement for higher tier students. New content requirements for foundation students: Calculate exactly with multiples of  p       Use standard form Round to any number of significant figures (currently 1 s.f. only) Expand double brackets Factorise quadratics including the difference of two squares Solve quadratic equations by factorising Know the difference between an equation and identity Use y = mx + c to identify parallel lines Sketch quadratic, cubic and reciprocal functions Problem involving compound interest Derive simultaneous equations from real-life situations Solve linear simultaneous equations algebraically and graphically Perform calculations with density, mass and volume Solve problems involving percentage change and reverse percentages Use direct and inverse proportion graphically and algebraically Find corresponding lengths in similar shapes Use the congruence criteria for triangles (SSS, SAS, ASA, RHS) Enlarge shapes with fractional scale factors Find the areas and perimeters of compound shapes involving circles, and calculate arc lengths and areas of sectors. Use the sin, cos and tan trigonometric ratios for right-angled triangles Use tree diagrams to solve probability questions Infer properties of a population from a sample, while knowing the limitations of sampling. In addition, foundation students are required to learn extra formulae that will not be on the formulae sheet. These include The Higher Tier Some syllabus material that previously was taught at A level will now be a requirement of higher tier students. New content for higher tier Recognise and use the equation of a circle centred at the origin Find the equation of a tangent to a circle at a given point. Find approximate solutions to equations using iteration Solve quadratic inequalities Find the nth term of a quadratic sequence Recognise and use geometric sequences where the common ratio may be a surd Apply the concepts of instantaneous and average rates of change by looking at the gradients of tangents and chords to a curve Prove the circle theorems Use the probability “AND” and “OR” rules Change recurring decimals into their corresponding fractions and vice versa Find inverse and composite functions Locate turning points of quadratic functions by completing the square Sketch y = tan x (in addition to sin and cos) Interpret areas under graphs and gradients of graphs in real-life contexts For the higher tier, additional formulae required to memorise include: It is also worth knowing there is  significant new content that will appear in both the Foundation and Higher tier papers. Find the equation of a line through two points or through one point with given gradient Recognise and use sequences of triangular, square and cube numbers, Fibonacci type sequences, quadratic sequences and geometric sequences Calculate compound measures including pressure in numerical and algebraic contexts Express a multiplicative relationship between two quantities as a ratio or a fraction. Write a ratio as a linear function Set up, solve and interpret growth and decay problems Use inequality notation to specify simple error intervals due to truncation or rounding Understand the? s symbol Use the standard convention for labelling sides and angles of polygons. Derive the sum of angles in a triangle Work with percentages greater than 100% Know the exact values of sin and cos for ? = 0 °, 30 °, 45 °, 60 ° and 90 °; know the exact value of tan for ? = 0 °, 30 °, 45 ° and 60 °. Consider outliers when calculating the range of distribution. Know that correlation does not imply causation. Use Venn diagrams. Its is very important that your child understands what knowledge and skills are required for the tier they are taking. Students studying higher tier, for example, need to know what extra knowledge is required for topics that also appear on the foundation tier. For this level of insight we recommend a private tutor to provide your child with tailored one-to-one support. On the Tutorfair website enter your postcode and Tutorfair will show you GCSE Maths tutors in your area, with the top rated tutors! Checkout out more  Tutorfair blogs  here: New Maths 9-1 GCSE Edexcel Maths GCSE Grade Boundaries

Timely Tips for Following your Schedule. You can do it baby. - Private Tutoring

Timely Tips for Following your Schedule. You can do it baby. BobbiM Mar 27, 2014 We know, it is darn hard to make yourself follow a schedule that involves things you dont necessarily want to do. Check out these tips and youll be excited when its time to studyor maybe not. -plan to study when you are most alert. If you find that you are tired or you cant concentrate when you study, you probably are not studying at your most alert time. Try to find some blocks of time that are naturally best for you. Some students study best at night, others study best first thing in the morning. Test several times of the day to find out when you are the most ready to study. Experiment with times that you might not initially think are your best times of day-you may surprise yourself and be a morning (or night) person after all. -spend some time every day on each course you are taking. Even when you dont have an assignment due, plan some time each day to read the text, review your notes, an prepare for the next class. If you are taking classes that require problem solving such as math or chemistry, it is a good idea to work some problems each night. If you are taking a language class, plan to review new vocabulary or work on verb conjugation every day. By spending some time every day you wont have to cram for exams because you will always be caught up. -be specific. The more specific you can be when planning your study schedule, the better because you will know exactly what you need to do each time to study. When you create your schedule, dont just write down study. Instead, write Read psychology text pages 219-230. -prioritize. When you make your schedule, it is helpful to prioritize what you have to do. You might want to label your assignments as high, medium, or low priority. -make To Do lists. -borrow time-dont steal it. If you decide to go out for a pizza instead of spending an hour reading your psychology chapter-great. But remember that its important to just borrow that time. Be sure to add the activity you missed to your schedule or to do list for the next day so that you can make up that time. -use the time between your classes. Many times students dont know where all their time goes-an hour in-between classes, two hours between school and work, 15 minutes before classes begin-all of this time adds up and it is useful for getting your work done. You can read for class during hour breaks, review your notes while you are waiting for class to begin, use the time between lunch and class to review, or even meet with a study group in the laundromat. Dont let this time get lost. -schedule studying breaks. If you plan to study for more than an hour or so at a time, schedule a 10-15 minute break for each hour and a half to two hours of study. You should also plan short breaks when switching from one topic to another so you can give yourself some time to refocus. But be careful that your short breaks dont turn into long breaks. -take some time off. Many students feel guilty when they take time off because they are always thinking about the things they should be doing such as working on that chemistry lab assignment. But when you have a good schedule, you will be able to reward yourself by taking time off without guilt because you know that you have planned time to get all of your assignments done. So after you have completed your work-relax and enjoy yourself, you deserve it. In fact, you should plan some free time when creating your schedule. -dont spin your wheels. If you are having trouble in a course, get some assistance. Seek help from a tutor, a professor, or a friend, anyone who might be able to help. There is nothing that gets in the way of managing your time more than wasting it worrying, rather than doing something productive so that you can be on too of things in a course that is difficult for you. Its important to get help if you need it and get back on track before you fall too far behind to catch up. Excerpt from College Success Strategies by Sherrie L. Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh.

30 year old pupil reported to the home office - Tutor Hunt Blog

30 year old pupil reported to the home office 30 year old pupil reported to the home office 30 year old pupil reported to the home officeSchoolsAn interesting news story caught my eye this week. It concerned a 30 year old man, who had surreptitiously managed to gain admittance to secondary school, and was masquerading as a pupil. The authorities were alerted after students at Stoke High School, Ipswich, began sharing messages on such media such as `how`s there a 30-year-old man in our maths class?` The school itself has declined to make a statement on this issue, other than to say the matter is now in the hands of the home office, who themselves have said that they do not comment on individual cases. It seems the enthusiastic overaged pupil is an asylum seeker, who joined the school at the start of the new year. The school issued a statement saying that: `We do not comment on individual cases but we have followed government and local authority policies and guidance, as we do for any asylum admissions matter. This is a matter for the Home Office. They are looking into this after we contacted them.` There is something slightly nobel, so it seems to me, about someone, potentially fleeing from a war torn country, seeking refuge in a place of learning. I am not for a moment suggesting that anyone, of any age, can just walk into a school enter a classroom, take a seat and join the lesson; but there is something endearing about the fact they sought sanctuary in a school, perhaps attempting to acquire the education that was unavailable to them in their own country. The story got me thinking though - might it be unfortunate that the majority of our education takes place during our early years, when many of us are not mature enough to decide which path we want to follow, and are perhaps too juvenile to respect the gifts and opportunities that these teachings can give us? I know that if I was given the chance to go back to full time education now, I would cherish every moment. I would never miss a lesson, and would be the most attentive student in the classroom, ensuring I didn`t miss a thing the teacher said. I would put all my efforts into my studies, getting as much as I could out of every class, while treating each homework assignment as if it were a final dissertation. I would adopt this studious attitude because, only now in mingle age, do I appreciate the true value of education. When I was a student I was lazy, skipped classes, snoozed during lessons, and generally allowed myself to become distracted by a plethora of trivial, fashionable activities, all to the detriment of my studies. I never had any clear focus of what I wanted to become, and allowed myself to drift along without any committed sense of direction. I suspect this is the story of most people`s academic past. Of course there are always a few singled minded individuals, who from the youngest age are possessed with great focus and industry - pupils who somehow seem to know from their earlier years what they want to become, and are determined to get there. The majority of us however middle along, reserving our greatest intellectual efforts to finishing some piece of coursework, or revision cramming for some impending exam. How different things might be if our studies and exams - the most important ones at least - were moved to a later period in our lives. How very much more considerate and vigilant would we all be in our work, being in possession of the maturity to know just how important it is. Of course one of the reasons we enter formal education as children rather than as adults is that, as children we have such great learning potential. This is shown in how a child will learn a language simply by it being spoken in their environment: like a sponge, they will soak up the vocabulary, grammar and syntax with magical ease. Adults can only acquire a second language with great effort, and gaining total fluency may be impossible. This is because of something called `neural plasticity` - prior to the age of about seven or eight, the neurones in the brain of a child have not yet formed their permanent pathways; this is why children can learn so much more readily than adults can. If this `critical window` of education was missed - by deferring our education to our later years - our learning capacity could well be severely compromised. 16 months ago0Add a Comment

7 Clever Ways to Market Your Sublet

7 Clever Ways to Market Your Sublet Image via Isorepublic.com 1. Post about it online Nowadays, there are amazing resources on the Internet that can help you find a subletter. Websites like Craigslist, Sublet.com, and even Uloop have sections where you can advertise your sublet. Take advantage of these resources! You can also use social media to advertise your sublet, too, since it’ll help you get the word out to many people in a short time. 2. Word of mouth Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth! Tell your family and friends about your plans to sublet your place and see if any of them are interested. After all, wouldn’t it be better to sublet your place to someone you know (or someone who knows someone you know) than to a total stranger? 3. Hang flyers around campus Let the community know that you are subletting your apartment by posting flyers around the area! Post flyers at your local Starbucks and on your floor’s (or your building’s) bulletin board. The point is to post it in many places so that the word gets out there. 4. Offer walkthroughs If someone is interested in subletting your place, offer to meet them in a public place first. Once you know they’re not a creep, you can do a walkthrough of your place with them. Meeting them in person is a good idea because you will know that they are not a fraud or someone who will trash your place. Scammers will try to pose as good potential subletters, but meeting them in person will greatly decrease the chance you’ll be subletting to a scammer. 5. Always include pictures We, as humans, are visual creatures. Images catch our attention, so take pictures of your clean and neat apartment and post them wherever you are advertising your sublet. The pictures will draw people in. 6. Emphasize what makes your sublet unique What makes your place unique from all the other potential sublets? Is it within walking distance to campus? Is it a single room? Does it have a beautiful porch? These will be your selling points! Make sure to emphasize the points that make your place stand out from others. 7. Price it reasonably Chances are very low that your subletter will cover 100 percent of the rent for the  time you’re gone. Most subletters will pay about 75 percent of the rent. If your asking price is too high, you will drive potential subletters away, so don’t do it! Once you decide to sublet your place, you need to market it well to get the word out to as many people as you can. Take advantage of the Internet, word of mouth, and beautiful pictures to advertise your apartment. You’ll find a subletter in no time!

10+ Ways to Language-Learning Success by Setting Goals

10+ Ways to Language-Learning Success by Setting Goals Its easy to feel overwhelmed  when youre learning a new language.False cognates  can trip you up, idioms  can seem completely incomprehensible, and you may run across some words so weird you  dont believe they  exist.Instead of letting this discourage you, take control by setting goals for yourself.Setting goals is arguably one of the most important steps you can take to ensure your success, and its remarkably easy to do.  Here are some tips to help you get started. Why Set Language Goals?Youve probably already heard a lot about goals. High school teachers love to talk about them, and so do bosses.Why? Because  research shows that people who set goals are more likely to achieve success.Goals help you achieve success because:Goals help you identify what you want to achieve. Its hard to achieve  success when you havent defined what success is. Setting goals helps you identify what you want to accomplish so you can start working toward accomplishing it. What does fluency mean to you?G oals keep you focused on whats important (and help  you ignore whats not).  Learning a language requires familiarity with  literally millions of different grammar points, vocabulary words  and cultural competencies. Setting goals helps you stay focused so you dont get  distracted by the many things you may need to learn in the future. By focusing on smaller bits of information, you make faster  progress and gain tangible skills.Goals save you time. Instead of memorizing vocabulary words you wont readily use, spend your energy learning words directly related to the way you want to use your target language. Setting goals helps you identify your ultimate reason for studying the language, which makes it easier to pinpoint the skills and information you need to learn first.Goals provide a way to  measure  your progress, which helps improve your motivation to learn more.  It takes a really long time to learn a foreign language well, and its frustrating to pour time into something that doe snt seem to have a payoff. By setting goals, you can identify the progress youre making and feel good about the work youre doing. Instead of kicking yourself for not knowing a new word you hear, you can congratulate yourself for learning the 25 new words you just memorized.Identifying Your Language GoalsThe first step to identifying your goals is to figure out why you are studying this foreign language.  Take some time to think about the big picture and ask yourself questions like:Why do I  want to learn this language?What would I  do if I could speak this language fluently right now?The answer to these questions is your ultimate goal the reason you are spending time, money and energy learning a new language.Its okay if your ultimate goal is huge, multi-faceted  or  even a bit vague. Maybe you want to learn Spanish so you can move to Spain. Maybe you want to learn French so you can talk to your boyfriends family in their native language. Maybe you want to learn Chinese so you can t ravel to China next year.Whatever your goal, just make sure you are honest with yourself about it. Theres no right or wrong.The next step is to break your ultimate goal into specific steps   the components that make up your larger goal. At this point, you arent setting tangible goals yet just identifying the things you need to learn in order to achieve your ultimate goal.At first, focus on identifying only a handful of the most important steps. Recognize that you cant list every possible thing you need to know  to become fluent  in German. Just list a few of the most important tasks you want to achieve along the way.  Here  is an example:Ultimate goal: To be able to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients at the medical clinic where I work.Specific steps:Learn vocabulary for body partsLearn vocabulary for common diseasesLearn to ask what hurts and what is wrongLearn to talk about a patients medical historyLearn to express sympathy for pain or lossSetting Effective Language Goals Youve identified your ultimate goal and a handful of  specific steps. Now prioritize your specific steps and select one or two to focus on first. You will use these steps to generate your short-term goals.Research shows that the best goals are specific, short-term and moderately challenging. Follow these tips to write effective goals:Write down your goals. Its easier to remember and consult them if you can see them.Set  deadlines.  Its usually ideal to set deadlines  between one week and three months.Focus on tangible tasks rather than the amount of time you plan to spend studying. Instead of setting a goal of  studying  30 minutes a day every day this week, set a goal of  learning all the basic vocabulary words related to ordering a cup of coffee at a cafe.Identify specific things you plan to learn.  Focus on themes or outcomes you want to achieve, rather than identifying a  certain quantity of new words. For example, set a goal of learning the vocabulary words related to modes of transportation or body parts or types of clothing, rather than a goal to learn 50 new words.Challenge yourself, but dont push yourself too hard. If you set goals that are too difficult, youll waste time  stressing about them or beating yourself up for not achieving them.Use  optimistic wording.  Write your goals in a way that makes them feel achievable. A good model is this: By [time frame], I will be able to [achievement].Grab Your Paper and Pencil: Set Your Goals Now!Its time to get started! Think about what your ultimate goal is, write down some specific steps and identify  a few short-term goals for yourself.Use the examples below for inspiration as you start writing your own unique goals:Ultimate goal: To be able to speak Chinese comfortably so that I can move to China and use Chinese in my everyday life. Specific step: Learn the vocabulary and phrases necessary to go shopping in China. Short-term goals: By the end of this week, I will have learned the vocabulary words for type s of clothing and shoes. By the end of the month, I will have learned the phrases and basic vocabulary needed to talk to shop clerks in China.Ultimate goal: To be able to read the newspaper in German. Specific step: Learn vocabulary related to politics and the political scene in Germany. Short-term goal: By the end of this week, I will have learned the basic vocabulary words for issues related to elections.Ultimate goal: To be able to talk to my in-laws on the phone in Japanese Specific step: Learn pleasantries. Short-term goals: By the end of the week, I will have learned basic everyday pleasantries, including greetings and closings like How are you? and Talk to you again soon.If youre struggling, review the examples below for help:Instead of:  By the end of this week, I will have learned how to talk about medical problems. Try:  By the end of this week, I will have learned the words for all the primary body parts (i.e. arm, leg, heart, stomach).Instead of: By the end of this year, I will be able to have a phone conversation in Spanish. Try: By the end of this month, I will have learned how to use basic telephone phrases such as, Who are you calling for? and Dr. Smith is not available at the moment.Instead of:  By the end of this week, I will have learned all 500 of the words in my medical dictionary. Try: By the end of the week, I will have learned the basic terms  for simple diagnoses (i.e. a cold, the flu, a backache).Following ThroughGoal-setting  is not something you do once and forget about. For goals to be effective, you need to consult them regularly and set new goals every few weeks.Every few days, take a moment to review your goals and check your progress. This will help you identify  what to study next and feel good about  the progress youre making. It will also keep you on track when youre veering away from your ultimate goal.Although its important to follow through with  the goals youve set for yourself,  dont be afraid to change your goals if th ey no longer serve you well. As you gain confidence in your new language,  perhaps your ultimate goal will grow from being able to have a phone conversation to wanting to travel to a  country where your  foreign language is spoken. When you make discoveries like this, adjust your goals appropriately so that they can continue to serve your needs.Finally, remember that there are no right or wrong goals. The most important thing is that you believe in your goals and can visualize yourself achieving them.If you set goals with this in mind, you will find that they help you stay motivated and enthusiastic about your language learning, and youll be proud of what you achieve!Katherine Kostiuk is a freelance writer with  professional  experience in international education and English teaching. She has lived in four foreign countries and studied five different foreign languages. And One More ThingFor a shortcut to motivated, encouraging and goal-oriented learning, try FluentU.FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning experiences, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.