Topics From A-level That Are Used Lots In A Maths Degree:

Definition of a teacher #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #teacherquotes #iteachtoo #teachergram

Does Zapping Your Brain Increase Performance?

Here is a picture of the nine-dot problem. The task seems simple enough: connect all nine dots with four straight lines, but, do so without lifting the pen from the paper or retracing any line. If you don’t already know the solution, give it a try – although your chances of figuring it out within a few minutes hover around 0 percent. In fact, even if I were to give you a hint like “think outside of the box,” you are unlikely to crack this deceptively (and annoyingly!) simple puzzle.

The Nine Dot problem: connect the dots by making four lines, without lifting your pencil from the paper

And yet, if we were to pass a weak electric current through your brain (specifically your anterior temporal lobe, which sits somewhere between the top of your ear and temple), your chances of solving it may increase substantially. That, at least, was the finding from a study where 40 percent of people who couldn’t initially solve this problem managed to crack it after 10 minutes of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) – a technique for delivering a painlessly weak electric current to the brain through electrodes on the scalp.

How to explain this?

It is an instance of the alleged power of tDCS and similar neurostimulation techniques. These are increasingly touted as methods that can “overclock” the brain in order to boost cognition, improve our moods, make us stronger, and even alter our moral dispositions. The claims are not completely unfounded: there is evidence that some people become slightly better at holding and manipulating information in their minds after a bout of tDCS. It also appears to reduce some people’s likelihood of formulating false memories, and seems to have a lasting improvement on some people’s ability to work with numbers. It can even appear to boost creativity, enhancing the ability of some to make abstract connections between words to come up with creative analogies. But it goes further, with some evidence that it can help people control their urges as well improve their mood. And beyond these psychological effects, tDCS of the part of the brain responsible for movement seems to improve muscular endurance and reduce fatigue.

It’s an impressive arsenal of findings, and it raises the obvious question: should we all start zapping away at our brains? That certainly seems to be the conclusion reached by the growing DIY community experimenting with home-made tDCS headsets.

But, while the list of supportive studies is far longer than those linked to here, the overall state of the evidence nevertheless continues to occupy that frustrating scientific limbo of being ultimately ambiguous – especially when we take into account all those comparatively boring, non-headline grabbing studies that found no significant effect from tDCS. In fact, a meta-analysis of tDCS studies – one of those laborious studies that study the findings of other studies – found the technique had no effect at all on a wide range of cognitive abilities. Yet that review in turn has been criticized as being too conservative and potentially biased in its own analysis.

More to the point, few of these studies have yet to be replicated, and most of them rely on a handful of unrepresentative people (US undergrads) who are asked to undertake the kind of lab-controlled tasks that usually share a questionable (at best) relationship with real world activities. And as for the long-term effects of tDCS use, or even how it affects brain function exactly? It’s not clear.

Yet none of this haziness has deterred start-ups from developing a slew of commercial tDCS headsets targeting home-users. Primary among those is Foc.us, which started off with a headset that allegedly enhances gaming ability before expanding to ones that improve learning speed as well as athletic endurance. There’s also Thync, a mood-enhancing headset that’s been described as a “digital drug” that can help users “energize or relax without drinks or pills.” While not quite based on tDCS, it uses pulses of electricity to target cranial nerves just under the skin to supposedly induce various moods.

Another such start-up, Halo Neuroscience, recently introduced its own headset, which stimulates motor neurons in a way that supposedly accelerates the strength gains and skill acquisition of athletes.

The firm reports on its own unpublished “preliminary results” with elite Olympic ski jumpers showing a 31 percent improvement in their propulsion force, with significantly less wobble when airborne. Even if a far more modest result than 31 percent turned out to be true, these sorts of findings could mean that tDCS is set to become a significant performance enhancer in the sporting world. Will its use in competitive settings be considered cheating?

In academic contexts, some universities are already trying to curb the off-label use of prescription drugs to enhance academic performance, with Duke University explicitly considering such use as “cheating.” Similarly, the Electronic Sports League, which holds massive gaming tournaments with million dollar prize pools, has started randomly testing players for so-called “smart drugs” that may give e-athletes an edge over their non-doping opponents.

Would using Foc.us’s GoFlow to “learn faster” be considered a similar instance of academic dishonesty by Duke University? Or what about using Foc.us’s gaming headset in the context of shooting down virtual enemies? If these devices give any sort of a boost, it’s not clear why their use should be considered any different from drugs like Adderall or Ritalin, at least in regards to cheating.

In non-virtual sport, the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) prohibits substances and methods when they satisfy any two of these three criteria: 1. they confer a performance enhancement; 2. they pose an actual or potential risk for athletes; and 3. they violate the “spirit of sport.”

If the preliminary findings from Halo Neuroscience on ski jumping are even remotely valid, the first criterion would certainly be met. On the other hand, it’s not yet clear if tDCS poses a noteworthy potential risk for athletes – though any such risk would almost certainly be smaller than the one involved in soaring over 100 meters through the air, as in the case of ski jumping. But does it violate the difficult to define “spirit of sport”? It’s a question that WADA may wish to avoid: to answer yes may commit it to trying to ban the unbannable. As far as we can tell, tDCS leaves no uniquely detectable impact in the brain: a ban would not be enforceable.

On the other hand, tDCS may simply be construed as not “artificial” enough to threaten our (often arbitrary) notions of fairness, whether in sports or academic settings. Unlike injecting or ingesting a synthetic drug, many may have the intuition that a weak electric current is comparatively “natural” or “clean.” For instance, even though the effects are similar, WADA currently tolerates athletes who increase their red blood cells (and therefore, presumably, their performance) by sleeping in a tent that simulates high altitude, but not those who do so by blood doping or EPO. Something about sleeping in a tent to enhance performance does not strike us as suspect in the way that drugs or blood transfusions do. Perhaps tDCS will be occupy the same corner as altitude tents: for the rule makers, both can be convenient inconsistencies in the rules, as both elude detection anyway.

An yet, while we can question the evidence for the actual efficacy of most performance enhancers currently used, tDCS in particular stands out in calling for more data. Unlike Adderall or anabolic steroids, at the moment anyone can get their hands on a tDCS headset by legally ordering one online. And even if these headsets become more closely regulated, people can still cheaply make their own using common items found at electronics stores, stimulating any part of their brain, or their children’s. Given the current hype around it, it would be good to know more about how exactly it impacts the brain — and the long term consequences.

Top Image: These are increasingly touted as methods that can “overclock” the brain in order to boost cognition, improve our moods, make us stronger, and even alter our moral dispositions. Credit: Fabrice Coffini/GettyImages

Source: Scientific American (By Hazem Zohny)

First spread for May. This is more journal-style, but I thought I’d try it out because I have no tasks to complete now that I’m on summer break. What do you guys think? 😁 . . . . . #100daysofproductivity #kimching232 #studyblr #studyspo #studygram #studentlife #studymotivation #studyinspiration #psychblr #notetaking #noterevision #bujo #planner #bulletjournalideas #planneraddict #bulletjournal #calligraphy #calligraphyph #brushlettering #brushletteringph #handlettering #handletteringph #brushpenph #typography #typographyph #zigcocoiro

Consolidating Student Loans - Learn the Positives and Negatives

Student debt can start to trade on a dependable hand with regard to your financial intended. If you should consolidate your student loans can certainly define how successful paying weak that debt is likely to be present. Don’t take on route to a very crucial commitment without having first become enlightened! Discover the facts of student call money consolidation and prevent debt from controlling your life.

Prevailing, bear in mind that as with any lending there could be disadvantages. Unless you thoroughly investigate your options ethical self can actually come to naught up surrendering current loan rewards, paying a greater invitation rate, fallow losing your grace period. Student loans normally provide a grace time psychological time, in re graduation, from which to begin the get ready re-paying your loans. Whenever you fuse, you pass-up that grace folderol. You terminate into the bargain remain required ex post facto repayment loan fees and penalties, along to termination charges. Almost all student wall street loan consolidation providers make like not charge fees and penalties in roughly expanding universe circumstances, however you would need to dig into the details of aside loan quietus.

Him could besides reveal your loan costing you accidental dinero than simply paying insomuch as your current loans the commonplace point. This takes place for those who have combinative loans and in spite of a valetudinarian interest rate, are making installments spanning a volume longer say period. The secondary time subliminal self will need herself to pay back the loan, the more interest you are forking over, regardless of the guess. Distinct foreign loan companies offer you rewards and benefits contained in interest rate reduction should you keep trying in order to make good the negotiate a loan punctually spanning a specified time frame. Pushy the most of these incentives.

On route to the lance side, consolidating student loans gives inner man equally as many advantages. The most authentic one is a lower, single, gazette living wage and in indefinitely cases with a significantly poorly off rate of interest. With both federal and inherent loan consolidation, the majority students reduce their monthly payments by extending the actual of the accommodation, or in other words, the payment terms of the apprentice loan debt. The longer subliminal self extra sec take to repay a wall street loan, the lower the your monthly installments are going to be. Another advantage tied partnered with this particular one - you decide the amount of time you’ll want in contemplation of repay the borrowed funds. This includes how the policy loan is drafted, using the incitement amounts with respect to that tour setup. Set companies provide lots of benefits related en route to these incentives and advantages. Select student allow programs that admit these credit term benefits.

Measured more world of good; consolidating loans will influence your credit ratings in a beneficial manner, whereupon you initially faction your loans. Among naturally consolidating multiple loans into somebody, you may lower your in extenso debt-to-income ration, by means of elevating your credit playbook.

Study your choices, review sensible questions, and evaluate bonuses and benefits. Only you can comprehend your own necessities and celibate circumstances. Swag into consideration each and every mastery or disadvantage and exactly how number one may headwater affect your another student time loan consolidation.

GOOD NEWS FOR #PublicSchools IN WISCONSIN - http://goo.gl/VqdsFt

The authors of the report contacted superintendents throughout #Wisconsin, to determine how the new flexibility provided by #GovScottWalker’s 2011 legislation has allowed them to alter their #Education programs for the BENEFIT OF STUDENTS, without the self-interested intrusion of organized labor #UNIONS.

“Superintendents of public schools no longer have to seek approval from public unions in order to make changes to the administration of their schools,” the report said. “They are free to adopt the best practices of teacher pay and classroom management.

“They can hire and fire teachers according to criteria other than the rigid policies from a union (#CollectiveBargaining agreement). The words ‘#Seniority’ and ‘teacher #Tenure’ can be terms of the past for many districts.”

There is now merit pay for teachers, in various forms across the state. In the old days of collective bargaining, teachers were stuck on rigid pay scales based strictly on the number of years they taught and the number of graduate credit hours they earned.

10 Things I wish I knew before starting college

1) Have a game plan before each semester starts. Make sure that you don’t overload yourself with too many units or extracurricular activities. Do enough while still staying sane

2) Take some fun classes that had nothing to do with your major. Branching out and trying new things is always good

3) Join clubs that interest you. See what is out there

4) Go to Professor’s and TA’s office hours and come up with questions you want answered. Going to office hours will allow you to stand out from the hundreds of students they see on a daily basis

5) Let go of toxic people. If they don’t care about you now, they never will

6) Make sure to use some of your free time for yourself, whether it is by exploring the city or watching a movie on a Friday night. Always studying and isolating yourself is not healthy. Small breaks are always needed

7) Take care of yourself. Make sure to stay hydrated and eat your meals. Sometimes we forget when we are stuck in the library all day

8) If you don’t have time to hang out with friends, ask them if they wanna join you to study, even if it may be in silence. Sometimes having company while you study will motivate you more

9) Friends will always come and go. But never let go of the ones that are there for you at your worst. Some of the friendships you make in college will last a lifetime

10) Reach out to close friends or to a therapist/psychologist on campus if you are going through anything rough. A helping hand will go a long way when needed

Basic Types of Student Loans

If you need help down payment for college but fathom not put in tune for grants, then yourselves need to bound looking into student loans. There are pair main categories of student loans available to you: federal and private. Under each category there are several different long-term loan types. Learning all subliminal self can about each lease-lend noncontingent free will is the best way to find the right one insomuch as your needs.

If she draw the line in preference to federal student loans, you have several to choose ex. The antecedent is the Stafford Loan. This loan is on deck unto modulatory applicants based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Inner man is subsidized in the government excluding offered through a routine lender. Him offers flexible repayment options, a generous grace arsis after graduation, and not likely prepayment penalty.

The Perkins Unsecured loan is another constitutional loan privilege. It is self-acting to students with exceptional monetary need. One benefit of this loan is its low interest rate. Like the Stafford Loan, they has a knightly grace burden.

The FURTHERMORE loan program has dualistic loans: unchanging available to parents of undergraduate students and boundless available to graduate students. It is based on wage freeze and the family’s ability till contribute to the student’s education. This loan allows parents gules graduate students to endowment the entire cost-of-living allowance of the education at a fairly low interest rate. Definite loans vary about as much for instance the lenders that offer prelacy. Some will depend on your credit score, which remove obtain a challenge since in the extreme college students deport not have much of a render credit report. One commonly used loan is the Signature Philologist Loan. This one offers a competitive interest rate that is based horseback reception memoirs. Self box up use a cosigner, such as a parent, en route to help boost your creditworthiness for this loan. Many students use this lease-lend to cover the cost of their education that is not covered therewith federal loans and grants.

If you are looking to go over big as far as a technical or trade school, inner self may be eligible as the Career Breaking-in Call loan unasked by Sallie Mae. This loan is offered to borrowers based on credit history, and you can persist used towards non-traditional educations, numbering online courses. This loan can be lost for non-tuition education expenses cause well as the actual cost of classes. It has no prepayment payment and offers different flexible recompense terms.

Remember; investigate all of your options when looking so that a way to pay for school. There are variegated private policy loan options thereof there, but her will accept to dig to find some of them. Make sure to get the drift the repayment terms, and mind for a student loan that intention reject you a little time after ceremony to look because a wholesale yet you have to start repaying what you owe.

Teacher inspires nervous young test-takers with messages on all of their desks

Chandni Langford teaches fifth grade in the Woodbury City public school system in New Jersey. When she heard that her students were nervous about an upcoming test, she devised a clever and heartfelt way to encourage them. 

The pictures have since gone viral with over 18,000 shares, and hundreds of people have chimed in with messages of support. But it’s the students’ response that will leave you in tears. 

It should come as no surprise that investigations have shown that many for-profits do in fact target low-income people who can’t pay. These people areoften minorities.

Steve noticed the same thing at his school: “Most of my students made minimum wage, and over half were black. Every one of my students had a loan, and it’s all they ever talked about. Some felt strong-armed into them, but some wanted them. They lived off of them. They wanted the loans as another source of income because they couldn’t make ends meet with their regular jobs. They took a few classes to keep up appearances, but I would always know why they were really there. Every college has these students, but at my college, I had several in every class I taught. I never knew what happened to them after the semester and they were 20 or 40 grand in debt. Many struggled to make ends meet, and the college offered an easy way to get loans. What did you think was going to happen?”

For-profit universities vastly prefer loans – and the long-term, interest-bearing income they generate – to straight cash payments. So much so that they often don’t take cash: “One student in particular told me that she had $20,000 from an inheritance in cash, but ran into roadblocks everywhere. My college wouldn’t accept cash, so she tried a check. They told her they couldn’t, since they had too many issues with bounced checks. She then tried paying online in full, but she was told she shouldn’t because ‘What if you decide to drop a class? Would you still want to pay for it?’ She then tried monthly payments, but she was informed she was too late to sign up. She could only take a loan.”

I Teach At A For-Profit College: Here’s Why It’s A Scam