10 Important French People Throughout History

10 Important French People Throughout History 10 French People that Changed the World Chapters1.           Joan of Arc (1412-1431)2.           King Louis XIV (1638-1715)3.           Voltaire (1694-1778)4.           Marie Antoinette (1755-1793)5.           Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)6.           Victor Hugo (1802-1885)7.           Marie Curie (1867-1934)8.           Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935)9.           Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970)10. Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)France is a country with an extraordinary history â€" a history which has been driven by extraordinary people.Making up a large part of Western Europe, with the English Channel to the North, Germany to the East, a Border with Spain and the Mediterranean Sea on its South coast, France has had to become a nation of people willing to defend their country as well as establish its power.Through the defence of the land and the establishment of the empire, France has also become famous for its culture created by its artists, authors and philosophers.Coming across French names is a common occurrence when studying any aspect of history, but who are these people? And what role did they play in the building of France?This is Superprof’s top 10 important French figures. AnnieFrench Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolineFrench Teacher 5.00 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriFrench Teacher 5.00 (9) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarianneFrench Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThibautFrench Teacher 5.00 (3) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickFrench Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DéborahFrench Teacher 5.00 (10) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamyFrench Teacher 5.00 (2) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors1.           Joan of Arc (1412-1431)Joan of Arc is most famous for her contribution to the end of the Hundred Years War when she secured a French victory over the English by reclaiming original French land.Joan of Arc†™s actions in the run-up to this triumph was down to her religious devotion which led her to have holy visions in which she was encouraged to take action by St Michael and St Catherine as she was to be, they said, her country’s saviour.After she had sought an audience with the French heir, Charles, upon the instruction of the saints, Joan led several battles alongside the Dauphin which resulted in France regaining control of its land.In 1429, Charles was crowned the King of France and became Charles VII. Although the French had taken back their own throne, there was still conflict with the English, and Joan was sold to them as a hostage by the Burgundians. She was later charged with counts of witchcraft and heresy and burnt at the stake.2.           King Louis XIV (1638-1715)King Louis XIV of France, also referred to as the Sun King, was crowned King of France at the age of just 4 years old following the death of his father.Cardinal Mazarin, Louis’ chief minister had assisted in the running of the country while Louis was still a child, but after his death in 1661, Louis decided to rule alone as an absolute monarch, believing himself to be ruling directly on God’s behalf.King Louis XIV is perhaps most famous for building the Palace of Versailles and making it a centre of French political and aristocratic life ¦ source: Visualhunt - papposilene3.           Voltaire (1694-1778)Voltaire was an 18th-century French writer whose works are representative of the philosophic and cultural movement of the Enlightenment which took place in Europe in the 1700’s.Voltaire is known for his criticism of Christianity throughout his satirical works as well as his support for the separation of church and state.Throughout his life, Voltaire wrote all manner of literary works, the most notable being Candide (1759), which criticises the unfounded optimism present in religion and the problems around the idea of finding true happiness.During his life, Voltaire spent life in pr ison for his attacks on religion and the government in La Henriade (1723). He also exiled himself to England and the town of Ferney (on the French-Swiss border which is now known as Ferney-Voltaire) to flee more jail time for his writings.Follow the link to read about France's complicated relationship with the UK!4.           Marie Antoinette (1755-1793)Marie Antoinette was born as an Austrian Archduchess in 1755. At age 14, she married the heir to the French throne, Louis-Auguste, who would become King Louis XVI and the last king of France, and Marie Antoinette would be the last queen.At the beginning of her reign as queen of France, Marie Antoinette was highly regarded by citizens of France, however, when she gained a reputation as a symbol of the monarchy’s lavish spending, opinion of her and of the centuries-old institution of the monarchy plummeted.Marie Antoinette is reported to have said “let them eat cake” on hearing that the population had no access to bread at the be ginning of the French Revolution, though there is no evidence for this.The decline in opinion of Marie Antoinette and her husband King Louis XVI was a contributing factor to the French Revolution. AnnieFrench Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolineFrench Teacher 5.00 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriFrench Teacher 5.00 (9) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarianneFrench Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThibautFrench Teacher 5.00 (3) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickFrench Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DéborahFrench Teacher 5.00 (10) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamyFrench Teacher 5.00 (2) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors5.           Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)Eventually rising to the position of Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte started out as a member of the French military during the Revo lution.Napoleon is regarded as one of the West’s best military leaders and was the namesake of an array of wars in which he led France at the beginning of the 19th century ¦ source: VisualhuntOne of the most famous parts of Napoleon’s legacy is the Napoleonic Code. This was a new legal code for France which was drafted to replace the complex pre-revolution system. The Napoleonic code detailed everything from the rights of individuals and families to property and the management of colonies.Though unpopular with some, Napoleon’s new code was adopted by several other countries, including those in South America as a template for their own civil codes.6.           Victor Hugo (1802-1885)Victor Hugo was a French writer famous for his poems, novels and plays. He is most famous for his novels The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) and Les Misérables (1862), both of which enjoyed a second round of fame when they were transformed into a film and opera respectively.Hugo’s works are regar ded as belonging to the Romantic era, a period in which artists focussed on the poetic side of art and using nature as a springboard for creating meaningful works.The Hunchback of Notre Dame tells the story of a man who is mistreated by the people of the town for the way he looks. This was the first semi-political work which would be followed by many more.Set in 1845, Les Misérables follows the life of a man who was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his niece during a period of hardship. This also contains many messages about the flaws of post-revolutionary French society.7.           Marie Curie (1867-1934)Originally from Poland, Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize and the first to win the award more than once.Curie dedicated her life to researching radioactive materials and is credited with the discovery of radium and polonium, as well as coining the term ‘radioactive’.Curie’s efforts in the fields of physics and chemistry didn’t st op at research. She also worked alongside the government to implement the use of portable x-ray machines on wounded soldiers on the battlefields of the First World War.Curie paid the ultimate price for her services to science. Her exposure to radioactive materials meant that she died at age 66 from aplastic anaemia caused by radiation.8.           Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935)Alfred Dreyfus was a French artillery officer during the First World War who was convicted of treason in 1894 after being suspected of informing German forces on French artillery.After being stripped of his title as an army officer in public, Dreyfus exclaimed that he was innocent and worthy of serving in the French military.While Dreyfus was serving his sentence of life imprisonment in French Guiana, new evidence came to light that Dreyfus was, in fact, innocent, however, the new findings were covered up until the story was given to the press.Dreyfus’ Jewish faith and the suspicion of anti-Semitism in the Frenc h military brought the debate around the religious freedom of French citizens into the public eye. The popular opinion that Dreyfus was innocent meant that he was given a retrial, however, he was found guilty.With Dreyfus locked up once more, there was another public outcry which led to his release and pardon.Dreyfus was reinstated as an army officer and given significant promotions.French history is fascinating! I learned all about it in my French classes London...9.           Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970)Charles de Gaulle started out as a military leader in the Second World War and later became the President of France.Throughout his military and political career, de Gaulle was at the centre of radical events and changes to the French government as well as the Algerian War of Independence in 1962.As a military officer, de Gaulle was critical of the French government’s approach to the threat of German invasion and fled to London once Paris had been seized, where he formed the Fren ch government in exile as leader of Free France in 1940.Charles de Gaulle has been recognised for his duties with an airport named in his honour ¦ source: Pixabay - 12019Following the liberation of Paris in 1944, de Gaulle returned to Paris with a desire to form a new government, however, when this failed in 1953, he retired. But this was not the end of de Gaulle’s power.He returned to govern France following the independence movement in Algeria (a French colony at the time) in 1958 and was president of France until 1969.10. Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)Jean-Paul Sartre was a philosopher and anticolonialist famous for his work on the theory of existentialism.Sartre published a host of plays, essays and political works. The most famous of these include the play No Exit (1944), an existentialist play in which all of the characters are trapped in a room together with no escape.Sartre famously refused the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, stating that a writer should not allow thems elves to be turned into an institution.If this article was helpful, why not check out another one on important historical events in France?

13 Must-Read Tips to Ensure a 5 on the AP Spanish Test

13 Must-Read Tips to Ensure a 5 on the AP Spanish Test Suzy S. Gearing up for the AP Spanish exam? Check out these 13 helpful tips from tutor Jason N.  to increase your confidence Spanish continues to prevail as the second language of the United States. It is also the most frequently studied second language in high schools, colleges, and graduate schools. If you are preparing for the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam, it probably means that your Spanish is already strong, and you are on track to becoming fluent. Congratulations! This AP Spanish test is designed to measure how well you communicate with others in Spanish, how well you can present, and how well you can interpret (and respond to) what you read and hear. This includes your ability to think critically, your overall fluency, and how accurate your grammar is, especially your ability to form coherent sentences. You should pass if you can comprehend Spanish close to how a native speaker would in many different contexts, most of which come from various Spanish-speaking milieu. The exam also gauges your cultural knowledge of Spanish-speaking countries and peoples. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, bear with me. It may sound daunting, but you can do it! Similar to any standardized or AP test, the key is anxiety management and preparing well in advance.  Here are 13 tips that will help you prepare for and defeat the AP Spanish exam: Get a Spanish tutor!  There are tons of study booklets and materials available to help you practice, but a tutor can help you find the best ones, plus provide tips for helping you organize and channel your time. For a limited time, you can also check out one of TakeLessons live, online Spanish classes for free. Practice Spanish on mobile applications.  These can help make learning fun and dynamic, where textbooks may fail. Manage your anxiety! Your fear about bombing the test may become a significant barrier, potentially bigger than the studying and the test’s difficulty itself! Remember, you got this far already. Mindfulness techniques can help it’s no coincidence that students who believe in their ability to pass usually do. Begin studying early preferably four months before.  Our brains absorb information the best when it’s presented relatively briefly but consistent over a large time span, such as 30-60 minutes of studying 3-6 times weekly. This is particularly true of language learning this is why many Spanish classes are scheduled daily for an hour, whereas non-language classes are often scheduled in two-hour blocks once or twice weekly. Don’t underestimate the importance of practice tests. Kaplan and the Princeton Review both offer practice tests online. There are also many practice tests for the AP Spanish exam available for free online. Know how to conjugate most verbs, especially the most commonly used ones, like tener, poder, and hablar. Know the difference between por and para, ser and estar, and  conocer and saber. The multiple choice part, which is half the test, tends to focus on this and is formulaic and straightforward to learn and practice. Know the basic formulas of certain grammatical structures, such as superlatives (Él es el más…). Know the time tenses, like el imperfecto, perterito, el plusperfecto, condicional,  and futuro. Know plural and singular, and masculine vs. feminine. I cannot tell you how many people have incorrectly answered certain multiple questions, or were dinged in the writing sections due to a silly mistake here. Remember that many nouns don’t follow the basic rule that nouns ending in -a are feminine and nouns that end in -o are masculine. There are many exceptions to this rule, such as el tema and la mano. Keep your general Spanish skills fresh by practicing regularly! Keep in touch with friends you meet from Spanish-speaking countries and practice with people you know who also speak Spanish. Watch telenovelas. They can be funny, but corny. If they hook you, they make for great practice! Download Pandora and listen to Spanish music on your smartphone. Many of them are catchy and learning the lyrics can give your Spanish a great lift! In conclusion, you can do it! Systematic and early practice is the key. Set up a consistent study schedule, consult your Spanish tutor for additional study tips and conversation practice, and stay positive! Need help with additional AP tests? Check out our tips for the: AP World History Exam AP Environmental Science Exam AP Statistics Exam AP Calculus Exam AP Language and Composition Exam Jason N. tutors English and Spanish in Fairfax, CA.  He majored in Spanish at UC Davis, lived in Mexico for 3 years where he completed a Masters degree in Counseling, and studied Spanish Literature and Psychology at the University of Costa Rica. Learn more about Jason here!   Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by biologycorner

The Little-Known Difficulties Of Playing Beginner Guitars

The Little-Known Difficulties Of Playing Beginner Guitars Suzy S. If youre in the market for a guitar, youve likely seen beginner models and packages offered. But are they worth it? Find out in this guest post by Austin, TX teacher  Samuel B... Recently some of my beginner students have requested shopping tips for more advanced models of guitars. Though my familiarity with standard models for various genres is considerable, I dont train aspiring musicians to master one specific genre. Although jazz sounds best when played on a hollow-bodied electric with f holes on either side of the strings (just as blues-rock is played best on a Fender Stratocaster, electric Chicago-based blues on its cousin the Telecaster, and so forth), I dont recommend that you purchase one of these models for the reason cited above. Beginners frequently learn to play “beginner” guitar models (miniature instruments made by obscure companies). If youre a beginner, I recommend that your brand of purchase instead be recognizable. It need not be brand new or first-hand, but it should be a model of some note. Martin is one name of repute. So are Fender, Yamaha, Washburn, and Epiphone. These models are known not only for their sound, but for their relatively uncomplicated maintenance. While inexpensive, the beginner guitar models you see have multiple drawbacks: Beginner guitars produce a poor sound My first acoustic guitar (a “beginner” model) did. This is not an issue when youre being introduced to the instrument, but will likely become one once you reach an understanding of your potential as a musician. You want an instrument that broadcasts (not simply delivers) your sound. You might as well start with one. Beginner guitars are generally more difficult to re-string than their mainstream counterparts Im remembering several bridge-related hiccups with my first electric (another obscure model), some of which required the use of Allen wrenches. At one point, I even lost a weak tuning peg on it and had to resort to an ill-fitting replacement during the rest of the instruments shelf life. If memory serves, the pickup itself wobbled as it appeared to have been poorly fastened. Recognizable Plug-In Acoustics Give You the Most Options I can only recommend the genre-specific models listed at the beginning of the article if youve made your desire to master only one technique unequivocal. Otherwise, recognizable plug-in acoustics give you the most leverage, whatever your aspiration be it to perform, record, lead singing, teach singing, or even embark on a musicological endeavor like collecting and learning little-known folk songs. Theyre durable, sonically pleasing, and are proper equipment for anything from Kum Ba Ya around a campfire to a CSNY reunion show at the Hollywood Bowl in that the simple element of electricity (or lack thereof) determines the role theyll play. So, What Type of Guitar Should Beginners Purchase? As a performer, my act falls within the singer-songwriter category, which typically involves the use of an acoustic guitar plugged into a sound system. I own two: a Yamaha (purchased from some former housemates for less than $100) and a Takamine (which I obtained roughly 10 years ago upon trading in both my first black electric model and my Telecaster imitation model I may have even sacrificed an inexpensive amplifier or two in the exchange as well). My Takamine has been a faithful sidekick during innumerable sets at local coffeehouses here in Austin. Its also one of the most recognizable acoustic-electric brand names. I always have it in my lap when I teach and I believe it to be among the top user-friendly models; it has proved itself the most versatile and reliable guitar Ive ever owned or played. It sounds cleaner and is more robust than any other model familiar to me. Its durability has allowed me to serve the multiple roles of performer, teacher, and independent recording artist. I can also maintain my relatively low-consumption lifestyle the backpack straps on its case (a separate purchase) make for easy transport on bike, bus, and even plane. Be Patient And Open-Minded While Shopping The best shopping advice, of course, is to explore multiple options. Despite my mainstream-oriented advice about the brands, I recommend that you seek your model in a pawn shop or locally-owned music store, as these outlets tend to have better deals than large chains. You might even have luck on Craigslist. I also recommend that you compare prices as much as possible. Just as you need a reliable vehicle to carry you long distances, you need a sturdy, versatile, and aurally-attractive instrument to accompany the ongoing development of your musical knowledge and enthusiasms â€" preferably from the very start. That way, you wont have to anticipate replacing your instrument down the line. Samuel B. teaches beginner  guitar lessons in Austin, TX. He teaches lessons face-to-face without sheet music, which is his adaptation of Japanese instruction (involving a call-and-response method).  Learn more about Samuel here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by rosipaw

How to Create a GRE Prep Plan

How to Create a GRE Prep Plan If youre applying to graduate school and need to take the GRE, its time to create a plan. With a plethora of advice and study material available, the choices can be overwhelming. Which books should you purchase? How long should you review questions for each section? When should you take the official exam? The first step in answering these questions is to create a GRE prep plan. To establish a study plan, take GRE practice tests, identify your goals, and create a prep schedule. Hoping to make the most of your GRE test date? Keep reading to learn how to create a GRE prep plan. GRE prep plan tip #1: take a full-length GRE practice test The best way to know how to start studying for the GRE is to sit for a practice GRE exam. The official test takes three hours and 45 minutes. Therefore, your practice exam should take the same length of time. When taking a practice test, dont skip the Analytical Writing section. Complete both the Issue essay and the Argument essay. Then, go through the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections. Once youve finished, write down your score, and then review your exam results to determine your strengths and weaknesses. GRE prep plan tip #2: identify your GRE goals Based on the results of your practice exam, as well as the requirements of the graduate program youre applying to, choose your priorities for your GRE preparation. When pinpointing your GRE goals, ask yourself questions such as: Should I focus on writing? Do I need to improve my verbal skills? Do my quantitative skills need assistance? If youre entering a program based in mathematics, like engineering or finance, make sure that your performance on the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE reflects your highest abilities. Conversely, if youre applying to graduate school for programs like English or education, then the Writing and Verbal Reasoning sections will also be important. [RELATED: 3 Ways to Get GRE Writing Practice] GRE prep plan tip #3: register for your GRE test date Your official GRE exam date will give you a target to work toward. Depending on your application deadline, allow for sufficient time to prepare, as well as a cushion in case you need to take the exam again. If youre a prudent planner who has six months to a year before your application is due, register for a GRE exam date two months from now, and forecast a backup GRE exam for three months from now. This will provide you with at least three months to work on the rest of your application after youve completed the GRE. [RELATED: How is the GRE Scored?] GRE prep plan tip #4: create a study schedule Consistency is key when preparing for the GRE. Block out times with specific topics to study throughout each week, broken down into separate question types. For example, for your Verbal Reasoning times, decide whether youll work on reading comprehension, text completion, sentence equivalence, or general vocabulary memorization. On Quantitative Reasoning days, determine whether you want to focus on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or data analysis. Additionally, include full practice GRE exams throughout your schedule so that you can monitor your progress. [RELATED: GRE Tips for Test Day] GRE prep plan tip #5: keep your end goal in mind Your GRE prep plan will help you succeed on the GRE only if you follow the plan. Remember why youve scheduled study time throughout the week and why you want to create the strongest application possible for graduate school. Also, if necessary, adjust the plan. As you prepare for the GRE, you may develop your skills in certain sections more easily than others. Update your plan accordingly. Creating a GRE prep plan that addresses your needs requires focus and discipline. Establish your goals, and create a study schedule to support your GRE exam success. Following these steps can help make your GRE preparation process successful. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

ACT Science Sifting Out What Matters (and what doesnt)

ACT Science Sifting Out What Matters (and what doesn’t) ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog The ACT Science section has a rather misleading name. Perhaps a better name would be the ACT Reading Section Part 2: Science Concepts. The exam requires no prior knowledge of scientific content or concepts. Instead, students are required to interpret data graphs, what the scientific method is and how scientific theories disagree from each other. These are concepts taught in every high school in the country. The ACT is a standardized exam that must provide a level playing field for all applicants, from all demographics across the United States. As such, it may be comforting to know that advanced science concepts such as DNA transcription and translation or the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium won’t be tested. To succeed on this portion of the exam, exposure to ACT Science questions and practice solving them is critical. The following is an important tip to succeeding on the ACT science section: Do NOT try to read and understand the entire passage and all its figures! The ACT purposely fills the passage and the figures with a lot of useless information that will not be tested. You should be skimming both with only two questions in mind: What is their point in writing this? What is this figure showing? Let’s look at a sample ACT Science Passage and try to extract the main idea while tossing out all the details that don’t matter. What do you think the main idea is here and how can you paraphrase this simply? Paraphrased Version: There is a really old lake. It was formed from glaciers. Trapped water and sediments tells us about the climate when they were deposited. Figure 2 shows a cross section (will cover below). Figure 3 deals with ratios and has a funny symbol before 18O. We don’t need to worry about that. Just know that the smaller values correspond to colder temperatures. Now let’s look at Figure 2 and make sense of it. Figure 2 below shows a cross section of the lake. Imagine, literally cutting out a rectangular piece of the lake to study. The top of it is the surface and as you move down in elevation, you experience the different types of sediment/rock. Do not worry about what “glacial till” is, since it’s very unlikely the ACT will ask you to define or understand it. We can see there are 3 different sites between the 2 locations of Winnipeg and Grand Forks. There are different sediment types and different elevations for all 3. For instance, at site 1, there is lake/clay at 200 m above sea level. However, at site 2, there is glacial till at that elevation. These are some simple takeaways from this sample passage and figure to better understand how to effectively maneuver through the ACT Science section. Remember not to get caught up in details or spend too much time trying to understand the entire passage and all the figures. Search for the main idea, check the graph axis and try to extract the bigger picture. This will both save time and set you up for success instead of bogging you down with confusing, unnecessary details!

Healthcare Communication Problems with Linguistic Minorities

Healthcare Communication Problems with Linguistic Minorities Dissatisfaction with Healthcare Communication in the Second Language By Gabriel Émile Édouard Nicolet (Swiss, 1856-1921) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEffective communication between healthcare providers and their patients is an important factor in patient satisfaction. Global patient satisfaction with healthcare has been found to be lower among patients who have more provider-patient communication problems (Charles, Goldsmith, Chambers, Haynes, Gauld, 1996). The most commonly reported problems involve failures on the part of providers to communicate when communication is expected, such as failing to explain what the provider is intending to do while examining a patient, keeping the patient in the dark about daily routines, and failing to communicate adequately during discharge planning. Dissatisfaction with Healthcare Communication in the Second Language Global dissatisfaction with healthcare becomes more acute, however, when the provider and patient cannot effectively communicate in each other’s language. In a study of 26 international medical graduates enrolled in an Internal Medicine residency program at Wayne State University, a significant correlation was found between language proficiency and patient satisfaction (Eggly, Musial, Smulowitz, 1999). In another study, Spanish-speaking patients in San Francisco were also found to be less satisfied with the care they received from non-Spanish speaking physicians (Fernandez et al., 2004), and in the North-eastern United States, a variety of non-English speaking patients reported less satisfaction than their English-speaking counterparts with emergency room care, courtesy and respect, and with discharge instructions (Carrasquillo, Orav, Brennan, Burstin, 1999). Comparisons made between members of the same linguistic minority group also showed a correlation between language proficie ncy and satisfaction levels. For example, low-English-proficiency Korean patients over the age of 60 in the U.S. were less likely to be satisfied with the healthcare service they received than Koreans with higher levels of proficiency (Jang, Kim, Chiriboga, 2005). Indeed, not speaking the language of the patient adds to a patient’s suffering. One emergency department study found that Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients were half as likely to receive analgesia in the treatment of their long bone fractures as their English-speaking counterparts (Todd, Samaroo, Hoffman, 1993). Worse still, a failure to anticipate communication problems and accommodate low-language proficiency clientele can turn fatal, as was recently illustrated in a news story of an Albanian immigrant who killed himself, thinking his wife had been diagnosed with AIDS when hospital staff told him his wifes blood type was A-positive (The Canadian Press, 2007). Improving Healthcare Access for Linguistic Minorities One obvious solution to increasing healthcare access to linguistic minorities is to use interpreters. Whereas the use of hospital-trained interpreters in pediatric emergency departments was found to increase parents’ satisfaction with their physicians and nurses (Garcia, Roy et al., 2006), in primary care medical interviews a reliance upon interpreters is somewhat more problematic. Aranguri, Davidson, and Ramirez (2006) observed that during regular doctors’ appointments with Hispanic patients about half of the words exchanged between doctor and patient were missing from interpreters’ translations. All small talk, known to increase patients’ emotional engagement in their treatments and their doctors’ ability to get a comprehensive patient history, was eliminated. Patients’ questions, an important indication of patients’ engagement with their own care, were also significantly reduced when an interpreter was used. To reduce the heavy reliance on interpreters in healthcare, Zambrana et al. (2004) recommend hiring more minority, linguistically competent, and culturally competent healthcare providers in managed care networks. They argue that having healthcare providers that speak the same language as their patients will lead to lowered costs, greater healthcare access, better health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and patient compliance. There is evidence to support this claim. One study investigating patient outcomes found that asthma patients cared for by doctors who spoke their language were more likely to take their medication and less likely to miss office appointments or make resource-intensive emergency room visits than patients with doctors who did not speak their language (Manson, 1988). Another study found that patients whose doctors spoke their language asked more questions and had a better recall of their doctor’s recommendations (Seijo, Girmez, Freidenberg, 1991). A Resource Medical Professionals Learning English The Virtual Writing Tutor grammar checker is equipped with a number of pronunciation tools, including a text-to-speech engine that can help medical professionals refine their pronunciation in English. To practice the questions needed to perform a  medical history interview, the Virtual Writing Tutor provides a Flash-based simulation of a medical history interview with an English-speaking diabetic man. To help medical professionals become better aware of their medical English and to develop their medical vocabulary, the Virtual Writing Tutor also has a vocabulary checker. References Aranguri, C., Davidson, B., Ramirez, R. (2006). Patterns of Communication through Interpreters:   A Detailed Sociolinguistic Analysis.  Journal of General Internal Medicine,  21(6), 623â€"629. Carrasquillo, O., Orav, E. J., Brennan, T. A., Burstin, H. R. (1999). Impact of language barriers on patient satisfaction in an emergency department.  Journal of General Internal Medicine,  14(2),   82â€"87. Charles, C., Goldsmith, L. J., Chambers, L., Haynes, R. B., Gauld, M. (1996). Provider-Patient Communication Among Elderly and Nonelderly Patients in Canadian Hospitals: A National Survey.  Health Communication,  8(3), 281. Eggly, S., Musial, J., Smulowitz, J. (1999). Research and Discussion Note The Relationship between English Language Proficiency and Success as a Medical Resident.  English for Specific  Purposes,  18(2), 201â€"208. Fernandez, A., Schillinger, D., Grumbach, K., Rosenthal, A., Stewart, A. L., Wang, F., Perez-Stable, E. J. (2004). Physician language ability and cultural competence an exploratory study of communication with Spanish-speaking patients.  Journal of General Internal Medicine,  19(2), 167â€"174. Jang, Y., Kim, G., Chiriboga, D. A. (2005). Health, healthcare utilization, and satisfaction with service: barriers and facilitators for older Korean Americans.  J Am Geriatr Soc,  53(9), 1613â€"7. Manson, A. (1988). Language Concordance as a Determinant of Patient Compliance and Emergency Room Use in Patients with Asthma.  Medical Care,  26(12), 1119â€"1128. Seijo, R., Girmez, H., Freidenberg, J. (1991). Language as a communication barrier in medical care for Latino patients.  Hisp J Behav Sci,  13(363). The Canadian Press. (2007, December 11). Caregivers must be open to cultural differences,  commission told. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/12/11/qc-bouchardtaylor.html Todd, K. H., Samaroo, N., Hoffman, J. R. (1993). Ethnicity as a risk factor for inadequate emergency department analgesia.  JAMA,  269(12), 1537â€"1539. Zambrana, R. E., Molnar, C., Munoz, H. B., Lopez, D. S. (2004). Cultural competency as it intersects with racial/ethnic, linguistic, and class disparities in managed healthcare organizations.  Am J Manag Care,  10 Spec No, SP37â€"44. Please follow and like us:

June Language Challenge Javis Update

June Language Challenge Javis Update My name is Javi, I work in e-marketing at italki and I’m taking the June language challenge! For this challenge I wanted to choose a very specific goal: learning a Chinese menu. There are so many Chinese culture and traditions around  food and meals that I am not aware of, so many dishes that I try and love but dont know how to describe, so many food-based idioms that I dont understand I’ve been living here for over a year and I still can’t order in Chinese! So this month I promised myself that all that would change. So after 3 weeks, Ive finished 8 lessons on italki and my Chinese teacher Catherine is awesome (I highly recommend her)!  This week I am trying to fit in 3 more lessons so all I need to do is 1 more this weekend to finish it.  Its been tough but I agree with Tracy in that you just need to schedule your lessons in advance  and set this time aside to meet your goals. So halfway through week 2, I went to lunch with a bunch of my colleagues as we welcomed our new summer intern Jiahong and they had me try and order off the menu.  It actually wasnt bad as I got about 75% of the food items correct.  I know I still have a  ways to go but I feel with these last 3 sessions and by reviewing what Ive learned using flash cards, I will most definitely meet my Challenge Goal! I hope you guys are enjoying the Challenge as much as I have.  Ive been at italki for almost a year now and its the first Challenge Ive participated in and its a really great experience! June Language Challenge Javis Update My name is Javi, I work in e-marketing at italki and I’m taking the June language challenge! For this challenge I wanted to choose a very specific goal: learning a Chinese menu. There are so many Chinese culture and traditions around  food and meals that I am not aware of, so many dishes that I try and love but dont know how to describe, so many food-based idioms that I dont understand I’ve been living here for over a year and I still can’t order in Chinese! So this month I promised myself that all that would change. So after 3 weeks, Ive finished 8 lessons on italki and my Chinese teacher Catherine is awesome (I highly recommend her)!  This week I am trying to fit in 3 more lessons so all I need to do is 1 more this weekend to finish it.  Its been tough but I agree with Tracy in that you just need to schedule your lessons in advance  and set this time aside to meet your goals. So halfway through week 2, I went to lunch with a bunch of my colleagues as we welcomed our new summer intern Jiahong and they had me try and order off the menu.  It actually wasnt bad as I got about 75% of the food items correct.  I know I still have a  ways to go but I feel with these last 3 sessions and by reviewing what Ive learned using flash cards, I will most definitely meet my Challenge Goal! I hope you guys are enjoying the Challenge as much as I have.  Ive been at italki for almost a year now and its the first Challenge Ive participated in and its a really great experience! June Language Challenge Javis Update My name is Javi, I work in e-marketing at italki and I’m taking the June language challenge! For this challenge I wanted to choose a very specific goal: learning a Chinese menu. There are so many Chinese culture and traditions around  food and meals that I am not aware of, so many dishes that I try and love but dont know how to describe, so many food-based idioms that I dont understand I’ve been living here for over a year and I still can’t order in Chinese! So this month I promised myself that all that would change. So after 3 weeks, Ive finished 8 lessons on italki and my Chinese teacher Catherine is awesome (I highly recommend her)!  This week I am trying to fit in 3 more lessons so all I need to do is 1 more this weekend to finish it.  Its been tough but I agree with Tracy in that you just need to schedule your lessons in advance  and set this time aside to meet your goals. So halfway through week 2, I went to lunch with a bunch of my colleagues as we welcomed our new summer intern Jiahong and they had me try and order off the menu.  It actually wasnt bad as I got about 75% of the food items correct.  I know I still have a  ways to go but I feel with these last 3 sessions and by reviewing what Ive learned using flash cards, I will most definitely meet my Challenge Goal! I hope you guys are enjoying the Challenge as much as I have.  Ive been at italki for almost a year now and its the first Challenge Ive participated in and its a really great experience!

Hands-on learning with Play dough - ALOHA Mind Math

Hands-on learning with Play dough Remember the expression on your child’s face when you buy him/her a fresh batch of play dough? Available now in attractive colors so as to keep the attention of even a toddler for a long time, play dough need not be treated as just another “toy”. It can be used in a variety of ways to enhance your child’s playtime and introduce some learning experiences as play based learning. Math skills This subject can give a parent nightmares, but can be made very approachable using play dough. Even before starting to identify the numerals, your child can start identifying shapes and quantities using the dough. Direct your child to roll 2 circles or cut out 3 triangles and watch the fun the child has doing it. Then similar to the letters, the child can also learn to roll or cut out the number figures. Play dough retains the interest of your child over a period of many years and as your child gets to the schooling age, you can plan a myriad of fun activities to teach even the more serious subjects like addition and subtraction. Watching children learning through play is one of the most amazing things for any parent to experience. Motor skills â€" Although not recommended for younger babies who still tend to put things in their mouths, once your toddler has passed this stage you can safely introduce them to some hands-on learning using play dough. You will see that it can be of great use in developing their motor skills. You can make them practice rolling the dough and making it into different shapes as some first steps. You will always treasure the moments of “Mommy! I made a circle!”. Another interesting adaptation is to get your child to use a rolling pin (toy ones are available) to roll out and straighten the dough. Language skills â€" As your child grows a little older, you can develop your own learning games starting from forming letters or sounds using the dough, to using stencil cutters to form the alphabets and create small words out of it. The fun of shaping and using different colors will make it a lot more interesting for your child to have a fun learning experience and he will not treat it as a tedious chore any more. These are just some of the major skills your child can pick up and enhance using play dough. There may be many other things of interest such as mixing colors to see which color comes up as a result, or learning to use small tools like scissors and cutters which your child will also experience and learn along the way. So the next time the play dough dries out or just wears out and you have to buy a new batch, think about all the fun activities and learning experiences you can plan with it for your child. Follow us on Facebook to receive frequent updates on developing your child’s learning skills https://www.facebook.com/aloha.usa