Category Archives: Advice

Finding A TEFL Accreditation Body

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If you are looking for accreditation in TEFL or teaching English as a foreign language, there is no one all-powerful TEFL accreditation body to which you can turn. Accreditation for TEFL can actually come through several different means.

When it comes to seeking out accreditation, a person or institution that is looking for that accreditation needs to do a little bit of research into what body might suit them best for accreditation. It is also imperative to remember that just because a TEFL organisation offers membership, that does not necessarily mean that organisation has accreditation ability.

If you as a person or an institution are looking for accreditation, it is important to explore the different options available and see what might work best for you or your institution.

Doing research is all a part of finding the right TEFL accreditation body that meets your expectations. Doing a quick search of such accrediting bodies in the U.K. may bring up several different names. Each of these bodies may have slightly different requirements as far as granting accreditation is concerned. If you as a person or an institution are looking for accreditation, it is important to explore the different options available and see what might work best for you or your institution. One TEFL accreditation body might not necessarily meet the exact needs for every TEFL course or program.

As an individual seeking TEFL certification, it can be very important and beneficial to seek out those courses that provide accreditation. Accredited courses may benefit you later on when you seek employment. Accreditation means that a certain course or program has met certain standards as far as teaching and training its students. Being able to out on your CV that you attended an accredited program could make you competitive for the teaching position that you end up seeking.

As mentioned above, seeking accreditation as an institution also means that your program has met minimum standards and requirements. Gaining accreditation could almost be seen as a badge of honor or achievement, that your program produces quality teachers ready to teach English to students all over the world. Students or teachers serious about gaining quality training to teach English abroad will quite likely seek out programs that have achieved accreditation.

Gaining accreditation can speak volumes about a TEFL program’s standards while using few words.

Finding a TEFL accreditation body that meets your needs could be important to the future of your institution, students, and TEFL program. It is important to research the different accrediting bodies as they may have slightly different criteria for obtaining accreditation through them. Gaining accreditation can speak volumes about a TEFL program’s standards while using few words. For TEFL programs seeking validation about the standards of its courses and students serious about a career in TEFL, seeking out accreditation can be a very good idea.

The Pros and Cons of Online Education for the Contemporary World Citizen

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More and more young people are choosing non-traditional education to start and advance in their careers while completing and furthering their formal education. “Typical distance learners are those who don’t have access to programs, employees who work during scheduled class hours, home-bound individuals, self-motivated individuals who want to take courses for self-knowledge or advancement, or those who are unable or unwilling to attend class” (Charp, 2000, p. 10).

Three key elements surround the online learner: technology, curriculum, and instructor (Bedore, Bedore, & Bedore, 1997). These elements must be keenly integrated into one smoothly and operationally functional delivery tool.

While an online method of education can be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature, self-disciplined student, it is an inappropriate learning environment for more dependent learners. In order to successfully participate in an online program, student must be well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course. For these reasons, online education or e-learning is not appropriate for younger students (i.e. elementary or secondary school age), and other students who are dependent learners and have difficulty assuming responsibilities required by the online paradigm.

Millions of students use e-learning solutions in over 140 countries, with corporations such as Kodak and Toyota and education providers like ExecuTrain, New Horizons, the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS), Phoenix University amongst the hundreds of schools and colleges.

Studies have shown student retention to be up to 250% better with online learning than with classroom courses. Several recent ones have helped frame the debate. The Sloan Consortium published a widely distributed report titled “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ that examined the growing prevalence of online education across U.S. institutions.

In addition, a study conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm Eduventures found that, while about half of institutions and more than 60 percent of employers generally accept the high quality of online learning, students’ perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective online students said that they perceive the quality of online education to be “as good as or better than” face-to-face education. Ironically, 36 percent of prospective students surveyed cited concern about employers’ acceptance of online education as a reason for their reluctance to enroll in online courses.

The debate rages on while the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today’s international students are constantly analyzed to determine if this type of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results.

But what actually drives quality? A March 2006 report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education identifies six quality indicators: mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student and academic services, planning for sustainability and growth, and evaluation and assessment.

The debate rages on while the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today’s international students are constantly analyzed to determine if this type of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results.

The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) is one institution which uses this type of delivery system. ENOCIS enhances their learning experience by offering many other “value added”, cost reducing benefits to students. Online pupils can apply for scholarships available to students of excellence and other financial aid programs like the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), with attractive interest rates. They also provide convenient payment facilities, on line banking, Western Union Quick Collect, bank cards and a student who is granted a loan can start repaying it after two months if they have a corporate guarantor.

Pros of Online Education:

The key advantages of the online education experience are briefly explained below:

1. Cheaper:

Online courses may be more affordable than those offered at colleges or trade schools. You may also save on transportation costs like gas, bus passes, and parking permits because you don’t need to commute to school and there are no housing or meals plans to worry about since you do not need to live on or near a college campus. Housing expenses and other costs associated with living expenses are usually the most expensive aspects of a college education, so by taking an online course you could save quite a bit of money. The best part of online education is the absence of travel and immigration problems.

2. More Convenient:

By taking courses online, you’re able to decide when you study and for how long. You are also able to schedule your studying around your work or social schedule.

Since you’re not bound to a classroom, you may do your work wherever you have access to a computer and the internet. You’ll be able to set your own pace and decide exactly how fast you want to go over the material. Take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. You can learn when you need it (Just-In-Time).

3. Flexibility:

With no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan. The online students can carry out their private or official work, along with the online education. They can allot more time in the topics, which they feel comparatively hard and vice versa. The speed of learning depends solely upon the students.

4. Technology:

With the help of the scientific technology, students can do their online education at any place. The only mandatory pre-requisite is the availability of computer along with an internet amenity.

5. Availability:

Distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.

6. Accessibility:

With an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access. Your learning options are not constrained by your geographic location. The new virtual classrooms have created a myriad of learning opportunities for global learning and education center. On line education is a new era experience adapting to the needs of the world citizen.

7. Self-Directed:

You set your own pace and schedule, so you control the learning environment.

8. Time Spent in Classroom:

Now you can take a course on just about any subject without ever having to be in, or travel to, a classroom so you have very little wasted time. Note, however, that some distance-education programs still do have an in-class component and normally to receive a fully accredited US university degree an international student must spend one or two semesters on campus.

9. High Quality Dialog:

Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner is able to carefully reflect on each comment from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise loose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

10. Student Centered:

Within an online discussion, the individual student responds to the course material (lectures and course books, for example) and to comments from other students. Students usually respond to those topics within the broader conversation that most clearly speak to their individual concerns and situations resulting in several smaller conversations taking place simultaneously within the group. While students are expected to read all of their classmates’ contributions, they will become actively engaged only in those parts of the dialog most relevant to their needs. In this way, students take control of their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time take away a unique mix of information directly relevant to their needs.

11. Level Playing Field:

In the online environment learners retain a considerable level of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual’s ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.

12. Synergy:

The online format allows for a high level of dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process as each individual contributes to the course discussions and comments on the work of others. The synergy that exists in the student-centered virtual classroom is one of the unique and vital traits that the online learning format posses.

13. Access to Resources:

It is easy to include distinguished guest experts or students from other institutions in an online class as well as allow students to access resources and information anywhere in the world. An instructor can compile a resource section online with links to scholarly articles, institutions, and other materials relevant to the course topic for students to access for research, extension, or in depth analysis of course content material in the global classroom.

14. Creative Teaching:

The literature of adult education supports the use of interactive learning environments as contributing to self-direction and critical thinking. Some educators have made great strides in applying these concepts to their on ground teaching. The nature of the semi-autonomous and self-directed world of the virtual classroom makes innovative and creative approaches to instruction even more important. In the online environment, the facilitator and student collaborate to create a dynamic learning experience.

Cons of Online Education:

Briefly explained are some factors that could negatively affect your success with distance learning courses:

1. The Technology:

a. Equity and Accessibility to Technology:

Before any online program can hope to succeed, it must have students who are able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether it be for economical or logistics reasons, will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course. This is a significant issue in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods and educating the under-served peoples of the world. As far as Internet accessibility is concerned, it is not universal, and in some areas of the United States and other countries, Internet access poses a significant cost to the user. Some users pay a fixed monthly rate for their Internet connection, while others are charged for the time they spend online. If the participants’ time online is limited by the amount of Internet access they can afford, then instruction and participation in the online program will not be equitable for all students in the course. This is a limitation of online programs that rely on Internet access.

b. Requires New Skills/Technologies:

If you’re not computer-savvy or are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you. The online students are required to learn new skills, such as researching and reviewing the internet.

c. Computer Literacy:

Both students and facilitators must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment. For example, they must be able to use a variety of search engines and be comfortable navigating on the World Wide Web, as well as be familiar with Newsgroups, FTP procedures and email. If they do not possess these technology tools, they will not succeed in an online program.

d. Limitations of Technology:

User friendly and reliable technology is critical to a successful online program. However, even the most sophisticated technology is not 100% reliable. Unfortunately, it is not a question of if the equipment used in an online program will fail, but when. When everything is running smoothly, technology is intended to be low profile and is used as a tool in the learning process. In downtime situations of broken systems the technology is neither seamless nor reliable and it can detract from the learning experience.

2. The Institution:

Many online education facilities are relatively new with many courses and hence, lack in modern instructors for instructing the new curriculum. Estimates show that there is still a need for an increase of more 50% of qualified instructors for online education.

b. The Administration and Faculty:

Some environments are disruptive to the successful implementation of an online program. Administrators and/or faculty members who are uncomfortable with change and working with technology or feel that online programs cannot offer quality education often inhibit the process of implementation.

3. The Facilitator: Lack of Essential Online Qualities:

Successful on-ground instruction does not always translate to successful online instruction. If facilitators are not properly trained in online delivery and methodologies, the success of the online program will be compromised. An instructor must be able to communicate well in writing and in the language in which the course is offered.

4. Perceptions/Reputation:

While slowly changing as more and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to distance education to the student’s interaction in the online education. Some of the students believe that, there are few opportunities with regards to face-to-face interactions and feedbacks.

5. No Instructor Face Time:

If your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

6. Little Support:

Students are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments and exams, which is empowering for some, but daunting for others. There is little support and limited guidelines provided in on line education system.

7. Lacking Social Interaction:

While you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or off line get-togethers.

8. No Campus Atmosphere:

Part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit, but you have none of that with distance-education courses. Since you’re not on campus or in classes, you may lack opportunities to meet other students.

9. Making Time:

If you are a procrastinator or one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes. On line learning requires new skills and responsibilities from learners.

10. Academic honesty of online students:

There requires a new mindset for online assessment. Most education experts agree that rote memory testing is not the best measure of learning in any environment and new measurement and evaluation tools are evolving.

11. Types and effectiveness of assessments:

The importance of outcomes in online learning cannot be over emphasized. Does the program have measurable results? Are students learning what you say they should be learning? Then there are institutional outputs: course completion rates, job placement rates (if that’s the goal of the institution), graduation rates, student success on third-party tests, and student satisfaction scores.

These factors, both the pros and cons, contribute greatly to making an informed decision about the direction of your career path and how you are going to accomplish your goals: on line, in the classroom or a combination of both.

Institutions and companies that use continuing education to meet their needs also face similar decisions. Institutions that deliver online education are confronted with a series of challenges, including the search for good faculty, use of technology, and provision of adequate student services.

The Sloan Consortium report “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ found that 64 percent of chief academic officers and faculty believe that it takes more discipline for a student to succeed in an online course than it does in a face-to-face course.

More and more major business and industry is turning to on line continuing education as a viable and cost effective resource for training its personnel. Hilton Hotel has 380 hotels worldwide and is represented in 66 countries.

When you weigh the benefits and advantages of on line adult continuing education the cost of study and flexibility of scheduling tip the scales of programs like the Enoch Olinga College, Capella and Phoenix University’s distance learning program on line adult continuing education is becoming a world wide respected form of education.

However, as with any situation, there are both pros and cons with the concept of online education and the benefits of the virtual or global classroom. You may want to evaluate both before you decide on an online education program. By examining the advantages and disadvantages, you will be able to make a more informed decision. But, at the end of the day, online learning is independent learning. A lot of structure has been put into online programs, but it still comes down to a learner sitting in front of a computer by him or herself. The knowledge you receive or the benefits it will generate either in development of self esteem or increasing earning capacity will depend sole upon you the student.

ELT teachers need to understand and utilise their natural rhythms

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As ELT teachers we operate best when we allow our bodies and minds time to recover after intense periods of effort. If we try to operate at high levels of intensity for prolonged periods of time without allowing time for rest, we become mental and emotional flat liners. Our minds and bodies simply break down and we stop functioning optimally.

Our minds and bodies function best when we operate using a work rest ratio that was designed over 1800 years ago by a Greek named Flavius Philostratus. He drew up a set of training manuals for Greek athletes, carefully detailing the work rest ratios that would allow the athletes to deliver their best performances. His theories were resurrected in the early 1960′s by the Russian Olympic team. They enjoyed an unprecedented level of success at the Olympic Games that year. This really effective theory, simply states that every period of intense activity, must be followed by a period of rest. This allows the mind and body to replenish and recover.

There are two ways you can negatively affect your performance

  • Operating at high levels of intensity for prolonged periods without adequate rest. (Over Stressing Your System)
  • Not training or working hard enough (Insufficient Stress)

Over training or over exerting your mind or body for prolonged periods causes injury, soreness, break down of the immune system, anxiety, negativeness, loss of passion and mental and emotional staleness. Training or operating at high intensity without adequate rest allows toxins to build up in our bodies. This leads to burnout and the breakdown of our performance.

If we want to improve, grow stronger and build muscle. We must place our muscles under stress and then allow them adequate time to recover before we stress them again. It is during recovery that our muscles rebuild and become stronger. If we keep placing our muscles under stress and we do not allow adequate time for them to recover, we will see our performance drop off.

If you work at extremely high levels of performance for prolonged periods, without allowing adequate time for recovery, you will see your performance steadily drop.

The same is true about your mental performance and your ability to be creative an effective every day. If you work at extremely high levels of performance for prolonged periods, without allowing adequate time for recovery, you will see your performance steadily drop. You must build recovery time into your daily, weekly, quarterly and annual schedules. Without adequate recovery time planned and built into your schedule you will stunt your growth and damage your performance.

Break your year up into 4 equal parts of 90 days each. Ensure that you get crystal clear focus around exactly what you want to achieve. By prioritizing and carefully selecting a theme for what you want to achieve during that quarter. Break the 90 days back even further and select specific projects that are aligned with this theme. Focus all your energy on accomplishing this single project for the next two weeks or 30 days.

Apply my code of personal achievement, by selecting five daily activities that are aligned with achieving this project and carry out these activities every day. Your head must not hit the pillow before you have carried out these actions.

For example: If it was January and I wanted to improve my health and lose weight by the end of the year. I would break my year back into 4 equal parts of 90 days each. I would then choose a project that is aligned with this goal namely to loose 3 kg. I would break this back further into three periods of thirty days each. I would now only need to lose 1 kg over the next 30 days.

The code of personal achievement that I would choose could be the following:

  • Eat Six small meals a day
  • Exercise for 30 minutes each day
  • Only Choose low fat healthy foods
  • Drink 2 liters of water a day
  • Walk the stairs at work every day

These are actions I will take every day. They will be penned into my schedule every day. My head will not hit the pillow until I have carried out these actions.

Here is a recommended formula for success

  • Choose a theme each 90 days that is aligned with the overall outcome you are trying to achieve that year.
  • Break each 90 day period into shorter cycles. These cycles can be anything from a few days to six weeks each. Depending on the outcomes you are attempting to achieve.
  • Choose a code of personal achievement. Choose five activities that you will carry out every day. These activities must be congruent and aligned with the outcome you are attempting to achieve.
  • Invest the first few days of each cycle in really intense effort. Really get things going, launch your new project with gusto. Apply an intense amount of focused effort to each project.
  • Include time to rest every day, at the end of every week, after completing each cycle and most definitely at the end of each quarter and the end of each year.

About the Author

Hi my name is Andrew Horton; I am an inspirational Speaker, Master Teacher, Radio and TV Host, Global Traveler and Author. My area of focus is in the field of human behavior, expanded awareness and enlightenment. I travel the planet constantly researching, learning and seeking ways to unlock the mysteries of the human mind. I delve into the inner workings of the universe, always looking for ways to understand my role in making things better and contributing to the improvement of the human experience. Please visit my website to sign up for a daily inspirational message by following this link Daily Inspirational Message. This is your daily call to action, a reminder to do things better each day. Visit my website at http://www.andrewhorton.co.za

 

4 ways that students get caught out buying essays online

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It’s not easy being a university student when English isn’t your native tongue and you’re required to attend lectures and hand in term papers in a college where English is the medium of instruction. Consequently, many turn to online writing sites for help.

I know I’m strictly in the minority as an educator, but I believe using such services to provide a model for the student to work from when making their own essay isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Nevertheless, there are many bad companies out there offering free research papers online and students don’t realize how easy it is for us to spot a poorly written paper from one of these places.

Here are some of those things that we look for, and easily find!

1. The writing isn’t up to scratch

Let’s start with the obvious: a lot of these services are only in it for the money and will throw out any old garbage just to pull in a quick buck. Work written by a bad or under-qualified writer sticks out a mile and will be spotted within one or two sentences.

2. Formatting is all over the place

The chances are that a professor is going to specify the style in which they want the work written. Quality writing services will ask you if, for instance, your paper should be in the APA or Harvard styles. An absence of formatting is a sure sign that the paper has been written badly.

3. Will it pass the plagiarism test?

One thing that many students don’t realize is that universities use plagiarism detection software. Consequently, it’s as easy as a click of a button to see if an essay has been copied from an online source. The worst online writing services will do this unashamedly, so those of you who are looking for free research papers online should take my advice and be careful to watch out for such work.

4. There’s little or no support

The real deal companies see this as their business and offer round the clock support to their clients. Those academics who like to see draft essays and discuss these with their students will spot immediately when no changes have been made to the final essay, which is often the case when the essay has been bought from a poor online service. Some of the better services offer free revisions, though, which is what makes it more difficult for the professors to spot such work.

Students use these services for understandable reasons. However, poor work is easy to spot, whether written by the student or by a poor online writing service.

Creative Shoebox Diorama Ideas for School

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Shoebox Dioramas are a part of every school year and in just about every grade they serve as a wonderful learning tool. They are used to learn the arts and crafts of making things and they are used to also learn about specific subjects and have many great uses in language learning, too. This article shows you some creative ideas from both the arts and crafts aspect and the learning aspect.

The Arts and Crafts of Shoebox Dioramas

There are a lot of common ways to make a shoebox diorama and they include tape, glue, construction paper and all the regular assortment of arts and crafts stuff but there are a few things you can do to make a diorama just a little bit special.

Here is a list of ideas:

  • If you are doing an underwater scene you can cover the front of the box with Saran Wrap or thin plastic. This gives the diorama an underwater feel
  • Use string to utilize the full three dimensions inside the box; suspend objects from strings or tie strings from side to side and top to bottom and attach objects to the strings. This works well for flying objects like bird, pterodactyls or even clouds and stars.
  • Cut slots in the back and top of the box and use this to insert objects that you can move across the diorama. Make a bird, boat, comet or some other type of moving object then attach a tab to the back of it. Insert this tab in the slot then you can grab the tab from the back and slide the object across the diorama. This adds a nice little interactive element. This works well with all kinds of things from a rising sun, flying bird, erupting volcano or just about anything else that would move.
  • Think outside the shoebox! There is no need to run out and buy a new pair of shoes if you don’t have a shoebox. A more than adequate box can be made from scraps of cardboard or even a few cereal boxes cut and taped together. And there is no need to make a typical shoebox shape. Be creative in the shape you make. It adds a dimension of interest to the project. Half round, amphitheatre shapes are commonly used for dioramas and look great.
  • Achieving Depth – The most common trait of an average shoebox diorama is that it has a decorated background and objects placed on the bottom surface. You can add an attractive touch by decorating a strip of paper that is about two inches wide with a foliage pattern then attach this to the inside bottom of the diorama about an inch from the back wall – it reaches all the way from the left side to the right side. This adds a lot of depth and makes it look much more interesting.
  • Using alternate materials – You don’t have to use cardboard or boxes. As an example, if you are doing a polar bear or penguin diorama you could use white packing Styrofoam. If you are doing a desert scene you can apply glue to the bottom of the diorama and sprinkle real sand on it.

Theme Ideas and Learning Tools

The biggest point of a shoebox diorama is to show a natural habitat of something. In the process of drawing and cutting out the various objects a child is learning about the habitat. This is great but you can take it to new levels with a little thought and a little creativity.

  • Freezing a moment in time – A diorama is a moment in time and you can focus on this. Some good examples are you can have a meteor streaking across the sky of a dinosaur diorama; this explains a theory of extinction. Or you can show a large predator fish about to eat a smaller fish as it is eating something even smaller. This dramatic moment in time is a good display of the food chain.
  • Interactions in a habitat – The focus of a diorama is often to correctly identify and place the right objects for a natural habitat but you can take this to a new level by focusing on the interactions within the habitat. The upper layer of canopy in a rainforest blocks out sunlight from the lower layers and this is an important aspect of the rainforest. A coral reef provides shelter for many creatures in the sea and a diorama can display this.
  • Adding a Fact Sheet – This is a great tool that should be added to every diorama. You should make a fact sheet that can be glued to poster board and stood up near the diorama. The sheet explains the basic facts of what the diorama is about.

Diorama Ideas

Here are some ideas you can use as a theme for your diorama

  • The Natural Habitat of just about any creature like fish, polar bears, black bears, penguins, wolves, humans, dinosaurs, camels, lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants, dolphins, and well you get the idea!
  • A Desert theme complete with pyramids, mummies and camels is fun
  • A Rainforest is a good diorama for teaching about diversity and the interaction of species
  • An astronomy diorama complete with sun, planets, comets, and stars in the background
  • A medieval Castle scene complete with catapult or dragon
  • Underwater scenes are always popular
  • Arctic themed dioramas are fun because of the creative options for snow and icebergs

Whatever diorama you choose to make you should take a little time to make it different and unique and there are lots of creative ways to do that. Have fun with your project!

About the Author

Will Kalif

Visit the author’s diorama site where you can find lots of videos, tutorials, and ideas for making dioramas. Diorama Man

 

Getting to grips with the different types of essay writing

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One of the main problems that all students have when they start to write essays – and this is an even bigger problem for those who are studying in English even though it isn’t their native tongue – is getting to grips with the question. The question you are asked is going to completely define the type of answer you need to give. Consequently, this is an area in which many students struggle and is a big reason why some turn to websites that offer research papers for sale.

One of the main problems that all students have when they start to write essays is getting to grips with the question. The question you are asked is going to completely define the type of answer you need to give.

The difficulties in finding help when deciding how to answer any particular question mean that some students decide to buy research papers to help them as they provide a model from which to work. Let’s consider the three main types of essay that students are required to write:

The expository essay

This is the type of essay that is most often taught in writing classes, as it is the classic model of introduction, main body paragraphs and conclusion. This type of essay shows that you have knowledge of the topic and can inform the reader about it. This, as I mentioned, is the standard type of essay and is one that most are familiar with.

The narrative essay

This is perhaps less common and more difficult for the student to get to grips with. In this type of essay the student is expressing their ideas about the topic. Consequently, many turn to a personal statement writing service for help in deciding how to format such a piece and what should and shouldn’t be included.

The provocative essay

Again, this is less common, which is why it can be difficult to find models on which to build your own piece of writing. Such essays aim to catch the readers attention and may act as a kind of call to action.

Important: work out what type of question you are being asked and seek help if you need it.

A model essay for students to work from?

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Writing an essay can be a simple thing, but only once you have managed to get your head around the conventions of writing in this academic format. It is a process which takes you from having a series of thoughts in your mind on the particular subject all the way through to organizing and presenting these in a logical way so that the reader fully understands your stance on the issue.

Writing an essay is even more difficult for second language learners who are trying to write in English when this isn’t even their first language.

Easier said than done? Maybe; this is even more difficult for second language learners who are trying to write in English when this isn’t even their first language. So, what do such students need to do and – more importantly – what can they get from an essay writing service?

The writing process can be divided into three distinct parts, all of which are troublesome for the student:

The pre-writing stage

This is the point at which the student has to gather their ideas together. This might happen in class, or in discussion with friends, or, and this is becoming increasingly common, by researching on the internet. This is where students often slip up: copying and pasting ideas from the internet is plagiarism and some see employing essay writing services, where ideas are presented as a model, as a more legitimate method.

The writing stage

Are research papers for sale on the internet really so bad if they are used for a model of how to use grammar and vocabulary correctly? In attempting to put ideas into their own words in a second language, many students get so lost that they end up with an indecipherable mess. A model from which to construct their own work can be invaluable.

The post-writing stage

Again, this is a potential nightmare for the non-native speaker who has attempted to paraphrase complex arguments and ideas in their own essay. It is common to misuse grammatical structures such as the passive voice and use inappropriate vocabulary. Many benefit from writing websites – such as http://buyessay.org/write-my-essay.html  - which lay out sample essays according to accepted conventions.

How well do you know the APA formatting style

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Academic papers are required to be formatted according to instructions given. Therefore students are supposed to familiarize themselves with various formatting styles in place. Students should have a look at different papers formatted using different formatting styles to be familiar with them well. APA formatting style is an example of formatting styles used in academic papers. Students find it hard when it comes to formatting of essays using APA styles. This is because they do not have adequate knowledge of various writing styles.

When it comes to author’s details, it is somehow confusing as you are required to give detailed information about the author.

When using APA style we mostly focus on the author’s details, punctuation rules, journal citations and also referencing online. When it comes to author’s details, it is somehow confusing as you are required to give detailed information about the author. For instance you are supposed to write author’s first name followed by initials of the middle name and then last name. In punctuation rules, APA requires terminal punctuations followed by double spaces in the text.

Format of APA paper

When writing APA style you are supposed to use 8.5 by 11 inches paper, with Times Romans font and font size 12. Always remember to leave one inch on all sides of the paper. Every page in your APA paper should include page header at the top and page numbers on the right side. APA paper should contain four main sections namely title page, abstract, main body and reference sections.

Title page:

This should contain a running head, title of your paper, student’s name and institution name. Running head should be in the upper left corner of all pages in your paper. All pages including title page should contain a page number in upper right side. In this page, your paper title, student’s name and institution name should be double spaced and centered.

Abstract:

This is the short summary of your paper. Abstract should be last part to be written in your paper and should be written on a separate page. Abstract should not be more than 150 to 250 words; however your instructor may instruct you on the length and content of your abstract.

Main body:

This will vary depending on the type of paper you are writing. Follow instructions given when it comes to citing the main body of your paper.

Reference section:

This is where you include all materials where information was gathered from. Remember to include author’s details. For instance it is necessary to include author’s name, date of publication and the page where information was collected from.