6 Tips for Accepting and Giving Constructive Criticism

6 Tips for Accepting and Giving Constructive Criticism Constructive criticism can often feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, and even unproductive. It can seem like a roadblock to completing a project or your overall work. However, if framed correctly, constructive criticism can be one of the most helpful ways to move forward in your work, and can also be an opportunity to support your peers. When accepting constructive criticism, its key to be open to feedback and willing to create a plan of action based off of it. If youre asked to give constructive criticism, its important to be specificand kindwith your input and to tailor your feedback to the correct context. Learning to graciously accept constructive criticism, and thoughtfully provide it to others, can greatly elevate your learning. Keep reading to discover six tips for accepting and giving constructive criticism. Tip #1 for accepting and giving constructive criticism: be open to change When receiving constructive criticism, its easy to become defensive about your work. While its completely human to shield yourself from discomfort, and it can be vulnerable to share your work, the key to getting the most out of constructive feedback is to be open to change. Constructive criticism may include suggestions like: Deconstructing a project Discarding certain parts and starting over Trying a drastically different strategy within your piece of work Helpful feedback is structured in a way that encourages you to see the full potential of your work. This perspective of trying something new can help unlock things you hadnt previously thought of. [RELATED: Top 10 Essay Editing Tips] Tip #2 for accepting and giving constructive criticism: plan action steps Receiving criticism can be overwhelming. To help with this, reflect on any feedback by free-writing, chatting with a classmate or colleague, or even meeting with your teacher or supervisor. Then, make a plan of concrete steps to take next. Break down large steps into more manageable tasks. Remember, especially if youve received conflicting feedback, you dont need to follow each piece of advice from classmates. Its more important to synthesize the input and take steps toward what you see as important for your project. Tip #3 for accepting and giving constructive criticism: remember the nature of criticism While receiving constructive criticism, remind yourself that this feedback is only for your specific project or performance, and does not have any bearing on who you are as a student, a person in your field, or as an individual in general. While this many seem obvious, its easyespecially in vulnerable moments of receiving feedbackto incorrectly apply the criticism to a bigger picture. In these moments, remind yourself that the scope of the feedback is limited. [RELATED: The Importance of Writing Skills] Tip #4 for accepting and giving constructive criticism: be specific One of the most helpful ways to give feedback is to be specific. Give exact examples from the workfor example, if youre peer-reviewing a classmates essay, quote actual lines and examples from the rough draft. Also offer specific strategies that your colleague can tryin the same scenario, suggest, for example, a rewording of the thesis or adding more evidence to support a claim. Specificity is important in both positive and critical feedback. Pointed positive feedback helps us understand what weve done well and can continue doing, while specific constructive feedback shows us specifically what we can focus on moving forward. Tip #5 for accepting and giving constructive criticism: dont be afraid to ask questions Tone is often misunderstood in written, or even oral, feedback. To help you convey your feedback more effectively, use language that centers around your experience of engaging with the work, rather than on what the person did wrong or couldve done better. You can use questions to both understand your colleagues project better and potentially help them better understand their own work, such as: What do you mean by this? Im confused by can you clarify? What are you trying to convey here? Tip #6 for accepting and giving constructive criticism: tailor feedback to the context When giving feedback, keep the larger context in mind. Consider the desired outcome, as well as appropriate etiquette for this context. More specifically, youll want to refer to a rubric or other established feedback protocol to guide both your wording and the amount of feedback you give. Lastly, keep in mind that your classmates work is not your own. While you might have done the project differently, your classmate has a unique vision for the work that could produce a strong, though different, outcome than one you wouldve come up with yourself. [RELATED: How Students Can Improve Their Research Skills] The discomfort of constructive criticism can often stymie a project or lead you to avoid any instances that involve it altogether. Thinking of it as an opportunity to reinvigorate your work is a great way to receive feedback. Dont forgetgiving feedback also develops your own critical perspective that you can apply to your own work. 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.

Fun Chemistry Facts The Science they dont Teach you at School

Fun Chemistry Facts The Science they don’t Teach you at School Some of the Most Amazing Facts Chemistry Offers ChaptersWhen Chemists Invented things by AccidentReally Incredible Chemistry Facts about Your BodyAtoms: Some Totally Mind-Blowing FactsFun Facts about Acids and Alkalis!Let’s put the theoretical and analytical problems of chemistry aside for a moment. Let’s forget about your next equation, or the diagram you are supposed to be working on. Let’s leave your experiment or calculation to another day and clear your mind of all those important chemistry words you need to learn.Rather than thinking about moles, chemical compounds, or transition metals, let’s focus on the fun parts of chemistry, the amazing bits, the reason why you chose a course in the chemistry department in the first place.Chemistry is not all Avogadro, covalent bonds, or functional groups. It is inspirational. Let’s take a look at some of the most amazing facts in chemistry.The dichotomy between acids and bases that will dominate any basic chemistry courses is fascinating. But what’s fun is that, in this top ic, the world of chemistry is so evident in nature, in the living things around us.Take bees and wasps, the two villains of summer days â€" one bumbling but painful, the other evil-looking and vicious. These insects are the perfect mates, really, as they are also chemical opposites. The sting of a bee is acidic, whilst that of a wasp is alkali! So, technically, the best way to help a bee sting is to get stung by a wasp â€" in the same place! â€" and vice versa. This should neutralise the pain!Bees and wasps are chemical opposites. Chemistry is everywhere!If your thirst for chemistry knowledge is still not yet sated, try our pieces on the essential chemistry equipment and on all things chemistry!

Most Guitar Strings Changed in One Hour, and Other World Records Ready to be Broken

Most Guitar Strings Changed in One Hour, and Other World Records Ready to be Broken Suzy S. Their songs have been featured in commercials, video games, and TV show trailers, and have earned a long list of award nominations.   And now, after a whirlwind 2-year tour, rockers 30 Seconds to Mars are about to break a Guinness World Record for Most Shows Performed During a Single Album Cycle.   The tour promoted their 2009 album This Is War, and their 300th performance on December 7th of   this year will seal the deal for the world record.   The band has seen so much success thus far, its only fitting to see them achieve this record! In honor of this achievement today were taking a look at some other music-related Guinness World Records.   Here are some of our favorites: Most piano key hits in one minute: The most piano key hits in one minute is 498 and was achieved by Balázs Havasi (Hungary) during the Symphonic Red Concert Show at the Music Academy in Budapest, Hungary, on 29 November 2009. Most No. 1 music videos: Madonna had her ninth No.1 on the US Music Video chart on 24 April 2010 with Sticky Sweet Tour. No popular music artist has had more. Most live concerts in 24 hours (multiple cities): The most live concerts performed in 24 hours in different locations is seven: The Hangar Tour, by rapper Jay-Z performed in seven different cities to promote the release of his new album Kingdom Come (2006, Universal Music) from 7 am on 18 November to 1:15 am on 19 November 2006. The concerts were performed in the following order: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Most guitar strings changed In one hour: The most guitars re-strung in 1 hour is 30, achieved by Glenn Haworth (Australia) at Haworths Shellharbour Music Centre, Albion Park Rail, Australia, on 15 March 2009. Longest career as a music teacher: The world record for the longest working career for a music teacher was set by Charles Wright (USA, b. 24 May 1912) who began teaching piano privately and professionally in 1931. He continued to do so for the next 76 years until he passed away on 19 July 2007, aged 95 years 56 days. Largest Singing Lesson: The largest singing lesson involved 6,651 participants and was achieved by Sweet Adelines International during the 63rd Annual Sweet Adelines International Convention and Competition at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, on 24 October 2009. Largest Kazoo Ensemble: On 14 March 2011, an audience of 5,190 classical music fans at the Big Red Nose Show held in the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, formed a kazoo ensemble as part of Red Nose Day. Accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra and led by comedienne Sue Perkins, the ensemble hummed-out renditions of Wagners Ride of the Valkyres and Eric Coates Dambusters March. The event was hosted by BBC Radio 3s Katie Derham and Basil Brush. These are just a few of the crazy musical acts that have earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, and we can only imagine what other stunts will be thought up next.   For all of the aspiring artists out there why not dream big?   Maybe you could join in and earn a world record yourself. 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

Read, Watch, Touch How Do You See The Future Of The News Industry

Read, Watch, Touch How Do You See The Future Of The News Industry Media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, founder of The News Corporation, launched a digital newspaper specifically for the iPad tablet last week. The newspaper is called The Daily. Subscription to the newspaper costs 99 cents a week or $40 annually.A press release announcing the launch of the daily said:  â€œNew times demand new journalism,” said Mr. Murdoch. “So we built The Daily completely from scratch on the most innovative device to come about in my time the iPad. “The magic of great newspapers and great blogs lies in their serendipity and surprise, and the touch of a good editor,” continued Mr. Murdoch. “We’re going to bring that magic to The Daily to inform people, to make them think, to help them engage in the great issues of the day. And as we continue to improve and evolve, we are going to use the best in new technology to push the boundaries of reporting.”The Daily’s unique mix of text, photography, audio, video, information graphics, touch interactivity and real -time data and social feeds provides its editors with the ability to decide not only which stories are most important but also the best format to deliver these stories to their readers.What do you think?Do you think this a positive or a negative development in media?Do you agree that access to news should be purchased or should news be free for the whole community?How do you access news, via new gadgets or traditional media outlets like television and newspapers?How do you see the future of news? Do you think someday newspapers will be obsolete?Will you be subscribing to The Daily?Did you find this blog interesting? Feel free to share it on Twitter and Facebook.

English Idioms related to Dreams - English Lesson via Skype

English Idioms related to Dreams - English Lesson via Skype Here you will learn useful English idioms related to dreams.You will also learn the meaning of DREAM ON English expression. Scroll down to watch a short video lesson. English Idioms about Dreams We all have dreams. Some come true and someWell, they just remain as dreams. Here are  some English idioms related to dreams with an appropriate explanation.More  often than not (on a regular basis) we dream at night while we are asleep but sometimes, time permitting, we might look out of the window or stare into space (focus on one thing) and daydream. English Idioms related to Dreams BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS This occurs when something you wished for actually comes  true but in an even bigger or better way than you could have possibly imagined.Example: David was good at football infact very good. He hoped that one day he might in fact be a professional player. Out of the blue he got a letter inviting him for a trial with one of the biggest teams in the country it was more than he could wished for. It was beyond his wildest dreams.A DREAM COME TRUEAs indicated we all or most of us dream. Sometimes they become reality and when they do we will often be heard saying ah it is like a dream come true. Something that someone has required or attained after a long time.Example: Sara retired early from her work as a teacher as she wanted time to travel and see the world. Imagine her surprise when she logged on to the internet and saw an offer to travel around the world with a family and teach the children as they travelled. For her it was a dream come true. She would be ab le to travel and get paid at the same time. English Idioms related to Dreams WORKS LIKE A DREAMWhen something may be broken and in need of repair you are very surprised and delighted that it then works better than ever once the repair has been carried out.Example: Fiona was delighted when her favourite watch was repaired. Her boyfriend asked her how it was now that it had been repaired. Its perfect she replied. It works like a dream.Of course dreams may not always turn into reality and we can also use some English idioms related to dreams in a less than positive way:DREAM ON!We use this idiom when we might wish to bring someone back down to earth. Young people dream a lot and have very high expectations. So when they perhaps are dreaming a little too much we might tell them it is unlikely to happen and that they should dream on!.Example: Mary’s son had dreams of playing for Real Madrid, driving a Ferrari car and living in a mansion. Mary admired his ambition but it was all a bit of fantasy. When he spoke about it as he often did she would keep his feet on t he groundby saying but you don’t play for a team now and you cannot speak Spanish! Dream on, its never going to happen. DREAM ON Meaning IN YOUR DREAMS! Similar to dream on we often use this phrase to burst someone’s  balloon. This usually happens when someone is really dreaming about  something that is very unlikely to happen if in fact at all.Example: John dreamt* about winning the Lotto buying an expensive car retiring from work and living a life of luxury. His wife was a little more practicaland reminded him that the odds of winning the Lotto were something like 4 million to 1, almost impossible. In your dreams John, I am afraid only in your dreams!!* We can use either  dreamed or dreamt in the Past Tense English Vocabulary List Out of the blue   unexpectedlyTrial   testTo carry out   to doTo burst someone’s  balloon/bubble   to spoil their dreamTo keep someones feet on the ground = to bring someone back down to  earth   to return someone to realityLife of luxury    very wealthy life styleThe odds   chancesPractical   realistic English Idioms related to Dreams

8tracks The Moodiest Music Site on the Web

8tracks The Moodiest Music Site on the Web Photo from theletter.co.uk Welcome to 8tracks. The self-proclaimed [h]andcrafted internet radio site, named the Best Website of 2011 by Time Magazine,  uses a tagging system for its user-created playlists. When you search for that summer + hipster mix, every playlist that has been tagged with those two words will come up. Each mix has at least 8 tracks to it, but can have many more than that, and will always have a wide variety of music on each.  On 8tracks, users can listen to or create mixes. It is great for sharing mixes with your friends, but also with perfect strangers. If youve created a study mix that works well for you, post it to 8tracks and let it help someone else in their study-stress!  Not in the  mood? Search for an artist or genre and let 8tracks work its magic. Though 8tracks doesnt always offer the perfect selection of music, because, of course, we all have different tastes from one another, its fairly spot on most of the time. My only complaints would be that  as a listener, you cannot skip more than 3 songs per mix in one hour before having to go to the next one and you cannot go back to a song after its played. Some of the mixtape art is a little risqué as well, so in a more professional setting, its hard to find mixes to listen to. Thankfully, there is a setting that you can put on called Safe Browse that will skip over tracks and playlists that are inappropriate. Other great features include the Youtube and iTunes buttons on the bottom of each mix. If youve found a new song that you really like, you can find where to buy it or listen to it again on using these links. Want to take 8tracks on the go? There are free Android  and iPhone  apps available, which have both had recent updates with great reviews. For those of you who are looking for more out of this site (mostly just DJs) there is 8tracks plus. This upgraded version of the site includes an ad-free site and several DJ-focused features that are to be released soon. The cost is $25 for a 6-month subscription and 14-free trial. I wouldnt say its worth it, because unlike  Pandora,  the ads are simply non-audio sidebars, so for a regular listener, the upgraded version does not offer much. Simply listen away with the free version! What moods do you use 8tracks for?

Is Abortion A Basic Right

Is Abortion A Basic Right Photo by thecrazyfilmgirl via Flickr.com I think we can all agree that when people assume things about us or overgeneralize about people like us, it tends to become frustrating. And really for most of us that is an understatement. Assumptions about who we are or what we believe are usually deal breakers when it comes to relationships. We are probably not going to become friends with or even tolerate people who have derogatory opinions about us when they do not even know us. And yet whenever politicians do this exact same thing we seem perfectly fine going along with or choosing to ignore whatever they say. Enter president Obama’s speech at the Planned Parenthood national convention. On Friday the president gave a speech in which he basically said that abortion is a basic right for women’s health and that those politicians opposing it are trying to bring back policies better suited for the 1950s. Now there are a couple things about this that bother me, but at the heart of it are the two assumptions that the president makes here. One is that women consider abortion to be a basic health right, and the other is that only a small portion of old fashion politicians oppose abortion. First I would just like to say that as a 19-year-old, non-politician, woman, I do not support abortion. And quite frankly I do not think that I am the only one that feels that way. I find it extremely ironic that the president is constantly calling conservatives out of touch, when it is my belief that these assumptions of his about women, and Americans in general, are extremely out of touch. Many people believe that abortion is actually less popular today than it was when it was passed, because of the advancements in science that have occurred since then. And what is more, his assumption that all women feel the way that those in Planned Parenthood do about abortion, is completely unfounded. Many women are opposed to abortion and to speak about it as if it is some kind of necessity for us, is not only worn but somewhat sexist. I apologize if this sounds as if I am complaining or nitpicking and I understand that politicians try to appeal to the audience that they are standing before, but this really bothered me. I personally do not like the president assuming things about me or those around me, especially when it comes to something as controversial as abortion.

Five Things to Do the Week of the IB Exam

Five Things to Do the Week of the IB Exam Now you're down to the wire; there's only one week to go until test time! Hopefully, you have already acquired the foundational knowledge to succeed on the exam. So, what can you do these last remaining days? Let's count down the five most productive ways to spend your time leading up to the IB exam. 1. Study Strategically While your instinct at this point may be to cram as much information as possible, a focused effort will yield better results. The truth is that cramming can be an effective way to store information, but only in your short-term memory and if you know what type of information you must know. For best results, concentrate on formulas, facts, and figures rather than general concepts that require more time to master. 2. Clear Your Mind Meditation may not be a technique you've considered, but research shows that mindfulness can minimise distractions and reduce stress. Set some time aside this week for breathing exercises, positive self-talk, and other practices that can have both short-term and long-term health benefits. In fact, meditation can also come in handy during the exam. If you can't remember the answer to a question, take a moment, close your eyes, and empty your head. You may be surprised at what comes back to you! 3. Exercise Any form of exercise is effective. The great outdoors offer a particularly calming setting, though. Physical activity revitalises your body, so even if you feel like you're running short on time this week, don't skip your fitness routine. There's no better way to clear your head and recharge than through a vigorous workout. 4. Sleep Well Many students pull all-nighters the week leading up to the test, but this is an ill-advised practice. Think about it: have you ever struggled to remember a piece of information following a particularly late night? If so, you're not alone. In fact, there's a scientific reason for it. Researchers have determined that the region of the brain responsible for memory functions better on sufficient sleep. Lack of sleep also impedes concentration and decision-making. The less sleep you obtain, the more consequences you'll suffer. Pick a bedtime and stick with it! 5. Take Care of the Small Stuff Do you know what time the test is or its location? Do you know whether you need any special supplies, like ID or No. 2 pencils? In the days preceding the IB exam, take the opportunity to look into these details. This will ensure that on the big day you can focus your efforts only on the test itself.