The Study Hut Blog

Mastering Spanish – Outside the Classroom

Study Hut — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:06:41 +0000

An over welling majority of students in California wind up taking Spanish for a foreign language requirement or some other reason. And not surprisingly a large portion of these students taking Spanish in our middle and high schools struggle to master the language almost 44% of the Los Angeles speaks Spanish as either their first or second language. Yet instead of immersing our students with all the available Spanish speakers living around them, most schools spend a majority of class time learning vocab words and verb charts. While learning vocab words and memorizing verb charts and grammar rules are necessary to learn how to speak and perfect any language, the additional practice of working on actually using the Spanish learned in the classroom is the path to good grades and speaking the language the best. Many people say the most effective way to learn a language is to live in a country that speaks that language mostly exclusively and we are almost at the majority here in LA so what better place.
With so many primarily Hispanic and Latino areas in Los Angeles its easy to drive 30 minutes (well maybe an hour with traffic) anywhere into LA and find some area that speaks mostly Spanish. Once you find your place, just immerse yourself in the culture and language, try and only speak using the spanish that you know and like everything practice makes perfect. Another great place to practice your Spanish verbal skills is to come into the Study Hut and just have a conversation in spanish with one of our fantastic tutors here. We have multiple tutors here with the ability to carry on a great conversation with you. And if you were to atleast practice your spanish communication skills just once a week, I can guarantee a vast improvement in not only your speaking skills, but also your reading and writing spanish abilities. To improve you spanish you need to practice and use the language as much as possible, so why not use the vast amount of resources in our county of Los Angeles or here at the Study Hut.

BYU Independent Study vs. Study Hut Tutoring

Study Hut — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:42:22 +0000

What do you do if you’re a Mira Costa High School student and your finals week didn’t go like you had hoped?
If you’re a student who didn’t pass 1 or more of your classes this last semester there is still hope! Credit for classes not passed can be made up via Independent Study offered through Brigham Young University. BYU offers a wide array of high school courses that allow you to independently make up credits without falling behind. The courses consist of between 6 and 8 instructor-graded assignments (referred to as speedbacks) that are submitted either online or through the mail, as well as 2 midterms and 1 final (which must be taken at a credentialed proctoring center). Conveniently, Study hut tutoring not only offers BYU independent study tutoring but also is a BYU accredited proctoring center.
BYU Independent Study is undoubtedly a great opportunity to get a 2nd chance to make up for class with a non-passing grade. Courses are however completely independent some students find it difficult to stay on track and not fall behind. Not to mention there is very little additional instruction if a student is struggling with a particular lesson of the course.
Study hut’s wide array of friendly tutors and its BYU accredited proctoring services make it the perfect environment to help your high school student make up credits for courses with non-passing grades.

AP English – Second Semester Push!

Study Hut — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:59:09 +0000

Upon entering high school, many students fail to realize the value of AP and honors classes and the impact they can have on their future college careers. For those who do see the benefit, AP English is a popular choice, as it seems far less intimidating than AP Physics or an advanced placement foreign language. However, AP English can be just as challenging as any accelerated course and any student who wishes to take it on must make sure he or she is fully prepared. The reading assignments will be heavy and the expectations of writing ability will be even heavier. Combined with the intense work load of a full schedule, any student would be completely justified in feeling overwhelmed and lost. It is for these reasons that students must take the appropriate steps to stay on top of the assignments. Particularly mid-year, the work can become daunting and tedious and it is easy to lose focus. To stay ahead with AP English, students should commit to completing all of the reading. Missing even one assignment can have a huge negative impact on future work and exams. Secondly, students should make sure that they begin essays at least a week before their due date. This is because a full week allows for several rounds of editing. The more a paper is edited, the better it will be, with few exceptions. Also, whenever possible, students should ask others to take a look at their work and give outside suggestions. Last, students must stay organized to succeed. A neat binder and notebook are always a must!
While AP English will most likely prove a challenge no matter what, students who take the steps to ensure their preparedness will undoubtedly have a much easier time tackling the class.