Education has always been an indispensable tool for human beings to learn the ways of the world and become enlightened. In this age of information technology, the Internet has become a versatile and omnipotent tool that has completely changed education. Like e-commerce tools, there are e-education tools that have taken over the academic world.
For, instance, the iTunes U courses geared towards elementary education, contain a wealth of information, which can be accessed by both students and teachers alike. The quality of the digital content is incredible. Through these courses, teachers can guide their students on all subjects and on almost on any topic in a much improved manner.
Mathematics, Reading, and Writing Tutoring Tools
Some of the best approaches to help elementary school students with the basic skills of mathematics, reading and writing have been outlined. These courses include:
‘EAD 657: Administration of Instructional Programs’ deals with exploring the evolution and techniques of education models and the efficacy of such models; courses dealing with a string of reading techniques designed by teachers and students;
‘Best practice writing lessons’ has case studies on exemplary writing skills
‘How children think about math’ gives techniques children can adopt to solve mathematical problems, and how teachers can comprehend arithmetic so that they can teach their students in a simple manner. There’s one integral course on how to master different kinds of numbers and learn to use money via simple mathematical games and puzzles.
How to become a good tutor in Vancouver, B.C. using iTunes U
These days, it’s not enough to be an average tutor. A tutor can be called exemplary if they are able to come up with out-of-the-book teaching methodologies to enhance their students’ interest in tutoring. There are course series on iTunes U that focus on tactics to foster a sense of achievement in the classroom, which can also be applied to group tutoring sessions. Some of the course titles are ‘Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle Level Education: Resources’, ‘Paradise Valley USD’ and ‘Teacher Development’. These programs also focus on encouraging parents to take an interest in their children’s education. There is a series that also includes: handling special needs students, laws governing the handling of disabled children in classrooms, and following up with review committees.
Recognizing extraordinary opportunities while tutoring special needs students
Tutors can be instrumental in identifying and understanding the developmental peculiarities in different children particularly when they are very young. Courses under this section help the teacher to pinpoint these differences, and to come up with strategies for dealing with diverse learning styles. There is a course titled ‘Exploring children’s difficulties with language and literacy’ that guides teachers as to why a student might have reading and language comprehension problems. Another course offers ideas on how to deal with autistic children.
Being a holistic tutor by teaching about health and hygiene
This section on iTunes U comprises courses that lay emphasis on physical education. The courses, like ‘physical education’ and ‘Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living’ stress the need to develop healthy eating habits. The teachers, through these courses are able to focus on the all-round development of the students at the elementary stages of their education. Since childhood obesity is on the rise everywhere in the world, there is a useful video that points out the importance of physical education, through interactive games.
Integrating technology with education
This section has courses titled ‘Technology Integration’ and ‘TechTalk4Teachers-A podcast for teachers about teaching, learning, and technology’ which cover aspects on how to harness the potential of the latest strides being made in technology for improving the standards of elementary education on an overall basis.
