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New Courses for Back to School at Aardvark Learning Academy

9/18/2020

By Kayo Hawkins
email: aardvarklearning@gmail.com

September schooling in 2020 is a new experience from what it used to be, whether you are in person at school, learning virtually online, or taking homeschooling. Aardvark Learning Academy is here to support all students (Grades 1-12) that want to enjoy learning, develop new skills and gain confidence from challenging yourself and succeeding.

Aardvark Learning Academy has started new POD Math & English programs for Grades 1-4 students learning at home / homeschooling.

Both students and parents understand that it can be a struggle to be interested / engaged in learning when you are at home every day. Instead, why not try making one day a week available for tutoring that can improve the attitude at home and motivate your child in the learning process. Learning is a joy and students should know firsthand that it is not just a job to complete in 75-minute blocks. Rather students should also be switched ON in your mind, enjoying the learning process and discovering something new and interesting each day 😊.

Small Group Tutoring in the morning is perfect for primary students Grades 1-4 who are staying home via online or homeschooling. Each student has an opportunity to interact with our experienced OCT (Ontario College of Teachers) Instructor and cooperate together to learn in small group of like-minded peers. Morning tutoring is the best time for younger minds to be active! See your child smile after learning Math & English at Aardvark!!!

POD 25$ per hour!!!
Tuesdays: Grade 3/4: 10:00-12:00 English and Math
Thursdays: Grade 1/2: 10:00-11:30 Early Literacy and Math

Each group has 2-4 students. Spots are limited!

Contact us to reserve your place today:
aardvarklearning@gmail.com

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

7/30/2020

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Identifying and comparing data on a chart
Some texts include statistics and data in graphical form. To understand this information, first identify:

the title of the chart
the title of each axis (horizontal and vertical)
the label of each category, represented by a column, row or line in the chart
the units of measurement for each axis (e.g. time, numbers, percentages, distances)
the values for each category
the legend (the colour or pattern assigned to each category in the chart)

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The bar chart below gives information about the percentage of the population living in urban areas in different parts of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Source: United Nation

Model answer
The graph compares the growth in the percentage of the population living in urban areas in six different regions of the world.

According to the chart, between 1950 and 2007 the percentage of the population living in cities in Latin America and the Caribbean almost doubled, from 42% to 76%, whereas in Europe it only increased by 21%. However, in Europe over half the people already lived in cities in 1950.

When we compare the projected increases in Asia and Europe by 2050 we see that in Asia the percentage will continue to grow at the same speed, with a further increase of 25%, whereas in Europe the change will be slower than before, increasing by only 12%. By 2050, the vast majority (around 90%) of people in Latin America, the Caribbean and North America will live in cities. Even in Africa, more than half the population (62%) will live in urban areas by then.
(155 words)

EXAMPLE B: TASK 1
The diagrams below show the main reasons workers chose to work from home and the hours males and females worked at home for the year 2019.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Model answer
The bar chart illustrates the reasons men and women chose to work from home in 2019. Overall, saving money was the main reason for both males and females (45% and 42% respectively). In contrast, approximately a quarter of males put productivity as a reason, which was twice as high as the female response (24% and 11% respectively). For childcare, the pattern was different again with almost a quarter of females giving this reason compared to very few males (4%).

The table shows the hours men and women worked from home in 2019. The vast majority of males worked over 30 hours per week (81%) contrasting with a minority of females (6%) doing similar hours. This pattern is reversed when examining the under ten hours category with almost three quarters of females working this amount compared to only 3% of males. The 10 to 30 hours per week category shows fewer marked differences.

To sum up, it can be seen that men and women do not always give the same reasons for home working and, in general, men work longer hours from home.
(182 words)

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CELPIP or IELTS Preparation for Adult ESL?

7/3/2020

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July 8, 2020: CELPIP OR IELTS Preparation?
Do we offer CELPIP in addition to IELTS preparation?

The answer is resoundingly YES because we teach the underlying test strategies that empower you; our adult students to succeed in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking on any given academic or general test. Driving a car has different road rules and regulations in every country, nation around the globe. But those that already know how to drive will be able to succeed in Driving in any car (Subaru, Tesla, Porche) or nation around the globe. CELPIP and IELTS are similar in the sense that once you know the strategies, its easy to do well on the test.

Nowadays, CELPIP and IELTS are being held online but the test skills you need to be successful are the focus of study at Aardvark Learning Academy. Already we have had several adult students achieve their Goals on Academic IELTS and general CELPIP. We can definitely help you develop your English language skills. Just contact us and get started today!

Experienced teacher that has taught ESL to international ESL-Adults since 1999. Try out 6 hours and you can see for yourself that everything we do is 1000% for real.

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How to keep learning any language: A second language learners perspective

5/2/2020

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Contact: aardvarklearning@gmail.com

My name is Kayo Hawkins and I am a Co-owner of Aardvark Learning Academy. I would like to share a few practical ideas to keep studying a new language from my experience living overseas and as a language teacher.

I have been teaching Japanese language for more than a decade in 4 different countries to children and adults. I have noticed that successful learners are self motivated and well disciplined, which is an essential skill to continue learning. More importantly, these students` enjoy learning the language and make exra effort to add enjoyment to the proces all the time.

Here are a few tips for language learning:

1- Every little bit helps
"Even dust becomes a mountain if piled together" is a Japanese saying which means Every little bit helps. Set a time to study the language for 10 minutes every single day. In 10 minutes you can:
-Make 10 cards of new vocabulary: write those words, say those words, and memorize. Do not forget to review the ones you already studied. Language learning is all about accumulation of knowledge.
-Follow someone who speaks the language on Social Networking or the Internet - Athletes, Musicians, Politicians, they all have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram account. Check out their accounts and learn new words, phrases, and stay connected to the language and the culture.
-Work on one page of the workbook if you have one- Decide how much you want to study each day and stick to your plan.

2- Live in that language
The reason why it is hard to study a new language is that you do not have opprtunity to use that language. You can try the following solutions:
1- Get your family members or pets involved- Greet your family members in the new language. Teach your family members new words and sentences. Are there any greetings that your first language does not have? Make a habit to say those phrases.
2. Put a poster up in your house- Print out or make a poster of characters, vocabulary, grammar points and put it out where you spend a lot of time. On the wall beside the kitchen stove. On the fridge. On the mirror. In a bathroom. You will always be reminded of the language and memorize them without noticing.

3- Think in the new language
Thousands of thoughts come and go in our mind every single day. Do you know how to say some of them in the language that you are learning? Start from something simple such as "I am going to eat lunch" "This coffee is so good!" "It's 10am". It is a great practice to build sentences in your mind when you are actually communicating, since you are required to prepare sentences as quickly as possible when talking.

4- Seek help 
Once you make those effort at home to try teaching yourself a new language, you will want to use it to communicate. Here are the things you can do:
Find a language exchange partner and meet up online.
Visit the local library website to see if they are hosting language circles.
Seek for professional help from us! Aardvark Learning Academy offers French, Japanese, and English as a second language. You will study the language of your choice with experienced professionals to achieve your goal faster.

Language learning is a great way to spend your time, stay positive, and feel the self improvement as you progress in the language.

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