Education and learning

“Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.”

Chinese Saying

Introduction

Task 1. Read the following quotes about education and learning. What do you think of them? Do you agree?

"Boy! If we learn from our mistakes, today should have made me pretty smart."

“Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” John Dewey “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." John Powell “Nine tenths of education is encouragement.” Anatole France “What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” Alfred Mercier “Instruction ends in the school-room, but education ends only with life.” Frederick W.Robertson “Whatever is good to know is difficult to learn.” Greek Proverb

Task 2. Discuss the following questions as a class.

1. Did you go to nursery school? At what age do children usually go to nursery school in Russia?

2. How old are children when they go to primary school? How many subjects did you study at secondary school? What was your favourite subject? What was your major? Are there any subjects/classes you wanted to study but they weren't available at your school/college? How many lessons did you have every day? How many terms are there in a school year?

3. Was your school a state school or a private school? Are most schools co-educational in your country?

4. Do you think school uniform is a good idea? Why/why not? Did you have to wear a school uniform when you went to school?

5. Do parents home-school their children in your country? What do you think of home-schooling?

6. What is the average age of a high school graduate? What do you think about a gap year, is this something you would consider? Should people go straight from school to university, or do something different?

7. Do you think that most parents influence what university their child will attend? Once you graduate from a university should you stop learning? What are some ways a person can continue to learn?

8. Does education guarantee a good job? What realistic changes would you make to your country's attitude toward education?

1. Schooling in the uk.

  READING&VOCABULARY

1.1 The system.

Task 1. Read the definitions below and fill in the gaps with one of the following words. Use your dictionary to help you.

primary school public school secondary school

Polytechnic comprehensive school university

1. This is an institution of higher education which specializes in preparing students for particular jobs in science, industry, etc. ______

2. This is a school which is not supported by government money and where parents have to pay for their children’s education. ______

3. This is the school a child attends from the age of 5 to the age of 11. ______

4. This is a school which is run by the government and where education is free. It is the most common type of state secondary school where pupils of all abilities and backgrounds are taught together. ______

5. This is an institution where students study for degrees. Academic research is done there, too. ______

6. This is the school a child attends after the age of 11 and until he or she is 16 or 18. ______

Task 2. Read the following text. Pay attention to the underlined expressions. Is the system of education in Russia pretty much the same as in the UK or does it differ in any way? Describe the differences.

In Britain, school is compulsory between the ages of five and sixteen. Primary education continues until the age of eleven. Pupils wishing to enter university usually finish their secondary education when they are eighteen. Other types of further education are available for those who want to learn a trade such as catering or specialize at an early stage. In recent years, the proportion of young people entering university has risen dramatically. The variety of degree courses on offer has also widened. It is now common for students entering fields such as nursing to be based at university.

Educational terminology can be very confusing. For example, preparatory and public schools are fee-paying and both belong to the independent or private sector. Middle schools, which fall between primary and secondary education, are part of the state system, but do not exist in all parts of Britain. Most state secondary schools are "comprehensives" and are non-selective. However, in some towns, institutions known as grammar schools operate selectively. Children are tested at the age of eleven and the bright ones are creamed off. Many parents argue that grammar schools should be abolished to allow equality of opportunity for all children. Others insist that a fast track is needed for gifted pupils and that diversity means more freedom of choice.

Task 3. Find the "odd one out". Use your dictionary. There may be more than one answer. Give your reasons. Put down the definitions for all the word combinations given in the exercise.

	single sex school	mixed school	co-educational school
	compulsory	voluntary	optional
	independent school	public school	state school
	nursery	primary	secondary
	grammar school	comprehensive school	non-selective school
	streaming	mixed ability grouping	ability grouping
	continuous assessment	final examinations	intelligence testing

Task 4. Choose the most appropriate word from A, B, C or D to complete the following sentences 1-13. There is an example at the beginning (0).

0. When I was young, I was sent to __________ school by my parents.

A sleeping B boarding C staying D residential

1. In Britain, it is __________ to go to school between the ages of five and sixteen.

A voluntary B compulsory C legal D required

2. Schools which are funded by the government are called __________ schools.

A national B government C public D state

3. Most schools in Britain are called __________ schools, which means they have students with mixed abilities.

A comprehension B comprehend C comprehensive D completion

4. Many children below the age of five go to __________ school.

A nursery B nursing C baby D kindergarten

5. Children between the ages of eleven and sixteen go to __________ school.

A second B secondary C secondly D secretary

6. At school children learn a lot of __________, such as maths and history.

A objects B subjects C topics D lessons

7. At the age of eighteen, some people __________ university.

A enter B do C graduate D study

8. I got a good grade in my history exam, but unfortunately I __________ my maths.

A passed B took C failed D lost

9. How many times did you __________ your FCE exam?

A study B make C pass D take

10. Unfortunately, Emma didn't __________ her exams.

A succeed B win C gain D pass

11. There wasn't an Italian class at her school, so she __________ herself to speak it.

A learned B studied C made D taught

12. At school, the teacher __________ us about the dangers of drugs.

A learned B raised C brought up D educated

13. I'm __________ German so I can get a job in Munich.

A acquiring B teaching C educating D learning

Task 5. Read the following dialogue in pairs. Then discuss the questions that follow.

A: What kind of education would you choose for your child?

B: For a start, it would have to be a mixed school and not a boarding establishment.

A: What have you got against single sex schools?

B: Clearly, a co-educational environment promotes understanding between boys and girls. It's far more natural.

A: Don't you think they distract one another when they become teenagers?

B: Well, maybe they do, but they've got to learn to live together. I'm against all forms of segregation.

A: How about boarding schools? Don't they teach children how to live together? I'd have thought they'd be very useful for children without brothers and sisters.

B: But "only children" can still find friends in their neighbourhoods or local day schools. Why have we got to create large institutional families? If people decide to have children, then they should value family life.

A: Would you prefer your child to be educated privately or by the state?

B: To be honest, that's a very difficult question, because if the state schools in my town were very bad, then I might be tempted to pay private fees. I hope that wouldn't be necessary.

A: Would you consider sending your child to a grammar school?

B: Again, that depends on the alternatives. I prefer the comprehensive system, but I wouldn't want my child to be in mixed ability classes for all subjects. There'd have to be some form of streaming.

A: What's wrong with mixed ability teaching?

B: The reality is that people learn subjects such as languages and mathematics at different speeds. It's nonsense to keep everybody at the same level regardless of their progress.

Discussion questions:

1. Do you think studying is more efficient in a mixed or single sex school?

2. Is day school always a better alternative to boarding school?

3. Should rich people be permitted to buy educational advantages by sending their children to private schools or should all schools be run by the state?

4. Do you prefer a system where children are put in fast and slow streams or is it better to create mixed ability classes?

5. Should corporal punishment be permitted in schools?

6. Which system do you think works better for measuring children’s progress – final examinations or continuous assessment?

7. Do the "three Rs" (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) make up the most important part of the school curriculum?

Task 6. Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage.

elite	divisive	potential	gifted
classless	spontaneity	cram	streaming
conventional	labelled	privileged	inferiority complex

It is interesting that in some countries which are socialist and therefore supposedly (a)_______________, the educational system is based on (b)_______________, which means that children are educated according to their ability, with the more (c)_______________ children separated from the others. Supporters of this system say that more intelligent children will be helped to achieve their full (d)_______________ in this way and that these children will be held back if they have to share lessons with less clever pupils. Opponents of this system, on the other hand, maintain that it creates an educated (e)_______________, a special class of (f)_______________ people who are encouraged to think of themselves as superior to the others. Similarly the others may, as a result of being (g)_______________ second-rate, develop some kind of (h)_______________. In a word, such a system is (i)_______________, since it creates a division between people. Another important question in education is the amount of freedom and choice children should be given at school. The conservative view is that a (j)_______________ system of strict rules is best. However, critics of this attitude say it causes regimentation, as in the army, and discourages children's natural imagination and (k)_______________. We must ask ourselves what the purpose of education is: to (l)_______________ children's heads with facts or to encourage them to develop their natural abilities in their own way?

Task 7. Both options make sense. Underline the one which forms a common collocation.

1. In my country we have to do nine basic/core subjects and then we can choose several others.

2. At this school we put a strong emphasis on academic/scholarly achievement.

3. In my country bodily/corporal punishment was abolished 40 years ago.

4. In my class we had a helper/support teacher who assisted pupils with learning difficulties.

5. On Friday afternoons we had lessons with the trainee/apprentice teacher.

6. In my country we have some end of year tests but most of our marks come from progressive/continuous assessment.

7. At 16 we have the choice of doing more vocation/employment oriented courses, such as business studies and accounting.

8. When I was 15, I had a 2-week work position/placement with a local factory.

9. I was expelled from school for playing/going truant too many times.