Английский язык. Сравнительная педагогика - Елена Столбова

Although all students cannot be expected to do equally well, each teacher can establish reasonable minimal objectives for a class. Naturally, most students will be capable of going considerably beyond minimal objectives, and the teacher should encourage students' cognitive development as far as their interests and abilities allow. However, in doing so, teachers must not loose sight of basic priorities. Teachers with appropriate attitudes will spend extra time working with students who are having difficulty.

When teachers do have the appropriate attitude toward school-work, they present it in ways that make their students see it as enjoyable and interesting. Teachers should not expect students to enjoy learning in the same way they enjoy a ride on a roller coaster. Instead, there should be the quieter but consistent satisfaction and feelings of mastery that come with the accumulation of knowledge and skills.

Teachers with negative attitudes toward school learning see learning activities as unpleasant but necessary drudgery. If they believe in a positive approach toward motivation, they will attempt to generate enthusiasm through overemphasis on contests, rewards, and other external incentives. If they are more authoritarian and punitive, they will present assignments as bitter pills that students must swallow or else. In either case, the students will acquire distaste for school activities, thus providing reinforcement for teacher expectations.

Other evidence of inappropriate teacher attitudes toward school activities includes: emphasizing the separation of work and play, with work pictured as an unpleasant activity one endures in order to get to play; introducing assignments as something the class has to do, rather than merely as something they are going to do; the use of extra assignments as punishments, etc. Teachers with negative attitudes also discuss academic subjects in a way that presents them as dull and devoid of content.

Teachers must communicate to all of their students the expectations that the students want to be fair, co-operative, reasonable, and responsible. This includes even those who consistently present the same behavior problems. If students see that teachers do not have the faith in them, they will probably lose whatever motivation they have to keep trying. Thus, teachers should be very careful to avoid suggesting that students deliberately hurt others or enjoy doing so, that they cannot control their own behavior, or that they simply do not care and are making no effort to do so. Such statements will only establish a negative self-concept and will lead to even more destructive behavior.

subordinate – подчиняться

curriculum – учебная программа

achieve – достигать

assign – назначать

praise – похвала

omit – пропускать

satisfaction – удовлетворение

punitive – карательный

reinforcement – усиление

devoid – лишенный

concern with – заинтересован чем-л.

acquire – приобретать

remedial – облегчающий

respond – реагировать

feedback – обратная связь

deepen – углублять

drudgery – тяжелая работа

distaste – испытывать отвращение

emphasize – подчеркивать

faith – вера

2. Give English equivalents:

Неправильный, вмешиваться, способности, разумный, усилие, похвала, соответствующий, ответственность, избегать, утверждение, самооценка, показатель, поощрение, понимание, накопление знаний и навыков, разочарованный, поведение, учебная деятельность, охватывать.

3. Translate these expressions:

Alternative activities, negative attitude, acknowledge, expectation, to be capable, extra time, roller coaster, external incentives, destructive, cognitive development, enjoyable, inappropriate attitude, self-concept, positive approach, teacher expectation, to devoid of content, to allow.

4. Answer the questions:

1. When do the pupils acquire negative attitude toward the school curriculum?

2. Why should teachers omit criticism?

3. How does a teacher serve at times?

4. What makes a negative self-concept?

5. What must teachers do with basic priorities?

6. What is the main responsibility of a teacher?

7. When do students lose motivation?

5. Translate into English:

1. Учитель может устанавливать минимальные цели в классе.

2. Обучение – это не то же самое, что катание на американских горках.

3. Похвала и поощрение не должны мешать достижению целей обучения.

4. К концу года ученики приобретают отрицательное отношение к обучению в школе.

5. Учитель будет тратить дополнительное время для работы со студентами, имеющими трудности.

6. Такое положение может привести к отрицательной самооценке и разрушительному поведению.

7. Учителя должны предоставлять студентам право выбора.

6. Read and translate the text.

John Amos Comenius (1592–1670) was a Czech teacher, educator, and writer. He served as the last bishop of Unity of the Brethren, and became a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of universal education, a concept eventually set forth in his book “Didactica Magna”. He is often considered the father of modern education.

John Comenius was the youngest child and only son of Martin Comenius and his wife Anna. Due to his impoverished circumstances, he was unable to begin his formal education until late. He was 16 when he entered the Latin school in Přerov (he later returned to this school as a teacher 1614–1618).

The most permanent influence exerted by Comenius was in practical educational work. The practical educational influence of Comenius was threefold.

He was first a teacher and an organizer of schools, not only among his own people, but later in Sweden, and to a slight extent in Holland. In his “Didactica Magna” (Great Didactic), he outlined a system of schools that is the exact counterpart of the existing American system of kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school, college, and university.

In the second place, the influence of Comenius was in formulating the general theory of education. The third aspect of his educational influence was that on the subject matter and method of education, exerted through a series of textbooks of an entirely new nature.

1. What is the name of his famous book?

2. Why was he unable to begin his formal education until late?

3. What was the most permanent influence exerted by Comenius?

4. What was his occupation?

5. What were his ideas in formulating the general theory of education?

LESSON 3

THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

1. Read and translate the text.

There is a feeling that the schools are not succeeding – that standards are too low, that schools are not preparing young people with the skills, knowledge and personal qualities which are necessary for the world of work and schools have failed to instill the right social values. These are the criticisms and therefore there have been changes to meet these criticisms.

However, the criticisms take different forms. First, there are those who believe that standards have fallen, especially in the areas of literacy and numeracy – and indeed unfavourable comparisons are made with the other countries as a result of international surveys. For example, the recent Third International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) placed in England and Wales very low in mathematical achievement at 13 – although very high in science. Therefore, these critics emphasize «back to basis» and the need for more traditional teaching methods.

Second, there are those who argue for a rather traditional curriculum which is divided into «subjects» and which calls upon those cultural standards which previous generations have known – the study of literary classics (Shakespeare, Keats, Wordsworth), rather than popular multi-cultural history, classical music rather than popular music, and so on. Since there are many children who would not be interested in or capable of learning within these subjects, there is a tendency for such advocates of traditional standards to support an early selection of children into «the minority» who are capable of being so educated, separated off from «the majority» who are thought to benefit more from a more technical or practical education.

Third, there are those who question deeply the idea of a curriculum based on these traditional subjects. Many employers, for instance, think that such a curriculum by itself ill – serves the country economically. The curriculum ought to be more relevant to the world of work, providing those skills, such as computer, numeracy and literacy skills, personal qualities (such as cooperation and enterprise) and knowledge (such as economic awareness) which make people more employable.

A very important speech which expressed those concerns and which is seen as a watershed in government policy was that of Prime Minister Callaghan at Ruskin College, Oxford, in 1976.

«Preparing future generations for life» was the theme and he pointed to the need for greater relevance in education on four fronts: the acquisition by school leavers of basic skills which they lacked but which industry needed; the development of more positive attitudes to industry and to the economic needs of society; greater technological know-how so that they might live effectively in a technological society; the development of personal qualities for coping with an unpredictable future.

succeed – успевать

prepare – готовить

value – ценность

achievement – достижение

argue for – выступать за

previous – предыдущий

selection – отбор

benefit – извлекать пользу

speech – речь

acquisition – приобретение

skill – навыки

fail – терпеть неудачу

survey – исследование

emphasize – подчеркивать

curriculum – учебная программа

capable – способный

advocate – защищать

employable – трудоспособный

watershed – поворотный пункт

cope with – бороться с

2. Give English equivalents:

Различный, счет, недавний, знания, необходимость, поддерживать, правительство, снижаться, сравнение, правильный, поколение, работодатель, указывать, критические замечания, наука, обеспечивать, политика, выражать, исследования, служить, направление, выпускник, разработка, непредсказуемый.

3. Translate these expressions:

The areas of literacy, unfavourable, teaching methods, to meet the criticism, back to basis, the minority, relevant, economic awareness, international surveys, to be interested in, numeric skills, to concern, the study of literacy classics, the majority, to enterprise, personal qualities.

4. Answer the questions:

1. What do critics emphasize?

2. What is a traditional curriculum?

3. What should people learn to live effectively in a technological society?

4. What are the results of international surveys?

5. What were cultural standards of previous generation?

6. What must the curriculum provide?

7. Why do some teachers support an early selection of children?

5. Translate into English:

1. Необходимо развитие личных качеств для борьбы с непредсказуемым будущим.

2. Стандарты школы являются слишком низкими.

3. Школы не смогли привить социальные ценности.

4. Некоторые критики подчеркивают снижение грамотности.

5. Существует необходимость использования более традиционных методов обучения.

6. Учебные программы должны быть более актуальными.

7. Некоторые учащиеся не заинтересованы в обучении.

6. Read and translate the text.

John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704), was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers.

Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social contract theory. His work had a great impact upon the development of epistemology and political philosophy.

Locke was born on 29 August 1632, in a small cottage by the church in Wrington, Somerset, about twelve miles from Bristol.

In 1693 John Locke, after writing extensively on topics such as human understanding, government, money, and toleration, published a book which seemed quite heretical at the time: “Some Thoughts Concerning Education”. Unfortunately, for the modern reader there doesn’t seem to be any shock value left at all. Consider the three key themes which are addressed: the development of self-discipline through esteem and disgrace rather than force or reward; the significance of developing a good character; and the importance of developing reason in a child by treating the child as a rational entity.