Easy Reading in English. Методическое пособие по домашнему чтению для студентов II курса неязыковых специальностей педагогических вузов

Exclusion and truancy are not insoluble. We have to prevent disruptive behaviour and share the best practice for dealing with it.

Local education authorities will be set targets to reduce levels of truancy and exclusions. We will encourage more imaginative approaches with the resources to do the job. We are already targeting £ 22 million this year.

Dull lessons are blamed for truancy. Boring lessons, unsupportive school regimes are to blame for soaring levels of truancy, according to the evidence of children who regularly bunk off from class.

Evidence from the panels showed truants appreciated the value of education, but felt school had failed them. “Many pupils reported … that initial and occasional truanting started as a result of ‘boring’ lessons, where copying from a book or a board… was common.”

A pupil who has returned to school to get his GCSEs said: “It is unbelievable. It just bores you.”

Another said: “If the teachers had respect for the students, I suppose… there would be respect back. But they don’t give respect.”

A third added: “They should know how to be able to deal with individuals… You just sit at the back of the classroom like a complete prat not doing anything, and the teachers do nothing about it. They just have a go at you and that’s it. You might have problems or something and they don’t know that.”

The truants thought good teachers were young (25-35), relaxed and not intimidated by young people. They used innovative methods with lots of class participation and a spirit of mutual respect.

One teacher was praised for allowing pupils to talk to each other for 10 minutes at the start of class so that they would then give full attention to the lesson. Another played music of the pupils’ choice to create a relaxed atmosphere.

Thetruantssawschoolas“controlling,regimentedenvironments”.Many wanted to wear their own clothes: one pupil said his uniform “looks like I’m going to a funeral”.

The panels said it was hard to return after truancy. “I felt all the teachers were extremely sarcastic and I didn’t feel any of them wanted to help me… I was just so far behind and I didn’t have any confidence,” a student said.

There is an overriding need to improve teaching methods, to make learning more participatory, relaxed, fun and innovative.

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Notes

a truant – прогульщик

to play truant – прогуливать уроки to exclude – исключать

to skip – пропускать, удирать to blight – приносить вред a tide – (перен) волна disaffection – недовольство to fuel – разжигать

juvenile crime – преступность несовершеннолетних to drop out – не закончить школу

background – подготовка, уровень insoluble – неразрешимый disruptive – подрывной

a target – цель

to blame – считать виновным restrictive – ограничительный soaring – высокий

to bunk off – сбежать

panels – участники обсуждения (проблемы) a prat – болван

to have a go – попытаться to be intimidated – пугаться

regimented – строго регламентированный funeral – похороны

overriding – первостепенный

Assignments

1.Guess what this article is about according to the title given.

2.Match the two parts to make expressions:

3.Translate into English:

1) More than a million youngsters skip lessons each year and over 100,000 are temporarily excluded;

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2)There are many reasons why children drop out: family problems, low parental expectations, or long-term unemployment at home;

3)Evidence from the panels showed truants appreciated the value of education, but felt school had failed them;

4)Exclusion and truancy are not insoluble;

5)There is an overriding need to improve teaching methods, to make learning more participatory, relaxed, fun and innovative.

4.Comment on the following questions:

What problem does the article highlight? What is the author’s opinion on the problem? Do you share it?

Why do many pupils play truant? Why are some pupils excluded?

Does this problem exist in our country?

What are typical discipline problems in our country? What do teachers do?

What have you read or heard about this phenomenon? Did anything surprise you?

Do you agree with the theory presented in the article?

Looking back to your school experience can you say what factors in school life influenced you?

Which of the teachers influenced you most? What subject did she teach?

Do you skip any lectures now? Have you ever played truant? Why?

How are truants treated in any higher educational establishment? In what way does university work differ from school work?

5.Search for the sentences which will help you to sum up the content of the article.

6.Render the article according to the plan of writing an annotation.

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DUMB ON DOWN FROM DAY ONE

(From «The Sunday Times»)

Universities may be accused of ‘dumbing down’, says Frank Furedi, but anti-intellectualism among students is embedded at a much earlier age.

Three yeas ago I wrote an article entitled “What is university for now?” It focused on the absence of intellectual challenges in Britain’s universities. I quoted undergraduates profoundly bored by their university experience and pointed out that, in many cases, students could now spend an entire year at university without reading a whole book.

Thenextday,Ireceivedanangrye-mailfromasenioruniversitymanager who accused me of “deliberately” confusing the issues. He did not dispute my claim about students who don’t read books. Rather, he was upset at my assumption that books should have a privileged status in higher education.

As far as he was concerned, the book has become an optional extra for the present-day undergraduate. For months afterwards, his letter preyed on my thoughts. I was sure that members of the higher education establishment would share some of my misgivings about the fall of standards and would be likely to feel embarrassed by the way that university life was becoming so evidently banal. But my correspondent’s unexpected disparagement of studying books made me think again.

I did not have to look hard to realize that the fatal of dumbing down in higher education begins much earlier on in life. I am continually taken aback by the sense of low expectations that we transmit to youngsters. In a recent discussion I had with the parents of six and seven-year olds, one primary school struggling to maintain a decent standard of teaching was denounced for “putting children under pressure” and being “too competitive”. It is not uncommon to find children as young as five or six described as “not academic” by adults who seem keen to lower these youngsters’ ambitions. Sadly, all too many schools accommodate this sentiment.

The cumulative effect of lowering pupils’ expectations becomes evident when they leave school. It was reported that a third of Confederation of British Industry members have had to pay for extra English and Maths lessons for recruits aged 16 to 19. Nearly half of all British universities are forced to put on remedial classes in English and Maths for first-year students, because so many do not possess the literary and numerical skills expected of undergraduates. A study published by York University indicates that A-level Maths standards have dropped so far that B-grade students’

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score little better in a basic university test than if they were guessing the answers. A survey of vice-chancellors indicated that a significant proportion of first-year students are struggling with grammar and cannot write essays.

Many academics are struck by the general lack of knowledge and feeble grasp of history of the current generation of undergraduates. Youngsters have become estranged from history. In a recent survey of 10 to 14-year- olds, one in four did not know that D-Day was something to do with the Second World War.

Another survey of secondary school children from both the state and independent sectors found that a quarter of those asked did not know that the First World War occurred in the 20th century. A survey of six to 14- year-olds found that 65% could not name one classical composer. And so it goes on.

By the time students arrive at university, it is hard to catch up on all the things that they have not learnt at school. It was reported that, as more schools make language classes non-compulsory, more children are dropping languages altogether. Is it any surprise that 75% of universities have been forced to axe language courses over the past three years? Places on exciting exchange programmes with European universities remain unfilled, because we cannot find enough undergraduates able to follow lectures in a foreign language.

Yet, despite all the evidence, those who claim that British institutions are dumbing down are likely to be told that they are sadly out of touch with the real world. Government ministers and the leading voices of the British cultural elite seem unable to face the truth. They assert that young people are far better educated than in the past.

Strangely, there is no such reluctance to recognize dumbing down in America. Commentators often represent President George W. Bush as the personification of dumb America. And, of course, we have all been told many times that a lot of Americans are stupid white men.

This sentiment appeared to be confirmed a couple of years ago, when the National Geographic Society published a survey showing that only 17% of Americans could find Afghanistan on a world map. For many British commentators, this was another example of the dumb America. What they failed to point out was that Britain did poorly in the same quiz. It finished bottom of the European countries surveyed.

The real problem we face is not so much the decline of standards. It is the tendency of British institutions to accommodate a regime of low

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expectations. This trend is particularly striking in higher education, where declining standards are masked through the increase in the number of graduates receiving 2.1 and first-class degrees.

Someacademicshaveevencalledforreplacingessaysandexamswithmodes of assessment that are more likely to flatter student performance. Soon multiple choice-question-based test will displace the essay-focused exam.

“A bit dodgy” is how Charles Clarke, the education secretary, has described the idea of education for its own sake, while asserting that his government has no interest in supporting “the medieval concept of a community of scholars seeking truth.”

Throughout the education system desperate attempts are being made to ensure that the situation appears under control. This is why standards and the system of assessment are continuously reconfigured to ensure students succeed.

But this cynical orientation towards education does no favours to young people in Britain. Like previous generations, they are ready to be intellectually challenged and stretched.

Butinsteadofprovidingthemwithaneducationworthyoftheiraspirations, all that we offer them is yet another face-lift to the examination system.

In as much as it means anything, dumbing down does not refer to the intelligence of people. Rather it is a statement about the way that leading British institutions promote a mood of low expectations.

Notes

to dumb down – (сл.) глупеть to prey – угнетать, мучить

D-Day – день начала военных операций (6 июня 1944 года - день высадки союзных войск в Нормандии)

dodgy – (разг.) хитрый, плутоватый face-lift – косметический ремонт

intellectual challenge – проба интеллектуальных сил reluctance – нежелание

to axe – сокращать estranged – отстраненный misgiving – опасение remedial – коррективный

Assignments

1.Read the article to say what the topic is.

2.Comment on the title of the article.

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3.Translate the underlined words and expressions into Russian. Pay attention to the context.

4.There are some questions for you to discuss with your groupmates:

What problem is reflected in the article?

Do you share the author’s opinion on it?

What aspects of life in the UK (or other English-speaking countries) did you learn about in this article?

Does this kind of phenomenon/problem exist in our country? What is the attitude towards this problem in our society? What have you read or heard about this phenomenon?

What facts do you find the most surprising in the article?

What impression do you have of American and British high schools? What is the purpose of higher education?

Which do you prefer: a lecture or a book?

Why are some lectures boring? (Use the following expressions: the subject is boring, the subject is too difficult for you to master, you missed some previous lectures, you find it hard to concentrate, you are not interested in the subject, the lecturer’s manner of speech is monotonous, the lecturer speaks too fast for you to take notes, the lecturer gives no original information, the lecturer’s arguments are too complicated for you, you’re not yet accustomed to listening to lectures every day, you get tired easily).

How can you assess your progress in education? Name some good habits and methods of studying.

5.Make up a plan to the article and entitle each point of your plan.

6.Who is the addressee?

7.Render the article according to the plan, using new words and expressions italicized.

LEARNING TO COMBINE THE WORLD OF WORK

AND STUDY

(From «The Independent»)

Most university students have traditionally taken jobs in their holidays, particularly summer. But working your way through college was seen very much as a US tradition. However, it is now becoming widespread in Britain.

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According to a survey by the National Union of Students (NUS), 42 per cent of UK undergraduates are having to combine full-time studies with paid work during term-time. Clearly this figure must hide big variations because London Guildhall University announced that 80 per cent of its students work for between five and 25 hours a week during term.

The NUS survey found that students give two main reasons for working during term-time: to pay their basic living and study costs (68 per cent) and to fund their social life (65 per cent). It is clear that most work out of sheer necessity. In 1994 David Blunkett, then shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment, described student hardship as a “national disgrace” and a “badge of shame”.

But there is one silver lining to this particular cloud. Working during your course not only provides you with much needed cash but can equip you with some additional skills not normally to be had from holiday work. Combining earning with learning may be onerous, but these extra skills do make you even more attractive to recruiters when you graduate and start a career.

There are basically three types of student work. There are formal placements, which may be a mandatory or optional part of your degree; there are part-time or vacation jobs, which are relevant either to your degree or to the career you eventually hope to follow; and there is casual work with little or no relevance to your course or your intended career.

Finding part-time jobs which are relevant to either your degree or future career can be difficult. Although the Government, the Association of Graduate Recruiters and others want every undergraduate to have ”quality work experience” as part of their learning, at present only about half of all students find such work.

Casual work in university towns, particularly with the flexible hours needed to accommodate your studies is soon snapped up. Working on the campus is particularly popular, and students unions and many universities do make efforts to employ as many students as possible. But obviously they can satisfy only a minority of students.

Increasing numbers of universities and colleges recognize the need for students to have access to part-time and vacation work, and offer a variety of job-search schemes.

One of the most interesting initiatives has been taken by Warwick University. Concerned at the growing debt burden of students, Warwick created its own employment agency in 1996 – Unitemps. This is now selffunding and provides work for students both on and off-campus.

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Theagencyemploysthestudentsitselfratherthanactingasaclearinghouse for vacancies. The agency pays students on the standard university pay scales for clerical work, which starts at 4.45 an hour, according to skills.

The service is web-based, and details of vacancies are e-mailed to students. The service can be used by students from any university, although all the work is in the Warwick area.

Does working during term-time harm your studies? It depends. In the NUS survey, 48 per cent said they would have got higher grades if they were not employed. But only 15 per cent of the same sample said employment had affected their studies badly. The majority (58 per cent) said it had affected their study “slightly”. Much seems to depend on the number of hours worked.

If you do have to work in term-time to support yourself, apply early if you want the best jobs. Try not to have to work more than 15 hours a week. And reflect on what skills you are gaining from this work experience – your future employers will really want to know.

Notes

an undergraduate – студент

a sheer necessity – потребность, настоятельная необходимость a badge – признак, символ

silver lining (to the cloud) – (перен.) светлая сторона onerous – затруднительный

a placement – определение на должность mandatory – обязательный

optional – необязательный casual – случайный

to accommodate – согласовывать to shap up – перехватывать

a campus – университетский городок concerned – озабоченный

self-finding – находящийся на самофинансировании clerical – канцелярский, конторский

a pay scale – шкала расценок

Assignments

1.Look through the article to guess what is discussed here.

2.Find the antonyms in parts A and B:

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а) full-time, a minority, widespread, formal, obligatory, best, employed, badly.

b) well, optional, worst, informal, a majority, unemployed part-time, unknown.

3.Give the Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations:

full-time studies, additional skills, earning, onerous, mandatory, casual, a variety, vacancies, employment, work experience, skills, a placement, in term-time, attractive.

4.Express your opinion on the given questions below:

What problem is the article connected with? What is the author’s opinion on it?

What aspects of life in the UK did you learn about in this article? What are the three types of student work?

How many hours a week do they work?

Does this kind of phenomenon/problem exist in our country? Compare the situation in Britain (or other English-speaking countries) and Russia and comment on them.

What is the attitude towards this problem in our society?

What have you read or heard about this phenomenon? Did anything surprise you?

Why do students work during term-time? Does employment affect their studies?

Is it difficult to find a job when you are a student without working experience?

5.Define the meaningful parts, make up a plan to the article and entitle each part of your plan.

6.Write the advertisement to the article so that any student would like to read it.

7.Render the article using new words and expressions.

GAIN A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE

(From «The Independent»)

A good degree used to set you on the fast track to fame, fortune and a desirable partner. Well almost. It certainly put you in the top 5 per cent of the

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