UNIT 3. EDUCATION

Warm up.

A.Work in groups. Write the alphabet on a piece of paper.Next to each letter write one word connected to education.

B.Complete the A-Z quiz.

(from: Cunningham S., Moor P., Cutting edge. Advanced. Students’ book // Pearson. – 2014. – p. 47).

40

Part 1. Are traditional ways of learning the best?

Task 1.1. Read the quotes about learning. Do you agree with any of them? Give reasons.

1.We learn by doing.

2.A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

3.A person who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.

4.The best way to learn is to teach.

Task 1.2. Read the sentences 17-. Match the words in bold withtheir

Task 1.3. Discuss in pairs.

1.Which of the activities above do you do? How often?

2.Which do you think are the most important/useful activities for learning

English?

3.Do you have any other ideas on how to improve your English?

Task 1.4. Go through the collocations: mother tongue, learning strategies, foreign [ˈfɒrɪn], native speakers, slang [slæŋ], jargon [ˈdʒɑːɡ(ə)n], fluency [ˈfluːənsɪ], accuracy [ˈækjʊrəsɪ], skill, bilingual [baɪˈlɪŋɡw(ə)l]. What do they mean? Get ready to give explanations.

Task 1.5. Read some practical advice from a 1950’s English course book.

Fill in the gaps with the words: foreign, strategy, jargon, bilingual, native speakers, fluency, slang, accuracy, skill, mother tongue.

1.Using the right method, … in the target language is possible after just a few weeks.

2.Students should talk with … only. Exposure to other learners will result in new errors.

41

3.To improve…, the students should copy out several pages from the textbook every day.

4.The student’s biggest problem is translating every word of English into

his … .

5.The best … is for the student to imitate the recordings for an hour at a time.

6.It is unnecessary to learn … words unless the learner needs them for a specific job.

7.It is impossible to become… unless the second language was learnt in childhood.

8.Students should avoid … because it isn’t proper English.

9.To improve the listening …, the student should listen daily to the radio.

10.The … student needs to be corrected every time he makes a mistake.

Task 1.6. Which advice is still useful? Change any advice you disagree with. Follow the model: Students should(n’t) V… .

Task 1.8. Would you like to know your strong and weak pointsas a student? Do a short quiz called “What kind of student are you?” Summarize and prepare a short talk about yourself as a student (10 sentences).

42

What kind of student are you?

FIRE

Fire signs usually make optimistic studentsHowever,. you are often impatient and want to make quick progress. It’s difficult for youto concentrate on one thing. You have lots of energy but sometimes you have your head in the

clouds and don’t know or care what is going on around you. To make good progress you should try to concentrate on what you are doing today and on what you want to do tomorrow.

Earth signs usually make serious and hard-working. Exams are very important to you because you want to have good job one day. You always check

your homework. You like everything in its place and demand clear explanations of what is going on. You don’t like change. Other students like you because you are practical and helpful. Try to let your hair down (inf. relax, enjoy yourself) from time to time.

You live in a world of your own and often dream, even in class. You often lose things and forget the time. You seem to learn without effortand usually do well if your teachers encourage you. You are very resourceful and artistic which makes your work very interesting thoughðəʊ][ not always very accurate (correct)! Try to combine your imagination with the practical side of studying. And remember to do your homework.

You are a popular student and a good talker. You easily make friends and happy to be part of team. You are a flatter which means you are probably popular with your teachers! But sometimes you are lazy. You have all the qualities to make a success of your studies, so get on and do it! By the way, air signs are good at learning foreign languages.

43

Task 19.. Find words in the text which mean: преуспевать;

сконцентрироваться на чем-либо одном; витать в облаках; расслабиться; время от времени; учиться без усилий; находчивый и артистичный; практическая сторона учения; хороший собеседник; легко заводить друзей; быть частью команды; пользоваться успехом; все качества, чтобы добиться успеха в учебе; преуспевать в изучении иностранных языков.

Task 1.10. Find out if you are planner or a procrastinator.Before reading, match the phrases in bold with their definitions (1-10):

1)not pay attention to the things you are supposed to be doing;

2)delay (a job);

3)spend time doing things that aren’t important;

4)put jobs in order of which is most important;

5)do different jobs simultaneously;

6)complete tasks;

7)do jobs just before the time they need to be done;

8)do things in advance;

9)be careful with your time;

10)begin a job.

Are you a planner or a procrastinator?

Do you plan your day or do you prefer to see what happens? A planner will spend the night before work making lists, prioritizing [praɪˈɒrətaɪz], and making sure everything is under control. He/she arrives early and gets started on their first task. Aprocrastinator, on the other hand, is morelikely to arrive at work only just in time, with a coffee and breakfast in their hand and stresseda look on their face.

You have a job to do, or you need to meet a deadline.

1.Do you generally do things ahead of timeor leave things until the last minute?

2.Do you prefer to get started on a difficult job or put off doing difficult

multitask?

In pairs discuss the questions (1-4) above. Do you have similar answers?

Task 1.11. Work in groups and discuss.

1.When was the last time you left something until the last minute?

2.Can you think of a job that you have put off for a while? When do you plan to do it?

3.What do you get distracted by, when you’re working? How do you try to avoid distractions?

44