23

UNIT “EDUCATION”

1. Reading (Comprehension + Pronunciation)

2. Listening (Comprehension)

3. Writing (Vocabulary + Grammar +Function)

4. Speaking (Vocabulary + Grammar + Pronunciation + Function)

5. TEST

Comments: Tasks with * are for the II –d level students.

EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN

Tasks

1. Reading the text for the first time skim it through fairly quickly to understand the topic and the main points.

2. Reading the text for the second time look through it very carefully to be sure you understand exactly the peculiarities of the British educational system. Do read through the questions first to see what kind of information you need to look for. When you have finished reading, see how much you can recall.

3. Try to work out the meanings of any words you don’t know from the context. Try to find Russian equivalents to the underlined word combinations.

There are some features in the British educational system, which distinguish it from education in other countries. Primary schoolchildren do not have homework and university students have fewer hours of programmed attendance than students in other European countries. On the other hand they receive greater personal guidance with their work. This resulted in high-quality education for the intelligent and academically inclined. Little attention is given to the educational needs of the people with poor academic records.

All state schools are obliged to teach English, Mathematics, Science and a Modern Language for all pupils up to the age of 16. Educational policy focuses on developing the “complete” person. It is for the same reason that British schools and universities have tendered to give such a high priority to sport and the arts or humanities.

The basis features of public education in Great Britain are the following:

1. full-time education is compulsory up to the middle teenage years;

2. the academic year begins at the end of summer;

3. compulsory education is free of charge, but parents can spend money on educating their children privately outside the state system if they want to (the fees are high);

There are three recognized stages:

1. The first stage is primary education from 5 to 11 years old. There is no system of nursery in GB, i.e. pre-primary schools. In some areas primary schools have nursery or play-schools attached to them. Children at the age of 2-5 years old mostly play with some early learning, they lunch and sleep in safety with someone keeping an eye on them. Primary education takes place in infant schools where pupils are taught basic reading, writing, arithmetic, art, etc., and in junior schools (from 8 to 11 years old) which mark the transition from play to “real work”.

2. The second stage is secondary education from 11 to 16/18 years old. Children must go to school until the age of 16, and pupils may stay on for one or two years if they wish.

Free secondary education is available to all children in comprehensive schools, which are not selective – children don’t have to pass an exam to go there. Books are lent to the pupils free. Comprehensive schools in the UK are for all abilities and sexes. They develop the talents of each individual child, and the older children, according to their perceived abilities, are put into “sets” for mathematics or languages, sometimes across all subjects. But some schools teach all subjects to “mixed ability’ classes. Comprehensive schools teach wide range of subjects in arts, crafts, woodwork, domestic science, modern languages, sciences, technical areas and computer studies. All pupils move to the next class automatically at the end of the year.

“Private education” must take care of itself. The Education authorities do not prescribe a detailed programme of learning or determine what books and materials should be used. They only offer a national specification of learning objectives.

Private preparatory schools are for pupils aged up to 13. They are very expensive and prepare children for very famous in the UK public schools which are free from state control. The fundamental requirements are very high and they accept pupils on the basis of an examination. Most of them are boarding schools. The education is of a high quality, the most able go ahead. The discipline is very strict, corporal punishment has been recently banned in state schools, but in most public schools it is still allowed. At 18 most public school-leavers gain entry to universities. Public schools are famous for their ability to lay foundation of a successful future by giving their pupils a good academic background, self-confidence, distinctive customs and attitudes, the use of specialized items of vocabulary, the wearing of distinctive clothes, and perhaps, most important of all, the right friends and contacts. Public schools educate the ruling class and have a deep and lasting influence on their pupils.

Grammar school teaches academic subjects to prepare children for university, professions, managerial or other highly-skilled jobs. It is usually by competitive entry. At university many Grammar school children rub shoulders with those from the public schools and often acquire their accent and attitude. Secondary modern school has a more practical and technical bias.

Nearly all schools work a five-day week, with no half-day. Schools usually divide their year into three “terms”. Each school day is divided into periods of 40-50 minutes with 10-20 minutes breaks between them.

Some schools give pupils tests every week or month to see if they are making progress. The school-leaving exams are set by independent examining boards and held in May/June. There is no unified school-leaving exam or school leaving certificate. In practice, nearly all pupils do exams in English language, maths and a science subject. The number of passes they obtain is shown on the certificate.

The school’s function is to train a pupil’s mind and his character should be formed at home. But the “troublemakers” don’t leave their characters at home when their minds go to school and many of them have personality problems. When they are late or violate various school regulations they may be punished or detained in school after ordinary hours for truancy. There are some rewards, medals and prizes for the best pupils.

At the age of sixteen people are free to leave school if they want to. Educational Reform has introduced City Technology Colleges. A number of Colleges of Further Education do vocational training courses for particular jobs and careers, for example in engineering, typing, cooking or hairdressing. Most school leavers do not find employment immediately and do not want to go to FE College. They may take part in training schemes (the Young Opportunities Scheme) which involve on-the-job training combined with part-time college courses. Some young working people are given “day release’ so they can follow a course to help them in their job.

3. The third stage is “further” education at university, college or Polytechnics (tertiary).

The availability of higher education and finding a university place is not easy. Universities, although financed by the government, have autonomy and each one has complete control over what to teach, how to teach it, and how to test the students. They make their own choices and accept only the better students on their courses. Universities normally select students on the basis of top grades in several A-level results and an interview, and competition for places is fierce. Because of this, and also because of the relatively high degree of personal supervision of students nearly all university students complete their studies in a very short time. The costly and labour-intensive system of instruction known as tutorials has been polishing minds for 800 years. The strength of the tutorial system is that it’s almost impossible to be lazy under it. Within the first week the freshman meets the tutor to whom he is assigned and begins his work. At his first interview the tutor discovers how far advanced the student is already, and tells him about the requirements for the examination, about the course of reading to be begun at once, and about the lectures which he must take.

The academic year in Britain’s universities is divided into three terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the end of June or beginning of July. After three years of study a university graduate will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. The degrees are awarded at public degree ceremonies. It is only for modern languages, medicine and certain vocational studies that students take more than three years. Later a university graduate may continue to take the Master’s Degree and then the Doctor’s Degree. Research is an important feature of university work.

Another reason for the low drop-out rate is that “full-time” really means full-time. For all British citizens a place at university brings with it a grant from LEA which covers tuition fees and some of the living expenses. The amount depends on the parent’s income. Students from low-income families receive a state full grant of money which covers all their living expenses and includes the cost of accommodation if they are non-local. The cost of education depends on the college and speciality which one chooses.

This is how a student spends his day. His working hours are from 9 to 1. At 9 o’clock he will see the tutor or go to the library, or to the lecture. From 2 to 5 he is engaged in sport and all kinds of exercise to prove himself on river or field. From 5 to 7 he usually either works in the library or in the laboratory. 7 o’clock is the dinner-hour when the undergraduates and dons are gathered in the hall. After dinner the students have club activities, debating societies, etc. At 10 o’clock the student must be in the college and sit down to work for about 2 hours.

In many cases people cannot gain qualifications for certain professions by doing an ordinary university course and go to specialized institutions which are separate from any university. They can study architecture at university but this alone does not qualify them to be architects and most of them have learnt their professions at a separate School of Architecture.

There is an interesting form of studies which is called the Open University, when people study in their own free time and “attend” lectures by watching television, listening radio, using Internet. They keep in touch with their tutors by phone, letter or on-line.

Glossary

The arts (humanities)	Subjects of study concerned with human culture, esp. literature, language, history and philosophy. Arts subjects place greater emphasis on imaginative and creative ability than on the technical and practical skills needed in science.
A Levels = Advanced Levels.	They are taken mostly by people around the age of eighteen who wish to go on to higher education.
Boarding schools	The pupils live in them.
“Certificate”	A qualification obtained after secondary education.
City Technology Colleges (CTCs)	New super-schools for scientifically gifted children, future scientists and technological experts. These schools are partly funded by industry. Britain needs more scientists and technicians.
Curriculum	Course of study in a school, college, university, etc.
Degree	A qualification from a university. Students studying for the first degree (a BA or BS) are called undergraduates. When they have been awarded a degree, they are known as graduates.
“Diploma”:	A qualification obtained after secondary education.
Doctorate	The highest academic qualification. This usually carries the title PhD = Doctor of Philosophy. The time taken to complete a doctorate is generally expected to involve three years of more-or-less full-time study.
Don	A teacher at a university
Drop-out	A person who withdraws from a course of education
Fee	Charge or payment for professional advice or services; entrance money for an examination, library, etc.
Full-time education	Students must be present at the classes during the whole of the working day and week.
Further Education College	Here most of the courses are linked to some kind of practical vocational training, for example in engineering, typing, cooking or hairdressing.
GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education.	The exams taken by sixteen-year olds. Marks are given for each subject separately. There is a uniform system of marks, all being graded from A to G. Grades A, B, C are regarded as “good” grades”.
GNVQ = General National Vocational Qualification.	Courses and exams in job-related subjects. They are divided into five levels, the lowest level being equivalent to GCSE and the third level to A – levels. GNVQ courses are studied at Colleges of Further Education.
Grant	Money, given by an organization, eg the Local Education Authority.
Half-day	A day of which half, usually the afternoon, is taken as a holiday.
Honours degrees	Most people get honours degrees, awarded in different classes. These are: Class I (known as “a first”), Class II, I (“a 2,1” or” an upper second”), Class II,II (“a 2,2” or “a lower second”), Class III (“a third”).
Local Education Authority (LEA)	The educational department of local government
Master’s Degree	The general name for a second (postgraduate) degree, an MA or MSc.
Part-time education	Students must be present at the classes for only a part of the working day or week.
A pass	A successful result in an examination.
Pass degree	A student who is below one of the honours degrees gets a pass degree.
A period	A lesson in school.
Polytechnics	Are similar to universities, but the courses tend to be more practically-oriented.
A professor	A senior university academic, not an ordinary teacher.
Reader	A lecturer, usually ranking below a professor, but above an ordinary lecturer
Set (n)	A group of pupils who form a class in a particular subject
Syllabus	Outline or summary of a course of studies
Term	Schools usually divide their year into three “terms”, starting on the first Tuesday morning in September. (Autumn term – Christmas holiday about 2 weeks, Spring term – Easter holiday about 2 weeks, Summer term – in July schools break up for 8 weeks). In addition, all schools have a “half-term” holiday, lasting a few days in the middle of each term.
Truancy	The practice of staying away from school without permission.
Tutor	A teacher in a college or university who leads a discussion group, directs the studies of undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge
Undergraduate	University student working for a bachelor’s degree
YOPS = The Young Opportunities Scheme	YOPS involves on-the-job training combined with part-time college courses. This scheme places young unemployed people with a business or an industry for six months so that they can get experience of work, and pays them a small wage. They generally have a better chance of getting a job afterwards and sometimes the company they are placed with offers them a permanent job.

Tasks

1. Look through the questions to see which parts of the text you need to read carefully.

2. Scan the text and its particular sections in order to find out some specific information that you need to answer questions. Try to work out the meanings of the words you don’t know from the glossary and the context.

3. Check the questions again to be sure you’ve really understood.

QUESTIONS

1. What goes on at nursery and play-schools?

2. What age do children start school at in the UK?

3. What’s the school-leaving age in the UK?

4. Do students get grants for further education?

5. From your reading of this text, what can you say about the trends in the British educational system? Is it moving towards greater or lesser uniformity? Is it concentrating more on purely academic subjects or on more practical ones?*

6. Here are the ten subjects which according to the national curriculum for England, must be taught in the first three years of secondary education: English, Mathematics, Science, Technology, History, Geography, a modern foreign language, Art, Music and Physical Education. Do you think any other subjects should be included?

7. Do you think secondary education should be selective or comprehensive? What are the advantages of both systems?*

8. What’s the difference between a university and a polytechnic in Britain?

9. What would you say are the successes and failures of the British educational system? What do you like and dislike about the British system?*

What questions could you ask to get these answers?

1. No, they have to finance their own studies.

2. There isn’t much difference; it’s just that the courses are more practical in a polytechnic instead of being very academic.

3. Well, they learn one or two things, like recognizing a few numbers, but most of the time they play around.

4. It’s sixteen, but a lot of kids stay on until eighteen.

5. No, I was ill. I didn’t miss it deliberately.

Key

1. Do students in GB get a grant?

2. What’s the difference between a university and a polytechnic in Britain?

3. What goes on at play-schools and nursery schools?

4. What’s the school-leaving age in Britain now?

5. Did you skip yesterday’s lecture?

The Structure of Public Education in Russia

Tasks

1. Reading the text for the first time skim it through fairly quickly to understand the topic and the main points.

2. Reading the text for the second time look through it very carefully. Do read through the questions first to see what kind of information you need to look for. When you have finished reading, see how much you can recall.

3. Try to work out the meanings of any words you don’t know from the context. Try to find Russian equivalents to the underlined word combinations.

Educational policy in Russian Federation focuses on how to help people develop useful knowledge and skills. The idea is to develop the critical, adaptable, multi-skilled and creative person. Education is given in many languages, and according to their parents’ wish children may attend Russian schools or national schools where they are taught in their native language.

There have been many changes in the system of Public Education in Russia but the basic principles have remained unchanged. Characteristic features of our public education are:

1. The equal right to education for all citizens is guaranteed by the Constitution.

2. Full-time education is compulsory up to the middle teenage years;

3. Co-education, no separate men’s or women’s schools.

4. Free tuition throughout the state system.

5. Non-state and private educational establishments must meet the Education Standard Requirements.

The unified system of public education in Russian Federation consists of the following chief types:

1. Compulsory general secondary education (state general secondary schools, lycees, gymnasiums, private schools). The educational reform at school has been through a period of constant change. The first three or four years at school are the primary school. Pupils may leave school after the 9^th form and continue their education in evening or shift school for working youth.

2. Specialized secondary education (colleges).

3. Technical vocational education.

4. Higher education (institutes, academies, classic universities, polytechnics, specialized universities, technical universities). Entrance to the university is by competitive examination or by the results of the Unified State Exam which is open to anyone between the age 17 and 35 having secondary education. Those who passed entrance examinations with merit and credit receive monthly financial support in the form of state grants. Students pay nothing for lectures and for using the laboratory equipment. If the applicants did not fail in the examinations but their results are satisfactory they can gain entrance but must pay for their education. They are required to pay fees to contribute to the high standard of tuition and facilities that are provided.

The complete course at the university lasts for 5 years, in some educational establishments it may be a little longer or shorter. Students have lectures and practical hours. They attend lectures on different subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, history of Russia, economics, strength of materials, drawing and others and take notes of them. Studying at the university is a great experience for students because theoretical material is always supported by practical exercises. During practical hours in the laboratories and shops they study the material of the lectures. Students learn their skills on state-of-the-art equipment and are taught by highly accomplished professionals with strongly balanced focus on both intellectual developments and real world preparation.

Students can borrow books from the university library and use computer-assisted learning materials to read for credit tests and exams.

The academic year is divided into two terms from September to January and from February to July. Students take examinations at the end of a term and can be transferred to the next course. On completion of studies the student presents a graduation thesis or passes final state examinations.

The classic universities train highly qualified specialists in sciences and humanities. The specialized universities train specialists for one of the fields of culture or national economy. The graduates of specialized technical universities are well grounded in a specific field of engineering. Special attention is given to the training of technical engineering personnel in most important branches of modern transport, industrial and housing construction.

In all higher educational institutions there are some optional courses which provide students with an opportunity to study besides obligatory subjects, subjects they are most interested in.

Besides full-time education there are evening and correspondence higher educational establishments which train specialists in most fields. The curricular of correspondence and evening higher schools do not differ essentially in the subjects taught, but they differ in the system in which studies are organized. The basic form of study has tendered to give a high priority to independent work and self-study at home. The majority of evening and correspondence students study professions they are engaged in. It is for the same reason that the correspondence and evening higher institutions train highly qualified specialists.

5. Post-graduate education. Those who have a gift for research work may take advanced exams in philosophy, foreign language and a certain field of knowledge to enter the post graduate course. A postgraduate carries out his research and work at the doctoral thesis under the guidance and supervision of the experienced professors and academics. They should be very diligent and work hard to get the highest academic qualification which usually carries the title PhD (=Doctor of Philosophy). The time taken to complete a postgraduate degree varies, but it is generally expected to involve three years of more-or-less full-time study.

QUESTIONS

1. Is general secondary education compulsory in Russia?

2. What age do children start school at in Russia?

3. What do we call the primary school?

4. What kind of school is a national school?

5. What’s the school-leaving age in Russia?

6. Where may pupils, who leave school, continue their education?

7. Are there evening classes for adults in Russia?

8. When do applicants take examinations?

9. What subjects did you take examinations in?

10. Do students have to pay for their education?

11. Do students get grants for further education?

12. How long does the course of studies at the university usually last?

13. How many terms are there in the academic year?

14. Where do students take textbooks? Do they usually buy them?

15. From your reading of this text, what can you say about the trends in Russian educational system? Is it moving towards greater or lesser uniformity? Is it concentrating more on purely academic subjects or on more practical ones?*

16. Would you say that people in Russia are more or less enthusiastic about university education than they are in Britain?*

17. What would you say are the successes and failures of Russian educational systems? Compare the British and Russian educational systems. How do British schools and universities differ from schools and universities in Russia? *

ORAL DRILLS

(1) On the vocabulary

What do we call:	We call him (her):
1) a person who takes an examination in order to enter a University?	a candidate or an applicant.
2) a first year student?	a freshman or a fresher.
3) a person who studies at a higher educational Institution?	an undergraduate.
4) a student in his final year of studies?	a graduate.
5) a student who lives (doesn’t live) in the hostel?	a resident student; a day student.
6) a student who combines (doesn’t combine) work with study?	a part-time student; a full-time student.
7) a graduate who continues his studies to receive a degree?	a postgraduate.
8) a student (graduate) who had been given his first degree?	a Bachelor of Arts.
9) a student who studies at the Extramural Department?	an external student.
What do we call a room:	We call it:
1) where meetings, conferences and parties are held?	an assembly-hall.
2) which is used for gymnastics?	a gymnasium (gym).
3) which is used by the teaching-staff for work and rest during the breaks?	a staff common room.
4) which is used as a place of business where students’ progress, attendance and testing of knowledge are given day-by-day guidance?	the Dean’s office.

(2) On the use of prepositions

(A)

I went in for I sat for I took I had	my examination		in Mathematics in Physics in Economics in History in English		in spring.
I did well		At (in) the English examination
I did well		in Physics
I passed my examination I got through		in Mathematics		- with merit. with credit. satisfactory.
I failed		- in History in (at) my examination in English.		miserably.
Read the same in the Future Simple. Begin your sentences with I think, I hope, I don’t think, No doubt, according to the sense.

(B)

At	to have a subject … one’s fingers’ ends to be back … the University	- в
For	to be late … the lecture to have a gift (a bent) … research work to sit (to go in) … an examination to get a mark … a composition	На к - за
From	to graduate … from the University to be excused … Physical Training	- от
In	to get a mark … a subject to be well grounded … a subject to be weak … a subject (English) to be … the first (last) year of one’s studies	по по по на
Of	To have a good commamd … the language	-
On	to ask questions … the text	по
To	to be late … the University	в
through	to look … a book	-
After having studied the above table, read the same covering the left-hand column. Use these word combinations in the sentences and various questions of your own.

ORAL PRACTICE

Topic. Siberian State University of Railways (Siberian Transport University)

You passed your entrance exams thanks to the knowledge you gained at school or a vocational school or a technical college. Say a few words about the educational institution you studied at before entering the university i.e. present your educational background. Give information about:

1) the type of school you studied at;

2) the place where it is situated;

3) the age at which you began to attend it;

4) compulsory and optional courses which you were interested in;

5) how many times a week you had your lessons of English;

6) your favourite subjects (Did you get good marks in them?);

7) the entrance exams you passed before entering the university;

8) what you like and what you didn’t like about your school.

And now tell some facts about your student’s life. Present information on:

1. the name of your university;

2. its location;

3. the departments at your university (day-time, evening or correspondence);

4. how long the complete course lasts;

5. the number of students at the university;

6. the subjects you study (humanities, technical subjects, sciences);

7. the equipment the university is provided with;

8. the examinations you take and the grants you receive;

9. the students’ hostels;

10. what do you like and what do you don’t like about your university.

Words combinations and information to be used: