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Міністерство освіти і науки України Харківський національний університет ім. В.Н. Каразіна

ВИЩА ОСВІТА:

КОНТРАСТИ ТА ПРОБЛЕМИ

Посібник з усного мовлення

Харків 2007

І. Aims and types of education: a new vision

1. Learning is innate in human nature. The idea of education is integrated in people's minds, although the reasons why people want knowledge vary. Consider motivations listed below. Which of them would you rate as two most important and two least important for yourself? What other aims do you pursue, striving to get an education? Explain your priorities.

a) to become more useful to your community and country

b) to be competitive in the job

c) to match the information society and survive in the competitive world

d) to train yourself for a career

e) to satisfy intellectual curiosity

f) to add to life enjoyment and diversions

g) to match and excel in qualifications

h) to boost self-confidence and self-esteem

i) to climb the social ladder

j) to equip oneself with knowledge

2.A Read the following paragraphs illustrating the role of education in society and choose from the list below the most appropriate sentence (a-f) to fill in the gaps (1-6).

Education is as old as humanity. Prehistoric people needed education to survive. Education is more important today than ever before. Most countries consider education one of the most important areas of public life. Countries throughout the world invest large amounts of time, money, and other resources to provide formal education for their citizens. Almost 20 -25 percent of all the people in the world are directly involved in education as students or teachers in schools, colleges, or universities.

A modern society cannot survive without education. It helps people acquire the skills they need for such everyday activities as reading a newspaper or managing their money. It also gives them the specialized training they may need to prepare for a job or career. (1)_______________

Education is also important because it helps people get more out of life. It increases their knowledge and understanding of the world. Education helps people acquire skills that make their lives more interesting and enjoyable. (2)__________

Education also helps people adjust to changes that take place with increasing speed and affect the lives of more and more people. (3)___________

Some educators put the objectives (goals) of education into three areas: first, the cognitive area, that aims at increasing a person's knowledge and intellectual skills (4)__________; second, the affective area, dealing with feelings, values, and appreciations. It aims at helping an individual develop moral and spiritual values and healthy attitudes and emotions.

(5)__________ and third, the psychomotor area that includes the development of a person's muscular or mechanical skills (6)___________.

a) Education can help a person understand these changes and provide the skills for adjusting to them.

b) Such education is often called character education or citizenship training.

c) For example, people must meet certain educational requirements and obtain a license or certificate before they may practice accounting, law, or medicine. Many fields, such as computer or police work, require completion of special training.

d) These abilities are often related to courses in handwriting, speech, and physical education, and to vocational and technical courses. The skills may be as simple as learning to use crayons or as complicated as learning an intricate ballet movement.

e) Such skills include those needed to participate in a sport, paint a picture, or play a musical instrument.

f) It deals with the ability to think and reason effectively. The largest proportion of educational objectives involves the development of abilities in this area.