I. Before you read

Wise People Talk

Discuss the quotations in groups. To what extent do you agree with the authors?

• I know, (there is) no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of society, but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.

Thomas Jefferson

• Education is the process of casting false pearls before real swine.

I rwin Edman

Phrase Bank

• It's from this angle that one must seriously consider this problem.

• N takes up the point that…

• I don't profess to be an expert on the subject, but…

• Let me give you a brief example of...

• This view is universally held

Higher education in the usa: methods of instruction

II. Read the text. Fill in the gaps with the prepositions where necessary. Single out the topic sentence in every paragraph.

quiz

test

mid-term examination

research paper/ project

lecture

discussion format

laboratory section

seminar

clinical experiences/internships

distance education

Classes generally take up only about 15 hours each week, although there may be additional hours of laboratory work. The rest of the time is between classes is free for study and recreation. The typical undergraduate course involves three hours of lectures each week, an additional lab or discussion section, reading assignments, quizzes and tests, a mid-term examination, as well as one or more research papers or projects.

The lecture method is the oldest approach to teaching …. higher education. Before the introduction …. the printing press …. 1450, students had to create their own books by listening ….. lectures and writing down the words of their instructors. Today, faculty who use the lecture method typically speak ….. large numbers of students ….. a formal and very organized manner. The faculty member presents his or her description of the key ideas ….. a subject, and gives interpretations that often include current research on the issue. Following the presentation, lecturers sometimes invite students to ask questions on the material.

Professors often use a discussion format of instruction in institutions that emphasize a high level of teacher-student interaction. ……. this teaching method, the professor meets ………… a small number of students and teaches the course by leading discussions with students. For example, the professor may present ideas and raise questions to stimulate debate or dialogue ………… the students.

Science courses typically include laboratory sections in which students conduct experiments that replicate or illustrate a scientific principle introduced in the course. Laboratory sections usually augment lectures or discussions. Foreign language courses also sometimes include laboratory sections ……… which students listen to audiotapes or use other interactive forms of instruction.

Seminars consist of small groups of students who meet with a professor to research or discuss a specific topic … history, literature, or some other academic field. For example, seminars … American literature might explore the novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne or the poetry of Maya Angelou. Seminars are more common …… graduate programs. Participants in a seminar usually prepare scholarly research papers and critique one another’s work.

Academic programs ……. professional fields such as social work or teacher education often require clinical experiences and internships. In these programs, students spend time at a clinic, agency, or school to observe the work of a professional in the field. In some cases the student may participate …. the work as an aide. For example, teacher education programs require students to gain teaching experience …….. an elementary or secondary school.

…..addition to conventional methods of instruction conducted ….. campus, many colleges and universities offer distance education programs that use technology to carry instruction to students in ……-campus locations. Distance education programs enable faculty and students to communicate …. one another by using such technologies as computers, artificial satellites, radio, and television.