Сборник основных тематических статей для уроков английского языка в старших классах общеобразовательной школы.
Education in Great Britain
Education in Great Britain is compulsory for children from the age of 5 till 16. Before the age of 5 children can go to a nursery school, also called play school.
Primary education is given in infant school (for pupils aged from 5 till 7) and junior schools (for pupils aged from 8 till 11). Secondary education is given in secondary schools.
Before 1965 all pupils had to go through ‘eleven plus exam’ at the age of 11 and went to secondary schools of different types (grammar, technical, secondary modern) according to the results of this exam. In 1965 comprehensive schools were introduced, though the old system still exists.
A comprehensive school usually has the humanities, sciences and education with practical bias. Pupils may change their specialisation inside one school.
There are many private schools which the state doesn’t control. In Britain they are called ‘public schools’. They are very expensive but considered to provide a better education and good job opportunities.
At the age of 16 pupils take General Certificate of Secondary Education exams in several subjects. After that they can try to get a job, go to college of further education, or stay at school for another 2-3 years. If they continue their studies, they take school-leaving A-level exams at the age of 18. After that, they may choose to go to a university or a college of higher education.
The oldest and the most famous British universities are Oxford and Cambridge.
After three years at a university or college of higher education students may receive the Bachelor’s degree. Getting the Master’s degree will take another 2 or 3 years. After that, a graduate can take postgraduate courses to Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy.
Students may receive grants and loans from their Local Educational Authorities to help pay for books, accommodation, transport and food. However, most students should pay these loans back after they get a job.
Education in the USA
Education in the United States of America is compulsory for children from the age of 6 till 16 (or 18).
There are two major types of schools in the USA – public which are free, and private, or fee-paying.
The USA doesn’t have a national system of education. Each state has its own system of public schools. The federal government pays little attention to schools.
The American education system consists of 3 basic components: elementary, secondary and higher education.
There is also such a notion as preschool education. At the age of 4 or 5 children just get acquainted with the formal education in a nursery school. The aim of the preschool education is to prepare children for elementary school through playing.
Elementary education begins at the age of 6 when a child goes to the first grade (form). The education is mostly concentrated on the basic skills (speaking, reading, writing and arithmetic). The main goal of elementary education is the general intellectual, social and physical development of a pupil from 5 to 12 or 15 years old.
Secondary education begins when children move on to high or secondary school in the ninth grade, where they continue their studies until the twelfth grade. A high school may be comprehensive, general or vocational. A comprehensive school offers a broad program of academic and vocational education. A general school offers a more limited program. A vocational school focuses on vocational training with some general educational subjects. After the first two years of education students can select subjects according to their professional interests. The electives are to be connected with the students' future work or further education at university or college. Every high school has a special teacher — a guidance counselor who helps the students to choose these elective subjects.
(Members of each grade in high school have special names: students in the ninth grade are called freshmen, tenth graders are called sophomores, eleventh graders are juniors and as for twelfth graders, they are seniors.)
After graduating from high schools the majority of the Americans go on studying at higher education establishments. In universities they have to study for four years to get a bachelor's degree. In order to get a master's degree they must study two years more and, besides, be engaged in a research work.
What Makes a Good Teacher
Many children are keenly aware of their weaknesses and special education students are particularly sensitive to being "different". A good teacher helps the child realize her strengths and encourages and challenges the student to learn through those strengths. It is in the day to day process of reaching this goal that the ingredients for making a good teacher come into play.
The best teachers are the ones who teach to the whole child. Their vision of education is not limited to the tangibles of academic achievement but encompasses daily doses of compassion, flexibility, communication, humor, imagination, and the willingness to be open minded. Most importantly, a good teacher is someone who uses both his head and her heart in equal measure throughout the school day. Compassion is in understanding that a student may be frustrated, angry or just unable to focus on the academics at hand. A little extra attention, a hug, a query as to how he is feeling today or the simple expression that the teacher values that student and was glad he was there today is all it takes to make a potentially negative situation into a positive, personal learning experience for the child. Bad days happen to everyone. Deal with the misbehavior, and move on, but be fair and consistent in your discipline.
Good teachers don't speak negatively about their students to anyone. Flexibility allows the learning environment to be fluid and creative. Be upbeat and positive and ready to adapt to students moods and needs. Maybe the lesson plan can be more effectively learned if the students stand and move about, play a game with the information or talk about something else that is important to them at that moment. Communicate with the student and his parents on a regular basis. The more open and direct the dialogue is among all the parties, the more involved parents and children become in the educational process.
A good teacher is not threatened by parent advocacy. Remember no one knows the child as well as her parents and they can become wonderful allies in developing a strong 24/7 educational plan for the child. Listen as well as talk. Humor. Learn to laugh at yourself, smile and be free to admit mistakes. She really likes me a lot.
Generation gap
The so-called "generation gap” means the difference in attitudes between old and young people. Such problem has always existed.
Generation gap mostly appears because of the teenagers. They often behave rude against their parents. The young wear provocative clothes which shock the adults, causing their sharp negative reaction. Young people are fond of listening to music that is disliked by parents. Naturally, each generation has got its lifestyle. For example, people, who had teenage children in the sixties, could never understand such phenomenon as Beatles. They had known nothing about rock music before and so they thought of it just as a noise. So facing something new parents do not approve the behaviour and look of their children and criticize them, telling that "in my youth children were more polite and quiet”. Sometimes teens even rebel against it.
In my opinion this conflict is inevitable. On the one hand, it is natural because life is rapidly changing . Every year something new emerges, from fashion styles to pop-stars and of course young people accept it very quickly. On the other hand, adults do not need to worry about their kids too much. Until the "generation gap” gets too big to handle, there is nothing bad in it.
But both adults and children should remember about general culture. If people are well brought up and educated their culture will help them to prevent the conflicts making teenagers less defiant and adults more lenient.
To sum up, I think that the "generation gap” problem will forever be actual, but if the generations respect each other, it will not be so serious.
