SYSTEMS OF EDUCATION IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES - EDUCATION

Start-up

According to a recent survey, who has the best sense of humour in the world?

b) the Germans

Exercise 1. Tongue twisters to be remembered.

Предложите студентам прослушать два раза запись скороговорок, затем дважды произнесите их вместе с диктором и, наконец, произнесите их самостоятельно хором.

(1) A big black bear sat on a big black bug.

Большой черный медведь сел на большого черного жука.

(2) If you understand, say "understand".

If you don't understand, say "don't understand".

But if you understand and say "don't understand".

How do I understand that you understand? Understand!?

Если понимаешь, скажи “Понимаю”.

Если не понимаешь, скажи “не понимаю”,

Но если понимаешь и говоришь “Не понимаю”,

То как я должен понять, что ты понимаешь? Понимаешь?

Exercise 2. Give appropriate translation to the proverbs and remember them.

Попросите студентов соотнести английские пословицы и их русскоязычные эквиваленты. Затем распределите студентов по мини-группам для обсуждения смысла этих пословиц (каждая группа студентов получает свою пословицу). Ориентируйте студентов на то, что они должны не только объяснить свое понимание пословицы, но и привести конкретные примеры, основываясь на собственном опыте или опыте своих близких.

1. Spare the rod and spoil the child. - Учи, пока поперек лавки укладывается, а во всю вытянется - не научишь.

2. Still waters run deep. - В тихом омуте черти водятся.

3. The ends justify the means. - Победителей не судят.

4. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. - He мытьем, так катаньем.

5. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. - Ласковый теленок двух маток сосет.

6. When the cat’s away the mice will play. - Кот из дома - мыши в пляс.

Exercise 4. Write down the time and dates you hear

at 21.30 on October 18, 1898;

at 12.32 on May 15, 1887;

at 16.42 on November 18, 1975;

at 23.00 on September 17, 1543;

at 19.59 on April 22, 1870;

at 17.38 on October 27, 1897;

at 19.54 on March 12, 1876;

at 17.27 on April 28, 1875;

at 11.25 on January 31, 1886;

at 21.49 on June 30, 1764;

at 13.27 on July 1, 1952;

at 12.35 on January 21, 1924

Lead-in

Exercise 5. Study the list of words and word combinations and match them with the definitions.

1. e

2. r

3. u

4. t

5. a

6. f

7. b

8. j

9. m

10. i

11. d

12. c

13. g

14. n

15. h

16. k

17. x

18. v

19. s

20. w

21. l

22. q

23. y

24. o

25. p

Exercise 6. Look through the chart describing the postsecondary education in most countries. What does ECTS* abbreviation mean? Does this chart correspond to the degree structure in Russia? What doyou know about the degrees in Russia?

Выполнение этого упражнения можно организовать в мини-группах студентов. По завершении выполнения задания предоставьте возможность высказаться представителям каждой из групп. При необходимости скорректируйте и дополните ответы.

*ECTS = European Credit Transfer System

Exercise 7. Exercise 8. Choose one of the texts about the systems of higher education in different countries and fill in the table after the text. Get ready to present your results to other students.

Это задание рекомендуется выполнять в студенческих мини-группах. Разделите студентов соответственно разделам текста:

Группа А - System of Higher Education in Great Britain

Группа B - System of Higher Education in the USA

Группа C - Systems of Higher Education in France and in Germany

Группа D - Higher Education in Russia

Предложите студентам подготовить сообщение о той или иной системе образования, при необходимости опираясь на таблицу, данную после текста. Ограничьте время сообщения 2-3 минуты.

Exercise 9. Read through the passage about tuition and use the correct tense forms of the verbs in brackets.

1) has been increasing

2) had not received, charged

3) charge

4) was

5) reached

6) increased

7) varied

8) ranged

9) ranged

10) work

11) work

12) make

13) establish

Exercise 10. Read through the passage about tuition again and find English equivalents to these words and phrases:

1) to charge tuition

2) comparable tuition

3) to work full-time / part-time.

4) offset the costs of attending college

Exercise 11. Compare the cost of attending colleges and universities in the USA and Canada with that in Russia.

Выполнение этого упражнения можно организовать в виде обсуждения в общей группе студентов. Выскажите первоначальное мнение и мотивируйте студентов обоснованно согласиться или не согласиться с ним.

Exercise 12. Before you listen to the student speaking about money for education use the words and phrases in the table to complete the sentences below.

1. - a; 2. - c; 3. - f; 4. - b; 5. - i; 6. - g; 7. - d; 8. - j; 9. - e; 10. - h

Exercise 13. Complete the sentences using vocabulary from the previous activity.

1) interest; 2) struggle; 3) tuition fees; 4) challenging; 5) summer job; 6) wage

Exercise 14. Listen to the student speaking about money for education and decide if the statements about the text are true or false.

1. True - 80%

2. False - graduates cannot afford to buy a house for many years

3. False - If ...the government takes repayments directly from your salary

4. False - ...there is a lot of competition. British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper

5. True - life after university ends up being quite disappointing

6. False - Even before the credit crunch... the number of British students... has fallen

7. True - ...there are increasing numbers of students turning to crime

8. True - ...since the value of the British pound has fallen

Exercise 15. Listen to the student once again and fill in the gaps in the sentences.

In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. As a result, more than 80% of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university. They use the loan to pay for tuition fees, books and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.

If you start to earn over £15,000 a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary. Is it any surprise, therefore, that the average British person does not leave their parents’ home until they are 30 years old?

All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crunch started, the BBC stated, 'The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history... from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year [2008]’

The British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students.

Exercise 16. Sum up the information that you have heard.

Свободный ответ. Это упражнения можно выполнить письменно, ограничив студентов количеством из 3 предложений.

Transcript Part II. Unit 2

Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a university degree really worth it?

In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. As a result, more than 80% of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university. They use the loan to pay for tuition fees, books and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.

The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with debts of around £12,000. Students of medicine, who study for longer, usually have debts of more than £20,000. That is a lot of money. It means graduates cannot afford to buy a house for many years. They even struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach the April after graduating (or after leaving a course). If you start to earn over £15,000 a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary. Is it any surprise, therefore, that the average British person does not leave their parents’ home until they are 30 years old?

You might think that a British person with a degree will find it easy to get a well paid job. However, most people in “white-collar jobs” seem to have a degree these days, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper. Like everyone else, graduates usually have to start at the bottom and work their way up. That can be very frustrating for them, since they are often over-qualified for the work they are doing. While at university, they had dreams of getting an exciting, challenging job. Therefore, life after university ends up being quite disappointing for a lot of graduates.

All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crunch started, the BBC stated, 'The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history... from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year [2008]’. It looks like the figures will continue to decline, since loan companies are now telling some student that there are no loans available for them. Forecasts are that between 2009-19 there will be fall of 6% in the number of 18-25 year-old university applicants across the UK. Students have always been seen as not having a lot of money, but “student poverty” is now considered a real problem in the UK. Most British students expect to get a loan, part-time job or summer job. Worse than that, however, is the fact student leaders report there are increasing numbers of students turning to crime to support themselves financially.

By contrast, things are now easier for students from other countries coming to study in the UK, since the value of the British pound has fallen. More international students come to Britain each year. The British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. Some British people fear that, one day, there won’t be any university places left for British students at all.

Дополнительные задания см. в приложении 5.