Education

VOCABULARY
Talking about study.

ARTICLES/ESSAYS
Being a good student VS a good learner.
Changing the way we look at education.

VIDEOS
The child-driven education (TED Talk).
How to escape education’s death valley (TED Talk).
Rob’s presentation about education.
Discuss the following points with your group mates:

▪ Are you learning anything these days? If not, is there something you are interested
in learning about?
▪ Does your country have a good education system? What are its strengths and
weaknesses?
▪ Which countries have the best schools and universities? Why are they considered
good?
▪ Is education only for the young? What things should people learn as they grow up?
What should people learn after they have grown up?
▪ Henry Ford said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Do you agree? Why?
▪ Do you enjoy learning new things? Give an example if you can.
▪ What characteristics should a good teacher have?
▪ Have you ever considered becoming a teacher? Why or why not?
▪ Who has taught you a lot in your life?
▪ Some people learn on their own. What things, if any, have you learned without
teachers or formal education?
▪ There are many education resources online such as videos or even full university
classes. Have you used the internet to learn? Give an example if you can.
▪ Some people feel education in schools damages originality and creativity. What do
you think?
▪ How do you feel about tests and examinations? Are they necessary?
▪ What’s your learning style? Do you learn best by listening, reading, interaction,
doing things, or by some other method?
▪ Do you prefer to spend time with people of a similar level of education to yourself?
Why or why not?
▪ A common problem many graduates go through is that they have little or no field
experience when they first enter the job market. Do you personally prefer on-the-
job, that is to say, practical, or off-the-job, theoretical, that is, training? Why?
 TEACHING STYLES

There are two basic teaching styles: a) teachers who transmit

their knowledge, and b) teachers who act as facilitators to the
students' own learning process.

▪ Which of them, in your experience, is the most effective?

The following questionnaire asked teachers to identify themselves with one of the two
styles. Which of the statements do you agree with? Why/why not?

--

Direct transmission beliefs about teaching

• Effective/good teachers demonstrate the correct way to solve a problem.

• Instruction should be built around problems with clear, correct answers, and
around ideas that most students can grasp quickly.
• How much students learn depends on how much background knowledge they have;
that is why teaching facts is so necessary.
• A quiet classroom is generally needed for effective learning.

--

Constructivist beliefs about teaching

• My role as a teacher is to facilitate students’ own inquiry.

• Students learn best by finding solutions to problems on their own.
• Students should be allowed to think of solutions to practical problems themselves
before the teacher shows them how they are solved.
• Thinking and reasoning processes are more important than specific curriculum
content.

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER?

• How can you define a good teacher?

• What skills do teachers need?
• What is the most important responsibility of teachers?
• Have any of your teachers inspired you? How?
 ORAL MEDIATION TASK

STUDENT A
Have a look at the following infographic. Then follow the instructions and pass on to your
partner the main information.

NB: GCSE stands for “General Certificate of Secondary Education”, an academic

qualification, generally taken in a number of subjects by pupils in secondary education in
England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

▪ Explain to your partner in what ways and to what extent the educational
achievements of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils differ.
▪ Are there any differences in the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged
pupils over time? Why/Why not?
STUDENT B
Have a look at the following infographic and at the extract from an ABC article. Then follow
the instructions and pass on to your partner the main information.
Según el informe Internet Trends, realizado por la fundadora de Bond Capital, Mary Meeker, que analiza las
tendencias en Internet de este pasado 2018 y del primer trimestre de 2019, un 51 por ciento de la población
mundial, es decir, 3.800 millones de personas, ya puede acceder a Internet.

El mayor porcentaje de usuarios de Internet se encuentra en Asia Pacífico, donde suponen el 53 por
ciento de los usuarios a nivel global, con una penetración del 48 por ciento. Europa, por su parte, cuenta con
una penetración mayor, del 78 por ciento, pero sus usuarios suponen el 15 por ciento a nivel global.

África y Oriente Próximo, juntos, cuentan con el 13 por ciento de los usuarios globales de Internet, con una
penetración del 32 por ciento. El porcentaje de acceso a Internet se incrementa en las regiones de América
Latina y el Caribe (62%) y América del Norte (89%), si bien se encuentran a la cola de usuarios a nivel global:
suponen el 10 por ciento y el 9 por ciento, respectivamente.

Fuente: ABC.

Taking into account both the extract from an ABC article and the UNESCO infographic, pass
on to your partner the following information:
▪ The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of pupils around the world to stay
home for quite a while. Pupils in some continents have been affected more by it than
others. Explain why.
▪ Online learning has become paramount. Make deductions over possible consequences
of the lockdown both in continents/countries with more access to the Internet and
in continents/countries with little access to it.