Education plays a very important role in our life. It is one of the most valuable possessions a man can get in his life.
During all the periods of human history education ranked high among people. Human progress mostly depended upon well-educated people. We get our knowledge of this world and life through education. Many famous discoveries would have been impossible if people were not interested in learning something. Self-education is very important for the development of human’s talents. Only through self-education a person can become a harmonically developed personality.
A person becomes a highly qualified specialist after getting some special education. And professionalism can be reached only through it. Even highly qualified specialists from time to time attend refresher courses to refresh their knowledge.
Education develops all sides of human personality, reveals his abilities. Besides, it helps a person to understand himself, to choose the right way in this world. The civilized state differs from others in the fact that it pays much attention to the educational policy. John Kennedy said: “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education”. But it doesn’t concern only one particular nation. We know that science and art belong to the whole world. Before them the barriers of nationality disappear. So education brings people closer to each other, helps them to understand each other better.
Перевод:
Образование играет очень важную роль в нашей жизни. Это одна из самых ценных вещей, которую человек может получить в своей жизни.
В течение всех периодов человеческой истории образования имело высокий рейтинг среди населения. Человеческий прогресс в основном зависит от хорошо образованных людей. Мы получаем наши знания о мире и жизни посредством образования. Многие известные открытия были бы невозможны, если бы люди не были заинтересованы научиться чему-то. Самообразование имеет большое значение для развития человеческих талантов. Только путем самообразования человек может стать гармонично развитой личностью.
Человек становится высококвалифицированным специалистом после получения специального образования. А профессионализм может быть достигнут только через него. Даже высококвалифицированные специалисты, время от времени посещают курсы повышения квалификации для обновления своих знаний.
Образование развивает все стороны человеческой личности, раскрывает его способности. Кроме того, оно помогает человеку понять самого себя, чтобы выбрать правильный путь в этом мире. Цивилизованное государство отличается от других в том, что он уделяет большое внимание образовательной политике. Джон Кеннеди сказал: “Наш прогресс как нации не может быть быстрее, чем наш прогресс в образовании”. Но это касается не только одной конкретной нации. Мы знаем, что наука и искусство принадлежит всему миру. Перед ними барьеры национальностей исчезают. Так образование объединяет людей, помогает им лучше понимать друг друга.
Education
Education
plays an important role in our life. However, some people
consider it only a necessary step in getting a job so they do
not want to go to university after leaving school. “Knowledge is power” as the famous proverb says. It is
transferred from generation to generation and comprises
different facts, skills and information. Through learning people
get knowledge and experience accumulated by their ancestors.
Of course, higher education is not compulsory, but I strongly
feel that going to university is very important to everybody. In
my opinion, higher education gives great opportunities and opens
all doors. Only an educated person can get a good job and be
promoted. Nowadays employers demand perfect knowledge. Education
helps cultivate skills and provides mental, moral and aesthetic
development. Personally, I prefer communicating with an
intelligent person who knows a lot of interesting facts and who
can share his or her ideas with me.
However, some of my friends say that they do not want to go to
university and they would better get a well-paid job soon after
leaving school. It will give them an opportunity to get work
experience and some useful skills. But I doubt that they will be
offered a really good job and that they will be able to succeed
without higher education.
In general, owing to education highly industrialized cities are
built, new information technologies are developed, important
discoveries are made. Without education society would become
primitive as it used to be long time ago. To my mind, everybody
must realize the importance of education as it is the guarantee
of the development and well-being of our society. Home education
is becoming more and more popular. However, some people say it
has a number of disadvantages. Most parents send their sons and daughters to school, but
some of them choose home education for their children for some
reason or other. Instead of going to school children are
educated by their parents or professional tutors. Thousands of
families in the UK are now practising home-education.
Personally, I think that home schooling is an excellent
alternative to traditional education. To my mind, it has a lot
of advantages. Firstly, it is very convenient because you do not
need to observe school hours, days or terms. Besides, you do not
need to have a fixed timetable. Parents can provide a more
personalized and adaptable learning environment for the child.
Secondly, the family can spend more time together. Thirdly,
children who have special educational needs are home educated
when school cannot meet the child’s needs. In general, home
schooling gives you an opportunity to work on just what you want
and when you want.
However, a lot of people are sure that the aim of any
educational establishment is not just to give knowledge but to
help their learners develop communication skills and team
spirit. Children’s interaction with pupils of their age
influences their character building. School is not only a place
for the imparting of knowledge, but it’s a place for the
creation and development of the child’s personality.
To conclude, home schooling has its pros and cons and it’s up to
the child’s parents to decide which kind of education is better
for him or her. Anyway, parents must provide their children with
full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude. Some people
say that online education is an excellent alternative to
traditional education. But other people believe that virtual
education cannot substitute traditional one. Online education is rapidly increasing thanks to the
development of computer technology. It is intended for those who
can’t attend classes and communicate with the teacher face to
face. Education is delivered via the Internet, multimedia
resources or videoconferencing. Teachers and students
communicate by exchanging electronic media or in real time.
Personally, I think that online education is especially
convenient for disabled people and for those who want to work
and receive higher education simultaneously. You don’t have to
attend classes and you can plan your day as you want. In my
opinion, receiving education online may be rather interesting.
Some universities offer online student support services, such as
online advising and registration, e-counseling, online textbook
purchase, student governments and even student newspapers.
However, a lot of people think that online learning is not as
effective as traditional education. Firstly, students don’t have
an opportunity to communicate with their teachers and
group-mates face to face. If they want to ask a question or to
receive some additional information, they have to send an e-mail
and wait for the teacher’s answer. Secondly, it is rather
difficult for teachers to control students’ knowledge, to
evaluate their progress, to appreciate their abilities and to
find an individual approach to everybody.
To conclude, I think that online learning is a wonderful
opportunity to receive higher education for some people,
although computer-based activities will hardly be able to
replace practical or classroom-based situations. Some people
think that self-education is not very effective, while others
say that it is the only productive way of learning. Is it possible for people to educate themselves without help
or support from others? Can self-taught people become famous and
successful?
In my opinion, people can learn without schools and tutors. You
can read books, speak to educated people or spend a lot of time
in libraries or on educational websites. Self-education has a
lot of advantages. Firstly, self-taught people are not dependent
on others for knowledge. Secondly, self-education can help you
to be anything you want to be or to do anything you want to do.
Finally, it usually costs nothing and it does not require fixed
life style. Many famous and influential writers, artists,
architects, actors, musicians and even scientists were
self-educated. They thought that working was also learning and
self-education was associated with creativity. For example,
Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian painter, sculptor, architect,
musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor and
writer was self-taught.
However, some people depend on teachers and tutors for guidance.
They want someone to help them and to show them the way. Others
admit that they are too lazy to choose self-education. Indeed,
most people need somebody who will constantly make them study
and encourage their efforts to learn. So I think that
self-education is only for hard-working, persistent, diligent
and curious people.
In conclusion, I would like to say that if we learn the art of
self-education, we will have an opportunity to improve our
knowledge and acquire new skills whenever and wherever we like.
I believe that the options of self-education are very flexible
and the opportunities are unlimited. Some people
think that when they don’t go to school, college or university,
they don’t learn. Others say that we learn as long as we live. Today a lot of people realize the importance of lifelong
learning. In the course of our lives we acquire attitudes,
skills and knowledge from daily experience, from family and
neighbours, from work and play and from other sources. Lifelong
learning means building, development and improvement of skills
and knowledge throughout people’s lives and it comprises both
formal and informal learning opportunities.
To my mind, when people leave school or graduate from
university, their learning continues. It takes place at all
times and in all places. Lifelong learning is a continuous
process, going on from birth to the end of our lives. It begins
with learning from families, educational institutions,
workplaces and so on. Social organizations, religious
institutions, the mass media, information technologies,
environment and nature can also play a role in our learning. I
strongly feel that both children and adults need continuous
development of intellect and capability. Even elderly people
never cease to learn. They can learn a great deal from such
activities as art, music, handicrafts or social work. Lifelong
learning helps people adapt to the modern life which is
constantly changing.
However, there are many unintelligent and ignorant people in the
world. Most of them lack willingness and motivation to learn.
Some people are not ready to invest time, money and effort in
their education or training. Lifelong learning must be
self-motivated because people usually take responsibility for
their own learning.
To conclude, I think that lifelong learning is extremely
beneficial because it helps adapt to changes, develop natural
abilities and open the mind. It increases our wisdom and makes
our lives more interesting and meaningful. Some people
believe that exams are the best way to check the student’s
knowledge. Others are convinced that exams don’t always
accurately measure the level of knowledge. Most people have to get through exams at certain points of
their lives. But what is the real purpose of taking exams? How
important are they and do students benefit from them?
I strongly feel that examinations are extremely useful because
they make all students face an intellectual challenge and test
their knowledge, skills and abilities. Exams encourage young
people to improve their knowledge of the subject and to revise
information which has been learnt over a period of time.
Students always know that they are to take exams at the end of
the term and learn the new material little by little so that
they won’t have to cram later.
On the other hand, young people who often miss classes sometimes
receive passing grades as easily as those who have attended
classes regularly. When such students perform well on exams, it
is obvious that they have crammed or figured out a way to cheat.
Besides, while for some people taking exams is no big deal, most
of us feel stressed. If a student looks confused and worried and
can’t answer the teacher’s question, it may be the result of his
or her nervousness. Unfortunately, exams cannot determine stress
factors and tell honest students from cheaters. But of course it
does not mean that exams must be abolished. Though exams are not
always the best method of evaluating the student’s knowledge,
they have a lot of advantages and help teachers understand
whether students are ready to be promoted to the next level.
To sum up, I think that examinations are important because they
are a step toward students’ future success. Many people
think that homework is essential for every pupil. Others believe
that it is of little educational value and it may have a
negative effect on learning. Some people think that homework is rote work which takes up
children’s time, without offering any benefit. But others say
that though boring, homework is going to benefit pupils later in
life.
Personally, I think that homework plays an important role in the
pupil’s education. Firstly, it teaches children to be
responsible and hard-working because it fosters independent
learning. Secondly, homework helps reinforce what pupils have
already learnt, prepare them for upcoming lessons and extend
what they know. So homework assignments make children learn more
and revise the material that they have learnt at school.
Thirdly, homework provides an opportunity for parents to
participate in their children’s education.
However, too much homework is not good as children also need
some time to relax, exercise and play. Homework takes a lot of
time and effort. Some pupils sit up and do their homework all
night. It is a well-known fact that lack of physical exercises
and good sleep leads to stress, heart attacks and obesity. What
is more, some pupils do not have good dictionaries,
encyclopedias, computers with a good internet connection and
parents who can help them. As a result, children have great
difficulty in doing their homework and begin to hate it. But I
believe that if pupils were not given homework, they would spend
their free time having fun or even doing something illegal.
To sum up, teachers need to know what their pupils understand
and can do independently. Therefore, they give pupils homework
assignments. I am convinced that homework gives you an
opportunity to increase your knowledge, to improve your
abilities and skills and to grasp new concepts. Most people
think that it is very important to be literate. However, some of
them say that literacy is not essential. The 21st century is the age of information and technological
advances. However, millions of people all over the world remain
illiterate. Even in developed countries a lot of people have low
literacy levels.
We live in a society where most people are literate. That is why
a person will feel ashamed and ill at ease if he or she can’t
read or write as well as others do. As a rule such a person is
considered unintelligent and ill-bred. To my mind, people who
make a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes and who can’t
pronounce words correctly find it difficult to find jobs, even
when reading and writing are not necessary for the work. What is
more, statistics show that illiterate people are poorer and have
worse health.
But in some families children don’t have an opportunity to go to
school for different reasons. Such situation is wide-spread in
Third World countries. In some families parents don’t read books
and never write letters or postcards. Reading and writing don’t
play a big part in their lives. Such people make a lot of
mistakes when they speak, but it does not necessarily mean that
they are stupid or ignorant. They can be good workers and they
can have much experience and worldly wisdom.
To conclude, I think that literacy is very important for
everybody. It helps us communicate with other people and find a
good job. However, the ability to read and write doesn’t make
people happy. Some people
are convinced that holidays, traditions and rituals play a very
important role in education. Others don’t find it necessary to
observe traditions at school. Traditions, holidays and rituals link the present with the
past, help pass the knowledge, experience, wisdom, skills,
habits and practices of the older generations to the new ones.
So it seems necessary to make them part and parcel of the
process of studies.
I strongly feel that children, teenagers and young people should
know and observe the traditions of their country. Holidays,
traditions and rituals help pupils learn more about the history
and culture of their country. Celebrating national and local
holidays makes young people united and has a great impact on
their character-shaping. To my mind, children should also know
the origins of some holidays and the way they are celebrated in
other countries.
However, some people are convinced that while at school pupils
should concentrate on such subjects as mathematics, physics,
chemistry or foreign languages. Most parents don’t find it
necessary to overburden children with additional information
when they have so much homework to do. Besides, they don’t
understand how schools can integrate traditions, holidays and
rituals into the curriculum. But I think there are many
interesting ways to do it. For example, teachers can prepare
lessons devoted to some public holidays or local occasions such
as celebrations of birthday anniversaries.
To conclude, our future depends on the younger generation and
adults must teach them to preserve the holidays, customs,
ceremonies, traditions and rituals that have become part and
parcel of our existence. We should adopt other people’s
experience and wisdom. And it is well-known that holidays,
traditions and rituals hold them in full measure. Some people
think that creativity is an essential ability which must be
taught at school. Others say that creativity is not very
important. Teaching creativity is becoming a topical issue nowadays.
But many people still doubt if this ability is essential for
modern life.
To my mind, teaching creativity is extremely important because
school leavers and university graduates face a lot of challenges
in real life. Nowadays employers demand not only perfect
knowledge and work experience, but different qualities including
creativity. If you want to become a good specialist, you should
be able to produce new and original ideas and to use your
imagination and inventiveness. Creative people do their work
faster and without much difficulty, while a person who lacks
creativity does it under pressure, forcing his or her brain. So
creative individuals are more likely to succeed, that it why
teachers should focus on creativity rather than conventional
skills.
On the other hand, creativity is not always encouraged at
school. When pupils are given different tasks, they are often
supposed to do them following examples and the teacher’s
directions. There is too much control at school and too little
freedom. Besides, many tasks are not interesting and they don’t
teach students to solve problems and to make decisions. If
teachers want to develop pupils’ creativity, they should let
them make mistakes, experiment, express their ideas and look for
unusual ways of problem-solving. Children should be taught to be
original. They should also be taught to think, to make
suggestions and to rely on personal judgment rather than actual
facts.
To sum up, creativity is an engine of success. In my opinion,
both pupils and teachers must work hard to develop children’s
creativity because it will help them realize the full extent of
their own gifts. Some people
say that punishment should be used in class to achieve
discipline and to make pupils study hard. Others are convinced
that punishment does not motivate pupils to study well. There is still a lot of argument if punishment must be used
in schools. Traditionally pupils are punished for poor progress,
cutting lessons, lying, untidiness or rudeness. But some parents
think that schools have very strict rules and that teachers
sometimes demand too much.
Personally, I think that if pupils don’t work hard enough and
behave inappropriately, they should be punished. For example, if
the pupil receives bad marks, the teacher can phone his or her
parents and tell them about their child’s poor progress. As a
rule, Moms and Dads know how to punish their son or daughter.
Parents can forbid their children to watch TV, play computer
games or leave the house during the free time in the evenings.
To my mind, it is useful to give pupils some extra work such as
writing an exercise or an essay, copying out a paragraph from a
textbook, learning a poem by heart and so on. It will help
pupils improve their knowledge and it will certainly teach them
a lesson.
However, some people believe that any kind of punishment
humiliates pupils and makes them fear and suffer a shame. Such
people say that it is better to use awards to motivate boys and
girls to study hard and to behave well. According to them, good
marks or praise show pupils how much their work is appreciated
and valued. But to my mind, teachers should use both punishment
and awards.
To conclude, there are plenty of ways for teachers to control
academic progress and to discourage pupils from breaking school
rules. Anyway, I strongly feel that strict systems usually work
well.
Из учебного пособия
“Открывая
мир с английским языком. 150 эссе для ЕГЭ. Готовимся к ЕГЭ” Юнёва С.А. 2011г.
Online Studying
Онлайн обучение
Nowadays education is available for everyone. People can get education in a number of ways. They can go to schools and universities, attend different courses, conferences, seminars and workshop. We live in the time of high technologies and the Internet is a significant part of the modern life. So it is not necessary to be personally present at university, for example, to get an education.
В настоящее время образование доступно для всех. Люди могут получить образование несколькими способами. Они могут посещать школы и университеты, различные курсы, конференции, семинары и практикумы. Мы живем во времена высоких технологий, и Интернет является важной частью современной жизни. Поэтому нет необходимости лично присутствовать в университете, например, чтобы получить образование.
It means that online studying become very popular. It has many advantages though there are some disadvantages. First of all, it is a very convenient way to get an education. If you work till the night or just have no time to attend courses or classes, you can choose online studying. Often you have an opportunity to choose time and day for it. Besides, it can vary from week to week. Sometimes online studying is combined with full-time education. One more advantage is that you can choose any course you like. For example, some courses are held only in big cities so it is possible for people from small cities to get an education they want.
Это означает, что онлайн-обучение становится очень популярным. Это имеет много преимуществ, хотя есть и некоторые недостатки. Прежде всего, это очень удобный способ получить образование. Если вы работаете до ночи или просто нет времени для посещения курсов или занятий, вы можете выбрать онлайн обучение. Часто у вас есть возможность выбрать время и день для этого. Кроме того, время может варьироваться от недели к неделе. Иногда онлайн обучение сочетается с очной формой обучения. Еще одно преимущество – вы можете выбрать любой курс, который вам нравится. Например, некоторые курсы проводятся только в больших городах, поэтому люди из малых городов могут получить образование, которое им необходимо.
However there are some disadvantages. First of all, sometimes you need real teachers to control the process of education. For example, if you choose online dance classes, you can need the help of a teacher who can improve your mistakes while dancing.
Однако есть некоторые недостатки. Во-первых, иногда вам нужны настоящие учителя, чтобы контролировать процесс обучения. Например, если вы выбираете онлайн курсы танцев, вам может понадобиться помощь преподавателя, который поможет исправить ошибки в танце.
Though there are some disadvantages, online studying is popular and convenient way to get an education.
Хотя и есть некоторые недостатки, онлайн обучение – это популярный и удобный способ получить образование.
Education is very important in our life. It is the main key to success and has always been like that. Knowledge is force. If a person is an expert in his field, he will always be in demand. Knowledge has always helped people. Thanks to it, people have learned to fly in the sky and even in space, to use and to produce electricity, to drive cars, to use natural resources…
In the past education was prevented, because a foolish man is much easier to control than a smart man is. Now they don’t prevent education and even encourage it. Thanks to our knowledge we can get a prestigious and well-paid job. The more educated a person is, the more he is in demand. Getting a good education is an important contribution to our future. There are many types of educational institutions, including schools, gymnasiums, colleges, technical schools, universities… In different institutions education is different, that’s why they differ in the quality of education. The quality of education depends on teachers, the desire to learn, and the learning environment. A good education means that a person becomes not only a great expert in his field but also gets a basic level of knowledge in many other branches.
Education is divided into several stages: primary, secondary, and higher education. Sometimes people don’t get higher education; they get a specialized secondary education. A primary education is got after the fourth grade, and then the secondary education is got after the ninth grade. After the ninth grade, you can go to college and get a special secondary education or go to the tenth grade, and then to university to get higher education. You can also get several higher educations.
The top ten universities and colleges in the world are in the USA and the UK according to Quacquarelli Symonds and RIA Novosti:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – the US
Harvard University – the US
University of Cambridge – the UK
UCL (University College London) – the UK
Imperial College London – the UK
University of Oxford – the UK
Stanford University – the US
Yale University – the US
University of Chicago – the US
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) – the US
So I’ve expressed my point of view, and you can certainly have your own ideas.
Образование в нашей жизни очень важно. Образованность – залог успеха, так было всегда. Знание – сила. Если человек специалист в своем деле, его труд будет всегда востребован. Знания всегда помогали людям. Благодаря им люди научились летать в небе и даже в космос, использовать и вырабатывать электричество, ездить на машинах, использовать природные богатства и многое другое.
В прошлом образованию мешали, потому что глупым человеком управлять гораздо легче, чем умным. Сейчас образованию не препятствуют и даже поощряют его. Благодаря своим знаниям мы можем получить престижную и высокооплачиваемую работу. Чем больше человек образован, тем больше востребован его труд. Получение хорошего образования – важный вклад в своё бедующее. Существует множество видов образовательных учреждений, в том числе: школы, гимназии, колледжи, университеты, институты, техникумы и другие. В разных учреждениях учат по-разному, то есть они отличаются качеством обучения. Качество обучения зависит от учителей, желания учиться и условий обучения. Хорошее образование, это когда человек не только отличный специалист в своём деле, но и имеет базовый уровень знаний во многом другом.
Образование делится на несколько этапов: начальное, среднее и высшее. Иногда люди не получая высшее образование, получают среднее специальное. Начальное образование получают после четвёртого класса, затем после девятого получают среднее. После девятого класса можно пойти в техникум и получить среднее специальное образование, или пойти в одиннадцатый класс, а потом в институт или университет и получить высшее образование. Также можно получить несколько высших образований.
Десять лучших университетов и колледжей в мире находятся в США и в Великобритании по мнению Quacquarelli Symonds и РИА Новости:
Массачусетский технологический институт — США
Гарвардский университет — США
Кембриджский университет — Великобритания
Университетский колледж Лондона — Великобритания
Имперский колледж Лондона — Великобритания
Оксфордский университет — Великобритания
Стэнфордский университет — США
Йельский университет — США
Чикагский университет — США
Калифорнийский технологический институт — США.
Я высказал свою точку зрения, и вы, конечно, можете иметь свои собственные идеи.
In our country we have got different types of education, for example: primary, secondary and higher education.
Children in Russia start school when they are six or seven years old. They go to a primary school until they are nine or ten. Then they go to a secondary school. They leave when they are sixteen or seventeen. When young people finish school they get school-leaving certificate. Next academic year young people can get a job or they can go to an institute or university. But same young men go to army.
In our country higher education is very expensive. But if you have got good mark for school state exams you can study free and even get scholarship. Higher education can be internal and correspondence formation. Special of kind education it is remote training. It is education when you can learn some subjects at home with the help of computer.
The higher education lasts on the average 5 years. At the finish young people have examinations and if they pass them successful they get diploma. When young people leave university, they can get a good job or go to another university and get secondary higher education.
I have passed three steps of education. I started my primary school when I was six and went to there until I was nine. Then I went to a secondary school and left it when I was sixteen. I had got good mark for school state exams and I went to internal university. Now I study free and even get scholarship. Now I finish the fifth year, soon I will leave university and get my diploma. Next academic year I want go to another second university. But it will be correspondence formation and I will can work and study.
In Russia we speak: “Training is light, and not training is darkness”. I think it a true saying.
Перевод:
В нашей стране у нас есть несколько типов образования, к примеру: начальное, среднее и высшее образование.
Дети в России идут в школу, когда им шесть или семь лет. Они ходят в начальную школу, до девяти лет или десяти. Затем они идут в среднюю школу. Они покидают ее, когда им становится шестнадцать или семнадцать лет. Когда молодые люди оканчивают школу, они получают аттестат об окончании школы. В следующем учебном году молодые люди могут устроиться работу или могут поступить в институт или университет. Но некоторые молодые юноши идут в армию.
В нашей стране высшее образование стоит очень дорого. Но если Вы получили хорошие отметки на школьных государственных экзаменах (ЕГЭ), Вы можете учиться бесплатно и даже получать повышенную стипендию.
Высшее образование различается на очное (дневное) и заочное обучение. Особый вид обучения это – дистанционное обучение. Это – образование, когда Вы можете изучить некоторые предметы дома с помощью компьютера.
Высшее образование длится в среднем 5 лет. В конце обучения молодые люди имеют экзамены и если они их сдают успешно, они получают диплом. Когда они покидают университет, они могут устроиться на хорошую работу или продолжить учиться в другом университете и получить второе высшее образование.
Я лично прошла три шага образования. Я пошла в начальную школу, когда мне было шесть лет, и ходила туда, пока мне не исполнилось девять лет. Затем я пошла в среднюю школу и покинула её, когда мне было шестнадцать лет. Я получила хорошие отметки на школьных государственных экзаменах, и я поступила в университет. Сейчас я учусь бесплатно и даже получаю повышенную стипендию. В данный момент времени я оканчиваю пятый курс обучения, скоро я покину университет и получу мой диплом.
В следующем учебном году я хочу поступить в другой университет. Но это будет заочное обучение, и я смогу совмещать работу и учёбу.
В России мы говорим: “Ученье – свет, а неученье – тьма “. Я думаю это верная поговорка.
Колышева Елена
город Люберцы, Московская область, Россия
It is widely known that education helps to form the personality and prepares one for life. That is why all countries consider the system of education a very important part of national politics.
It Russia, everyone has the right to receive education guaranteed by the Constitution. This right is realized by the broad development of compulsory secondary education, vocational, specialised secondary and higher education and also by the development of a system of scholarships, grants, evening and correspondence courses. In Russia there is nine-year compulsory education, but to enter a university one has to study two years more. School starts at the age of six for Russian children. But most of them have learned letters in kindergarden which is now part of primary school. Primary and secondary schools together comprise eleven years of study. Every school has a “core curriculum” of Russian, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education. A variety of elective subjects are taught at lyceums and gymnasiums.
After finishing secondary school, lyceum or gymnasium one can go on to higher education. All applicants must take competitive examinations. Higher education institutions train undergraduate and graduate students in one or several specializations. The system of higher education in Russia is going through a transitional period. The main objectives of the reform are: decentralization of the higher education system, development of autonomy in higher education institutions, expansion of academic freedoms for faculties and students, development of new financial mechanisms. All Russian schools until recently have been state-subsidized.
Americans also place a high value on education. Universal access to high quality education has been one of the nation’s historic goals.
America’s first college, Harward, was founded in 1636. In 1865 education became available to all. The peculiar feature of American education is the absence of central administration. Each of the 50 states controls and directs its own schools. Most states require that children attend schools from the time they reach six or seven years old until they are sixteen or seventeen.
There is no uniform school organization or curriculum throughout the nation. But certain common features exist. Preschool education is part of the elementary school. Elementary and secondary schools consist of twelve years of classes which meet for about ten months a year, five days a week and five hours a day. Almost every elementary school curriculum includes English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art and Physical Education. Many schools include classes teaching basic computer skills.
After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. American institutions of higher education include: technical training schools, community colleges, colleges offering- four-year bachelor degree programmes and universities which contain one or more colleges and graduate schools offering master’s or doctoral degree programmes. The factors determining an institution’s prestige are the quality of the teaching faculty, quality of research facilities, the number and competence of applicants for admission.
The British system of education has a very long history, but in the past few years there have been many changes in it. British education was traditionally decentralized, but now the Education Reform Act has led to a compulsory National Curriculum for pupils aged 5 to 16 in state schools. The Act also aims to give parents a wider choice of schools for their children. Thus they have the right to express a preference for a school.
Boys and girls are taught together in most schools. Non-selective comprehensive education caters for children of all abilities. Most children receive free education financed from public funds. 7% of children attend private fee-paying schools.
Around half of 3- and 4-years-olds in Britain receive nursery education and many children attend preschool play groups, mostly organised by parents. Compulsory primary education begins at the age of 5. Children usually start their school career in an infant school and move to a junior school or department at 7. In some schools they move to middle school at the age of 8, 9 or 10. These three stages form the primary school, covering the following subjects: English, Maths and Science, History, Geography, Music, Art and Physical Education.
At 7 and 11 years old (and at secondary school at 14 and 1 teachers measure children’s progress in each subject against attainment targets. For each target there are 10 levels of attainment.
The secondary level includes the children from 11 to 18. Here they build on the knowledge they have aquired at primary school. And according to the National Curriculum they start to learn a modern foreign language. At the age of 16 they can get General Certificate of Secondary Education qualifications on the basis of examinations and course work.
If pupils are successful they can continue to more advanced education and training. After a further two years of study the General Certificate of Education Advanced level exam is taken at the age of 18 and can be combined with the Advanced Supplementary level exam to provide a wider range of subjects. These exams are the main standard for entry to university education and to many forms of professional training. There is also a Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education for those who stay at school till 17. This provides a preparation for work on vocational courses.
For those leaving school at 16 there are Further Education colleges. Most of them are work-related and vocational.
The next stage is higher education. All British universities enjoy complete academic freedom. There are 79 universities, Oxford and Cambridge being the oldest of them. Over 90% of students receive awards covering tuition fees and maintenance.
Общеизвестно, что образование помогает сформировать личность и готовит к жизни. Поэтому все страны считают систему образования важной частью национальной политики.
В России каждый имеет гарантированное Конституцией право на образование. Это право обеспечено развитой системой обязательного среднего образования, профессионального, специального среднего и высшего образования, а также развитием системы стипендий, дотаций, вечерних и заочных курсов. В России существует девятилетнее обязательное образование, но, чтобы поступить в университет, нужно учиться еще два года. Русские дети идут в школу с шести лет. Но большинство из них выучили буквы в детском саду, который теперь является частью начальной школы. Начальная и средняя школа вместе охватывают 11 лет учебы. У каждой школы есть основной учебный план, включающий русский язык, математику, естественные науки, физическое воспитание. В лицеях и гимназиях обучают различным предметам по выбору.
После окончания средней школы, лицея или гимназии можно получить высшее образование. Все поступающие должны пройти конкурсные экзамены. Высшие учебные заведения готовят студентов и аспирантов по одному или нескольким направлениям. Система высшего образования в России находится в переходном периоде. Основные цели реформы — это децентрализация системы высшего образования, развитие автономии высших учебных заведений, расширение академических свобод преподавательского состава и студентов, развитие нового финансового механизма. До недавнего времени все учебные заведения России находились на обеспечении государства.
Американцы также высоко ценят образование. Одной из исторических целей нации всегда был всеобщий доступ к качественному образованию.
Первый колледж Америки — Гарвард был основан в 1636 году. В 1865 году образование стало доступно всем. Особенность американской системы — это отсутствие общенациональной администрации. Каждый из 50 штатов контролирует и управляет своими собственными школами. Большинство штатов требуют, чтобы дети посещали школу с момента достижения ими б или 7 лет и до 16 или 17 лет.
Не существует единых на всю страну школьной организации или учебного плана, но есть общие черты. Дошкольное образование является частью начальных школ. Начальные и средние школы включают в себя 12 лет занятий, которые проходят примерно 10 месяцев в году пять дней в неделю по пять часов в день. Учебный план практически любой начальной школы включает английский язык, математику, естественные науки, социальные науки, музыку, искусство и физическое воспитание. Многие школы включают занятия по обучению основными компьютерным навыкам.
После окончания средней школы все большее число американцев получают высшее образование. Американские высшие учебные заведения включают: технические училища, общественные колледжи, колледжи с четырехлетней программой, дающие возможность получить степень бакалавра, и университеты, включающие один или больше колледжей и аспирантских школ, предлагающих магистерские и докторские курсы. Факторы, определяющие престиж учебного заведения — это качество преподавательского состава, возможность исследовательской работы, количество и уровень подготовки поступающих.
У британской системы образования очень длинная история, но за последние несколько лет в ней произошло много изменений. Британское образование традиционно было децентрализованным, но теперь Акт о реформе образования привел к созданию обязательного Национального учебного плана для учащихся с 5 до 16 лет в государственных школах. Акт также ставит целью дать родителям более широкий выбор школ для своих детей. Таким образом они получают право оказать предпочтение какой-либо школе.
В большинстве школ мальчики и девочки учатся вместе. Неизбирательное общее образование доступно детям с любыми способностями. Большинство детей получают бесплатное образование, финансируемое из общественных фондов. 7% детей посещают частные платные школы.
Около половины 3- и 4-летних детей в Великобритании получают дошкольное образование, а многие другие посещают дошкольные игровые группы, в основном организованные родителями. Обязательное начальное образование начинается с 5 лет. Дети обычно начинают учебу в детской школе и переходят в младшую школу или отделение в 7 лет. В некоторых школах они переходят в промежуточную школу в 8, 9 или 10 лет. Эти три ступени образуют начальную школу, в которой преподаются следующие предметы: английский язык, математика, естественные науки, история, география, музыка, искусство и физическое воспитание.
Достижения детей в 7 и в 11 лет, а в средней школе в 14 и 16 лет сопоставляются с установленными целями по каждому предмету. На каждом указанном этапе эти достижения расцениваются по десятиуровневой градации.
В средней школе обучаются дети с 11 до 18 лет. Здесь они расширяют знания, полученные в начальной школе. Согласно Национальному учебному плану они начинают учить современный иностранный язык. В возрасте 16 лет они могут получить Общий сертификат о среднем образовании на основе экзаменов и учебной работы.
Если ученики добиваются успеха, они могут перейти к более продвинутому образованию и обучению. Через два года учебы, в возрасте 18 лет, можно сдать экзамен на Сертификат о среднем образовании продвинутого уровня, который можно сочетать с дополнительным экзаменом продвинутого уровня, чтобы расширить выбор предметов. Эти экзамены — основной стандарт допуска к университетскому образованию и многим формам профессионального обучения. Существует также Сертификат о предпрофессиональном образовании для тех, кто остается в школе до 17 лет. Он обеспечивает подготовку к работе на профессиональных курсах.
Для тех, кто оставляет школу в 16 лет, существуют колледжи дальнейшего образования. Большинство из них профессиональные и связаны с работой.
Следующая ступень — это высшее образование. Все британские университеты пользуются полной академической свободой. Существует 79 университетов, старейшие из них — Оксфорд и Кембридж. Более 90% студентов получают дотации, покрывающие плату за обучение и расходы на существование.
The first problem in my personal rating is absence of freedom of choice. What does it mean? For example, if an adult person doesn’t want to work as a teacher, he can try hand in something else. If he doesn’t like working in this particular company, nobody will make him to. Yes, sometimes adult people have to do boring and unpleasant work, but, firstly, it’s their own choice, and, secondly, they get money for this. As for pupils at school, they cannot choose what subjects to study. They cannot choose teachers as well. They just have to do what everyone does. And that is not fair. For instance, I know for sure that I will never need Geometry in my life. I am going to be an interpreter or a tour guide, and dedicate my life to travelling and communicating with people. I don’t consider myself to be stupid, but I really can’t cope with all these figures, theorems and integrals – I just have no gift for Mathematics. And I don’t understand why on earth I should waste time and efforts on this useless stuff! It is commonly believed that schoolchildren are too small to choose, because they don’t know what subjects they will need in future. Yes, I agree that they are too small in primary school, but we, tenth-graders are old enough to make a choice. However, I will have to pass a Unified State Exam on Math, which is a compulsory subject, and it’s more than likely that I will spoil my school-leaving certificate with a bad mark.
Education plays a very important role in our life. It is one of the most valuable possessions a man can get in his life.
During all the periods of human history education ranked high among people. Human progress mostly depended upon well-educated people. We get our knowledge of this world and life through education. Many famous discoveries would have been impossible if people were not interested in learning something. Self-education is very important for the development of human’s talents. Only through self-education a person can become a harmonically developed personality.
A person becomes a highly qualified specialist after getting some special education. And professionalism can be reached only through it. Even highly qualified specialists from time to time attend refresher courses to refresh their knowledge.
Education develops all sides of human personality, reveals his abilities. Besides, it helps a person to understand himself, to choose the right way in this world. The civilized state differs from others in the fact that it pays much attention to the educational policy. John Kennedy said: “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education”. But it doesn’t concern only one particular nation. We know that science and art belong to the whole world. Before them the barriers of nationality disappear. So education brings people closer to each other, helps them to understand each other better.
Перевод:
Образование играет очень важную роль в нашей жизни. Это одна из самых ценных вещей, которую человек может получить в своей жизни.
В течение всех периодов человеческой истории образования имело высокий рейтинг среди населения. Человеческий прогресс в основном зависит от хорошо образованных людей. Мы получаем наши знания о мире и жизни посредством образования. Многие известные открытия были бы невозможны, если бы люди не были заинтересованы научиться чему-то. Самообразование имеет большое значение для развития человеческих талантов. Только путем самообразования человек может стать гармонично развитой личностью.
Человек становится высококвалифицированным специалистом после получения специального образования. А профессионализм может быть достигнут только через него. Даже высококвалифицированные специалисты, время от времени посещают курсы повышения квалификации для обновления своих знаний.
Образование развивает все стороны человеческой личности, раскрывает его способности. Кроме того, оно помогает человеку понять самого себя, чтобы выбрать правильный путь в этом мире. Цивилизованное государство отличается от других в том, что он уделяет большое внимание образовательной политике. Джон Кеннеди сказал: “Наш прогресс как нации не может быть быстрее, чем наш прогресс в образовании”. Но это касается не только одной конкретной нации. Мы знаем, что наука и искусство принадлежит всему миру. Перед ними барьеры национальностей исчезают. Так образование объединяет людей, помогает им лучше понимать друг друга.
Education
Education
plays an important role in our life. However, some people
consider it only a necessary step in getting a job so they do
not want to go to university after leaving school.
“Knowledge is power” as the famous proverb says. It is
transferred from generation to generation and comprises
different facts, skills and information. Through learning people
get knowledge and experience accumulated by their ancestors.
Of course, higher education is not compulsory, but I strongly
feel that going to university is very important to everybody. In
my opinion, higher education gives great opportunities and opens
all doors. Only an educated person can get a good job and be
promoted. Nowadays employers demand perfect knowledge. Education
helps cultivate skills and provides mental, moral and aesthetic
development. Personally, I prefer communicating with an
intelligent person who knows a lot of interesting facts and who
can share his or her ideas with me.
However, some of my friends say that they do not want to go to
university and they would better get a well-paid job soon after
leaving school. It will give them an opportunity to get work
experience and some useful skills. But I doubt that they will be
offered a really good job and that they will be able to succeed
without higher education.
In general, owing to education highly industrialized cities are
built, new information technologies are developed, important
discoveries are made. Without education society would become
primitive as it used to be long time ago. To my mind, everybody
must realize the importance of education as it is the guarantee
of the development and well-being of our society.
Home education
is becoming more and more popular. However, some people say it
has a number of disadvantages.
Most parents send their sons and daughters to school, but
some of them choose home education for their children for some
reason or other. Instead of going to school children are
educated by their parents or professional tutors. Thousands of
families in the UK are now practising home-education.
Personally, I think that home schooling is an excellent
alternative to traditional education. To my mind, it has a lot
of advantages. Firstly, it is very convenient because you do not
need to observe school hours, days or terms. Besides, you do not
need to have a fixed timetable. Parents can provide a more
personalized and adaptable learning environment for the child.
Secondly, the family can spend more time together. Thirdly,
children who have special educational needs are home educated
when school cannot meet the child’s needs. In general, home
schooling gives you an opportunity to work on just what you want
and when you want.
However, a lot of people are sure that the aim of any
educational establishment is not just to give knowledge but to
help their learners develop communication skills and team
spirit. Children’s interaction with pupils of their age
influences their character building. School is not only a place
for the imparting of knowledge, but it’s a place for the
creation and development of the child’s personality.
To conclude, home schooling has its pros and cons and it’s up to
the child’s parents to decide which kind of education is better
for him or her. Anyway, parents must provide their children with
full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude.
Some people
say that online education is an excellent alternative to
traditional education. But other people believe that virtual
education cannot substitute traditional one.
Online education is rapidly increasing thanks to the
development of computer technology. It is intended for those who
can’t attend classes and communicate with the teacher face to
face. Education is delivered via the Internet, multimedia
resources or videoconferencing. Teachers and students
communicate by exchanging electronic media or in real time.
Personally, I think that online education is especially
convenient for disabled people and for those who want to work
and receive higher education simultaneously. You don’t have to
attend classes and you can plan your day as you want. In my
opinion, receiving education online may be rather interesting.
Some universities offer online student support services, such as
online advising and registration, e-counseling, online textbook
purchase, student governments and even student newspapers.
However, a lot of people think that online learning is not as
effective as traditional education. Firstly, students don’t have
an opportunity to communicate with their teachers and
group-mates face to face. If they want to ask a question or to
receive some additional information, they have to send an e-mail
and wait for the teacher’s answer. Secondly, it is rather
difficult for teachers to control students’ knowledge, to
evaluate their progress, to appreciate their abilities and to
find an individual approach to everybody.
To conclude, I think that online learning is a wonderful
opportunity to receive higher education for some people,
although computer-based activities will hardly be able to
replace practical or classroom-based situations.
Some people
think that self-education is not very effective, while others
say that it is the only productive way of learning.
Is it possible for people to educate themselves without help
or support from others? Can self-taught people become famous and
successful?
In my opinion, people can learn without schools and tutors. You
can read books, speak to educated people or spend a lot of time
in libraries or on educational websites. Self-education has a
lot of advantages. Firstly, self-taught people are not dependent
on others for knowledge. Secondly, self-education can help you
to be anything you want to be or to do anything you want to do.
Finally, it usually costs nothing and it does not require fixed
life style. Many famous and influential writers, artists,
architects, actors, musicians and even scientists were
self-educated. They thought that working was also learning and
self-education was associated with creativity. For example,
Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian painter, sculptor, architect,
musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor and
writer was self-taught.
However, some people depend on teachers and tutors for guidance.
They want someone to help them and to show them the way. Others
admit that they are too lazy to choose self-education. Indeed,
most people need somebody who will constantly make them study
and encourage their efforts to learn. So I think that
self-education is only for hard-working, persistent, diligent
and curious people.
In conclusion, I would like to say that if we learn the art of
self-education, we will have an opportunity to improve our
knowledge and acquire new skills whenever and wherever we like.
I believe that the options of self-education are very flexible
and the opportunities are unlimited.
Some people
think that when they don’t go to school, college or university,
they don’t learn. Others say that we learn as long as we live.
Today a lot of people realize the importance of lifelong
learning. In the course of our lives we acquire attitudes,
skills and knowledge from daily experience, from family and
neighbours, from work and play and from other sources. Lifelong
learning means building, development and improvement of skills
and knowledge throughout people’s lives and it comprises both
formal and informal learning opportunities.
To my mind, when people leave school or graduate from
university, their learning continues. It takes place at all
times and in all places. Lifelong learning is a continuous
process, going on from birth to the end of our lives. It begins
with learning from families, educational institutions,
workplaces and so on. Social organizations, religious
institutions, the mass media, information technologies,
environment and nature can also play a role in our learning. I
strongly feel that both children and adults need continuous
development of intellect and capability. Even elderly people
never cease to learn. They can learn a great deal from such
activities as art, music, handicrafts or social work. Lifelong
learning helps people adapt to the modern life which is
constantly changing.
However, there are many unintelligent and ignorant people in the
world. Most of them lack willingness and motivation to learn.
Some people are not ready to invest time, money and effort in
their education or training. Lifelong learning must be
self-motivated because people usually take responsibility for
their own learning.
To conclude, I think that lifelong learning is extremely
beneficial because it helps adapt to changes, develop natural
abilities and open the mind. It increases our wisdom and makes
our lives more interesting and meaningful.
Some people
believe that exams are the best way to check the student’s
knowledge. Others are convinced that exams don’t always
accurately measure the level of knowledge.
Most people have to get through exams at certain points of
their lives. But what is the real purpose of taking exams? How
important are they and do students benefit from them?
I strongly feel that examinations are extremely useful because
they make all students face an intellectual challenge and test
their knowledge, skills and abilities. Exams encourage young
people to improve their knowledge of the subject and to revise
information which has been learnt over a period of time.
Students always know that they are to take exams at the end of
the term and learn the new material little by little so that
they won’t have to cram later.
On the other hand, young people who often miss classes sometimes
receive passing grades as easily as those who have attended
classes regularly. When such students perform well on exams, it
is obvious that they have crammed or figured out a way to cheat.
Besides, while for some people taking exams is no big deal, most
of us feel stressed. If a student looks confused and worried and
can’t answer the teacher’s question, it may be the result of his
or her nervousness. Unfortunately, exams cannot determine stress
factors and tell honest students from cheaters. But of course it
does not mean that exams must be abolished. Though exams are not
always the best method of evaluating the student’s knowledge,
they have a lot of advantages and help teachers understand
whether students are ready to be promoted to the next level.
To sum up, I think that examinations are important because they
are a step toward students’ future success.
Many people
think that homework is essential for every pupil. Others believe
that it is of little educational value and it may have a
negative effect on learning.
Some people think that homework is rote work which takes up
children’s time, without offering any benefit. But others say
that though boring, homework is going to benefit pupils later in
life.
Personally, I think that homework plays an important role in the
pupil’s education. Firstly, it teaches children to be
responsible and hard-working because it fosters independent
learning. Secondly, homework helps reinforce what pupils have
already learnt, prepare them for upcoming lessons and extend
what they know. So homework assignments make children learn more
and revise the material that they have learnt at school.
Thirdly, homework provides an opportunity for parents to
participate in their children’s education.
However, too much homework is not good as children also need
some time to relax, exercise and play. Homework takes a lot of
time and effort. Some pupils sit up and do their homework all
night. It is a well-known fact that lack of physical exercises
and good sleep leads to stress, heart attacks and obesity. What
is more, some pupils do not have good dictionaries,
encyclopedias, computers with a good internet connection and
parents who can help them. As a result, children have great
difficulty in doing their homework and begin to hate it. But I
believe that if pupils were not given homework, they would spend
their free time having fun or even doing something illegal.
To sum up, teachers need to know what their pupils understand
and can do independently. Therefore, they give pupils homework
assignments. I am convinced that homework gives you an
opportunity to increase your knowledge, to improve your
abilities and skills and to grasp new concepts.
Most people
think that it is very important to be literate. However, some of
them say that literacy is not essential.
The 21st century is the age of information and technological
advances. However, millions of people all over the world remain
illiterate. Even in developed countries a lot of people have low
literacy levels.
We live in a society where most people are literate. That is why
a person will feel ashamed and ill at ease if he or she can’t
read or write as well as others do. As a rule such a person is
considered unintelligent and ill-bred. To my mind, people who
make a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes and who can’t
pronounce words correctly find it difficult to find jobs, even
when reading and writing are not necessary for the work. What is
more, statistics show that illiterate people are poorer and have
worse health.
But in some families children don’t have an opportunity to go to
school for different reasons. Such situation is wide-spread in
Third World countries. In some families parents don’t read books
and never write letters or postcards. Reading and writing don’t
play a big part in their lives. Such people make a lot of
mistakes when they speak, but it does not necessarily mean that
they are stupid or ignorant. They can be good workers and they
can have much experience and worldly wisdom.
To conclude, I think that literacy is very important for
everybody. It helps us communicate with other people and find a
good job. However, the ability to read and write doesn’t make
people happy.
Some people
are convinced that holidays, traditions and rituals play a very
important role in education. Others don’t find it necessary to
observe traditions at school.
Traditions, holidays and rituals link the present with the
past, help pass the knowledge, experience, wisdom, skills,
habits and practices of the older generations to the new ones.
So it seems necessary to make them part and parcel of the
process of studies.
I strongly feel that children, teenagers and young people should
know and observe the traditions of their country. Holidays,
traditions and rituals help pupils learn more about the history
and culture of their country. Celebrating national and local
holidays makes young people united and has a great impact on
their character-shaping. To my mind, children should also know
the origins of some holidays and the way they are celebrated in
other countries.
However, some people are convinced that while at school pupils
should concentrate on such subjects as mathematics, physics,
chemistry or foreign languages. Most parents don’t find it
necessary to overburden children with additional information
when they have so much homework to do. Besides, they don’t
understand how schools can integrate traditions, holidays and
rituals into the curriculum. But I think there are many
interesting ways to do it. For example, teachers can prepare
lessons devoted to some public holidays or local occasions such
as celebrations of birthday anniversaries.
To conclude, our future depends on the younger generation and
adults must teach them to preserve the holidays, customs,
ceremonies, traditions and rituals that have become part and
parcel of our existence. We should adopt other people’s
experience and wisdom. And it is well-known that holidays,
traditions and rituals hold them in full measure.
Some people
think that creativity is an essential ability which must be
taught at school. Others say that creativity is not very
important.
Teaching creativity is becoming a topical issue nowadays.
But many people still doubt if this ability is essential for
modern life.
To my mind, teaching creativity is extremely important because
school leavers and university graduates face a lot of challenges
in real life. Nowadays employers demand not only perfect
knowledge and work experience, but different qualities including
creativity. If you want to become a good specialist, you should
be able to produce new and original ideas and to use your
imagination and inventiveness. Creative people do their work
faster and without much difficulty, while a person who lacks
creativity does it under pressure, forcing his or her brain. So
creative individuals are more likely to succeed, that it why
teachers should focus on creativity rather than conventional
skills.
On the other hand, creativity is not always encouraged at
school. When pupils are given different tasks, they are often
supposed to do them following examples and the teacher’s
directions. There is too much control at school and too little
freedom. Besides, many tasks are not interesting and they don’t
teach students to solve problems and to make decisions. If
teachers want to develop pupils’ creativity, they should let
them make mistakes, experiment, express their ideas and look for
unusual ways of problem-solving. Children should be taught to be
original. They should also be taught to think, to make
suggestions and to rely on personal judgment rather than actual
facts.
To sum up, creativity is an engine of success. In my opinion,
both pupils and teachers must work hard to develop children’s
creativity because it will help them realize the full extent of
their own gifts.
Some people
say that punishment should be used in class to achieve
discipline and to make pupils study hard. Others are convinced
that punishment does not motivate pupils to study well.
There is still a lot of argument if punishment must be used
in schools. Traditionally pupils are punished for poor progress,
cutting lessons, lying, untidiness or rudeness. But some parents
think that schools have very strict rules and that teachers
sometimes demand too much.
Personally, I think that if pupils don’t work hard enough and
behave inappropriately, they should be punished. For example, if
the pupil receives bad marks, the teacher can phone his or her
parents and tell them about their child’s poor progress. As a
rule, Moms and Dads know how to punish their son or daughter.
Parents can forbid their children to watch TV, play computer
games or leave the house during the free time in the evenings.
To my mind, it is useful to give pupils some extra work such as
writing an exercise or an essay, copying out a paragraph from a
textbook, learning a poem by heart and so on. It will help
pupils improve their knowledge and it will certainly teach them
a lesson.
However, some people believe that any kind of punishment
humiliates pupils and makes them fear and suffer a shame. Such
people say that it is better to use awards to motivate boys and
girls to study hard and to behave well. According to them, good
marks or praise show pupils how much their work is appreciated
and valued. But to my mind, teachers should use both punishment
and awards.
To conclude, there are plenty of ways for teachers to control
academic progress and to discourage pupils from breaking school
rules. Anyway, I strongly feel that strict systems usually work
well.
Из учебного пособия
“Открывая
мир с английским языком. 150 эссе для ЕГЭ. Готовимся к ЕГЭ” Юнёва С.А. 2011г.
Online Studying
Онлайн обучение
Nowadays education is available for everyone. People can get education in a number of ways. They can go to schools and universities, attend different courses, conferences, seminars and workshop. We live in the time of high technologies and the Internet is a significant part of the modern life. So it is not necessary to be personally present at university, for example, to get an education.
В настоящее время образование доступно для всех. Люди могут получить образование несколькими способами. Они могут посещать школы и университеты, различные курсы, конференции, семинары и практикумы. Мы живем во времена высоких технологий, и Интернет является важной частью современной жизни. Поэтому нет необходимости лично присутствовать в университете, например, чтобы получить образование.
It means that online studying become very popular. It has many advantages though there are some disadvantages. First of all, it is a very convenient way to get an education. If you work till the night or just have no time to attend courses or classes, you can choose online studying. Often you have an opportunity to choose time and day for it. Besides, it can vary from week to week. Sometimes online studying is combined with full-time education. One more advantage is that you can choose any course you like. For example, some courses are held only in big cities so it is possible for people from small cities to get an education they want.
Это означает, что онлайн-обучение становится очень популярным. Это имеет много преимуществ, хотя есть и некоторые недостатки. Прежде всего, это очень удобный способ получить образование. Если вы работаете до ночи или просто нет времени для посещения курсов или занятий, вы можете выбрать онлайн обучение. Часто у вас есть возможность выбрать время и день для этого. Кроме того, время может варьироваться от недели к неделе. Иногда онлайн обучение сочетается с очной формой обучения. Еще одно преимущество – вы можете выбрать любой курс, который вам нравится. Например, некоторые курсы проводятся только в больших городах, поэтому люди из малых городов могут получить образование, которое им необходимо.
However there are some disadvantages. First of all, sometimes you need real teachers to control the process of education. For example, if you choose online dance classes, you can need the help of a teacher who can improve your mistakes while dancing.
Однако есть некоторые недостатки. Во-первых, иногда вам нужны настоящие учителя, чтобы контролировать процесс обучения. Например, если вы выбираете онлайн курсы танцев, вам может понадобиться помощь преподавателя, который поможет исправить ошибки в танце.
Though there are some disadvantages, online studying is popular and convenient way to get an education.
Хотя и есть некоторые недостатки, онлайн обучение – это популярный и удобный способ получить образование.
Education is very important in our life. It is the main key to success and has always been like that. Knowledge is force. If a person is an expert in his field, he will always be in demand. Knowledge has always helped people. Thanks to it, people have learned to fly in the sky and even in space, to use and to produce electricity, to drive cars, to use natural resources…
In the past education was prevented, because a foolish man is much easier to control than a smart man is. Now they don’t prevent education and even encourage it. Thanks to our knowledge we can get a prestigious and well-paid job. The more educated a person is, the more he is in demand. Getting a good education is an important contribution to our future. There are many types of educational institutions, including schools, gymnasiums, colleges, technical schools, universities… In different institutions education is different, that’s why they differ in the quality of education. The quality of education depends on teachers, the desire to learn, and the learning environment. A good education means that a person becomes not only a great expert in his field but also gets a basic level of knowledge in many other branches.
Education is divided into several stages: primary, secondary, and higher education. Sometimes people don’t get higher education; they get a specialized secondary education. A primary education is got after the fourth grade, and then the secondary education is got after the ninth grade. After the ninth grade, you can go to college and get a special secondary education or go to the tenth grade, and then to university to get higher education. You can also get several higher educations.
The top ten universities and colleges in the world are in the USA and the UK according to Quacquarelli Symonds and RIA Novosti:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – the US
Harvard University – the US
University of Cambridge – the UK
UCL (University College London) – the UK
Imperial College London – the UK
University of Oxford – the UK
Stanford University – the US
Yale University – the US
University of Chicago – the US
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) – the US
So I’ve expressed my point of view, and you can certainly have your own ideas.
Образование в нашей жизни очень важно. Образованность – залог успеха, так было всегда. Знание – сила. Если человек специалист в своем деле, его труд будет всегда востребован. Знания всегда помогали людям. Благодаря им люди научились летать в небе и даже в космос, использовать и вырабатывать электричество, ездить на машинах, использовать природные богатства и многое другое.
В прошлом образованию мешали, потому что глупым человеком управлять гораздо легче, чем умным. Сейчас образованию не препятствуют и даже поощряют его. Благодаря своим знаниям мы можем получить престижную и высокооплачиваемую работу. Чем больше человек образован, тем больше востребован его труд. Получение хорошего образования – важный вклад в своё бедующее. Существует множество видов образовательных учреждений, в том числе: школы, гимназии, колледжи, университеты, институты, техникумы и другие. В разных учреждениях учат по-разному, то есть они отличаются качеством обучения. Качество обучения зависит от учителей, желания учиться и условий обучения. Хорошее образование, это когда человек не только отличный специалист в своём деле, но и имеет базовый уровень знаний во многом другом.
Образование делится на несколько этапов: начальное, среднее и высшее. Иногда люди не получая высшее образование, получают среднее специальное. Начальное образование получают после четвёртого класса, затем после девятого получают среднее. После девятого класса можно пойти в техникум и получить среднее специальное образование, или пойти в одиннадцатый класс, а потом в институт или университет и получить высшее образование. Также можно получить несколько высших образований.
Десять лучших университетов и колледжей в мире находятся в США и в Великобритании по мнению Quacquarelli Symonds и РИА Новости:
Массачусетский технологический институт — США
Гарвардский университет — США
Кембриджский университет — Великобритания
Университетский колледж Лондона — Великобритания
Имперский колледж Лондона — Великобритания
Оксфордский университет — Великобритания
Стэнфордский университет — США
Йельский университет — США
Чикагский университет — США
Калифорнийский технологический институт — США.
Я высказал свою точку зрения, и вы, конечно, можете иметь свои собственные идеи.
In our country we have got different types of education, for example: primary, secondary and higher education.
Children in Russia start school when they are six or seven years old. They go to a primary school until they are nine or ten. Then they go to a secondary school. They leave when they are sixteen or seventeen. When young people finish school they get school-leaving certificate. Next academic year young people can get a job or they can go to an institute or university. But same young men go to army.
In our country higher education is very expensive. But if you have got good mark for school state exams you can study free and even get scholarship. Higher education can be internal and correspondence formation. Special of kind education it is remote training. It is education when you can learn some subjects at home with the help of computer.
The higher education lasts on the average 5 years. At the finish young people have examinations and if they pass them successful they get diploma. When young people leave university, they can get a good job or go to another university and get secondary higher education.
I have passed three steps of education. I started my primary school when I was six and went to there until I was nine. Then I went to a secondary school and left it when I was sixteen. I had got good mark for school state exams and I went to internal university. Now I study free and even get scholarship. Now I finish the fifth year, soon I will leave university and get my diploma. Next academic year I want go to another second university. But it will be correspondence formation and I will can work and study.
In Russia we speak: “Training is light, and not training is darkness”. I think it a true saying.
Перевод:
В нашей стране у нас есть несколько типов образования, к примеру: начальное, среднее и высшее образование.
Дети в России идут в школу, когда им шесть или семь лет. Они ходят в начальную школу, до девяти лет или десяти. Затем они идут в среднюю школу. Они покидают ее, когда им становится шестнадцать или семнадцать лет. Когда молодые люди оканчивают школу, они получают аттестат об окончании школы. В следующем учебном году молодые люди могут устроиться работу или могут поступить в институт или университет. Но некоторые молодые юноши идут в армию.
В нашей стране высшее образование стоит очень дорого. Но если Вы получили хорошие отметки на школьных государственных экзаменах (ЕГЭ), Вы можете учиться бесплатно и даже получать повышенную стипендию.
Высшее образование различается на очное (дневное) и заочное обучение. Особый вид обучения это – дистанционное обучение. Это – образование, когда Вы можете изучить некоторые предметы дома с помощью компьютера.
Высшее образование длится в среднем 5 лет. В конце обучения молодые люди имеют экзамены и если они их сдают успешно, они получают диплом. Когда они покидают университет, они могут устроиться на хорошую работу или продолжить учиться в другом университете и получить второе высшее образование.
Я лично прошла три шага образования. Я пошла в начальную школу, когда мне было шесть лет, и ходила туда, пока мне не исполнилось девять лет. Затем я пошла в среднюю школу и покинула её, когда мне было шестнадцать лет. Я получила хорошие отметки на школьных государственных экзаменах, и я поступила в университет. Сейчас я учусь бесплатно и даже получаю повышенную стипендию. В данный момент времени я оканчиваю пятый курс обучения, скоро я покину университет и получу мой диплом.
В следующем учебном году я хочу поступить в другой университет. Но это будет заочное обучение, и я смогу совмещать работу и учёбу.
В России мы говорим: “Ученье – свет, а неученье – тьма “. Я думаю это верная поговорка.
Колышева Елена
город Люберцы, Московская область, Россия
It is widely known that education helps to form the personality and prepares one for life. That is why all countries consider the system of education a very important part of national politics.
It Russia, everyone has the right to receive education guaranteed by the Constitution. This right is realized by the broad development of compulsory secondary education, vocational, specialised secondary and higher education and also by the development of a system of scholarships, grants, evening and correspondence courses. In Russia there is nine-year compulsory education, but to enter a university one has to study two years more. School starts at the age of six for Russian children. But most of them have learned letters in kindergarden which is now part of primary school. Primary and secondary schools together comprise eleven years of study. Every school has a “core curriculum” of Russian, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education. A variety of elective subjects are taught at lyceums and gymnasiums.
After finishing secondary school, lyceum or gymnasium one can go on to higher education. All applicants must take competitive examinations. Higher education institutions train undergraduate and graduate students in one or several specializations. The system of higher education in Russia is going through a transitional period. The main objectives of the reform are: decentralization of the higher education system, development of autonomy in higher education institutions, expansion of academic freedoms for faculties and students, development of new financial mechanisms. All Russian schools until recently have been state-subsidized.
Americans also place a high value on education. Universal access to high quality education has been one of the nation’s historic goals.
America’s first college, Harward, was founded in 1636. In 1865 education became available to all. The peculiar feature of American education is the absence of central administration. Each of the 50 states controls and directs its own schools. Most states require that children attend schools from the time they reach six or seven years old until they are sixteen or seventeen.
There is no uniform school organization or curriculum throughout the nation. But certain common features exist. Preschool education is part of the elementary school. Elementary and secondary schools consist of twelve years of classes which meet for about ten months a year, five days a week and five hours a day. Almost every elementary school curriculum includes English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art and Physical Education. Many schools include classes teaching basic computer skills.
After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. American institutions of higher education include: technical training schools, community colleges, colleges offering- four-year bachelor degree programmes and universities which contain one or more colleges and graduate schools offering master’s or doctoral degree programmes. The factors determining an institution’s prestige are the quality of the teaching faculty, quality of research facilities, the number and competence of applicants for admission.
The British system of education has a very long history, but in the past few years there have been many changes in it. British education was traditionally decentralized, but now the Education Reform Act has led to a compulsory National Curriculum for pupils aged 5 to 16 in state schools. The Act also aims to give parents a wider choice of schools for their children. Thus they have the right to express a preference for a school.
Boys and girls are taught together in most schools. Non-selective comprehensive education caters for children of all abilities. Most children receive free education financed from public funds. 7% of children attend private fee-paying schools.
Around half of 3- and 4-years-olds in Britain receive nursery education and many children attend preschool play groups, mostly organised by parents. Compulsory primary education begins at the age of 5. Children usually start their school career in an infant school and move to a junior school or department at 7. In some schools they move to middle school at the age of 8, 9 or 10. These three stages form the primary school, covering the following subjects: English, Maths and Science, History, Geography, Music, Art and Physical Education.
At 7 and 11 years old (and at secondary school at 14 and 1 teachers measure children’s progress in each subject against attainment targets. For each target there are 10 levels of attainment.
The secondary level includes the children from 11 to 18. Here they build on the knowledge they have aquired at primary school. And according to the National Curriculum they start to learn a modern foreign language. At the age of 16 they can get General Certificate of Secondary Education qualifications on the basis of examinations and course work.
If pupils are successful they can continue to more advanced education and training. After a further two years of study the General Certificate of Education Advanced level exam is taken at the age of 18 and can be combined with the Advanced Supplementary level exam to provide a wider range of subjects. These exams are the main standard for entry to university education and to many forms of professional training. There is also a Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education for those who stay at school till 17. This provides a preparation for work on vocational courses.
For those leaving school at 16 there are Further Education colleges. Most of them are work-related and vocational.
The next stage is higher education. All British universities enjoy complete academic freedom. There are 79 universities, Oxford and Cambridge being the oldest of them. Over 90% of students receive awards covering tuition fees and maintenance.
Общеизвестно, что образование помогает сформировать личность и готовит к жизни. Поэтому все страны считают систему образования важной частью национальной политики.
В России каждый имеет гарантированное Конституцией право на образование. Это право обеспечено развитой системой обязательного среднего образования, профессионального, специального среднего и высшего образования, а также развитием системы стипендий, дотаций, вечерних и заочных курсов. В России существует девятилетнее обязательное образование, но, чтобы поступить в университет, нужно учиться еще два года. Русские дети идут в школу с шести лет. Но большинство из них выучили буквы в детском саду, который теперь является частью начальной школы. Начальная и средняя школа вместе охватывают 11 лет учебы. У каждой школы есть основной учебный план, включающий русский язык, математику, естественные науки, физическое воспитание. В лицеях и гимназиях обучают различным предметам по выбору.
После окончания средней школы, лицея или гимназии можно получить высшее образование. Все поступающие должны пройти конкурсные экзамены. Высшие учебные заведения готовят студентов и аспирантов по одному или нескольким направлениям. Система высшего образования в России находится в переходном периоде. Основные цели реформы — это децентрализация системы высшего образования, развитие автономии высших учебных заведений, расширение академических свобод преподавательского состава и студентов, развитие нового финансового механизма. До недавнего времени все учебные заведения России находились на обеспечении государства.
Американцы также высоко ценят образование. Одной из исторических целей нации всегда был всеобщий доступ к качественному образованию.
Первый колледж Америки — Гарвард был основан в 1636 году. В 1865 году образование стало доступно всем. Особенность американской системы — это отсутствие общенациональной администрации. Каждый из 50 штатов контролирует и управляет своими собственными школами. Большинство штатов требуют, чтобы дети посещали школу с момента достижения ими б или 7 лет и до 16 или 17 лет.
Не существует единых на всю страну школьной организации или учебного плана, но есть общие черты. Дошкольное образование является частью начальных школ. Начальные и средние школы включают в себя 12 лет занятий, которые проходят примерно 10 месяцев в году пять дней в неделю по пять часов в день. Учебный план практически любой начальной школы включает английский язык, математику, естественные науки, социальные науки, музыку, искусство и физическое воспитание. Многие школы включают занятия по обучению основными компьютерным навыкам.
После окончания средней школы все большее число американцев получают высшее образование. Американские высшие учебные заведения включают: технические училища, общественные колледжи, колледжи с четырехлетней программой, дающие возможность получить степень бакалавра, и университеты, включающие один или больше колледжей и аспирантских школ, предлагающих магистерские и докторские курсы. Факторы, определяющие престиж учебного заведения — это качество преподавательского состава, возможность исследовательской работы, количество и уровень подготовки поступающих.
У британской системы образования очень длинная история, но за последние несколько лет в ней произошло много изменений. Британское образование традиционно было децентрализованным, но теперь Акт о реформе образования привел к созданию обязательного Национального учебного плана для учащихся с 5 до 16 лет в государственных школах. Акт также ставит целью дать родителям более широкий выбор школ для своих детей. Таким образом они получают право оказать предпочтение какой-либо школе.
В большинстве школ мальчики и девочки учатся вместе. Неизбирательное общее образование доступно детям с любыми способностями. Большинство детей получают бесплатное образование, финансируемое из общественных фондов. 7% детей посещают частные платные школы.
Около половины 3- и 4-летних детей в Великобритании получают дошкольное образование, а многие другие посещают дошкольные игровые группы, в основном организованные родителями. Обязательное начальное образование начинается с 5 лет. Дети обычно начинают учебу в детской школе и переходят в младшую школу или отделение в 7 лет. В некоторых школах они переходят в промежуточную школу в 8, 9 или 10 лет. Эти три ступени образуют начальную школу, в которой преподаются следующие предметы: английский язык, математика, естественные науки, история, география, музыка, искусство и физическое воспитание.
Достижения детей в 7 и в 11 лет, а в средней школе в 14 и 16 лет сопоставляются с установленными целями по каждому предмету. На каждом указанном этапе эти достижения расцениваются по десятиуровневой градации.
В средней школе обучаются дети с 11 до 18 лет. Здесь они расширяют знания, полученные в начальной школе. Согласно Национальному учебному плану они начинают учить современный иностранный язык. В возрасте 16 лет они могут получить Общий сертификат о среднем образовании на основе экзаменов и учебной работы.
Если ученики добиваются успеха, они могут перейти к более продвинутому образованию и обучению. Через два года учебы, в возрасте 18 лет, можно сдать экзамен на Сертификат о среднем образовании продвинутого уровня, который можно сочетать с дополнительным экзаменом продвинутого уровня, чтобы расширить выбор предметов. Эти экзамены — основной стандарт допуска к университетскому образованию и многим формам профессионального обучения. Существует также Сертификат о предпрофессиональном образовании для тех, кто остается в школе до 17 лет. Он обеспечивает подготовку к работе на профессиональных курсах.
Для тех, кто оставляет школу в 16 лет, существуют колледжи дальнейшего образования. Большинство из них профессиональные и связаны с работой.
Следующая ступень — это высшее образование. Все британские университеты пользуются полной академической свободой. Существует 79 университетов, старейшие из них — Оксфорд и Кембридж. Более 90% студентов получают дотации, покрывающие плату за обучение и расходы на существование.
The first problem in my personal rating is absence of freedom of choice. What does it mean? For example, if an adult person doesn’t want to work as a teacher, he can try hand in something else. If he doesn’t like working in this particular company, nobody will make him to. Yes, sometimes adult people have to do boring and unpleasant work, but, firstly, it’s their own choice, and, secondly, they get money for this. As for pupils at school, they cannot choose what subjects to study. They cannot choose teachers as well. They just have to do what everyone does. And that is not fair. For instance, I know for sure that I will never need Geometry in my life. I am going to be an interpreter or a tour guide, and dedicate my life to travelling and communicating with people. I don’t consider myself to be stupid, but I really can’t cope with all these figures, theorems and integrals – I just have no gift for Mathematics. And I don’t understand why on earth I should waste time and efforts on this useless stuff! It is commonly believed that schoolchildren are too small to choose, because they don’t know what subjects they will need in future. Yes, I agree that they are too small in primary school, but we, tenth-graders are old enough to make a choice. However, I will have to pass a Unified State Exam on Math, which is a compulsory subject, and it’s more than likely that I will spoil my school-leaving certificate with a bad mark.