No School, No Future, No English

[Uchilka]

В нашей школе 6 лет назад была преподавательница английского, армянка по национальности, беженка, но прекрасно владела английским. Класс достался ей весьма слабенький и два средненьких. Очень слабое владение русским (понимала очень прилично, но говорила плохо), тем не менее, не помешало ей вполне достойно справляться с задачей. Говорить только на английском в этих 6-7-8 классах было бесполезно - ничего не понимали. Она вызывала к доске ученика, вручала ему русскоязычный учебник с объяснением темы урока, он писал на доске и читал то, что пишет, а она писала английские примеры и великолепно их озвучивала (это только один из приемов был для решения этой сложной задачи). Совершенно не стеснялась просить учеников о произношении тех или иных русских слов, о том правильно ли она строит русские фразы. И в результате дети включились в работу, поскольку почувствовали, что учитель хочет и умеет научить их английскому, которым владеет замечательно, а сама она резко улучшила свой русский уже к концу года. Ни одной жалобы от родителей или учеников, что учитель не может объяснить им материал не было. Для нее, казалось бы, это была временная работа на период получения гражданства и могла бы не особо напрягаться, но ... самоуважение и чувство ответственности не позволяли халтурить.

[пять гор]

If you answer me ,what you mean saying perfect, my answer will follow immediately.My Russian isn't perfect and I know why. When a foreigner speaks Russian you always try to find mistakes. Then why don't you pay attention to those whose native tongue is Russian and their messages are full of mistakes... As to my English I haven't met a native speaker whose English is perfect.... Writing this sentence I remembered one of George Bush's speeches. The last sentence in your message shows how perfect your English is! My congratulations!

 

thanks for the compliment but it is not my English that is perfect it is just my personality which influences the way I think and consequently speak And then it is you who say that your English is not like that of natives Once again you've evaded the question about your origin

Ok let it be...

BTW I dont believe in perfection

[пять гор]

And Harry, honestly, I dont try to find faults with your either language I'm just intrigued by the fact that you are a foreigner...just interested to know how do you come to have been living in Russia for so long...

[Harry Smith]

And Harry, honestly, I dont try to find faults with your either language I'm just intrigued by the fact that you are a foreigner...just interested to know how do you come to have been living in Russia for so long...

 

I hope you already know what nationality I am. Now write some of your ideas about English in future and its role at school. I wonder if your English is really perfect. Mine isn't perfect but it's fluent.

[пять гор]

Yes, sir! Mine is the same! It is far from being perfect! But if you ask me, I think that the most important thing when it comes to using a language is being able to express yourself and to understand others since a language is first of all and above all a means of communication.

As for schools in future, I do believe that they are to change within the following fifty years' time. First of all, students will become much more independent from teachers, t.e. they wont come to school on a daily basis, but get a task to fulfil in, say, a month's time. They will certainly use the Net to communicate with teachers, this will also enable them to study worldwide, I mean, it'll be up to them to decide which school, college or university to choose regardless of where it is located either in this country or abroad. Thus, English will be more and more usable.

I imagine that "real" schools will be more controlling organs giving diplomas while private tuition will actually teach...that is schools will become kind of diploma mills in good sense )))So, I hope, as an English teacher, even being retired, I'll still be in demand)))

Изменено 3 ноября, 2009 пользователем пять гор

[Harry Smith]

Yes, sir! Mine is the same! It is far from being perfect! But if you ask me, I think that the most important thing when it comes to using a language is being able to express yourself and to understand others since a language is first of all and above all a means of communication.

As for schools in future, I do believe that they are to change within the following fifty years' time. First of all, students will become much more independent from teachers, t.e. they wont come to school on a daily basis, but get a task to fulfil in, say, a month's time. They will certainly use the Net to communicate with teachers, this will also enable them to study worldwide, I mean, it'll be up to them to decide which school, college or university to choose regardless of where it is located either in this country or abroad. Thus, schools will be more controlling organs giving diplomas while private tuition will actually teach...So, I hope, even being retired, I'll still be in demand)))

 

What you say is real even today. One thing is obvious that schools will never disappear.... Today so many computer programmes teach English that it's really hard to believe that after retiring you'll be in demand. I myself have been teaching for many years and hope to retire soon and travel around the world...

[пять гор]

And I believe in real "things" whatever they are. I mean that anything real will always be in demand as being alive unique exclusive, you know, while virtual things will be for mass usage and we know that mass market is and will be cheap!

Art of teaching will always be in demand! As we ARE people not computers. It would be too scaring to totally replace people by computers when it comes to upbringing offspring their fragile minds. Really, I do mean what I say...

Изменено 3 ноября, 2009 пользователем пять гор

[Harry Smith]

And I believe in real "things" whatever they are. I mean that anything real will always be in demand as being alive unique exclusive, you know, while virtual things will be for mass usage and we know that mass market is and will be cheap!

Art of teaching will always be in demand! As we ARE people not computers. It would be too scaring to totally replace people by computers when it comes to upbringing offspring their fragile minds. Really, I do mean what I say...

 

I see! Cheap and effective things wiil be in demand in future. Though nothing can be compared with real teaching , it's very expensive nowadays... I mean private teaching, of course.

[пять гор]

exclusive things cant be cheap, for sure!

[Harry Smith]

exclusive things cant be cheap, for sure!

 

Exclusive teaching will be very a way out for future school. There must be someting exclusive otherwise school will disappear forever. Nobody will like this idea in this forum, will they?

[Reantwist]

Im from Japan.

 

I started learning English when I was in a junior high school. I learned a school English. Gradually I came to be interested in English and wanted to be a fruent English speaker. This why I started learning English. Im also interested in the cultural difference which is related to the languag difference.

 

When I was a university student, I studied in the United States for two years. It was my first experience to know the different culture. Talking with different people and living in a different culture are very interesting experience for me.

 

Its very nice to share a time with you. Thank you. Hitomi Takeuchi

[Uchilka]

Im from Japan.

 

I started learning English when I was in a junior high school. I learned a school English. Gradually I came to be interested in English and wanted to be a fruent English speaker. This why I started learning English. Im also interested in the cultural difference which is related to the languag difference.

 

When I was a university student, I studied in the United States for two years. It was my first experience to know the different culture. Talking with different people and living in a different culture are very interesting experience for me.

 

Its very nice to share a time with you. Thank you. Hitomi Takeuchi

Очень интересно, действительно, хито вас таки учи(т)? Some more about you, please. And your opinion about school in future?

[Lyudmila]

Мне кажется, что мы сейчас рассуждаем о будущем школы с позиции сегодняшнего дня: трудно представить себе обучение вне школы или какого-то реального образовательного учреждения, а тем более без реального учителя. Никакая машина не может заменить живого человека - это ясно большинству. Но в развитии человечества многие изменения воспринимались в те далёкие времена тоже с позиции того времени по принципу "Этого не может быть, потому что этого не может быть!" (информационные революции, научно-технич.прогресс и т.д.). Но время идёт вперёд и, кто знает, какой будет школа не через 20 лет, а гораздо дальше в будущем через 100 или 300 лет. Возможно, наши сегодняшние размышления будущим поколениям покажутся наивными. Мы сейчас с юмором говорим о тех первых компьютерных машинах размером со шкаф! И что? Наверное, так и должно быть! Эволюция...

[Harry Smith]

What is real today will be different in future. The world is changing all the time. We can't predict the future on the one hand. But on the other hand I hope the school will last forever. No school, no progress. No English, no future!

[Алексей Конобеев]

What is real today will be different in future. The world is changing all the time. We can't predict the future on the one hand. But on the other hand I hope the school will last forever. No school, no progress. No English, no future!

I believe that the future of some schools may raise some eyebrows if not questions, as sometimes there are problems that we may not be fully aware of. I'd like to share this link with you - here a teacher from the USA describes some of the issues he faces in the classroom on a daily basis: http://open.salon.com/blog/amittaizero/200...ies_a_microcosm

I wonder if you see anything of the kind in your schools.

[Harry Smith]

I believe that the future of some schools may raise some eyebrows if not questions, as sometimes there are problems that we may not be fully aware of. I'd like to share this link with you - here a teacher from the USA describes some of the issues he faces in the classroom on a daily basis: http://open.salon.com/blog/amittaizero/200...ies_a_microcosm

I wonder if you see anything of the kind in your schools.

 

We give knowledge in our schools, sometimes it's even too much and our students try very hard. I wouldn't like our schools to be like theirs... Most Americans can't answer simple questions.

[AleksanderII]

Hi, everybody! Advise me please some english books which are easy to read. Im studying english during 6 months and can't read difficult things. But I would willingly do it. Your help will be very much appreciated.

Изменено 14 ноября, 2009 пользователем ilyap22

[TEACHER]

Roald Dahl, sure his books aren't difficult to read but they promise a lot of fun!

[Harry Smith]

Hi, everybody Advise me please some english books which are easy to read. Im studying english during 6 months and cant read difficult things. But I would willingly do it. Your help will be very much appreciated.

 

 

I'd advise you to read short stories of famous English and American writers. ( Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Jack London, Daniel Defoe Sir Arthur Conan Doyle etc.) Hope you'll like them....

[Laddy]

Наткнулась сейчас на такую вот статью, может ее кто и читал раньше, она от 16.11. http://www.gzt.ru/topnews/education/271985.html

[Владислав]

Наткнулась сейчас на такую вот статью, может ее кто и читал раньше, она от 16.11. http://www.gzt.ru/topnews/education/271985.html

 

Да, я уже читал эту статью. Можно почитать еще здесь: http://www.rian.ru/education/20091116/193975144.html

[Harry Smith]

Прочитала и так стало грустно. Особенно комментарии.Согласна со всеми комментариями.

 

No School, No Future, No English !!!

[Алексей Конобеев]

No School, No Future, No English !!!

It's interesting that Britain faces a similar situation. According to an article in The Guardian,

"One in 10 secondary schools in England failed to meet basic targets for GCSEs last summer and academies were disproportionately represented among the failing institutions, government statistics published today reveal.

 

The league tables show the number of academies in the government's National Challenge programme, where schools are targeted with support but face closure or merger if they do not improve, has increased by a third, from 32 last year to 41 now.

 

A little over half of pupils leave secondary school with basic qualifications in science, and two-thirds do not get a modern language GCSE at a good grade. Critics say the pressure to perform well in the rankings encourages schools to push their students towards easier subjects.

 

A total of 247 schools face the threat of closure within a year after fewer than 30% of their pupils achieved the benchmark of five A*-C grades, including English and maths. Another 54 have already been shut after failing to meet the government-set target last year. This is an improvement on the previous year, when 440 schools faced the threat of closure." The complete article can be read here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...ss-gcse-targets

[Алексей Конобеев]

And there is a tendency for foreign languages as a school subject to become a thing for "elites" only: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...icle6996459.ece

"Foreign language lessons are becoming the privilege of elite and wealthy children, a Government adviser warns today as figures showed another drop in teenagers studying the subject.

 

The blame was pinned on the over-cluttered curriculum which offers myriad choices at the age of 14, including the new diploma, and confuses pupils by pulling them in too many directions.

 

Just two fifths of schools started teaching a modern language GCSE to more than half of their Year 10 pupils this year, down from 45 per cent last year and 78 per cent in 2003. "

[Алексей Конобеев]

The only foreign language taught in may schools in the USA is Chinese:

"The New York Times".

January 21, 2010

Foreign Languages Fade in Class — Except Chinese

By SAM DILLON

WASHINGTON — Thousands of public schools stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade, according to a government-financed survey — dismal news for a nation that needs more linguists to conduct its global business and diplomacy.

But another contrary trend has educators and policy makers abuzz: a rush by schools in all parts of America to offer instruction in Chinese.

Some schools are paying for Chinese classes on their own, but hundreds are getting some help. The Chinese government is sending teachers from China to schools all over the world — and paying part of their salaries. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/educatio...agewanted=print

 

We see a similar problem in Russia where fewer and fewer children choose French or german as a foreign language to study at school. Do you think this tendency to stick mainly to English will change in the nearest future, or will it only become stronger?