Module 9: Education and job.

Составитель Л. П. Вачугова

I. Education.

1. Text A(part 1) What’s the secret of successful language learning?

Text A (part 2) How different students organize their vocabulary learning.

Text B Education. UK style.

Text C Kazan State University of Culture and Arts.

2. Dialogue: Bert Atkins talks about his school days

3. Grammar: modal verbs can/could, must, have to, may/be allowed to, should, need; Past Indefinite Active (review)

4. Vocabulary: educational activities, types of educational institutions and their structure, organizing successful learning, contests and rewards.

5. Projects: discussing in groups learning problems; making reports: Persons working at our University; the English language courses in other countries; Higher Education in English speaking countries; Higher Education in our country; the Universities of Kazan; Russian language studying in the world.

Text A (part 1) What’s the secret of successful language learning?

Read the following text and give your ways of learning the foreign languages.

We asked two experienced teachers of English for their opinion. Alastair Banton is a teacher at a private language school in the UK. He has also taught English in Japan.

I think the most important thing is that you really have to want to learn the language – without that, you won’t get very far. You also have to believe that you will do it… imagine yourself using the language confidently, and think. ‘Yes, I can do that’.

Then there are other things: of course you need to work hard but at the same time you need to enjoy it and not get frustrated when you feel you’re not making much progress. And you have to be realistic – learning a language takes time, and you can’t expect to know and understand everything in a few weeks!

Also, you should try to develop an ear for the language – not only to recognize the sounds of the language and to understand what people are saying, but also notice the exact words and phrases that people use… and then try to use them yourself. Some people can do this naturally, but others have to learn how to do it – that’s where having a good teacher is important!

Teresa Pelc is a teacher of English in Poland. She has taught English in a secondary school for a number of years.

For me, motivation is the most important thing. You have to be ready to study grammar, read a lot, listen to English songs, radio and TV, and what’s more you have to do these things systematically.

It is so easy to forget what you have just learnt… that’s why I needed a teacher to force me to study. Even the most motivated students need that extra push sometimes. I Believe that only a very few people can learn a language on their own.

Learning a language can be quite stressful, especially for adults… suddenly we speak like children and make fools of ourselves! But if you’re motivated, you learn to overcome this. It all sounds like very hard work – and it is. It is also very enjoyable – I praise my students for every thing they do well, however small it is. Many of them are very successful and speak English better than me, and some of them have even become English teachers themselves!

Text A (part 2) How different students organize their vocabulary learning.

1.I have a little notebook. It’s an address book with the letters of the alphabet, and I write the new words in two or three times a week. I write the English word first, then the translation, and a short sentence as an example. I try to learn ten new words a day.

2.I have a little notebook. I always have it with me. I try to fill one page a day. Sometimes I put words in groups, like fruit – all kinds of fruit, you know? Or colours, or clothes, or things and the shops where you buy them. I have some grammar pages, where I write irregular verbs, or a page for prepositions. I think prepositions are difficult, you know – on Sunday, in the morning, listen to a concert.

3. I stick little bits of paper all over my house! Sometimes I write what the thing is, er… On the mirror, I have mirror, on the door handle, I have door handle. Yeah, I know, it’s funny. My friends think ‘What’s the matter with her?’ but I like it. And sometimes I write the words that are new, from the last lesson, and I put the word on the … on the kitchen door and I see it every two minutes!

4. I write the new words on a little piece of paper, with the English on the one side and the Russian on the other side. I write the English word in a sentence so I know how to use it, and what words it’s used with. Then in my left pocket, I have the new words, and in the day, when I’m having a break or traveling on the bus, I take out the new words, and if I remember them they go into my right pocket. If I don’t remember them, they go into my left pocket again.

5. I am very lazy! I don’t do anything special at all! But I read a lot. I always have an English book in my bag. There are a lot of simple books, you know? Stories in easy English, they have questions at the back and they explain some difficult words, but I just enjoy the story and I think I learn new words and I don’t know I learn new words, but I see a word six, maybe seven times, and then I know it! And the stories are good!

6. I have a picture dictionary, which is good for learning words in groups, you know, jobs, the names for all the things in a car, like er … steering wheel, brake. But I don’t know how to pronounce the words.

7. I have a little cassette recorder, and after the lesson I record onto the tape the sentences that have the new words. Then when I am driving I can listen to them.

8. I like to look up words in my dictionary. Especially, l like to find different parts of speech for the same word, mm … act, actor, actress, adjective active, adverb actively, noun action. That I think is very useful – see! Use, useful, useless! A word family!

And something else! I always put a mark with my pencil next to the word I look up.Then, if I

look up the same word again, I think ‘Ah! This word, I must learn it this time!’

Text B Education. UK style.

Read the text about the higher education in Britain, and answer the questions:

Going on to further (college) or higher (university) education is quite common in the UK. Most universities and colleges do not have entrance examinations. Students are accepted if they get the necessary grades at school.

University students are called undergraduates and they spend three or four years studying for their degree (unless they want to be a doctor, which is seven years!).

Many students take a year out (a gap year) and travel round the world, or take a part-time or temporary job before they go to university or college.

Most students in the UK do not live at home. They often choose to go and study in another town or city. In the first year, many live in a ‘hall of residence’ (student accommodation which can be self-catering or with food provided). After that, many prefer to rent a room or a flat with other students.

Students in colleges of further education often take vocational qualifications to prepare them for a particular job they would like to do, such as computing or tourism.

At the end of their course, university students take their final examinations. Students who succeed in passing them graduate with a BA (Bachelor of Arts) or a BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree. The word ‘bachelor’ means ‘a man who is not married’. It was first used many years ago when all university students were men (and unmarried). Nowadays, there are as many women as men at universities in the UK, but we still use the word.

A large number of overseas students study in Britain. Most universities and colleges run language courses to help students study academic subjects in English.

Lots of students join clubs and societies when they go to university, such as drama societies and sports clubs. Many students look forward to taking part in ‘Rag Week’, a time when students raise money for charity.

Nightlife is very important for students in Britain. Universities and colleges often invite pop bands to come and play, and students enjoy throwing parties!

Notes: - a gap year - год между школой и университетом (не учебный)

• self-catering accommodation - проживание за свой счет (самообеспечение)

• to raise money for charity - заниматься сбором денег на благотворительность

a) Answer the questions:

1. How can you become a student in the UK?

2. How many years do the students spend studying for their degree?

3. What do the students usually do in their free time?

b) Talk about the student’s life in our country. The following questions will help you.

1. What kind of further or higher education is available in your country?

2. Is there a university in your town? If so, how many students study there?

3. How common is it for students to take a gap year?

4. Do university students usually live at home or in a hall of residence?

5. How long do most university courses last?

6. At the end of their further or higher education, what qualifications do students get?

7. How useful are these qualifications?

Text C Kazan State University of Culture and Arts.

Kazan State University of Culture and Arts is a comprehensive institution of higher education. It was opened in 1969 as a branch of the Leningrad Institute of Culture. In 1974 the status of the institute was changed and it became an independent Kazan Institute of Culture. In 1991 the institute was renamed to the Institute of Culture and Arts, in May 1995 it took the title of Academy and from the 4^th of July 2002 it is the Kazan State University of Culture and Arts.

The University plays an important role as the centre for culture of the vast region between the Volga and the Urals.

The University is situated in Orenburg Truckt and consists of two buildings which are connected with each other.

At present the University is a rather large educational complex. It has two departments: day and extra-mural (correspondence) departments. There are 5 faculties at the University. They are:

• Faculty of library and information science

• Faculty of music and choreography

• Faculty of social and cultural activities

• Faculty of economics, management and tourism

• Faculty of extra education

The faculty of library and information science trains librarians, book business specialists, information resources managers, data analyses assistants, documentation managers, information science managers.

The faculty of music and choreography trains academic choir directors, folk instrument directors, popular music orchestra and ensemble directors, choreographic group leaders, academic choir and folk instrument orchestra conductors, choreography, folk, modern and sport dancing teachers.

The faculty of social and cultural activities trains social and cultural activities managers and methodologists, mass performances and shows directors, culture and museum experts, teachers.

The faculty of economics, management and tourism trains economist-managers in the sphere of culture, tourism managers.

The faculty of extra education provides the opportunity to acquire one more profession. It trains information science managers, documentation managers, social and cultural activities methodologists and economist-managers, culture experts, mass cultural shows directors, etc. Besides, it provides the courses of English language, web design, directing and many others.

There are also the Institutes of Theatre and National Arts.

The Institute of National Arts trains folk song soloists, academic choir and folk instrument orchestra directors, decorative applied arts’ studios and ethnocultural centre directors.

The Institute of Theatre trains amateur theatre directors, drama, puppet show and variety actors, film and television directors.

The training course lasts for five years at the day department. The academic year is divided into two terms, at the end of which the students have an examination session. Many subjects are taught to students. During this period they acquire not only professional skills, but also widen their outlook. Everyday students have lectures and seminars and various classes. Each period lasts for an hour and twenty minutes.

The extra-mural (correspondence) department trains specialists in all basic specialities. The training course at the correspondence department lasts 3,5 or 5,5 years, depending on the level of education of the entrant to the University. Here the students, combining the work in the sphere of culture and arts and the studies at the University can get higher education. It is the kind of the improvement of their qualification.

To become an experienced specialist one must have not only special training, but practice.

For successful training of specialists in the field of culture and arts the Kazan State University of Culture and Arts was awarded the memorable gold medal of UNESCO “Palm branch of the world” in 2000, and also twice, in 1999 and in 2000, the University became the winner of the all-Russian contest of educational institutions “The window to Russia”.

There are 25 creative ensembles in the University, such as “Mlada”, “Nurlai”, “Bulgar Kyzlari”, “Kazan egetlere”, many of which are famous not only in Russia, but abroad. The University has scientific and creative relations with different countries of the world.

Many outstanding artists work at the University. Among them are Salavat Fatkhutdinov, Venera Ganieva, Rimma Ibragimova, Farit Bikchentaev, and many others.

The University celebrated its 35^th anniversary in 2004.At the present time the Kazan State University of Culture and Arts is a recognised in all Russia educational institution of training the specialists in the sphere of culture and arts.