Education

1. Some high schools require all students to wear school uniforms. Other high schools permit students to decide what to wear to school.

    Which of these two school policies do you think is better?

    Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

* What are advantages of wearing uniform?
- Make thing more equal to all students.
- Equal at an economic level
- Prevent envy and jealousy of stylish clothes
- Form friendship based on personality not clothes.
- Reduce unequal treatment by teachers.
- Enhance solidarity ( tăng cường tình đoàn kết)
- Encourage the individual students of a school to feel like part of a bigger group.

*  What are disadvantages of wearing uniform?
- School uniforms limit children’s individualism in clothes.
- Some families can’t afford those uniforms.

2. Many teachers assign homework to students every day. Do you think that daily homework is necessary for students? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

3. Apart from uniforms, what do you think should be done to improve the equality among the children of different economic backgrounds?

4. Are school children in Vietnam required to wear uniforms?

5. What are some of the benefits of requiring children to wear uniforms to school?

6. What are some of the disadvantages of compulsory school uniform?

7. Do you think compulsory school uniform can be justified on educational grounds?

SECTION 2: Teacher - Student

1. When students are in large classes it is very hard for the teacher to give every student individual attention. What can educational authorities do about this?

2. Evaluate a teacher’s power to influence a student’s whole life.

3. Some people believe that students should be given one long vacation each year. Others believe that students should have several short vacations throughout the year.

       Which viewpoint do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

* Why several short vacations throughout the year?: (3 months per year, each time last for 1 month).
- Easier for parents to schedule vacations.
- Hard for parents to make a plan for the time in long vacation: expensive, unsafe for children.
- Better for economy and tourism.
- Overcrowded in holiday seasons.
- Children are better focused on study

* Why one long vacation in the year?
- Students can take part in the real world: working for experiences.

4. Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher.

    Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.

* Why we need teachers?
- Teachers bring to us various and useful background.
- Trained teach individuals in different ways depending on their style
 à which way is best for each student:
- Discussion.
- Writing.
- A good teacher can adapt her teaching to your needs,
- Teachers help you to focus on what you are learning.
- Keep your attention on the subject.
- Know how to approach a subject logically, taking it one step at a time. Study by yourself -> skip parts you think you don’t need.
- A broader way of learning.
- Information in the written materials as well as the teacher’s own knowledge of the topic.
- Provided extra materials to broaden the scope.

5. To be successful in education it is more important to be a good student than to have good teachers. Do you agree?

6. Teachers should be paid according to how much their students learn.           

    Do you agree or disagree with the statement?

    Give specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

*  Why shouldn’t teachers be paid according to how much their students learn ?/ how good do their students perform in examinations ?
+ Students will miss out on a lot of education that can’t be measured on a test, because teacher will start to teach only what students need to gain high test scores.
+ Some less able students would be disadvantaged. Teachers may ignore students who have learning difficulties because they have to push the majority of the students.
+ On what basis should teachers be paid?

7. Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students.

     Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

* What are advantages of studying alone?
- In case the group don’t take studying seriously -> distracted, interruptions.
- Absolutely quite.
- Depend on your habits and personality- If you are sociable à too tempted to socialize.

* What are advantages of studying in a group?
- Exchange information about the topic: comparing notes, discuss various aspects of a topic à clearer arguments.
- Focused on studying: good discipline à no waste time.

8. Schools should ask students to evaluate their teachers.( đánh giá)

Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

* Why students should evaluate their teachers?
- Help teachers to perfect themselves: Inform teacher of how students react both to their teaching methods and to them as individuals.
- Encourage teachers, give them confidence.
- Helpful for school administrators assessment of the quality of their teachers.
- Good exercise for students -> understand better what is expected of them.
- Teach students responsibility: Give students feelings that they have a voice in what happen in their schools.

9. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? High schools should allow students to take the courses that students want to study.  

   Use specific reasons and eg to support yr opinion.

* What subjects are mandatory?
- Mathematics, literature, and science.
- Hardly any students choose these despite necessary.

* What subjects are elective? Why?

- Music, art, journalism, various kinds of team sports.
- Chance of experiment.
- Get a head start on what going to study in college.
- Because students interested in different subjects. Later on, no time for studying their interested subjects.

10. Some students like classes where teachers lecture (do all of the talking) in class.  Other students prefer classes where the students do some of the talking.

     Which type of class do you prefer? Give specific reasons and details to support your choice.

* Advantages of lecture:
- Teacher give the student the information at their best.
- Students gain their experience and knowledge.

* Advantages of discussion:
- develop students’ activeness.
- Develop students’ interactive skill.
- Teachers feel more comfortable.
- Students study more effectively:
- One effective way of studying is: making mistake. It takes a lot of practice and commitments.
- Discussion is always a better way for gaining information.
- Students have to consider the problems right at the class to know to what extent they understand.

11. Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught seperately.

        Do you agree or disagree?

* Why shouldn’t we separate disruptive students?
- Limiting their educational opportunities.
- A sort of prison -> never recover from the experience -> problems for the wider society.

* What’s the alternative?
- Investigate for the reason:
- The work is too easy.
- Teachers are uninspiring. [,ʌnin'spaiəriη] (a) ko gây được thích thú, ko gây xúc động
à  solve it

12. Many students have to live with roommates while going to school or university. What are some of the important qualities of a good roommate? Use specific reasons and examples to explain why these qualities are important.

SECTION 3: Secondary – Tertiary - Education

Tertiary ['tə:∫əri]  (a)  thứ ba; ngay sau thứ hai ; tertiary burns    bỏng cấp ba (tức là rất nặng)

tertiary education    giáo dục cấp thứ ba (tức là cấp đại học hoặc cao đẳng)

 
12. What were some of the rules you had to follow at your high school?
• Which rules did you think were unfair?
• Did you ever get caught breaking any school rules?
• Were you allowed to smoke on campus?
• Were you allowed to eat food in the classroom?

13. To what extent should university courses be geared to the economic needs of society?

14. The government of your country is going to offer a number of university scholarships.

In which academic subjects should these scholarships be offered to benefit your country?

* Why offer scholarships to excellent students commited to agricultural science and technology?
- Vn is an agricultural country.
- The production is limited due to the lack of advanced agricultural technology and farming methods.
- Vietnamese students would be encouraged and facilitated to acquire advanced agricultural science and technology to apply to the farms and rice fields
- 70% population would enjoy increased production, higher quality products, more job opportunities, and higher incomes.

* Why offer scholarships to excellent students commited to information technology?

Pivotal ['pivətl]  nòng cốt; (nghĩa bóng) then chốt, mấu chốt, chủ chốt ;  a pivotal decision 

      - Pivotal role of this field in pushing up their economies.
- Vn enjoys comparative advantages in human resource since our students rank high in international and regional computer science and maths contests.
- Ignoring computer science in this IT world, vietnam would risk lagging behind in the decades to come. ( có nguy cơ tụt hậu trong các thập niên sắp tới)

15. To what extent should universities function as training grounds for employment?

16. Some universities require students to take classes in many subjects. Other universities require students to specialize in one subject. Which is better? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

17. In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are still students.     Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.

* Why shouldn’t teenagers have jobs while they are still students?
- Negative impact on their learning, and eventually on their grades.
- Disrupt a teenager’s home life.
- He’s missing out on the fun of being young. He should have a whole lifetime in which he’ll have to earn a living later.

18. Children should never be educated at home by their parents. Do you agree or disagree?

19. Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explainyour answer.

* Why should attend the class ?
- Personal experience can help people learn about themselves and the world outside the classroom, but when it comes to learning about academic subjects, students need to be in class.
- In class, students benefit from the teacher’s knowledge.
- Attending classes on any subject teaches more than just facts. It teaches students how to learn , how to absorb information and apply what they’ve learned to other situations.
- Teach them how to work with the other members of the class.
- Teach students responsibility and discipline. ['disiplin] tính kỷ luật 

20. Some people believe that a college or university education should be available to all students. Others believe that higher education should be available only to good students.

    Discuss these views. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.

* Why everyone should have the opportunity to attend college?
- Education is a valuable investment in future career earnings.
- People with college degrees make more money and have more opportunities later.
- Everyone should have a period to learn about themselves before they begin to work and earn money.
- College is a time to meet different people, separate from your parents, and begin to define you as a person.
- Anyone should be given a chance to see how far she can go.

* Why tertiary should be available to only good students?
- Higher education is very expensive.
- Might be a waste of money to send someone to college who might not be able to handle the course work.
- A big investment of time.
- A weak student should get a job and earn some money.

21. Students at universities often have a choice of places to live. They may choose to live in university dormitories, or they may choose to live in apartments in the community.

      Compare the advantages of living in university housing with the advantages of living in an apartment in the community. Where would you prefer to live? Give reasons for your preference.

* Why live on campus their first two years :

   Sophomore : ['sɔfəmɔ:]  (từ Mỹ,nghĩa Mỹ) sinh viên năm 2 của khoá học ở trường CĐ / Đại học

   Junior         : ['dʒu:njə]  (nghĩa Mỹ) sinh viên năm 3 của khoá học 4 năm ở trg CĐ / Đại học

   Senior         : ['si:niə]  (Mỹ) s.v năm cuối của trường trung học / cao đẳng (trc khi tốt nghiệp)

                                         her senior year at college   năm cuối của cô ta ở trường cao đẳng

           - Freshmen and sophomores need the stability of campus life
- Living on campus makes it easier to get oriented to the way things are done.
- You get the whole university experience
- You interact more with other students.
- The older students in the dormitory can be a big help for the new students
- Major task is to study.
- Feel more a part of the university community.
- More opportunities to become involved in university activities and networking with student leaders and university administration.

* Why live off campus their last two years :
- Juniors and seniors need the independence of off - campus life.
- Finding an apartment, dealing with leases and landlord’s regulations, cooking meals, and figuring out budgets are all good practice for life after graduation

            => grow into adulthood, become more mature. ( trưởng thành)
- A better perspective on what is going on around them. ( 1 quan điểm tốt đẹp hơn về )

22. You have been told that dormitory rooms at your university must be shared by two students. Would you rather have the university assign a student to share a room with you, or would you rather choose your own roommate? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

         * Why let the university assign?
- Student should meet new people and be open to new experience.
- We can change roommate in the next semester if not comfortable.
- We can play an decisive role when making a list.
- Someone who is different from us would be interesting.
- Chance to get a roommate from another culture.

SECTION 4: Compulsory - Coeducation

23. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Boys and girls should attend separate schools. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

24. Education is recognized as vital to the future of any society in today's world. Governments throughout the world should make education compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 15.
      To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

* What are benefits of compulsory education :
- At a young age, students are unlikely to be sufficiently mature to make sensible decisions about their lives.
- In today’s society, where increasingly high levels of skills and knowledge are required of the workforce => need at least basic education.
- The governments provide a basic education for children for free; their parents have nothing to lose.
- Some parents who do not want to follow the policy do not realize the necessity of a basic education.
- In fact, a basic education is a major foundation for every career.

* What are disadvantages of compulsory education :

- Low income families may not be able to afford to keep their children at school.
- Children can help bring in much needed income.
- Compulsory schooling might be a psychological damage to the students who are not motivated to learn

SECTION 5: Education’s Role

1. Should developing countries concentrate on Improving industrial skills or should they promote education first?

2. Education is a critical factor in a country’s development. Opinion is divided, however, on whether a developing country with limited resources should give priority to improving and expanding basic education for the masses or to providing a high quality tertiary education for the future leaders.

* Why should improve and expand basic eduation?

Entitle [in'taitl]    ngoại động từ :  cho đầu đề, cho tên (sách...)  xưng hô bằng tước ;  cho quyền (làm gì...) ;  to be entitled to do something   được quyền làm điều gì

- Everyone born in this world is equal and, hence, is entitled to receive basic education.
- Only by improving basic education could a poor nation encourage its people to discover their potential, which would translate into their knowledge and skills to be employed at work, thus/thereby improving productivity and, ultimately, living standards.
- It’s common people who make up the largest part of the workforce.
- The moral question of equal opportunities for everyone. On what criteria can a young person be judged as a potential future leader or just as a common person?
- Deprive the involved individual of higher education opportunity to explore his/her full potential, and might also deprive the nation of a potential clever leader.

3. Describe the major purpose of education in society.
- Well-educated and good citizens.
- Skillful and qualified workforce.

4. Too much education is dangerous. If people receive more education than they need to function in their job, it only breeds dissatisfaction.

    For or against? -Preparation and practice

* Decree [di'kri:]   sắc lệnh, nghị định , decree-law  sắc luật, pháp lệnh; bản án ; decree absolute& decree nisi   bản án cho phép ly hôn ;  ra lệnh, quy định bằng sắc lệnh ; the government decrees the cancellation of the illegal contracts : chính phủ ra lệnh hủy bỏ những hợp đồng bất hợp pháp

* Radical : ['rædikl] từ rễ hoặc gốc; cơ bản ; a radical flaw in the system  ;  một thiếu sót cơ bản trong hệ thống a radical error in the system  một sai lầm cơ bản trong hệ thống  ;  hoàn toàn; triệt để; quyết liệt   radical reforms    những cải cách triệt để  ; radical changes    những thay đổi triệt để  ;  (chính trị) có quan điểm cực đoan; cấp tiến   a radical politician  nhà chính trị cấp tiến

* Receptive  [ri'septiv] dễ tiếp thu, dễ lĩnh hội  ; a receptive mind  trí óc tiếp thu

* Too much education is dangerous?

- Education gives people unrealistic ambitions: the law of the market decrees that not every one can be a managing director.
- There is very little point in training people for a level of job that they can never hope to achieve.
- Education is expensive. Overeducation is a waste of time and money.
- Students tend to be a disruptive influence on society: found at the forefront of radical organisation.

* Why should invest in education?
- Most countries need a high standard of human resources in order to compete in the world market.
- Uneducated people unable to show initiative. ( óc sáng tạo)
- Constantly changing technology means that the workforce has to be flexible and receptive to new ideas in order to be of value to employers.
- Moral question: who has the right to say how much education a person is entitled to ( có quyền đc có)? What criteria could be used to decide a level of schooling?

5. Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Do you agree?

* Why education is the most important factor?
- Education provides basis for other skills.
- Literacy improves working person’s capability.
- Creates self/ national respect.
- Educaion provides basis for healthy population.

* Why education is not the most important factor?
- Health is more important than education.
- Economic development is important, and may only need unskilled workers.
- Difficult to find enough trained teachers.

SECTION 6: Specific Subjects

1. ... why you chose your particular field of study.
2. Would you force your children to study a particular subject (or subjects) or would you allow them to choose their own profession?
3. What do you dislike most about your studies?
4. Did you enjoy studying at your university? What interested you?
5. Describe a subject that you have found interesting. Say:
• What the subject is.
• Why you chose to take it.
• How you felt about the subject.
And explain why you found this subject particularly interesting.

SECTION 7: Examinations

1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Grades (marks) encourage students to learn. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
2. Examinations are not a good way to judge a student’s ability
3. Too much importance is attached to exams at school. Do you agree?

.
• Why say too much importance is given to exams and that it is time to change the way we monitor our children’s development at school.
• Firstly, I think that the examination system is unfair because sometimes two students with the same ability in a subject get very different exam results. This is because one is much better at taking exams than the other.
• Apart from this, exam questions often test how much a student has remembered about the things he or she has been taught in the classroom.
• As a result, students are often encouraged to learn facts by heart, instead of how to use the information and how to think for themselves.
• Lastly, it seems to me that exams sometimes have a bad effect on teaching, as teachers are usually judged by the exam results of their students.
• Consequently, they are often more interested in preparing their students for the exams than in making their lessons lively and stimulating.

SECTION 8: Other Relevant Questions

1. Is it important to study hard when you are young or can you enjoy your life and return to study when you are grown-up?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying when you are... a) young b) mature
3. What is your opinion of your education system? What are the good and bad points and how could it be improved?
4. What do you think are positive and negative aspects of your country''s education system?''
5. Should governments spend more on education than they do at present?
6. Are teachers paid enough?