Section 2.unit 4

SECTION 2: GROWING UP UNIT 4: ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PART ONE A. TEXT Think about the advantages and disadvantages of being educated at home instead of in a normal school.

Education at home Helene Warton and her sister don't go to school. Instead they are taught at home by their parents, Heidrun and Richard Warton. The Wartons are one of the rapidly growing number of families in Britain who are dissatisfied with the school system. The most famous example is probably the Lawrence family, whose home- taught daughter Ruth recently gained a firstclass degree at Oxford University, at the age of 13. Until Christmas 1982, Helene and Charlotte Warton went to their local village primary school. But Helene, an intelligent, precise and tidy girl, had difficulties: “I’m slow at writing and things like that" she says,” I don't like reading aloud; I got behind". “It was not until Mrs. Warton met another family who were members of an organization called Education Otherwise that she realized that it was possible for children to be educated at home. However giving up school can produce withdrawal symptoms in both parents and children. We were very unsure in the beginning,' says Heidrun Warton. “We tried to make it like school at first". But gradually the family relaxed, and soon noticed the advantages of home deal. Curiosity and self- motivation became important aspects of learning. Learning was no longer competitive, it was not divided into subjects and it became more practical. As well as learning from books, Helene and Charlotte started to cook, help in the garden, do woodwork, visit museums and other places of interest with their parents, and go to drama and music lessons. They got more opportunity to see what their mother calls 'real life'- their parents and other adults doing normal everyday things. Heidrun Warton is not a qualified teacher, and she believes that parents do not need special qualifications:" Young children want to learn", she says. "You don't teach children at home; you just allow them to learn" She has become very pessimistic about the normal school system. “Education authorities are not willing to ready change. They feel that they are the experts, and the only ones able to teach children. But mothers will always teach their children more than anyone else- but in a natural way." B. EXPLANATIONS I got left behind

: Tôi đã bị bỏ lại phía sau (không theo kịp người khác)

Education Otherwise symptom [n] withdrawal [n] woodwork [n] do woodwork

: "Giáo dục theo cách khác" (tên một tổ chức giáo dục có cách tổ chức khác với hệ thống giáo dục hiện hành) : triệu chứng : sự thu mình lại (không giao tiếp với người khác) : phần mộc, đồ gỗ : học, làm nghề gỗ, nghề mộc

C. FACT CHECK Answer these questions without looking back at the text. a. What is special about Helen and Charlotte? b. What is unusual about the fact that Ruth Lawrence got a degree at Oxford University? c. Why did Helen's parents decide to educate their daughter at home? d. How did the Wartons find out about the idea of educating their children at home? e. Is Mrs Warton a teacher?

Answer Key D. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES a. Make a list of the advantages of home education in the opinion of the Wanton family. b. Now make a list of the disadvantages of normal schools. Some are mentioned of implied in the text. (Many of these are the opposites of the advantages.)

Answer Key E. WORD CHECK 1. Opposites:

Find words in the text which are opposite in meaning to these words. a. slowly b. satisfied c. stupid/unintelligent d. untidy e. sure/certain f. theoretical g. unqualified Answer Key 2. Connections: What is the connection in meaning between the words in these groups. a. sister

parents

b. university c. subjects

mother

daughter

children

adults

degree books

lessons

teacher

Answer Key 3. Word families: Find words in the text related to these words.

a b c d e f g

noun satisfaction precision

verb

adjective

x x x motivate

advantageous curious x

competition practise

Answer Key F. PREPOSITIONS Fill in the gaps in these sentences with prepositions. (Look for similar sentences in the text.) a. Many parents these days are not satisfied .............. the education system. b. Children who are slow ........... reading need extra help from their teachers. c. Most children do better when they are working ........... their own speed. d. Normal school divide learning ............ subjects. e. Children learn .............. a more natural way ............. home. Answer Key G. LANGUAGE NOTES 1. At • • •

Ruth is good at maths. (She does maths well.) Helen Warton is slow at writing. (She writes slowly.) He's bad at paying bills. (He doesn't pay bills when he should.)

2. As well as is used to link two ideas. Example: As well as learning from books, Helen started to cook. (Helen learnt from books. She also started to cook.) Now use as well as to link these pairs of sentences. a. I go swimming every week. I also play squash regularly. b. I listen to the radio. I also watch television. c. He does a full-time job. He's also got two part-time jobs.

Answer Key PART TWO

A. TEXT Education Otherwise Education Otherwise is a support group for families who teach their children out of school. The group, which was started in 1977 by a small group of parents, wants to encourage alternatives to the school system, and to encourage parents to be responsible for their children's education. It also believes that children should have the right to express opinions about their own education. Education Otherwise has a membership of 1200 families. This is double what it was two years ago and it gets 200 enquires a month from parents who are thinking about educating their children at home. Jane Everdell, the enquiries secretary, thinks that the actual number of children learning out of school is far higher than the membership of the organization: " We lose about 20% of our membership every year, not because of the children go back to school, but because the families no longer need us. We estimate that there must be 6000-8000 children in Britain who are being educated out if school." According to Education Otherwise, there are several reasons why parents keep their children out of school. Some have strong philosophical or religious objections to schools, some think their children are not doing well enough academically. Others think it is the only answer to a particular problem, like bullying. In addition, parents are becoming aware of the effects of government cuts in education spending. In the past parents took their children out of school when there was a particularly serious problem. Now more and more parents are choosing quite deliberately to teach children at home. Many members think that teaching children only at home is not ideal. They would like to see a system of schooling that involves parents and considers the wishes and feelings of children. An alternative school which includes these ideas is Kirkdale School in South London. It was started in 1965 as a self-help co-operative of parents, some of whom were teachers, who wanted their children's school to be " an extension of home". Its main principles are loving relationships, curiosity as the motivation for learning, and self-regulation as the only form of discipline. The school has no head teacher, no compulsory lessons, and uses no punishments. Kirkdale usually has about 30 pupils, between the ages of 3-1/2 and 12, and has a ratio of one teacher to every eight pupils. The parents are involved in every aspect of the school, from teaching and management, to cleaning. The children have a full say in what they do. Some of the parents use the school in combination with home learning. B. EXPLANATIONS support group

: nhóm, tổ chức hỗtrợ

alternative [n] philosophical [adj] academically [adv] bully [v] extension [n] have a say in sth

: giải pháp khác, giải pháp chọn lựa : về hoặc có tính chất triết lý : về phương diện học thuật : bắt nạt, hăm dọa : sự mở rộng; sự kéo dài : có ý kiến về việc gì

C. PARAGRAPH CHECK Which paragraph: a. gives reasons why parents take their children away from normal schools? b. describes an alternative system to both normal schools and education at home? c. gives information about the numbers of parents in Britain who have rejected the normal school system? d. explains the ideas and purposes of the organization? Answer Key D. FACT CHECK 1. Answer these questions: a. Who started the organization Education Otherwise? b. How long ago was the organization started? c. How does the organization explain that one fifth of the membership leaves every year? d. About how many children are being educated outside the school system in Britain? e. Read paragraph 4 carefully and make a list of these differences. In what ways is Kirk Dade School different from a "normal school"?

Answer Key 2. Work it out

a. How do you know that more and more parents are becoming interested in alternatives to the school system? b. How have parents' reasons for taking their children away from school changed in recent years? c. What sort of parents would think that Ruth Lawrence is an important example of the advantages of a home education? (What reasons would this sort of parent have for taking their children away from school?) d. How do the ideas of the parents of children at Kirkdale differ from the ideas of parents who want to teach their children themselves? e. Why do you think many parents would not want to send their children to Kirkdale School? Answer Key E. WORD CHECK 1. Guess the meanings of these words and phrases from the text. a. support group b. alternatives to the school system c. religious objections d. cuts in education spending e. a self-help co-operative f. an extension of home g. compulsory lessons

Answer Key 2. Word families: find words in the text related to these words

a b c d e f g h i i k

noun encouragement expression loss philosophy religion

verb

to object x x to bully to feel to extend x to manage

adjective x x x x

x x x disciplinary x

Answer Key F. LANGUAGE NOTES: must Ex: There must be about 6000-8000 children who are being educated out of school. This means: "We do not know for sure, but we have reason to believe that between 6,000 and 8,000 children are being educated out of school". Rephrase these sentences using must be. a. We think that Mr. Stevenson is about 80 years old, but we're not sure. b. I can't remember but I think it is about three weeks since it last rained. c. Nobody's sure, but people believe that there is intelligent life on other planets in our solar system.

Answer Key F. PRACTICE

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