Discussion Questions

School Education in Britain and the USA

1. What types of schools do they have in the UK?

State schools, primary schools, secondary schools, grammar schools, fee paying schools, independent schools, public schools, prep schools.

2. When do children start/leave school?

Children usually start school at the age of 5 and leave it at 16 or 18.

3. What are the stages of schooling according to age?

3-4 – nursery schools/playschools

5-11 – primary education

11-16 – secondary education

16-18 – sixth forms

4. What exams do pupils have to take?

Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) at the ages of 7, 11, and 14

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at 16

General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) – exams in work-related subjects

A level (Advanced level) at 18

5. Do school leavers have to take entrance exams to go to university?

In order to go to University students take their A level exam, which is the main standard for entrance to University or other higher educational institutions

6. It is well known that there is no written constitution in the UK. Is there such a thing as a national curriculum?

Yes, the National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a nationwide curriculum for primary and secondary state schools following the Education Reform Act 1988. The purpose of the National Curriculum was to standardize the content taught across schools to enable assessment, which in turn enabled the compilation of league tables detailing the assessment statistics for each school. These league tables, together with the provision to parents of some degree of choice in assignment of the school for their child (also legislated in the same act) were intended to encourage a 'free market' by allowing parents to choose schools based on their measured ability to teach the National Curriculum.

7. How long should it take to complete full-time compulsory education?

British law requires all children to be in full-time education from the age of 5 to 16, but parents like, if possible to send younger children to a nursery school or playschool from the age of 2 or 3.

8. What should primary school and secondary school concentrate on?

Secondary schools should concentrate on preparing students for their exams, and primary schools should teach children the three R’s and develop their creative abilities

9. In what case can entrance exams be abandoned?

Entrance exams can be abandoned if a student does not want to continue his/her education and starts working.

10. What should be admission requirements to primary and secondary school?

schools may give priority to children: who have a brother or sister at the school already, who live close to the school, from a particular religion (for faith schools), who do well in an entrance exam (for selective schools eg grammar schools or stage schools), who went to a particular primary school (a ‘feeder school’), in care or being looked after (all schools must have this as a top priority).

11. What is the purpose of elite school education?

With elite education you’re part of elite group of future leaders and world-changers. The future of civilization depends on you. You form some of your closest, longest-lasting friendships in college. Elite-university-goers tend to stick together long after they have graduated. They network, they meet friends-of-friends. Everyone within their circle believes strongly in the prestige and importance of an elite education. Elite universities are feeders for other institutions: the professions (law, medicine, etc.), academia, and large corporations. These institutions are filled with graduates from elite universities (and college graduates, in general). Within these institutions, the importance of an elite education is usually accepted as irrefutable fact.

12. What subjects should be an integral part of school curriculum? What subjects can be optional for university students?

Mathematics, Science, a modern foreign language, History and Geography should be an integral part of school curriculum. Philosophy, Music, Literature and Technology can be optional for university students.

13. What is the essence of private schooling in Russia?

Such schools are small institutions, offering individualized attention for children.

14. What is a problem pupil?

A problem pupil is a pupil who misbehaves at school and has learning difficulties.

15. What is your idea of a good teacher?

A good teacher is one who is able to bond with his/her students, to understand and to resonate with their feelings and emotions. A good teacher has a positive mental attitude, is flexible and is open to change. A good teacher should also be a role model to the students.

16. Looking back on your school days, what experiences can you describe as the most 1) memorable, 2) exciting, 3) painful?

1) receiving my diploma; 2)school parties and hanging out with friends; 3)occasional bad marks

17. How do you feel on the morning of an exam?

Nervous and worrying

18. In your opinion, which exam is easier to pass: oral or written?

I think it is easier to pass an oral examination.

19. Do you prefer to be the first to answer in an oral exam?

Not always, it depends on the difficulty of an exam.

20. Do you use rough-work sheets in a written exam? Why?

I take a sheet of paper with me on the exams simply to write down my answers

21. Do you feel uncomfortable if a teacher stands next to you during a written exam?

No, I don’t care about it

22. Do you think a crib can be of any use?

It depends on the kind of an exam, but anyway it’s better to know perfectly all the material if you want a good mark. Cribs cannot save you.

23. Have you ever panicked during an exam?

Yes, several times.

24. Do you think it is a way out to copy from other students?

No, for an examiner, doubting your knowledge, can ask you such questions you do not know. In this case copying doesn’t work.

25. What is the most difficult thing about exams?

Preparation for them

26. What are the advantages and disadvantages of private schools (boarding schools, co-educational vs single-sex schools, school uniforms)?

1) Private schools usually have greater access to resources and technology than public schools. Private schools usually have a smaller student body, and a lower teacher-to-pupil ratio than public schools. Unlike public schools, private schools have far less bureaucracy. The final say is at the school level, not the district level. Private schools tend to have more parental involvement than public schools. However, there are generally fewer minorities in private school than in public school. Also, the parents of exceptional children; whether the child is gifted or whether she needs special education services, generally find that private schools cannot give their child the services she needs. Finally, there's the cost of private education, which can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

2) Advantages of wearing school uniforms. It gives students a sense of pride as they know they belong in that school. If any crime happens outside of school, members of the public can identify which school they attend. Some of the less privileged students may not be able to afford fashionable clothes - so students may get bullied. It looks much more formal. Students can get into the routine of wearing uniforms. So when they attend meetings and university they will know how to dress formally.

Disadvantages of wearing school uniforms. Students can get very hot, during the summer term, in school uniform. If any student is involved in violence or has been attacked members of the public will not be able to tell what school they attended. Students will feel unique if they wear there own clothes whereas if they wear school uniform they are pretty much the same as all the students. Teachers will be able to identify students easier. Own clothes are much cheaper than school uniform. Students will not have to worry about bringing incorrect uniform to school. Less detentions = students having more time to study.

3) Advantages and disadvantages of boarding schools.

Advantages. In a boarding school setting, a student may be able to learn independence and a sufficient sense of self. Because he is in a more enclosed environment, a stability is present within all of the student's educational and social settings. Educational advantages begin with the ability of students and teachers to cultivate personal relationships that encourage more growth and provide extra help with academic and personal betterment. At a boarding school, students are provided with study sessions that are supervised by teachers, thus improving performance in school. Many classes are also available that better fit in with each student's specific interests.

Disadvantages. It can be difficult for a student to adjust to boarding school because she has been placed in completely new surroundings with unfamiliar people and circumstances. Time spent with family and friends from home becomes limited, which can make the transition seem harder. A personal life away from school is also difficult to maintain due to the high expectations of academic excellence in a typical boarding school. Also, extracurricular activities provided by the school often occupy a student's time after classes and on the weekends. And although rules and guidelines are needed to implement discipline in students, oftentimes a boarding school student must strictly adhere to even minor rules or risk expulsion.

4) Pros and cons of single-sex schools. Many students at single sex schools point to the lack of opposite sex as an enormous advantage. Many students find it easier to focus on academics when they aren’t distracted by members of the opposite sex. Others may find it easier to participate actively in classes where everyone is the same sex. Others enjoy the camaraderie that often connects classmates at single-sex schools. But that advantage can also be a disadvantage. For one thing, student diversity suffers at a single sex school. In addition, although it may be easier for students to participate actively and do well academically at a single sex institution, the real world is not single sex. It may prove difficult for students from single sex schools to adjust to a co-ed work atmosphere after they graduate.

5) Pros and cons of co-educational schools. Co-ed schools are likely to offer you more in the way of student diversity. Having both men and women in classes allow students of both sexes to interact with a wider range of people and learn how to work with and talk to people of the opposite sex. However, the mixing of the sexes can also serve as a disadvantage for some students at co-ed schools. Students who are intimidated by the opposite sex may find it difficult to participate in class at co-ed schools, while others (admit it!) simply find the opposite sex to be a distraction from their academic work.

27. Is it a good idea for pupils to specialize in their “best” subjects at school?

Only if pupils sure that they want to continue studying them at the University.

28. What’s the best age for children to start primary school? Why?

I think that formal schooling should be delayed until the age of six or seven because early education is causing “profound damage” to children.

29. Should children stay at school until they are 18 or 19?

It depends on the type of school and students’ abilities.

30. Is it a good idea for pupils to participate in the running of schools?

Yes, for it develops pupils’ activity, responsibility for their choices and actions, the ability to make decisions.

31. Are national and international exams necessary? What are the pros and cons of regular performance tests and continuous assessment by teachers and lecturers?

Different examinations check the students’ abilities and knowledge of particular subjects. They also help them to apply for a University or other higher educational institutions.

32. Can computers assess learning?

The move to on-line and computer based assessment is a natural outcome of the increasing use of information and communication technologies to enhance learning. At the same time, in a climate of increasing academic workloads, the adoption of on-line assessment may help to manage large volumes of marking and assessment-related administration efficiently. The automation of routine on-line tasks, in particular, may have the potential in the long-term to provide time/cost-efficient student assessment.

Nevertheless, there is some evidence that on-line assessment, unless carefully planned, can encourage students to focus on lower level cognitive skills. The educational effectiveness of on-line assessment that concentrates primarily or exclusively on true/false or multiple choice responses, for example, is highly questionable in a higher education environment. As is widely known, such approaches to assessment can have direct negative effects on student approaches to learning by encouraging narrow reproduction rather than the development of higher order cognition that involves, for example, critical evaluation.