UNIT 3.

EDUCATION AND LEARNING

I. What are the qualities that make a good teacher? What about a good student?

II. In groups, discuss about the importance of formal and non-formal education in one’s
development.
III. Read the following text and answer the questions:
Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind,
character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society
deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.
Etymologically, the word education is derived from educare (Latin) “bring up”, which is related to
educere “bring out”, “bring forth what is within”, “bring out potential”.
The educational process is called schooling when referring to the education regarding a certain subject,
as it is usually the case with higher education. There is also education in fields for those who want specific
vocational skills, such as those required to be a pilot. In addition there is an array of education possible at the
informal level, such as in museums and libraries, with the Internet and in life experience. Many non-
traditional education options are now available and continue to evolve.
A right to education has been created and recognized by some jurisdictions: since 1952, Article 2 of
the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights obliges all signatory parties to guarantee the
right to education. At world level, the United Nations’ International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights of 1966 guarantees this right under its Article 13.
Primary (or elementary) education, coming after pre-primary education, generally consists of the first
4 years of formal, structured education in a school, starting at the age of five or six, although this varies
between, and sometimes within, countries. Globally, around 89% of primary-age children are enrolled in
primary education, and this proportion is rising. Under the Education for All programs driven by UNESCO,
most countries have committed to achieving universal enrolment in primary education by 2015, and in many
countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education. Schools that provide primary education
are mostly referred to as primary schools.
The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs
at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some education systems have separate middle schools, with the
transition to the final stage of secondary education taking place at around the age of fourteen. In most
contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education comprises the formal education that
occurs during adolescence. It is characterized by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive
primary education for minors, to the optional, selective tertiary, “post-secondary”, or “higher” education.
Depending on the system, schools for this period may be called lower secondary or middle schools, upper
secondary or high schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, colleges, or vocational schools. The exact meaning of any
of these terms varies from one system to another. In the United States, Canada and Australia primary and
secondary education together are sometimes referred to as K-12 education, and in New Zealand Year 1-13 is
used.
Higher education, encompassed in tertiary education, also called third stage, or post secondary
education, is the non-compulsory educational level that follows the completion of a school providing a
secondary education, such as a high school. Colleges and universities are the main institutions that provide
tertiary education. Collectively, these are sometimes known as tertiary institutions. Tertiary education
generally results in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, or academic degrees.
Higher education includes teaching, research and social services activities of universities, and within
the realm of teaching, it includes both the undergraduate level and the graduate (or postgraduate) level. In
most developed countries a high proportion of the population (up to 50%) now enter higher education at some
time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economies, both as a significant
industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy.
Tertiary education also includes continuing or further education which is meant for people of all ages
and professions and which has become increasingly important over the recent years.

1. What is the etymology of the word “education”?

2. How is the right to education guaranteed?
3. What is the first level of education called?
4. Is primary education compulsory in Europe?
5. What is secondary education?
6. Give alternative terms for higher education.
7. What are the levels comprised within higher education?

IV. Listen to the following presentation and answer the questions:

1. What is the official name of our university?
2. When was the current name given to the university?
3. Who is the Rector of the University?
4. How many students are there in the university?
5. How many Faculties are there in the university?
6. Name the categories of students.
7. When did the Research Institute of the university become functional?
8. Name some of the opportunities offered to students, as presented in the film.
V. Choose the correct answer(s):
1. Helen’s parents were very pleased when they read her school ………..
a. report; b. papers; c. diploma; d. account.
2. Martin has quite a good …………….of physics.
a. result; b. pass; c. understanding; d. head.
3. In Britain, children start ………………school at the age of five.
a. kindergarten; b. secondary; c. nursery; d. primary.
4. Mary has a ……………..…in French from Leeds University.
a. certificate; b. degree; c. mark; d. paper.
5. My favourite ……………...at school was mathematics.
a. topic; b. class; c. theme; d. subject.
6. The head of a school is called a ………….………
a. director; b. principal; c. diligent; d. professor.
7. The teacher ………………some difficult exercises for homework.
a. set; b. put; c. obliged; d. made.
8. Before you begin the exam paper, always read the ……….…….carefully.
a. orders; b. instructions; c. rules; d. answers.
9. If you want to …….. the examination, you must study thoroughly.
a. take; b. bring; c. past; d. pass.
10. Most students have quite a good sense of their own ………..…….
a. grasp; b. ability; c. idea; d. information.
11. Jack decided to ……………..a course in education sciences.
a. make; b. take; c. attend.
12. Sheila has always got good …………..in algebra.
a. marks; b. points; c. notes.
13. My sister ………………..me how to draw.
a. learned; b. taught; c. teaching.
14. Martin …………….his exam and had to take it again.
a. failed; b. failure; c. missed.
15. If you have any questions, ……………your hand.
a. raise; b. rise; rose.

VI. Match the phrases on the left with their explanation on the right. Then introduce them into
appropriate contexts:
1. have a tutorial a. one who is absent without permission,
especially from school
2. take a degree b. obtain qualification in a particular field
3. Bachelor’s degree c. to receive a sum of money given by a
government or other organization for
educational purposes
4. graduate with honours d. a sum of money paid for instruction
5. Master’s degree e. a designation referring to graduates’
performance
6. cram for end-of-term exams f. to have a class that provides instruction in a
particular area
7. do a Ph.D. g. title of a first university degree in a particular
subject
8. play truant h. university degree in a particular subject
which one gets after studying for one year or
two longer after your first degree
9. get a grant i. be enrolled in a high-level university degree,
conducting original and advanced research,
synthesized in a thesis
10. tuition fee j. to study hastily for an examination

VII. Look at these idiomatic expressions using learn. Then rewrite the sentences below using the
expressions:
• learn (off) by heart • learn (one’s) lesson
• learn by rote • a quick learner
• learn the ropes

a. Starting a new job is difficult because you have to learn all the basic things that you don’t yet know.
b. He was able to pick up everything about the sport in no time at all.
c. We had to remember all the words of the song before the concert.
d. The child, who ran in the school corridor, fell over and banged his head. He now knows never to do
that again.
e. When my grandfather was at school he had to memorize all the facts that the teacher told him.
VIII. Think about the school system in our country and consider your experience of
education. Discuss in small groups and then give a short presentation, taking the
following questions as guidelines.

•What age do children begin school?

•What age does compulsory education end?
•What time do schools begin and end?
•What are the different school stages called?
•What subjects are taught at what ages?
•Do students have to pay to attend university?
•What are the fields the most searched for in higher education?