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finally got to bed at about 2 o’clock in the morning. Anyway, I remember
waking up feeling worried about the exam but also excited because once the
exam was over, I’d be leaving school and beginning a whole new chapter in
my life. I’d arranged to meet my classmates Paola and Mercedes for a coffee
before the exam, so we met up in a caf
é
near the school and then walked into
the exam hall together. I don’t remember much about the exam itself, except
that I found it less difficult than I had expected, but I do recall the moment
we were told to stop writing and hand in our answer sheets. It occurred to
me that this would be the last time I would be told what to do as a child.
From that moment, and from the moment I walked out of school later that
day with my classmates, I was entering adulthood for the first time. I was
both excited and apprehensive about the future, but most of all I felt free.
That’s what makes it particularly memorable for me, I think.
Practice tasks 3: Sample answers
Part 3
•
Have schooling methods in your country changed since your parents were at
school?
I think that there have probably been a few changes in the thirty years or
so since my parents were at school. For a start, there was much more
discipline at school then, and you had to follow lots of strict rules. If you
broke those rules, you were punished. The teachers were even allowed to
hit you, which would probably be illegal now. Teaching methods were
probably very different too. In those days, you sat in silence while the
teachers taught you, and you would only speak when you were asked a
question. Nowadays, things are definitely more relaxed. Pupils are
encouraged to get more involved in the learning process, and are actively
encouraged to question and challenge things in the classroom. This is
probably a much more effective way of learning.
•
Do you think that continuous assessment is a less stressful way of grading a
student’s progress than exams?
I’ve always hated exams, and found them really stressful. In fact, I’ve
never really seen the point of them. I hate the fact that everything you’ve
learnt over the year is tested under pressure in three or four hours. And
in addition to being stressful, they don’t really say much about your
knowledge of the subject or your ability as a student. With continuous
assessment, your school work is graded over a period of time. Because
you’re not under so much pressure, you can plan your essay or
assignment or whatever more thoroughly, and present a better piece of
work at the end. I would say that continuous assessment is far less
stressful and a much better indicator of your ability in any given subject.
•
How useful do you think computers are as a teaching resource?
Computers have certainly changed the way we learn over the last thirty
years or so. They’re invaluable as a source of reference, when we’re
writing an essay for example, and they can be used as an exam resource
to test what we’ve learnt. And they’re very useful if you want to study on
a course but are unable to get to a school or college. After all, computer-
based distance learning means that millions of people around the world
now have an opportunity to study on a real course. However, in my
opinion, as an actual teaching resource, they’re no substitute for being in
a real classroom with a real teacher. You don’t have that same level of
interaction with the teacher, for a start, which I think is essential for
effective learning. And you don’t have other students who you can
interact and work with.
WRITING
When we go to school, we study a lot of subjects. Some of these, such as
reading, writing and arithmetic, are essential skills which we will use
throughout our lives. Others may be useful in certain careers or other
circumstances, but in most cases are rarely if ever needed in our day-to-day
lives. In my experience, I have never been in a situation where the history,
geography, chemistry and physics I learnt at school have benefited me in any
way.
Outside of school I have acquired far more important and useful knowledge
and skills. For example, I have learnt how to drive a car, I have studied three
languages, I have taught myself the importance of careful financial budgeting
and I have travelled and learnt to appreciate and accept other people and
cultures. Furthermore, I have become mechanically and technologically
proficient: school never taught me how to fix a car engine, change a plug or set
up a website. On the surface, therefore, it would appear that almost everything
useful I have learnt has been outside school.
However, is this entirely true? When we are at school, we tend to look at each
day as little more than a series of classes broken up by breaks, meals, sports
and other activities. What we are not really aware of at the time is what I
would call ‘between the lines learning’. In class, for example, we are learning
how to record, process and filter information. We are also learning how to
work with others. When we play sports, we are learning about the importance
of teamwork and strategy. At other times we are learning how to behave and
how to follow rules (or, if it suits us, how to bend or break the rules without
getting caught out).
In conclusion, therefore, I think that while most of the practical skills we need
throughout our life are learnt outside school, most of the formative skills we
need to succeed in life are acquired at school. In other words, schools teach us
much more than just a series of unrelated subjects. It is just that we don’t
realise this at the time.
Practice tasks 4
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