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Secondary
School Background
In
the library nearby a group of six students is working very . together,
writing up the results of a series of surveys they have doing over
the past month. A new major road is planned for the suburb in which
the school is located, and these students have been trying to determine
where the road should go.
They
have a questionnaire and distributed it to residents in the area
we interviewed shopkeepers and factory owners; last week to members
of the local Council and town engineers to a the official views.
Out of all this information they have what they think is the best
route for the new road, and now are writing a report of their findings.
Each student is responsible a different section of the report
which they will present :orally days to their classmates and then
send a copy on to the council itself.
Of
course not all schools and another are as flexible as this . Some
follow a more rigid syllabus and a more traditional teaching In
such schools the teacher does most of the talking and writ
en the blackboard. He demonstrates a lab experiment and
the follow him, stop by stop, There i5 often one course text book
which covers nearly all that the students are required to know for
that subject.
The emphasis here is on learning factual information ac curately,
and teaching is directed towards a final examination- This
kind of teaching is more common in science and technical than in
social sciences or humanities. Yet even in such
Some
independent study is expected, and students are not encouraged to
sit passively during lessons. They must volunteer to .answer questions
and join in discussions; they must make their notes and write regular
assignments
In
all schools, however, there is emphasis on written work both in
assignments during the term and in exams. The assignments normally
ask students to describe some situation or phenomenon, for example:
D
escribe the reproductive system of the kangaroo.
Summarize
the main climatic features of the monsoon areas of South, east
Asia .
Or
to explain something, either directly or through comparison,
for Example:
Explain
the causes of the American War of Independence .
Another
girl points
more
traditional teaching
often
involve argument
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