14 Flashcards
Is education free?
To which age is education compulsory?
Compulsory education is free of charge
Compulsory to middle teenage years
Public means private
state/independent (public schools) (UK/US)
UK – public schools (private, expensive schools)
US - public schools (government school system)
What is the history of government involvement in organizing education
Government got involved in education at end of the 19th century
One of the last countries in Europe to organize education for everybody
What were the social effects of public schools?
Absolvents formed the ruling elite and formed a closed group into which entry was difficult with a different education
What were the basic features of the public school system?
Boys only
High fees
Boarding schools,
Divided into houses,
What are the national curriculum revisions?
Government’s plan of what children in state schools are supposed to learn
Due to anti-intellectualism, teachers have low status and there is few of them and thousands of foreign teachers are recruited every year
What are League tables and Ofsted
School exam results
Office for Standarts in Education
From what class are the children who do best considering education?
Majority of children who do well in education are from middle-class (wealthy background)
What is the purpose of grammar schools?
What are comprehensive schools?
Grammar schools prepare students for university, professions or managerial jobs
Schools to which nowadays most eleven-year olds go to
What is the role of central government vs school autonomy (sense of distinctiveness)
Central government does not dictate exact hours of the school day or dates of holidays.
It also does not manage school’s finances, only decides how much money to give it and also does not supervise the marking of exams which older teenagers take.
Name the three Rs (basic literacy and numeracy)
Reading/wRiting/aRithmetic
What was the purpose of school uniforms in the past
Name arguments for/against
In the past school uniforms a symbol of status
FOR – less money than buying fashionable clothes
AGAINST – uniforms stifle creativity and individualism
To what age are foreign languages compulsory?
Students are allowed to drop foreign languages at the age of 14
Learning for its own sake vs learning for a practical purpose
Emphasis was on the quality of person that education produced, not the quality of abilities
Reflections and effects of the „academic“ approach to study
People have to study at a specialized school for certain professions
Inclusion of social and personal matters
Schools teach „citizenship“ and also „sex and relationships education“
Priority to sport
Sporting success enhances the reputation of an institution, people with poor academic records were sometimes accepted as students because of their sporting prowess
Priority to understanding over factual knowledge
It is more valued that people understand basic things and how Britain works, not know every fact
Nursery education
All children are guaranteed a free part-time education place for up to two years before reaching the compulsory school age
Compulsory school age
Age of 5
Typical school day
Typical school day begins around 9 a.m. and finishes between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Primary/secondary schools and a difference between them
Almost all schools are either primary or secondary, secondary schools are generally larger
What is the method of teaching in the UK?
Balance between formal lessons with the teacher at the front of the classroom
and
activities in small groups with the teacher supervising
At what age are the National tests taken and from what scope of subjects?
National tests are taken at the age of 7 and 11
English, mathematics, science
What are mixed ability classes?
Some schools teach all subjects to „mixed abilities classes“
How is the school year divided?
Name school holidays
School year is divided into 3 „terms“
Schools have a „half-term holiday“ – few days or a week in the middle of each term
and also Christmas Holiday, Easter Holiday and Summer Holiday
What is the meaning of “public” considering examining boards?
Who takes the public exams?
The boards are independent
Formally individual people enter for these exams, not pupils in a particular year of school
What did the history syllabuses consist of in the 20th centur?
Most history in British schools consisted of learning about the glories of the British empire, later in that century on twentieth century dictatorships (Stalin, Hitler)
What are the methods of assesment?
Exams were taken in the form of a take-home assignments rather than timed, sit-down exams
The minimum school leaving age
16
Options for continuing (part-time/full-time) education
Training schemes (on-the-job training)
or
part-time college courses,
Rest remain in full-time education
The sixth form preparation for A-levels
„Sixth form“ refers to those pupils who are studying beyond the age of sixteen
Duration/scope of studies for A-levels
Typically a pupil spends a whole two years studying just three or four subjects
Duration of studies (In Britain and in Scotland)
3 years,
In Scotland – four years for most subjects
2 reasons for the low drop-out rate at UK universities
Students typically live „on campus“ where there is an university atmosphere
They are allowed to „retake“ years repeatedly only in exceptional circumstances
At what age is the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) taken and what is the system of marks?
At the age 15,16 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the marks are graded from A to G
What are the types of A Levels?
A Levels are split into A1s and A2s (A1 is worth half an A2)
Qualifications obtained after secondary education
a degree/certificate/diploma
A degree is qualification from a university
Other qualifications obtained after secondary education are called „certificate“ or „diploma“
Bachelor’s Degree (first/undergraduate)
BA/BSc
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
Who are undergraduates/graduates
Students studying for a first degree
What is an an:
honours/pass degree
Most people get honours degrees awarded in different classes
Student below these classes get a pass degree
Master’s Degree (second/postgraduate)
MA/MSc
Master of Arts, Master of Science
Explain residential courses (at Open University)
In summer there are short residential courses of about a week
Explain these terms (at Oxbridge)
fellows,
tutorials,
supervisions,
Staff are known as „fellows“,
Students are taught either one-to-one or in small groups known as „tutorials“ in Oxford and „supervisions“ in Cambridge
The old Scottish universities
names,
pattern of study
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, St. Andrews
Pattern of study is closer to the Continental tradition than to the English one – less specialization than at Oxbridge
The early-nineteenth century English universities (name one)
Durham
The older civic universities (name one)
Birmingham
The campus universities (describe them and name at least one)
Campus universities are built in the countryside outside a nearby town (Lancaster, Sussex – they have accommodation for most of their students and many were known as centres of student protest in the late 1960s and early 1970s
Newer civic universities (name one)
Aston in Birmingham
When does the academic year begin?
Academic year begins at the end of summer
What is the structure of Oxbridge?
Federations of semi-independent colleges
University libraries of Oxbridge
The two university libraries are legally entitled to a free copy of every book published in Britain
Gender (at Oxbridge)
Before 1970, all Oxbridge colleges were single-sex (mostly for men)
Origin of the Open University (OU)
Started in 1969, through distance education (television, radio and course books, nowadays internet)
Methods of teaching (at Open University)
Students work with tutors to whom they send their written work and with whom they discuss it
Who is the organizer of A Levels?
The same examining boards that set GSCE exams
At what age are A Levels taken and what is their purpose?
Around the age of 18, their purpose is to study further
What is the Scottish equivalent of the A Levels?
SCE „Advanced Highers“
What is the Scottish equivalent of the GSCE?
SCE (Scottish Certificate of Education)
What are the admission policies at universities?
There is no right of entry to university for anybody, they select students on the basis of A-level results and a few interviews,
What is the application process to universities?
You do not apply directly to the university, but instead through the University Central Admissions Service (UCAS)
What are „essay companies“?
Nowadays, students often use „essay companies“ which send them „information“ through an email and students claim it as their own
What is “streaming”?
Older children are often separated into groups according to their abilities – this is called „streaming“
How are secondary modern schools different?
Secondary modern schools are more practical and technical
What is the current state of language learning?
Less than ten per cent learn a foreign language beyond the age of 16
What was the social class of students in public schools in the past?
Sons of the upper and upper-middle classes
Basic features of public schools
Boarding schools
Physical punishment
Emphasis on “character building” and “team spirit”
What was the emphasis in public schools?
Emphasis on „character building“ and „team spirit“
What was the aim of public schools?
Aim to prepare young men to take up positions in higher ranks of army, business, politics
What is the modern situation in public schools?
Nowadays not all rules from the past apply, greater emphasis on academic achievement,
Most famous public schools
Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester
What is grade inflation?
The standard of a top „A grade“ is lower than in it used to be
Explain the shortage of teachers (reasons and consequences)
Due to anti-intellectualism, teachers have low status and there is few of them and thousands of foreign teachers are recruited every year
