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READING
Многие аспекты нашей жизни в своем особом ритме переходят в онлайн пространство. Поэтому я не могла обойти вниманием тему онлайн образования и не предложить вам попробовать с кофе (а главное, улучшить навыки чтения) отрывки из статьи The Crisis in Higher Education . Читаем, наслаждаемся, комментируем и пытаемся понять новые слова из контекста.
Online versions of college courses are attracting hundreds of thousands of students, millions of dollars in funding, and accolades from university administrators. Is this a fad, or is higher education about to get the overhaul it needs?
A hundred years ago, higher education seemed on the verge of a technological revolution. The spread of a powerful new communication network—the modern postal system—had made it possible for universities to distribute their lessons beyond the bounds of their campuses. Anyone with a mailbox could enroll in a class. (…)Sensing a historic opportunity to reach new students and garner new revenues, schools rushed to set up correspondence divisions. By the 1920s, postal courses had become a full-blown mania. Four times as many people were taking them as were enrolled in all the nation's colleges and universities combined.
This fall, many of the country's leading universities, including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton, are offering free classes over the Net, and more than a million people around the world have signed up to take them. D These "massive open online courses," or MOOCs, are earning praise for bringing outstanding college teaching to multitudes of students who otherwise wouldn't have access to it, including those in remote places and those in the middle of their careers. The online classes are also being promoted as a way to bolster the quality and productivity of teaching in general—for students on campus as well as off.
The excitement over MOOCs comes at a time of growing dissatisfaction with the state of college education. The average price tag for a bachelor's degree has shot up to more than $100,000. Spending four years on campus often leaves young people or their parents weighed down with big debts, a burden not only on their personal finances but on the overall economy. And many people worry that even as the cost of higher education has risen, its quality has fallen. Dropout rates are often high, particularly at public colleges, and many graduates display little evidence that college improved their critical-thinking skills. Close to 60 percent of Americans believe that the country's colleges and universities are failing to provide students with "good value for the money they and their families spend," according to a 2011 survey by the Pew Research Center. Proponents of MOOCs say the efficiency and flexibility of online instruction will offer a timely remedy.
A The advances in tutoring programs promise to help many college, high-school, and even elementary students master basic concepts. One-on-one instruction has long been known to provide substantial educational benefits, but its high cost has constrained its use, particularly in public schools. B According to one recent study of undergraduates taking statistics courses at public universities, the latest of the online tutoring systems seem to produce roughly the same results as face-to-face instruction. С The leaders of the MOOC movement acknowledge the challenges they face. Perfecting the model, says Agarwal, will require "sophisticated inventions" in many areas, from grading essays to granting credentials. E This will only get harder as the online courses expand further into the open-ended, exploratory realms of the liberal arts, where knowledge is rarely easy to codify and the success of a class can hinge on a professor's ability to guide students toward unexpected insights. The outcome of this year's crop of MOOCs should tell us a lot more about the value of the classes and the role they'll ultimately play in the educational system.
At least as daunting as the technical challenges will be the existential questions that online instruction raises for universities. Whether massive open courses live up to their hype or not, they will force college administrators and professors to reconsider many of their assumptions about the form and meaning of teaching. For better or worse, the Net's disruptive forces have arrived at the gates of academia.
A hundred years ago, higher education seemed on the verge of a technological revolution. The spread of a powerful new communication network—the modern postal system—had made it possible for universities to distribute their lessons beyond the bounds of their campuses. Anyone with a mailbox could enroll in a class. (…)Sensing a historic opportunity to reach new students and garner new revenues, schools rushed to set up correspondence divisions. By the 1920s, postal courses had become a full-blown mania. Four times as many people were taking them as were enrolled in all the nation's colleges and universities combined.
This fall, many of the country's leading universities, including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton, are offering free classes over the Net, and more than a million people around the world have signed up to take them. D These "massive open online courses," or MOOCs, are earning praise for bringing outstanding college teaching to multitudes of students who otherwise wouldn't have access to it, including those in remote places and those in the middle of their careers. The online classes are also being promoted as a way to bolster the quality and productivity of teaching in general—for students on campus as well as off.
The excitement over MOOCs comes at a time of growing dissatisfaction with the state of college education. The average price tag for a bachelor's degree has shot up to more than $100,000. Spending four years on campus often leaves young people or their parents weighed down with big debts, a burden not only on their personal finances but on the overall economy. And many people worry that even as the cost of higher education has risen, its quality has fallen. Dropout rates are often high, particularly at public colleges, and many graduates display little evidence that college improved their critical-thinking skills. Close to 60 percent of Americans believe that the country's colleges and universities are failing to provide students with "good value for the money they and their families spend," according to a 2011 survey by the Pew Research Center. Proponents of MOOCs say the efficiency and flexibility of online instruction will offer a timely remedy.
A The advances in tutoring programs promise to help many college, high-school, and even elementary students master basic concepts. One-on-one instruction has long been known to provide substantial educational benefits, but its high cost has constrained its use, particularly in public schools. B According to one recent study of undergraduates taking statistics courses at public universities, the latest of the online tutoring systems seem to produce roughly the same results as face-to-face instruction. С The leaders of the MOOC movement acknowledge the challenges they face. Perfecting the model, says Agarwal, will require "sophisticated inventions" in many areas, from grading essays to granting credentials. E This will only get harder as the online courses expand further into the open-ended, exploratory realms of the liberal arts, where knowledge is rarely easy to codify and the success of a class can hinge on a professor's ability to guide students toward unexpected insights. The outcome of this year's crop of MOOCs should tell us a lot more about the value of the classes and the role they'll ultimately play in the educational system.
At least as daunting as the technical challenges will be the existential questions that online instruction raises for universities. Whether massive open courses live up to their hype or not, they will force college administrators and professors to reconsider many of their assumptions about the form and meaning of teaching. For better or worse, the Net's disruptive forces have arrived at the gates of academia.
Прочитали? Надеюсь, все было достаточно понятно. Теперь проверим, правильно ли вы поняли некоторые слова и выражения.
VOCABULARY
accolade, n /ˈækəleɪd/: an expression of praise and admiration
She was full of accolades for his work.
fad, n /fæd/: something that is popular or fashionable for only a short time
Interest in organic food is not a fad, it's here to stay.
overhaul, n /ˈəʊvə(r)ˌhɔːl/: a complete change to a system that is intended to make it work more effectively
The car needs a complete overhaul.
an overhaul of the tax system
an overhaul of the tax system
on the verge of : to be at the point where something is about to happen
Jess seemed on the verge of tears.
the Net: the Internet
shoot up to : to increase quickly by a large amount
Demand for water has shot up by 70% over the last 30 years.
weigh down to : to cause problems for someone or something, or to make someone worried
He felt weighed down by his responsibilities.
dropout, n /ˈdrɒpaʊt/: someone who leaves school or college without finishing their course of study
timely, adj: happening at the most suitable time
timely, adj: happening at the most suitable time
The fight ended only with the timely arrival of the police.
to master, v: to learn something thoroughly so that you know it or can do it very well
I never quite mastered the art of walking in high heels.
substantial, adj /səbˈstænʃ(ə)l/ : important, or real or large in amount or degree
The document requires substantial changes.
realms of sth: /relm/: a particular area of knowledge, experience, interest etc
an idea that belongs in the realm of science fiction
to hinge on : to depend on something
His political future hinges on the outcome of this election.
daunting, adj /ˈdɔːntɪŋ/: frightening in a way that makes you feel less confident:
The trip seemed rather daunting for a young girl.
live up to: to be as good as what was expected or promised
The film has certainly lived up to my expectations.
hype, n /haɪp/: attempts to make people think something is good or important by talking about it a lot on
television, the radio etc - used to show disapproval:
Some experts are concerned that the new drug won't live up to all the hype.
Some experts are concerned that the new drug won't live up to all the hype.
disruptive, adj /dɪsˈrʌptɪv/: causing problems and preventing something from continuing in its usual way
Night work can be very disruptive to home life.
А теперь вопросы и задания:
1. Insert the following phrase into the most suitable place, A, B, C
It's likely that if computers are used in place of teachers, many more students will be able to enjoy the benefits of tutoring.
2. In E and D put insert the most suitable pronoun:
1. That
2. This
3. Those
4. These
WRITING. PRONOUNS
Говорим сегодня о важных мелочах в письме. А именно – о таких на первый взгляд «незначительных» вещах, как местоимения. Как все мы знаем, girl – это «она», то есть “she”, Einstein - “he”, and a puppy is it. Но мы не о том, мы о this, that, and it.
Начнем с this
1. That
2. This
3. Those
4. These
WRITING. PRONOUNSГоворим сегодня о важных мелочах в письме. А именно – о таких на первый взгляд «незначительных» вещах, как местоимения. Как все мы знаем, girl – это «она», то есть “she”, Einstein - “he”, and a puppy is it. Но мы не о том, мы о this, that, and it.
Начнем с this
Now, this is what I want you to write, so listen carefully.
или же
Listen to this! You'll like it!
This указывает на то, о чем собираемся говорить "This is what I want you to write",
This также указывает на то, что происходит именно сейчас "Listen to this" — Послушай это (= то, что играет
именно сейчас).
Как насчет it?
В разговорной речи it обычно заменяет то существительное (предмет), о котором уже упоминалось.
We had a party on the weekend. It was great! - "it"= вечеринка
'That' та 'this' обозначают в целом ситуацию/явление/событие, происходящее (this) или уже состоявшееся (that). Представь себе вечеринку. К тебе подходит знакомый и говорит: 'This is great! I wish we could have this more often!' Использование 'it' вместо 'this' в такой фразе звучало бы искусственно, ведь нет другого существительного, к которому бы касалось it.
Вот еще примеры:
This также указывает на то, что происходит именно сейчас "Listen to this" — Послушай это (= то, что играет
именно сейчас).
Как насчет it?
В разговорной речи it обычно заменяет то существительное (предмет), о котором уже упоминалось.
We had a party on the weekend. It was great! - "it"= вечеринка
'That' та 'this' обозначают в целом ситуацию/явление/событие, происходящее (this) или уже состоявшееся (that). Представь себе вечеринку. К тебе подходит знакомый и говорит: 'This is great! I wish we could have this more often!' Использование 'it' вместо 'this' в такой фразе звучало бы искусственно, ведь нет другого существительного, к которому бы касалось it.
Вот еще примеры:
We were at movie night last Sunday. It was great.
Second:
Second:
- We were at movie night at one nice caffee last Sunday!
- That's great! Did you enjoy it? ('that' касается ситуации в целом)
- That's great! Did you enjoy it? ('that' касается ситуации в целом)
Когда в предложении более чем один объект, лишняя внимательность не помешает, особенно при чтении.
Посмотрим на следующие примеры:
'We keep our portable grill in the spare room. It is mostly used for parties.'
- the grill используется для вечеринок. Итак, it указывает на первый объект.
'We keep our portable grill in the spare room. This is mostly used for parties.'
- the spare room используется для вечеринок. Итак, this указывает на второй объект.
THE FORMER & THE LATTER
Есть еще пара местоимений, которые у меня лично вызвали confusion, а встречались в академическом письме довольно часто. Именно поэтому вашему вниманию эти два красавца:former & latter. Они помогут организовать мысли и избежать повтора слов.
Given a choice between Italian and French wine, I'd prefer the latter.
Both Williams and Andrews claim the property. The former insists that it was a gift.
Так какое вино я предпочитаю, и кто считает собственность подарком?
В предложении 'Given a choice between Italian and French wine, I'd prefer the latter,' – the latter ( читаем /ˈlætə(r)/) указывает на последний упомянутый предмет, то есть на французское вино.
В предложении 'Both Williams ans Andrews claim the property. The former insists that it was a gift' – the former указывает на первого упомянутого человека
Эти два слова легко запомнить: the former (начинается с F) — это вещь или человек, о котором вспомнили первым (first). Тогда как the latter (начинается с L) — последняя (last) упомянутая вещь или человек.
И еще одно, оба местоимения - 'former' та 'latter' - используются с артиклем "the"!
Поэтому больше внимания деталям!
До следующей встречи!
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