My 21-year-old niece, a second-year undergraduate, mentioned that she watches video lectures offline at twice the normal speed. Struck by this, I asked some other students I know. Many now routinely speed up their lectures when learning offline — often by 1.5 times, sometimes by even more. Speed learning is not for everyone, but there are websites where students discuss how odd it will be once they return to the lecture theatre. One contributor wrote: “Normal speed now sounds like drunk speed.”
Education was adapting to the digital world long before Covid-19 but, as with so many other human activities, the pandemic has given learning a huge push towards the virtual. Overnight, schools and universities closed and teachers and students had to find ways to do what they do only via the internet. “This is a time for schools and systems to reimagine education without schooling or classrooms,” says Professor Yong Zhao. Dr Jim Watterston in Australia thinks that, while the traditional classroom is still alive and well, education needs to be more adventurous and flexible. Earlier this year, Zhao and Watterston co-authored a paper in which they identified some major changes that should happen in education post-lockdown.
The first concerns the content, which should emphasize such things as creativity, critical thinking and leadership, rather than the collection and storage of information. “For humans to progress in the age of smart machines, it is essential that they do not compete with machines.”, they wrote, “Instead, they need to be more human.”
The second is that students should have more control over their learning, with the teacher’s role shifting from instructor to supervisor of learning resources, advisor and motivator. This is where so-called “active learning” comes in with a growing body of research suggesting that comprehension and memory are better when students learn in a hands-on way — through discussion and interactive technologies, for example. It’s also where the concept of “productive failure” applies. Professor Manu Kapurin argues that students learn better from their own or others’ failed attempts to solve a problem before or even instead of being told how to solve it.
If the progress of the times is unable to hold back the coming revolution in education, it seems unlikely that the traditional classroom is going to have any luck in its attempts trying to turn back the clock. As Laurillard puts it, “It took a global pandemic to drive home what we’ve been saying for 20 years.”
1. By giving examples of “speed learning” in the first paragraph, the author wants to show that _________.| A．digital world is dramatically reforming the way of learning. |
| B．speed learning completely replaces normal speed learning. |
| C．returning to the lecture theatre is strange after speed learning. |
| D．education begins to adapt to digital world after Covid-19. |
| A．It is essential for smart machines to be more human. |
| B．Students should possess more information about creativity. |
| C．Students value others’ failure over their own failure. |
| D．“Active learning” calls for diverse ways of involvement. |
①learning mode ②learning motive ③learning attitude ④learning focus
| A．①④ | B．②③ | C．①③ | D．②④ |
| A．Speed learning harms students’ learning efficiency. |
| B．The coming revolution in education is irreversible. |
| C．Teachers will play a less important role in the future. |
| D．The traditional classrooms will eventually disappear. |
相似题推荐
One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials(尝试) increase the length of time we will remember it.
In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.
The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表) are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.
The law of overlearning explains why cramming(突击学习)for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1?| A．People remember well what they learned in childhood. |
| B．Children have a better memory than grown-ups. |
| C．Poem reading is a good way to learn words. |
| D．Stories for children are easy to remember. |
| A．presenting research findings |
| B．setting down general rules |
| C．making a comparison |
| D．using examples |
| A．a result of overlearning |
| B．a special case of cramming |
| C．a skill to deal with math problems |
| D．a basic step towards advanced studies |
| A．Commonly accepted rules. |
| B．The multiplication tables. |
| C．Things easily forgotten. |
| D．School subjects. |
| A．It leads to failure in college exams. |
| B．It's helpful only in a limited way. |
| C．It's possible to result in poor memory. |
| D．It increases students' learning interest. |
【推荐2】British parents encourage their children to play musical instruments as part of a family tradition(传统) rather than raise their children’s competitiveness as the American parents do.
Dr. Aaron Reeves from Oxford University found that the UK parents did not see musical practice as character building or useful in getting university places or jobs for their children. Instead, they usually encouraged their children to follow their interests.
This is different from what the other researchers had found in America. Middle-class parents in the US appear to associate(与……相联系) these cultural practices with other worldly benefits and often center these music activities around the school subjects.
Researchers think that it may be due to(由于) the fact that the US parents have become increasingly worried about providing their children with skills and abilities enabling them to stand out from their competitors.
However, for British parents, no such direct connection was made with future educational or job advantages. The parents interviewed here did not connect music with usefulness but rather they just paid attention to the value of music as a family tradition and, to some degree, as something valuable in its own right.
One Scottish parent said during an interview, “We’ve got two learning musical instruments. If they think it is fun, we try and encourage them, but we wouldn’t force them.” Another housewife said, “My son has just turned five and I want him to play the guitar because his uncle is good at it, but it’s up to my son.”
“Lots of UK parents don’t think music practice could be very helpful for the children’s confidence or school success. They say that it takes time and some talent for the children to gain a competing advantage,” said Dr. Reeves. “I think they are right.”
1. What does the underlined word “their” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The US parents’. | B．The UK children’s. |
| C．The UK parents’. | D．The US children’s. |
| A．It is useful for their children to get better jobs. |
| B．It can be helpful to build their children’s confidence. |
| C．It helps their children to succeed in their schoolwork. |
| D．It would be better to take it as a hobby for the children. |
| A．Both the US and UK parents are right. |
| B．The other researchers’ findings are misleading. |
| C．Dr. Reeves agrees more with the UK parents. |
| D．Only the talented children can benefit from music learning. |
| A．The benefits of extra music learning for children. |
| B．The American parents’ attitude towards music learning. |
| C．Differences in the British and American parenting styles. |
| D．Different attitudes towards music learning in the UK and USA. |
【推荐3】Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive(主管) circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight success was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight success.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine and an attractive man more manly than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the "manly" qualities required.
This is true even in politics. "When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently," says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. Then the students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
1. The underlined word "liability" most probably means _________.| A．trouble | B．advantage |
| C．misfortune | D．disadvantage |
| A．is of great importance to women |
| B．often enables women to succeed quickly |
| C．strengthens the feminine qualities required |
| D．makes women look more honest and capable |
| A．affects men and women alike |
| B．turns out to be a disadvantage to men |
| C．has as little effect on men as on women |
| D．is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women |
| A．demand equal rights for women |
| B．state the importance of appearance |
| C．give advice to job-seekers who are attractive |
| D．discuss the disadvantages of being attractive |
Teenagers who spend quality time with their parents are more likely to want to further their studies， according to research from the University of Warwick． Researchers found that adolescents who take part in cultural activities with their mother and father were more likely to aspire（渴望） to continue their studies post-16than those who didn't． This is compared to even those who attended homework clubs or participated in extra-curricular activities．
Dr Hartas led the research． She said： "Filial（子女的） dynamics such as emotional closeness to parents and cultural capital were better predictors than more school-driven parent-child interactions．" Factors relating to family emotional closeness， bullying， friendships， homework， extra-curricular activities and perception of parental interest in the child's education were examined． The researchers measured responses to questions about a variety of topics such as visiting art galleries， discussing books at home， the number of evenings spent doing homework， relationship with siblings and quarrelling with parents．
Dr Hartas and her team found that the willingness to solve problems was a strong predictor of educational aspiration． Adolescents who indicated they were less confident at handling problems were 30% less likely to rate gaining GCSEs important． In addition those who expressed a lower level of general well-being were 18% more likely to choose not to go to university． Closeness to parents was an indicator of attitude towards GCSEs； those who did not feel emotionally close to their parents were two times higher to consider GCSEs unimportant． However， emotional closeness to parents was not found to be significant in predicting a desire to attend university．
What the researchers termed ‘cultural capital' or participating in cultural activities also appeared to affect the desire to study further． Those who weren't exposed to cultural activity were 14% and 20% respectively less likely to consider university or GCSEs as important． Those who did go to museums， galleries， concerts etc． were found to be 23% less likely to consider training or employment post-16．
Implications of the research
Dr Hartas said that these findings had significant implications for family and educational policy， especially with regard to "raising aspirations and reducing early school leaving．" They also raised the issue of reconsidering the role of the home environment as a web of emotionally and intellectually charged relationships between parents and children rather than an extension of the school day．
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【推荐2】So few adults can remember the details of their own preschool or kindergarten years, it can be hard to appreciate just how much the early-education landscape has been transformed over the past two decades. The changes are not restricted to the physical environment of classrooms. Teaching methods and curricula have changed too. Much greater parts of the day are now spent on what’s called “seatwork”(a term that probably doesn’t need any explanation) and direct instruction, formerly used mainly in the older grades, in which a teacher carefully controls the content and pacing of what a child is supposed to learn.
One study, titled “Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?” compared kindergarten teachers’ attitudes nationwide in 1998 and 2010 and found that the percentage of teachers expecting children to know how to read by the end of the year had risen from 30 to 80 percent. The researchers also reported more time spent with workbooks and worksheets, and less time devoted to music and art. Kindergarten is indeed the new first grade, the authors concluded. In turn, children who would once have used the kindergarten year as a gentle transition into school are in some cases being held back before they’ve had a chance to start.
Until recently, school-readiness skills weren’t high on anyone’s agenda, nor was the idea that the youngest learners might be disqualified from moving on to the next stage. But now that kindergarten serves as a gatekeeper, not a welcome mat, to elementary school, concerns about school preparedness kick in earlier and earlier. A child who’s supposed to read by the end of kindergarten had better be getting ready in preschool. As a result, expectations that may arguably have been reasonable for 5- and 6-year-olds, such as being able to sit at a desk and complete a task using pencil and paper, are now directed at even younger children, who Jack the motor skills and attention span to be successful.
Preschool classrooms have become increasingly difficult spaces, with teachers asking pre-schoolers to finish their “work” before they can go play. And yet, even as pre-schoolers are learning more pre-academic skills at earlier ages, I’ve heard many teachers say that they seem somehow less curious and less engaged than the kids of earlier generations. More children today seem to lack the language skills needed to retell a simple story or to use basic connecting words and prepositions. They can’t make a conceptual analogy between, say, the veins(纹理) on a leaf and the veins in their own hands.
That’s right. The same educational policies that are publishing academic goals down to ever earlier levels seem to be contributing to the fact that young children are gaining fewer skills, not more.
1. What can be inferred from the sentence “Kindergarten is indeed the new first grade”?| A．Kindergarten is going to replace the first grade in the future. |
| B．Kindergarten kids are asked to learn what first-graders learn. |
| C．Today’s kindergarten kids are smarter than first graders in the past. |
| D．Some kids choose to skip kindergarten to go to the first grade directly. |
| A．might not be able to go to the kindergarten |
| B．are worried about their school-readiness skills |
| C．are not allowed to move on to elementary school |
| D．think of the kindergarten year as a gentle transition |
| A．Pre-schoolers need to be academically prepared. |
| B．Preschool teachers are not as kind as they used to be. |
| C．Today’s preschool education doesn’t prove successful. |
| D．Children pick up their first language later than before. |
| A．What Preschool Kids Should Be Taught |
| B．How the New Preschool Is Damaging Kids |
| C．Why We Should Take Preschoolers Seriously |
| D．Who Is to Blame for Preschoolers’ Lack of Skills |
Many college students today struggle with cheating. The Internet offers many temptations--there are term papers for sale along with articles and news reports that can be copied for free with the click of a mouse. It is not surprising that cheating is sometimes difficult to resist.
Polly is not the only student who isn’t sure what is cheating and what is not
If students are becoming less concerned about ramification of cheating, colleges and universities are working harder to catch the cheaters. Some administrators use sophisticated computer search engines to find Internet plagiarists. However, many other colleges are using honor codes to combat cheating. And effective honor code clearly describes the boundaries of legitimate and illegitimate work. In addition, it sets punishments for breaking it.
Some people say that simply putting in an honor code will not solve the problem, but several studies since the 1980s have shown that schools without honor codes tend to have about twice as much as cheating as those with honor codes in place.
| A．If she gets caught, she would receive a failing grade, or maybe slowing out of school. |
| B．This uncertainty is partly because of the fact that standards are changing. |
| C．Honor codes can be boasts a carrot and a stick. |
| D．Educators say that the simple act of students singing the honor code makes a difference. |
| E．A culture where people are genuinely offended by cheating have to be built. |
| F．Furthermore, students often do not understand exactly what constitutes cheating. |
