Today’s students have a problem. They were born into a world where technology, smartphones, and immediate access to the Internet are hurting their ability to focus and changing the way they think.
Now teachers have a problem too. They find it particularly exhausting to ask students to read complex or long texts without taking regular breaks. Smartphones have clearly affected the younger generation, but how education should evolve for digital-native students?
A common idea among teachers is that short is good. When students can’t seem to pay attention to long lectures, many teachers simply break lessons into smaller patterns. In fact, students need time to engage with a topic once the teacher introduces it before moving on. Switching between small lessons too quickly could rob them of valuable comprehension.
There are also teachers who begin classes with meditation (深思) exercises to help their students focus. However, it turns out that any sort of “tech breaks” could counteract strong desires to multi task.
A 2018 study found that students aged between 10 and 24 tend to stay away from physical books. They prefer video as a source of information second only to teachers. Therefore, some tech-forward teachers choose platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Asha Choksi, vice-president of global research at Pearson, gives the example of a teacher who films himself performing a science experiment and posts it to YouTube. When it is time for class, he uses the video to illustrate material in the textbook, which can seem boring to students.
Still, while those educators are embracing technology in the classroom to meet student’s needs, they also find value in traditional methods, and so suggest a “blended (混合的) learning” approach. Direct instruction from them will never be replaced in their classes. Technology will be favored only when it improves a lesson in ways that are impossible offline.
Digital natives will continue to eagerly adopt new media. Teachers have no choice but to evolve. They are making an effort not only to ensure that students can take advantage of new technologies, but to teach students valuable skills that can help them think in a world constantly trying to distract them. Think of the Zuckerbergs, the Gates, the Jobs and all those pioneers in the tech world. They became successful not because they could code (编程); it was because they could think.
12. What does the underlined word “counteract” in paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Motivate. | B.Reduce. | C.Compensate. | D.Influence. |
13. According to the passage, which of the following statement is NOT true?
A.Teachers adopt short lectures, small lessons, which could be hard to understand sometimes. |
B.Teachers employ meditation exercises to help students concentrate on class, which is of little effect. |
C.Students aged between 10 and 24 don’t prefer physical books, so YouTube and Instagram may be a good choice. |
D.Students aged between 10 and 24 prefer videos to teachers, so using videos to explain textbooks is a popular way. |
14. According to the article, a “blended learning” approach is suggested mainly because ________.
(1). the conventional way of teaching remains unchallenged
(2). technology is a useful supplement to textbooks
(3). material in the textbook is too boring to most students
(4). teachers want to change their traditional teaching methods
A.(1)(2) | B.(2)(3) | C.(3)(4) | D.(1)(4) |
15. According to the author, a teacher’s top priority is
________.
A.to share as much knowledge with students as possible |
B.to encourage students to make full use of new technologies |
C.to help students develop their ability to think critically and creatively |
D.to instruct students to limit their use of smart phones and social media |