Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BEING A TEACHER
II Reading
Task 1 What might be the concerns of beginning teachers? What are, in your opinion, the
advantages of experienced teachers when coping with everyday classroom problems?
Task 2 Read the text Becoming an Expert Teacher and check your predictions.
With experience, however, most teachers meet the challenges that seem difficult for
beginners. They have more time to experiment with new methods or materials. Finally, as
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confidence grows, seasoned teachers can focus on the students needs. Are my students
learning? Are they developing positive attitudes? Is this the best way to teach the slow
learners to write a persuasive essay? At this advantaged stage, teachers judge their
success by the success of their students.
All good teaching begins with an understanding of students and learning. Today, there is
great interest in studying how people understand and apply knowledge. Just as
educational psychologists have investigated how expertise develops in teaching, they
have also explored how students come to be experts in particular subjects.
What do expert teachers know that allows them to be so successful? Researchers have
studied this question, and they have identified seven areas of professional knowledge.
Expert teachers know:
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The curriculum materials and programs appropriate for their subject and
grade level.
Subject-specific knowledge for teaching: special ways of teaching certain
students and particular concepts, such as the best ways to explain
negative numbers to lower-ability students.
The characteristics and cultural backgrounds of learners.
The settings in which students learnpairs, small groups, teams, classes,
schools, and the community.
The goals and purposes of teaching.
This is quite a list. Obviously, one course cannot give you all the information you need to
teach. In fact, a whole program of courses won't make you an expert. That takes time and
experience. In addition, no person can learn for another; students create their own
knowledge and skills. The teacher's role is to orchestrate materials, tasks, environments,
conversations, and explorations that encourage and support learning and the increasing
independence of their students. To become such a teacher, you will need to know about
your students, learning, motivating, teaching, and assessing.
Most people agree that teachers must be both technically competent and inventive. They
must be able to use a range of strategies, and they must also be able to invent new
strategies. They must have some simple routines for managing classes, but they must also
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be willing and able to break from the routine when the situation calls for change. New
problems arise all the time, and when the old solutions do not work, something else is
needed.
With the growing understanding that teaching is a complex problem-solving activity has
come a call to give teachers more freedom and responsibility. A number of educational
reform movements seek to involve teachers in designing the curriculum and making the
decisions for their own students.
You may be thinking that all this talk about expert teachers and expert knowledge,
artistry, and technique is a bit idealistic and abstract. Right now, you may have other,
more down-to-earth, concerns about becoming a teacher. You are not alone!
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b) it helps students to organize their time better
c) it reveals the true character of a teacher
IV Vocabulary in context
Task 1 Rewrite each sentence below, substituting the italicised words with the correct
synonym from the box. Be sure to use the correct form of the word and make any
changes necessary. Check the use of the listed words in the text, if necessary.
ease into, novice, mutual, persuasive, expertise, seasoned, orchestrate, artistry, reflective,
down to earth
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9) Yoga teachers are expected to be quiet and thoughtful.
10) He played the piece with the skill of an artist.
Task 2 Read the first paragraph again and find five activities that teachers regard the
most challenging at the beginning of their career.
Task 3 Complete the sentences with the correct words from the box below. Check your
answers in the text, if necessary.
1) Beginning teachers often ______________ shock when they start their first job.
2) All teachers _____________ many challenges at the beginning of their carrier.
3) Students must ______________ positive attitudes towards school rules.
4) Who should _______________ teachers success?
5) Many researchers investigate how students understand and ________________
knowledge.
6) Both teachers and parents should __________________ the independence of
children.
7) _________________ a class is a prime requirement that every teacher must
fulfil.
8) We decided to______________ from the classroom routine, so we organized an
outdoor biology class.
Task 4 Using the vocabulary covered in previous tasks, translate the following paragraph
into English.
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kojem rade. Odravanje discipline u razredu nije jednostavno, a, osim toga,
ocjenjivanje uenikih radova vremenski je vrlo zahtjevno. Biti dobar uitelj znai
obvezati se na cjeloivotno usavravanje.
V Vocabulary development
Task 1 Look at the entry analysis in a monolingual dictionary and look at the same entry
in a dictionary of collocations. What are the elements of each entry (pronunciation, part
of speech, definition, etc)? What are the differences between these two entries? What is
the purpose of a dictionary of collocations?
primary/elementary education
secondary education
further/higher/post-secondary education
students in full-time education
adult education classes
a college/university education
the state education system
a man of little education
She completed her formal education in 1995.
Collocations
Wordfinder
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school, primary, secondary a college of further education | university | professional,
vocational | all-round | health, religious, sex | full-time, part-time | public, state |
private parents who choose private education for their children
VERB + EDUCATION have, receive He was at a disadvantage because of the poor
education he had received. | give sb, provide (sb with) The school provides an excellent
all-round education. | enter students entering higher education | continue, extend She
went to college to continue her education. | leave young people who are just leaving full-
time education | complete, finish He went to America to complete his education.
EDUCATION + NOUN authority, committee, department, ministry, sector, service,
systemfunds provided by the local education authority | minister, officer, official | policy
| reform | campaign, initiative, programme, project, scheme The council has launched
a new health education campaign. | facilities, materials, resources | class, course adult
education courses | centre, college, establishment, institution
PREP. in ~ students in full-time education | through ~ We acquire much of our world
knowledge through education. | ~ about education about danger on the roads
Task 2 Look at the list of nouns that are commonly used in academic register (AWL,
sublist 1):
approach, assessment, concept, evidence, issue, method, principle, research, role, theory
Task 3 Read the paragraph below and underline the collocations of the adjective+noun
type (e.g. effective technique) and verb+noun type (e.g. apply technique). Check their
meaning with your partner.
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but the artistry of being reflectivethoughtful and inventiveabout teaching.
Educators who adopt this view tend to be more concerned with how teachers plan,
solve problems, create instruction, and make decisions than they are with the
specific techniques teachers apply. They believe teaching is a complicated,
demanding activity that requires creative thinking and a commitment to lifelong
learning.
VI Speaking
Task 1 In small groups, discuss the following issues:
1) What are common expectations that society/parents/students have from a
teacher? Are they reasonable or unrealistic?
2) What is your attitude towards the role and importance of a teacher in a
community/society?
Task 2 Read the following anecdote and compare it with the ideas discussed.
Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and
fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. Not only that, I'm to instill a
sense of pride in their ethnicity, behaviorally modify disruptive behavior, and observe
them for signs of abuse.
I am to fight racism, patriotism, the war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases,
check their backpacks for guns and raise their self-esteem.
I am to check their heads occasionally for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize
signs of potential antisocial behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for
student employment and scholarships and encourage a respect for the cultural diversity of
others.
I am to attend committee and faculty meetings and participate in staff development
training to maintain my current certification and employment status.
I am to purchase supplies, room decorations, supplies for children who can't afford them,
and luxury items such as scissors, glue, scotch tape, paper clips, note book paper, red
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pens, and markers with my own money as there is no money in the budget for these
items.
I'm to do all of this with just a piece of chalk, a few books and a bulletin board, and on a
starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps in many states.
Is that all?
Task 3 Choose one of the situations below, use the prompts and prepare with your
partner/s a short role-play about the common situations in and around school.
B: You are 17 and sick and tired of school exams, projects and plans everybody
else is making for you. You're not sure anymore that you want to enrol the college.
2) A: You (14) are finishing your Geography project but you are not quite sure what
the final layout should look like. You ask your father for some help, adding that
your Geography teacher suggested including your parents into project, if
necessary.
B: You (a parent) have just come home after a hard day at work and all you want
is to lie down and watch you favourite soap opera. You don't think that parents
should help the children with their tasks. After all, children don't go to work
instead of parents.
3) You are two parents complaining about your children's school to each other. There
are so many things you don't like:
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too many subjects,
too many useless facts they learn
too much homework
being too much involved in the whole process of learning
expensive books
heavy bags
4) You are two teachers complaining about your work to each other. There are so
many things you don't like:
VIII Writing
Task 1 Why are the texts written in formal register usually divided up into paragraphs?
How would you define a paragraph?
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a) a topic sentence usually the first sentence of a paragraph, it is a general
statement which contains the underlying idea of the paragraph
b) supporting sentences two or more sentences developing the main idea
through explanations, examples, comparisons, etc
c) concluding sentence it summarizes the main points of a paragraph, making a
final comment and usually building a logical bridge to the next paragraph
Task 2 Study the following paragraph and label its constituent parts.
Contemporary research has shown that people change jobs an average of seven
times before they retire. These findings are not surprising given the fact that
global economy and consequently job market have undergone considerable
changes over the last years. Such a situation has led many people to consider
career changes which in turn require new knowledge and skills. Thus, one goal of
teaching should be to free students from the need for teachers so the students can
continue to learn independently throughout their lives.
Task 3 Choose the best topic sentence for the following paragraph. Explain why the
remaining two choices would not be the most suitable ones. Suggest alternative topic
sentence(s).
..
They find many tasks in school interesting because they value learning, not just
performing well in the eyes of others. But even if they are not intrinsically
motivated by a specific task, they are serious about getting intended benefit from
it. They know why they are studying, so their actions and choices are self-
determined and not controlled by others. However, although knowledge and
motivation are important factors, they are not always sufficient. Self-regulated
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learners need volition or self-discipline which is crucial for academic
achievement.
a) Self-regulated learners are high-achievers who like to stand out and be the
best.
b) Self-regulated learners feel motivated to learn and perform well in school.
Task 4 Choose the best concluding sentence for the following paragraph. Explain why
the remaining two choices would not be the most suitable ones. Suggest alternative
concluding sentence(s).
c) In sum, the teacher's major task is to make the students feel motivated to
learn and acquire new knowledge.
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Task 5 Write down possible topic and concluding sentences for the following paragraph.
Researchers emphasize that learning is not only about the cold cognition of
reasoning and problem solving. Learning and information processing also are
influenced by emotions which play a role in learning as well. Students are more
likely to pay attention to, learn, and remember events, images, and readings that
stimulate emotional responses or that relate to their personal interests.
Task 6 Based the above instructions write down a paragraph on one of the following
topics.
c) Expert teachers relate the content of the subjects they teach to the world
outside the classroom.
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