首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Ask an American schoolchild what he or she is learning in school these days and you might even get a reply, provided you ask it
Ask an American schoolchild what he or she is learning in school these days and you might even get a reply, provided you ask it
admin
2010-06-18
73
问题
Ask an American schoolchild what he or she is learning in school these days and you might even get a reply, provided you ask it in Spanish. But don’t bother, here’s the answer: Americans nowadays are not learning any of the things that we learned in our day, like reading and writing. Apparently these are considered fusty old subjects, invented by white males to oppress women and minorities.
What are they learning? In a Vermont college town I found the answer sitting in a toy store book rack, next to typical kids’ books like ’Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy Is Dysfunctional’. It’s a teacher’s guide called ’Happy To Be Me’, subtitled ’Building Self Esteem’.
Self-esteem, as it turns out, is a big subject in American classrooms. Many American schools see building it as important as teaching reading and writing. They call it "whole language" teaching, borrowing terminology from the granola people to compete in the education marketplace.
No one ever spent a moment building my self-esteem when I was in school. In fact, from the day I first stepped inside a classroom my self-esteem was one big demolition site. All that mattered was "the subject," be it geography, history, or mathematics. I was praised when I remembered that "near", "fit", "friendly", "pleasing", "like" and their opposites took the dative case in Latin. I was reviled when I forgot what a cosine years beneath a torrent of castigation so consistent I eventually ceased to hear it, as people who live near the sea eventually stop hearing the waves.
Schools have changed. Reviling is out, for one thing. More important, subjects have changed. Whereas I learned English, modern kids learn something called "language skills.’ Whereas I learned writing, modem kids learn something called "communication" Communication, the book tells us, is seven per cent words, 23 per cent facial expression, 20 per cent tone of voice, and 50 per cent body language. So this column, with its carefully chosen words, would earn me at most a grade of seven per cent. That is, if the school even gave out something as oppressive and demanding as grades.
The result is that, in place of English classes, American children are getting a course in How to Win Friends and Influence People. Consider the new attitude toward journal writing: I remember one high school English class when we were required to keep a journal. The idea was to emulate those great writers who confided in diaries, searching their souls and honing their critical thinking on paper.
"Happy To Be Me" states that journals are a great way for students to get in touch with their feelings. Tell students they can write one sentence or a whole page. Reassure them that no one, not even you, will read what they write. After the unit, hopefully all students will be feeling good about themselves and will want to share some of their entries with the class.
There was a time when no self-respecting book for English teachers would use "great" or "hopefully" that way. Moreover, back then the purpose of English courses (an antique term for "Unit") was not to help students "feel good about themselves." Which is good, because all that reviling didn’t make me feel particularly good about anything.
How would you describe the writer’s attitude towards current learning strategies?
选项
A、Distanced.
B、Admiring.
C、Objective.
D、Ironical.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/VRlO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
1OscarWildesaidthatworkistherefugeofpeoplewhohavenothingbettertodo.Ifso,Americansarenowamongtheworld
Bycomparison,farmers______receivemoregovernmentsubsidiesthanothers.Themessagethewriterattemptstoconveythrougho
JapanandtheUnitedStatesarenow
GodandMyFather1IthoughtofGodasastrangelyemotionalbeing.Hewaspowerful;hewasforgivingyetobdurate,fullo
ThewritersuggeststhatthereisnosenseinbuyingthelatestvolumeThroughoutthepassage,thewriter’stonetowardstheDN
ForaCEOtobesuccessfulingovernment,hehastoTheauthorseemstosuggestthatCEO-turnedgovernmentofficials
Itissimpleenoughtosaythatsincebookshaveclasses-fiction,biography,poetry-weshouldseparatethemandtakefromeachw
Iffamiliesaretoworkwithschoolsaspartnersineducation【B1】______oftheirchildren,schoolsmustprov
AMERICARES’firstairlifttoIndiainresponsetothetsunamihasarrivedinChennai,carrying36tonsofmedicines,medicalequ
随机试题
Consumerproductssuchasshampoosandsunscreens,evenonesboostedassafer,maycontainpotentiallyharmfulchemicalsnotlis
下列汉字的发展阶段排序正确的是
教学的中心任务是(),学生掌握知识的中心阶段是(),教学工作的中心环节是()。
Thebookis______intoChinese.
皮肤黏膜淋巴综合征护理要点不正确的是
背景资料:某水闸建筑在砂质壤土地基上,水闸每孔净宽为8m,共3孔,采用平板闸门,闸门采用一台门式启闭机启闭,闸墩厚度为2m,因闸室的总宽度较小,故不分缝。闸底板的总宽度为30m,净宽为24m,底板顺水流方向长度为20m。施工中发现由于平板闸门主轨、侧轨安
利润表项目的“本期数”金额,填制依据是()。
下列合同中,属于单务合同的是()。
材料一《义务教育生物学课程标准(2011版)》对“开花和结果”部分内容标准如下:材料二某教材的相关内容如下:想一想,议一议许多植物的花色彩鲜艳,气味芬芳,让行人禁不住驻足观赏,甚至要凑上去闻一闻那沁人心脾的花香。
遅刻しないために目覚まし時計は持っていますか。職場への所要時間は分かっていますか。健康には気をつけていますか。飲みすぎ、遊びすぎ、寝不足は体をこわすもとです。毎日職場に行くのが楽しいという人は、精神が安定し、仕事に前向きになっている証拠です。また
最新回复
(
0
)