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
63
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 teaeher’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 was good for. Generally I lived my school 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, modern 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.
The author’s intention is to get. us to ______.
选项
A、rethink educational strategies
B、approve of current trends
C、think about what constitutes communication
D、reassure parents
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/t3lO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
TravelmedicineinBritainisInBehren’sopinionthequestionofwhoshouldruntravelmedicine
ThethirdparagraphexaminesAmerica’sfuture-mindednessfromthe______perspective.Theauthorpredictsinthelastparagrap
ThethirdparagraphexaminesAmerica’sfuture-mindednessfromthe______perspective.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthef
Therearecertainlymanyteachersinauniversity,butdifferentteachersteachindifferentways.However,thereisagrowingt
RobertCongel,acommercialreal-estatedeveloperwholivesinupstateNewYork,hasaplanto"changetheworld."Convincedtha
AftertheAmericanRevolution,_____becamethefirstcapitaloftheUnitedStates,beingalreadythelargestcityinNorthAmer
Howeverimportantwemayconsiderschoollifetobe,thereisnodenyingthefactthatchildrenspendmoretimeathomethanin
1 Ibelievethatweallaccepttheprinciplethatanaffluentsocietymustdowhatitcantopreventhungerandmisery,andals
WhenthefirstwhitemanarrivedinSamoa,theyfoundblindmen,whocouldseewellenoughtodescribethingsindetailjustby
A、Morethan8,000,000dollars.B、Morethan15,000,000dollars.C、Morethan50,000,000dollars.D、Morethan25,000,000dollars.
随机试题
不能使用现金支付的业务是()
抽样误差指的是()
患者,女,15岁。右小腿上段肿胀疼痛半年,近1个月来肿胀明显。夜间痛明显。查体:右胫骨上端肿胀严重,压痛明显。皮肤无明显发红和色素沉着。浅静脉怒张,扪及一5cm×6cm硬性肿块,固定,边界不清。X线片示:左胫骨上段呈虫蚀状溶骨性破坏,日光射线样改变,可见C
亚急性头痛的病程常在
热电厂附近要有可以堆放大量灰渣的场地,一般为()年的排灰量。
矿井建设和生产过程中的水文地质工作,是在水文地质勘探工作的基础上进行的。其主要任务是()。
Lifeontheearthdependsthesun.Dayafter56.______dayweseeitslightandfeelitswarm,but
古时,指南针之所以被命名为“指南针”而不称为“指北针”的原因是()
张某、李某共同抢劫被抓获,张某下列陈述属于证人证言的是()。
Этисловазапомнилисьмне____.
最新回复
(
0
)