(Page 65)
👉 SKILLS 1
Reading
- Work in groups. Discuss if each of the following phrases describes past or present learning.
- Depending on textbooks - Using the Internet
- Learning under an oil lamp
- Being independent and active - Two people of different generations are talking about their learning styles. Read the passages and choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D.
Mr Nam, grandfather, a 70-year-old farmer
I was one of the few children in my village who was still at school at the age of 15.
Every day, I got up early and walked to school. Learning then depended mostly on our teachers and textbooks. We had no library or lab. The nearest bookshop was six kilometres away. I learned simply by taking notes during class, memorising them, and doing the homework. Life then was simple. We rarely travelled outside our village, so we didn't know much about the world around us.
Mai, granddaughter, a 15-year-old student
Learning today is very different from my grandfather's time. It is easier and more convenient. Besides learning from teachers and textbooks, we use the Internet. It provides us with various online sources such as documents, clips, and programmes. Google helps us find the answers to almost any questions we have. The Internet also allows us to pursue our own interests. Learning has become more independent. Although most children in my village have fewer private learning facilities than the students in the city, we are still luckier than my grandfather's generation. We have TVs to watch at home and a library and computers at school.
1. 1. In Mr Nam's time, _____.
A. teachers played an important role
B. there were no bookshops
C. students did experiments in labs
D. all children stayed on at school until they were 15
2. Few people travelled outside their village, so _____.
A. life in the village was simple
B. his school didn't have any learning facilities
C. the villagers didn't know much about the world around
D. none of the villagers knew about city life
3. Learning now _____.
A. does not require textbooks
B. uses some online programmes
C. depends only on the Internet
D. does not require students to take notes
4. The word "It" refers to _____.
A. learning today
B. my grandfather's time
C. learning facilities
D. the Internet
5. The word "we" refers to
A. learning facilities
B. students at my grandfather's generation
C. students in the city
D. children in the village
(Page 66) - Fill in each blank with ONE word from the passage.
1. Mr Nam learned mainly from teachers and _____.
2. He learned by _____ the information he got in class.
3. Nowadays, students can learn from _____.
4. An example of an online source is _____.
5. The Internet helps children _____ online source their interests.
Speaking - Work in groups. Discuss and make a list of the changes in your learning over the past five years.
You can mention:
- number of subjects
- teachers
- learning facilities
- learning style (dependent / independent...) - Share with the class the list your group has made in 4.
