Education tapescript

3. Education
Listening Activity No.l

The Physics Olympiad in Iran

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Listening Activity No.2

A fill-in-the-blank test

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Good morning, everyone. Today I'd like to talk about the fill-in tests and how to deal
with them.
A fill-in-the-blank test may require you to recall an answer from memory or choose an
answer from a list of options. Choosing an answer from a list is easier than recalling an an•
swer from memory. In either case, the information given in the incomplete statement may
provide clues that will help you decide what to write in the blanks. There are three strate•
gies that can help you fill in the blanks correctly.

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First, decide what kind of answer the statement requires. Read the statement carefully
and decide whether you are supposed to supply a name, a date, a place, or some other kind
of information. Knowing what the question asks will help you recall or select the right
answer.
Second, the way a statement is expressed may help you decide how to complete it. Your

answer should complete the statement logically and grammatically. For example, if you are
asked to choose options from a list to fill in the blanks and the statement you are working
on requires a verb to complete it, scan the list for verbs and choose from them.
Third, key words in the statements may help you determine what topic the question
covers. Knowing the topic will help you recall information needed to complete the state•
ment. For example, if a question asks you to briefly describe Piaget's third stage of develop•
ment, the key words "Piaget" and "third stage of development" let you know that the topic
is Piaget's stages: If you can't recall the third stage, reconstructing the other stages in your
mind may jog your memory.

Listening Activity No.3

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Teaching speaking and listening

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Welcome to the course on Teaching Speaking and Listening. This course has been
designed for ESL/ EFL teachers who already have some teaching experience but require
"formal" qualifications. It is assumed that teachers have familiarity with some of the ter•
minology and practical techniques of teaching speaking and listening, and now seek the
theory behind the practice. This course is not primarily intended to be a collection of
teaching suggestions, ideas or activities. It is an opportunity for in-depth exploration of the
thinking behind what it is we are doing when we teach speaking and listening. It is also

an opportunity to clarify values and beliefs about this area of language teaching.

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The focus of this course is on teacfiing tfie communicative useof Englisb by speakers--1
to listeners. Conducting needs assessments, teaching pronunciation and intonation, teach- j
ing vocabulary and the teaching of grammar are discussed and explored in greater detail J
in other courses. Naturally, there will be some overlap, repetition, and even conflict, as ·

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clearer with the completion of each successive course.
Teaching Speaking and Listening is designed to provide you with 18 hours' study mate•
rial in the form of this study guide, two audio workshops, a video and the readings. The
course has been divided into five units. Each unit represents two to four hours of study;
the readings, worksheets and learning activities will take varying amounts of time to
complete depending on the individual student. The assignments will require additional
preparation time.

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There are many excellent ESL books full of ideas and suggestions for speaking and
listening activities. The resource list provides a good starting place to search for materials

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which will help you with your readings, worksheets and assignments.

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Listening Activity No.4

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Seminars

Seminars are a kind of the university academic learning event. They are different
from tutorials in several ways. Usually, seminars are attended by academic staff and
senior students. If the seminar is led by a student then the student quite often chooses
and develops the seminar topic. The seminar's focus is broader and tends to allow more

interaction among the students and teachers.
You give a seminar to display to your classmates the depth of your knowledge on a
topic. Or you can present and discuss some of your research findings for review. You
should find out how your department runs its seminars. Some departments are formal
and have chairpersons who introduce the speaker and control the questions. Other departments are informal and leave it up to the student to allow interruptions. Even if the
seminar is chaired, you. have control over it when the question should be answered and
how deeply it should be investigated. You have the right to bring the audience back to
the point if the discussion wanders. You may also ask a questioner to hold a question in
mind until such time as you may answer it with due consideration.
The main purposes of a seminar are to hear a point of view presented and for the
audience to add to the presenter's knowledge by offering their ideas on the subject. There
is a clear obligation on the audience to contribute to the success of the seminar by gen•
erating discussion.
You need to prepare yourself before you go to the seminar. Find out what it is on. Read
up on the topic and make notes of any points in the literature that you do not understand
and that the speaker may be able to clarify. Take notes during the talk as you cannot
hope to remember all of what you want to raise later. Your notes should show what you

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agree or disagree with and what points you want to discuss.

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Listening Activity No.5

True-false test strategies

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Linda Hi, Tom. Have you got your test result yet?
Tom Yeah.
Linda Let me have a look. You really did well. Tom, could you tell me how to do objective tests?
I always have some problems with them.

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Tom

Well, if you are well prepared for a test, you should be able to answer the questions
whether they are true-false, multiple-choice, or fill-in-the-blank. If you are not sure
about some questions, you should try to guess.

Linda But how to guess?

Tom

Let's look at true and false questions first. Since there are only two possible an•
swers to a true-false question, you have a 50 per cent chance of choosing the right
answer. If you guess, you· can use the following strategies for guessing the answer

when you aren't sure that you know the answer.

Linda What are the strategies?

Tom

First, mark a statement true unless you know it is false because true-false
tests often contain more true answers than false ones.

Linda Really? I didn't know that.

Tom

Second, mark a statement false if it contains absolute words such as
"always", "never", "invariably", "none", "no one", "all", and "everyone". Absolute
words tend to make statements false because they do not allow for exceptions.

Linda That sounds reasonable.

Tom

For example, you should mark the statement "It never gets cold in London" false
because the word "never" means "never in the history of the world". It is highly
unlikely that there is a place on Earth where it has never gotten cold even once.

Linda So a statement that contains an absolute word is always false?

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Tom

Remember, absolute words usually make statements false, but not always.

Linda

Right, I've got it.

And the last one, mark a statement false if any part of it is false. If part of a state•
ment is untrue, then the whole statement is untrue. For example, the statement
"Hamlet, Macbeth and The Dream Merchant are three of Shakespeare's most
famous tragedies" is false. Although Shakespeare did write Hamlet and Macbeth, he
did not write The Dream Merchant. If you don't know whether a statement is true
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or false, but you're certain that part of it is untrue, mark it false.
1-Linda I see. I will use these strategies for my next test. Thank you, Tom.

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Tom

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Tom

You are welcome.

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Listening Activity No.6

Multiple-choice tests

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Good morning, everyone. Today I'd like to talk about multiple-choice tests and how
to deal with them.
The part of a multiple-choice item that asks the question is called the stem. The answer
choices are called options. The incorrect options are called distractors because they distract
your attention away from the correct option. Usually there are four options, though there


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might be three or five. Your job is to identify the one correct option. You can do this in
the following ways:
1. If you know the material, first answer the question in your mind, and then read all the
options and choose the correct one.
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2. If you know the material but cannot answer the question in your mind, read the II
options, eliminate those you know are incorrect, and choose the answer from those
remaining. The more options you eliminate, the more likely your choice will be correct.
3. If you do not know the material, or if you cannot figure out the answer, guess.
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Options that contain the phrases "all of the above" or "none of the above" are frequently the correct choices. If two options are similar, for example, "Northern Hemisphere"

and "Southern Hemisphere", one of the options is probably the correct answer. Finally,
if one option is more complete or contains more information than the others, it may be
the correct one.

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Finally, if the list of options is a list of numbers, middle numbers tend to be the cor•
rect answers, and the highest and lowest numbers in the list tend to be distractors. These
strategies are not foolproof, but they are useful as a last resort if you must guess the answer
to a question. I hope these may help you to take the multiple-choice tests. Thank you.

Foreign students increased

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This is an Education Report from VOA.
A new report says the number of foreign students at colleges and universities in the
United States increased three per cent last year. This was the first notable increase since
2001. And it included a ten per cent jump in new international students.
The "Open Doors" report is from the Institute of International Education in New York,
with support from the State Department.
In the fall of 2001, American schools had five hundred eighty-three thousand foreign
students. The record is five hundred eighty-six thousand. That was set in 2002 after many
years of gains. However, after 2002 the numbers fell.
On September 11, 20()1, terrorists attacked the United States; this led to more restric•
tive visa requirements. Now, stronger efforts are being made to get more foreign students
to study in the United States.

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An option that contains an absolute word such as "all", "always" or "never" is probably
a distractor, an incorrect answer. An option that contains an unfamiliar word may also be
a distractor. Many students assume that an unfamiliar term is probably the correct answer,
but it is mare often a wrang...an�ssing, you are mare likely ta choose
the right answer if you choose an option that is familiar to you.

Listening Activity No.7

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For the sixth year, India sent the most international students last fall, almost eighty-four
thousand. That was up ten per cent from the year before. China remained in second place,
and South Korea was third. Japan was the fourth among the twenty leading senders of
foreign students. But the number of Japanese fell sharply - nine per cent.
There was a three per cent drop for both Indonesia and Kenya, the only African coun•
try in the top _!wenty last year._But there were notable increases from Saudi Arabia, Nepal
and Vietnam. The number of Saudi students more than doubled to nearly eight thousand.
For a sixth year, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles accepted the most
foreign students - more than seven thousand. Columbia University in New York was the
second. Other· schools in the top five were New York University, the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University.
The leading field of study was business and management. That was the choice for eight•
een per cent of foreign students last year. The second was engineering.
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The new report also says more than two hundred twenty thousand Americans studied
in other countries. That was during the 2005 - 2006 school year. It was a record number
and an increase of. eight and a .half per cent from the year before. But only five and a half
per cent of them stayed for ct full y�ar. _
That's the VOA Special English Education Report.
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Listening Activity No.8

Welcome to study in Australia!

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Australia now has around 384,000 international students from over 140 countries around
the world. They are enrolled in a wide range of disciplines at every level of education, in•
cluding short-term English language courses, Bachelor arid Master's degrees right through
to Doctoral degrees.
Whatever type of study you are considering, you need accurate and easy-to-use informa•
tion to make an informed decision. The online guide can help you to make the best study
choice. It can help you in the following ways:

1. an overview of the Australian education system, with advice on key topics such as applica•
tions, accommodation, and how to enjoy the great Australian lifestyle;
. 2. detailed profiles of education institutions offering courses at eight different levels;
3. course listings and study data, for example, contact details, fees, course duration, etc.
The advantage of taking an English language course in a country of native English speakers is
the endless opportunities to practise speaking, reading and writing English.

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Students coming to Australia on a student visa to study English language courses are
usually required to study full-time. There are generally no set course entrance requirements
for English language study, but you should always check with your chosen university.
Tourists and visitors to Australia can also participate in some college studies during their
stay as long as the course is fewer than 12 weeks long. There are courses that combine study
and tourist activities that have been specially designed for student visitors.
You can generally apply for study abroad programmes in Australia either through your
home institution or directly with the Australian institution. Students taking part in an ex•
change programme will need to first apply for approval with their home institution before
applying.
When students apply to Australian universities, they generally need:

1. to have completed a minimum of two semesters of full-time study at their home
institution;
2. to satisfy minimum academic requirements set by the Australian institution;
3. to have satisfied any necessary subject prerequisites;
4. to satisfy English language requirements if from a non-English speaking country.

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Students may be required to fulfil a number of other application requirements such as
providing academic and character references, a financial statement, and a copy of their academic results. Admission requirements differ among Australian institutions, so it is impor•
tant to check specific details with individual institutions before applying.

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Listening Activity No.9

A VOA Special English Education Report Q

033.MP3

Recently, we talked about how some American schools have made changes in the
traditional school year. Their goal is to improve student learning.
Some have extended the school year, or reorganised it to avoid a long summer break.
Another choice is to extend the school day. A new report from the Centre for Evaluation
and Education Policy at Indiana University examines research into how effective this is.
The traditional school day has not changed much in more than a century. Activities or
special programmes might mean a longer day. But younger children usually go to school
from approximately nine o'clock in the morning until around three in the afternoon. Older
students are traditionally in school from about 7 a.m. until around 2 p.m.
Some high schools have changed to later start times because of findings that teenag•

ers learn better that way. But the new report says results have been mixed. Teachers say
students are more awake. But students say the changes interfere with after-school activi•
ties or jobs.


By 2001, almost one third of all secondary schools had some form of block scheduling.
The idea is to provide longer periods in the school day to teach basic subjects.
More class time should mean better results. This is the thinking, at least. Yet, a 2001
study found that secondary schools with traditional schedules had higher test scores by
comparison. Schools with block scheduling did have higher scores in science, though.
In any case, the study agreed with earlier findings that students feel better about their
schools in systems with nontraditional scheduling.
So how useful is a longer school day? Not surprisingly, the policy experts at
Indiana say it is what educators do with the extra time that has the largest effect on
student learn• ing. They note a criticism that education leaders often make scheduling
changes without changing the learning environment of a school.
The experts say teachers must be trained to use the added time effectively. Professional
development is needed. The report notes that simply adding time to a programme that
is not very good or very interesting will not increase student learning.
Community support is also valuable when making changes. There is also another con•
sideration. Schools may need a lot of extra money to pay for an extended day.
That's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach.
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Listening Activity No.10

The world's oldest graduate

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Listening Activity No.11

Listening skills

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There are two kinds of listeners. One is passive and the other is active. Passive listen•
ers do more hearing than listening. They are aware that the instructor is speaking, but
they aren't making sense of what he or she says. Passive listeners may expect
instruc• tors to motivate them and to interest them in the topic. Active listeners pay
attention to what they hear and try to make sense of it. Active listeners tend to be
self-motivated, and they expect to find their own reasons for being interested in a
lecture topic. To get more out of lectures, become an active listener. You can follow
these six steps:

1. Decide to listen. By deciding to listen to a lecture, you are taking an active role
instead of waiting passively to receive information.
2. Listen with a positive frame of mind. Expect to find something in the lecture
that will interest you. Assume that you will learn something useful, that you will
expand your knowledge, and that your understanding of the course will increase.
3. Focus your attention on the speaker. If you keep your eyes on the speaker, you should
be able to ignore any distractions that are competing for your attention. Keep
your


mind on the speaker's topic. Do not give in to negative thoughts or feelings about
the speaker, the topic, or the speaker's opinions. Your purpose is to learn what the

speaker has to say.
4. Encourage the speaker. Look interested and make eye contact from time to time.
Ask questions and make. comments when appropriate. Your posture and expression
can communicate to the speaker that you are trying to follow his or her ideas. Eve•
rything you do to encourage the speaker also affects you by making you concentrate
on the lecture.

5. Take notes. Taking notes helps you concentrate on the lecture. Take notes consist•
ently when listening to lectures, and adopt or develop a note-taking system that
works for you.

6. Decide what is important. Listen for repeated terms or ideas. Speakers use repeti•
tion to emphasise important points. Watch for gestures and facial expressions that
may also be used for emphasis.
Listening for signal words helps you listen for ideas. For example, if an English in•
structor says "in addition" or "furthermore" then you should note that your instructor
I will give another point or example. When you hear "remember that", "most significant"
and "above all", these mean that your instructor is adding emphasis to the points. If you
hear "therefore", "consequently", "in conclusion" and "so", your instructor is indicating
a conclusion.

Listening Activity No.12

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How babies learn

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fluenced by their environment. A baby will smile if her mother does something the baby
likes. A baby learns to get the best care
. possible by smiling to. please her mother or other
caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and commuriicate with other human beings.

Many experts say the first years of a child's life are important for all later development.
An American study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and

language skills in their children.
The study involved more _than one thousand two hundred mothers and children.
Re•
searchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. They
observed the )!lO.!ll�r�_ P.!?:Yi!}g_�!t_l:i !._h�!!'. s:hiJg_reQ_ four' times_ _d_1:1:1:tng' this period. _ . _ _ . _
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The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mot�ets. The women were considered
sensitive if they supported their children's activities and did not interfere

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unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they
were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression.
The children of depressed women did not do as well on tests as the children of women
who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly on the
tests of language skills and understanding what they hear. These children also were less
cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted
that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the general health of their children.
Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when the women suffered from
depression.
The first three years of a child's life is the most intensive period of language and speech
development. This is the time when the brain is developing. Language and communication
skills are believed to develop best in an environment that is rich with sounds and sights.
Also, the child should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.
America's National Institutes of Health says evidence suggests there are important pe•
riods of speech and language development in children. This means the brain is best able
to learn a language during this period. Officials say the ability to learn a language will be
more
difficult if these periods pass witbom early caoracr with a langi...i.age
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The first signs of communication
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happen during the first few days of life when a baby
learns that crying will bring food and attention. Research shows that most children rec•
ognise the general sounds of their native language by six months of age. At that time, a
baby also usually begins to make sounds. These sounds become a kind of nonsense speech
over time.
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By the end of the first year, most children are able to say a few simple words. But they
may not understand the meaning of their words. By eighteen months of age, most children
can say eight to ten words. By two years, most children are able to form simple statements
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or sentences. By ages three, four and five, the number of words a child can understand i
quickly increases. It is at this age that children begin to understand the rules of language. 1i

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4. University Life
Listening Activity No.l

Q 037.MP3

Choosing subjects

W Hi, Kent, come in. Have you decided on your subjects?
M

Well, I'm not sure. I'm still thinking about it.

W

OK, let me ask you a few questions first and see what we can do. What were your best sub•
jects in high school?

M

My best subjects were Maths and Science, and I also like History.

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