Text 2. Pedagogical Education

Task 8. Read and translate the text. Comment on new words and expressions.

Pedagogical education is a system of training pedagogical personnel, such as teachers and educators, for general-education schools and other institutions of learning at pedagogical institutes, schools, and universities. In a broad sense, the term refers to the training of pedagogical personnel for educational institutions of all types, including vocational and secondary specialized schools and institutions of higher learning.

In accordance with the university charter of 1804, three-year pedagogical institutes were opened at the universities of Moscow (1804), Kharkov (1811), Kazan (1812), and Kiev (1834). Outstanding was the pedagogical institute of St. Petersburg, established in 1804 as a successor to a teachers’ seminary and in 1816 converted into the Chief Pedagogical Institute. During the 1860’s and 1870’s, advanced courses for women on a university level were established. They trained teachers primarily for women’s secondary educational institutions and for the junior grades of men’s secondary schools.

The October Revolution of 1917 radically changed the nature of public education, the system of teacher training, and the composition of the student body of pedagogical educational institutions in terms of class origin and nationality.

The system of pedagogical education established in the Russia in the 1920’s consisted of pedagogical technicums (since 1937 called pedagogical schools), pedagogical institutes, and pedagogical departments in universities.

The foundation of the Soviet system of pedagogical educational institutions was laid in the 1930’s. Pedagogical and other university departments were replaced by a network of pedagogical institutes, including those specializing in foreign languages.

The curriculum for training teachers at pedagogical schools includes the general-educational disciplines studied in secondary schools and specialized subjects, such as teaching methods, the anatomy and physiology of schoolchildren in primary school, school hygiene, psychology, and pedagogy. In addition, substantial teaching practice is provided.

Pedagogical education in universities is marked by more extensive scientific and theoretical training. Students who are majoring in pedagogical education at Belgorod University of Co-operation, Economics and Law are trained for teaching economics at vocational and secondary specialized schools.

Task 9. Make questions to the following answers:

 

1. Pedagogical education is a system of training pedagogical personnel.

2. The term refers to the training of pedagogical personnel for educational institutions.

3. In 1804, three-year pedagogical institutes were opened at the universities of Moscow.

4. The October Revolution of 1917 radically changed the nature of public education.

5. The system of pedagogical education of 1920 consisted of pedagogical technicums, pedagogical institutes, and pedagogical departments in universities.

6. In 1930 pedagogical university departments were replaced by a network of pedagogical institutes, including those specializing in foreign languages.

7. The curriculum for training teachers at pedagogical schools includes such subjects as teaching methods, the anatomy and physiology of schoolchildren and pedagogy.

8. Pedagogical education in universities is marked by scientific and theoretical training.

9. Students who are majoring in pedagogical education at Belgorod University of Co-operation, Economics and Law are trained for teaching economics at schools.

 

Task 10. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of pedagogical education, exchange information, argue your points effectively and listen carefully to the views of others.

 

Task 11. Work out retrospective analysis of current transformations in the system of higher pedagogical education in Russia.

Text 3. What is Economics?

Task 12. Read and translate the text. Comment on economics as a social science.

Economics is the social science studying production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of goods and services. Economics describes and analyzes how society chooses from among scare resources to satisfy its wants.

Economics focuses on teaching individuals, groups, business enterprises to achieve any economic objective efficiently. One of the things that people discover every day is that we can’t have everything. We see it in living, working, relaxing, shopping and so on. Living and working we have to make choice. Human wants are unlimited, but the resources necessary to satisfy those wants are limited. Thus, every society is faced with the identical problem, the problem of scarcity.

Economics deals with the problem of scarcity and choice that have faced societies and nations throughout history, but the development of modern economics began in the 17^th century. Since that time economists have developed methods for studying and explaining how individuals, businesses and nations use their available economic resources. Large corporations use economists to study the ways they do business and to suggest methods for making more efficient to use of their employees, equipment, factories, and other resources.

Economics can be divided into two major fields. These are the macro and micro economics. Macroeconomics is the study of the economy as a whole; microeconomics is the study of individual consumers and the business firm. Microeconomics explains how supply and demand in competitive markets create prices, wage rates, profit margins.

The resources that go into the creation of goods and services are called the factors of production. The factors of production include natural resources, human resources, capital and entrepreneurship.

The central problem of economics is to determine the most efficient ways to allocate the factors of production and solve the problem of scarcity created by society’s unlimited wants and limited resources. Doing so, every society must provide answers to the following three questions:

1. What goods and services are to be produced, and in what quantities?

2. How are those goods and services to be produced?

3. Who will receive and consume those goods and services?

The solution of these questions depends on the economic system of each particular society.

Word Check

Task 13. Memorize the key terms, concepts, expressions and their meaning.

1.	scare resources	ограниченные ресурсы
2.	deal with	иметь дело с кем-то, чем-то
3.	available economic resources	доступные экономические ресурсы
4.	supply and demand	спрос и предложение
5.	competitive market	конкурентный рынок
6.	wage rates	ставки заработной платы
7.	profit margin	размер прибыли
8.	factors of production	факторы производства
9.	entrepreneurship	предпринимательство
10.	depends on	зависеть от

Task 14. Answer the following questions, solve the problems, do the tasks.

 

1. Comment on the title of the text.

2. What problem does economics deal with?

3. What do economists focus on?

4. What are the two major fields in economics?

5. What do macro and micro economics study?

6. What are the factors of production?

7. What do the factors of production include?

8. Name the central problem of economics.

9. What three questions are very important for every society?

10. In what way are these questions solved in each particular society?

Task 15. Write sentences with the following words.

 

1) social science; 2) goods and services; 3) to focus on; 4) individuals; groups, businesses; 5) efficiently; 6) objective; 7) field of study; 8) supply and demand; 9) competitive markets; 10) profit; 11) employment; 12) prosperity; 13) factors of production; 14) production; 15) distribution.

 

Task 16. Translate the following sentences into English.

 

1. Экономика – это социальная наука, которая изучает производство, распределение и потребление товаров и услуг.

2. Есть и другие социальные науки, которые изучают социальные проблемы.

3. Задача экономики – научить людей рационально вести хозяйство.

4. Потребности человека – безграничны.

5. Экономические ресурсы, необходимые для удовлетворения потребностей человека, – ограничены.

6. Каждое общество стоит перед проблемой дефицита.

7. Экономику делят на две большие отрасли: макроэкономику и микроэкономику.

8. Макроэкономика рассматривает экономику в целом.

9. Микроэкономика концентрируется на деятельности отдельного человека или бизнес фирмы.

10. Факторы производства включают природные ресурсы, ресурсы человека, капитал и предпринимательство.

 

Task 17. Developing Speech (Dialogue). Ask and answer questions on “Future Profession”.

– Hi, Hello! How is life?

– Oh, hello! How’s it going?

– No problem. I am just going to have a break. Let’s go to the café.

– OK. Why are you here? Why did you enter Belgorod University of Co-operation, Economics and Law?

 

– Я поступила на экономический факультет, потому что всегда хотела работать экономистом или менеджером в крупной международной компании.

– Вы собираетесь открыть собственную фирму после окончания экономического факультета?

– Да, я хочу работать в издательском бизнесе.

– Это очень хороший выбор. Я тоже не хочу работать, как мои родители. Они бухгалтеры. Я считаю, что это скучная работа.

– Вы собираетесь получать диплом магистра делового администрирования?

– Да, конечно. Считаю, что такой диплом очень важен для карьеры экономиста и менеджера.

– Степень магистра экономики имеет высокую репутацию.

 

– Do you enjoy your future profession?

– ………………………………………………………………

– Are you going to be promoted to a job?

– ………………………………………………………………

– Are you responsible? You know you may loose your job due to disciplinary problems.

– ………………………………………………………………

– What projects are you going to work out?

– ………………………………………………………………

– Brilliant. Thanks a million.

– Thanks a lot. Bye.