Text 3. Team program is an experiment in active learning

By Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop

 

Team-based learning, an educational method primarily conceived for business schools, was de­veloped in the early 1980s by Larry K. Michaelsen, now a professor of management at the University of Central Missouri in the United States. An alternative to traditional lecturing, this method uses a mix of in­dividual and group processes to solve problems.

In recent years, some medical schools have recog­nized the advantage of active learning that encour­ages critical thinking and have started to experiment with Professor Michaelsen's techniques.

Now, the Duke-N.U.S. Graduate Medical School, in Singapore, has gone a step further, applying this method to its entire basic science education.

“Learning is both about memorizing and thinking about what you've memorized; the hardest question in education is to figure out the right balance between the two,” said Robert K. Kamei, vice dean of educa­tion at Duke-N.U.S., a partnership between Duke University, based in Durham, North Carolina, and the National University of Singapore. “We've decided to apply this teaching method to its fullest ex­tent because we feel it's a better way for our students to learn”.

Dr. Kamei says this teaching method encourages students to think “creatively and critically,” a mind­set valuable for medical practitioners and future re­searchers.

“What happens when you listen to a lecture is that if you don't apply it, you tend to forget it,” he said. “Our first class did extraordinarily well using this method”.

Mr. Michaelsen says traditional lecture-based teaching does a poor job of preparing students in any field for the workplace.

“For medical students the real test is being able to use content to diagnose and treat patients - and that's a very different skill than simply remembering what the content is,” he said. “The reason that team-based learning is attractive to so many medical edu­cators is that it is a practical approach for shifting the focus of education from covering content to applying the content to solve real and meaningful problems”.

Duke-NUS has adapted Mr. Michaelsen's method slightly. It calls its variation of the method “Team LEAD,” which stands for learn, engage and develop. But the essentials of this version remain the same as Mr. Michaelsen's method.

At the start of the year, students are divided into teams, which remain the same through the year. Before each class, they are given as­signments to learn independently and in their teams. In the classroom there is an initial “readiness” phase in which they are tested, individually and in their teams, through mul­tiple-choice questions on a scratch card.

“This is a good way to teach students to work in a team, to be able to express their opinion and critically analyze what other people say,” Dr. Kamei said.

After the readiness phase, they move on to specific case studies, tackled by applying their memorized knowledge, complemented by medical literature and notes.

“Faculty does not talk, but listens to the conversations of the students, who are still working in teams," Dr. Kamei said. "The stu­dents have to explain and defend their an­swers because they could have found the right answer but for the wrong reasons”.

At regular intervals, as the course pro­gresses, the students undergo peer evaluation focused on their ability to contribute to the team effort. The results of peer evaluation con­tribute about 10 percent to the final grade.

“This teaching method really helps stu­dents learn how to cooperate and work as a team, teaching others," Dr. Kamei said. "They can also make a direct connection be­tween the basic science materials we asked them to learn and a relevant clinical situ­ation”.

Duke's medical doctoral program has al­ways been significantly different from the training provided by other medical schools, even in the United States. Duke students cov­er basic science in one year instead of two. They care for patients a year earlier than their peers at other medical schools and they devote a year to independent scholarship and research. The adoption of the team method is, for now, confined to its Singapore campus, which opened in 2007.

Dr. Kamei says there is some talk about us­ing the method at the U.S. campus, but he says there could be practical difficulties.

“We could do this here in Singapore be­cause we're starting from scratch, but it's very difficult to change the way people have been teaching their entire career,” he said. “It's a completely different way from teach­ing and lecturing”.

The Singapore government has committed to investing more than $350 million over sev­en years in Duke-N.U.S. About one-third of this money has gone into building a campus for the school, which will become operational in June. The rest of the money will pay for fac­ulty and staff salaries, start-up research and infrastructure.

The government's support reflects its desire that Singapore become a leader in medical research and education. In 2000, the government started a program known as the biomedical sciences initiative, investing 3 billion Singa­pore dollars, or $2 billion, with a goal of making biomedical sciences a main part of the Singa­pore economy. Duke-NUS faculty and stu­dents are expected to work closely with physi­cians and biomedical scientists in the recently built biomedical science research and develop­ment center, known as Biopolis, which has at­tracted internationally reputed scientists.

Duke's medical school curriculum, which allows students to devote a year to independ­ent scholarship and research in areas of basic and clinical sciences, was especially appeal­ing, Dr. Kamei said.

“This model of creating a medical school to train medical scientists is an old one, but there aren't many schools doing it,” he said. “Many schools are now finding that a very small number of their students are going into research or academia and they're trying to improve that by allowing research during their school year” [5, p. 9, 12].

Chapter II. EDUCATION IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Unit 1. The System of School Education in Russia

 

Before You Read

I. Answer the questions.

 

1. Is school education compulsory in Russia? How long is a child required to stay at school?

2. At what school do the children of Russia study to receive secondary education? Are there both public and private schools?

3. What subjects does the Curriculum of the secondary school consist of?

4. What certificate do young people get after finishing school?

5. What exams do they take to get the certificate?

6. What do young people of your country usually do after leaving school?

7. At what age must Russian young people decide whether to stay at school or to start a training programme?

 

II. Write a table for your country’s education system. You can refer to the table for the UK educational system in the previous chapter as an example.

 

III. Give Russian correspondences for the English terms for various subjects typical of Russian school.

 

Humanities, Russian Language, Literature, Physical Education, Social Sciences, Foreign Languages, Russian History, World History, Economic and Social Geography, Law, Political Science, Economics, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Ecology, Technology, Drawing, Home Economics, Sewing, Cooking, Metal Work, Carpentry.

IV. Scan the text using the vocabulary given below.

 

Russian Schooling

 

Russians have always shown a great concern for education. Every citizen of this country has the right to education stated in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. It is provided by secondary schools, vocational schools and higher education institutions. It is also ensured by the development of extramural and evening courses and the system of state scholarships and grants.

The socio-political changes that have been taking place in Russia since 1980s and the transition to a market economy have led to a need to reform the education system. The Constitution of the Russian Federation of 1993 and the federal law On Education of 1992 and its 1996 revisions strengthened the right of citizens to education and stimulated the democratization of life in educational institutions. The Federal Programme for the Development of Education, aimed at the encouragement of innovations in all components of the education system, has been designed for the support of educational reforms.

Children start school at the age of 6 (before 1985 at the age of 7). Complete schooling in Russia including primary and secondary stages now comprises 11 years of study (before 1985, ten years). The extension of total duration occurred at the expense of an earlier school enrollment at the age of 6. So students normally finish secondary (complete) general education at the age of 17. There are also twelve-year schools for part-time education and education in the arts.

General education comprises three stages corresponding to the levels of educational programmes:

– primary general education (as a rule, the standard duration is four years);

– basic general education (the standard duration is five years);

– secondary (complete) general education (the standard duration is two to three years).

Primary general education and basic general education are compulsory.

The state requirements to the minimum content of education and the workload of students are submitted in the Basic Curriculum for General Education. It designates the compulsory fields of study: Humanities with a special emphasis on Russian Language, Literature, Social Sciences, and Physical Education; Natural Sciences with priority given to Mathematics and Technology. The Social Sciences can include such subjects as Foreign Languages, Russian History, World History, Economic and Social Geography, Law, Political Science, Economics, etc. The Natural Sciences can cover Biology, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Ecology, etc. Technology normally includes Drawing and a number of disciplines for the imparting of certain professional skills: basic skills of general utility for pupils (Home Economics, Sewing, Cooking, Metal Work, Carpentry, etc.) and, in upper forms, basic skills for the exercise of certain professions.

There are several types of secondary schools: a secondary general school, a lyceum, a gymnasium. In practice, every type of secondary school designs its own curriculum, basing it upon the Basic Curriculum. Apart from compulsory subjects of a «core curriculum» each school provides some optional disciplines being specific to the particular region in which the school is located as well as in accordance with the interests of pupils. Lycei and gymnasia, as a rule, offer a variety of educational programmes at a more advanced level giving deep knowledge in a particular field of study.

In addition to regular secondary schools there exists a large number of specialist schools like schools of music, art or sport for children who are gifted in music (singing or playing some musical instrument), art (painting, drawing, performing arts) or doing different kinds of sport accordingly.

The academic year starts on 1 September and runs through the beginning of June. School examinations are scheduled in June.

On the completion of basic general education (a nine-year programme), students take final examinations and are awarded, if they pass, the Certificate of Basic General Education (Attestat ob Osnovnom Obshchem Obrazovanii). As a result of the State final attestation, students may or may not be encouraged to continue their education. The Certificate entitles its holder to be admitted either to secondary (complete) general education or to vocational education.

The Certificate of Secondary (Complete) General Education (Attestat o Srednem (Polnom) Obshchem Obrazovanii) or so-called matriculation certificate is awarded after the completion of an eleven-year school programme and the successful passing of final examinations often conducted in a form of so-called unified state examinations. The number of disciplines subject to final examinations should not be fewer than five: two federal compulsory written examinations and no less than three optional examinations at the choice of the student. The school leaving certificate entitles its holder to pursue professional education: either vocational education, or both non-university and university level higher education.

At present the system of secondary education in Russia is going through a transitional period. The main objectives of the reform are to develop a new financial mechanism, promote the humanization of education, and prepare students for life and work in new socio-political and economic conditions.

The education in this country is free at most schools. All secondary schools until recently have been funded by the state. Alongside the public sector, over the last two decades some 600 private schools have been established providing fee-paying education. These last few years some innovative schools have been set up, among them are charity-funded boarding schools.

However, a lot of problems have emerged in the process of reforming education and become the most disputable items for the discussion in the modern Russian society.

 

Vocabulary

charity encouragement to admit to award to comprise to correspond to ensure to entitle to occur to promote workload

благотворительность поощрение, ободрение принимать, допускать награждать, присуждать охватывать, включать в себя соответствовать обеспечивать, гарантировать давать право случаться, происходить способствовать, поддерживать учебная нагрузка

After You Read

 

I. Find the English equivalents for the following words and expressions in the text.

Лицей, гимназия, профессиональное образование, неполное среднее образование, основная программа средней школы, неполное среднее образование, музыкальная школа, школа искусств, спортивная школа, выпускные экзамены, аттестат о полном среднем образовании, аттестат зрелости, единые государственные экзамены (ЕГЭ), переходный период, государственная школа, негосударственное учреждение, платное образование.

II. Prepare an oral presentation of the school you went to according to the plan:

– school location;

– school structure;

– core and elective courses offered by your school;

– your favourite subjects;

– system of grading;

– teaching staff;

– methods of teaching applied in your school;

– time-table;

– periods and criteria of knowledge assessment;

– your class;

– equipment in classrooms, laboratories, gyms, work-shops;

– school canteen;

– extracurricular activities in your school;

– what you liked and disliked at your school;

– what you would like to improve or introduce there.

 

III. Think back to your favourite teacher at school and talk about them to your partner. You can use the questions as a plan.

 

– Was it a woman or a man? What was their name?

– What did they look like? What sort of clothes did they use to wear?

– Were they strict or easy-going?

– What subject did they teach? Were you good at that subject?

– What sort of things did you use to do in class?

– What was special about your favourite teacher?

– Were they popular with your classmates?

– Are you still in touch with them?

 

IV. Work in small groups and discuss the following questions. Make use of the expressions given in the annex.

 

1. Did you get any extra education? If yes, describe the specialist school you went to. How could people judge your ability? Did you take part in any performances? What kind of opportunities have your gift given you?

2. What other abilities would you like to make?

3. Do you find developing children’s talents in music, dance and drama a good idea? Why?

4. What other establishments encouraging children’s talent in different fields exist in this country? Describe their work. Can you predict their future in new social and economic environment?

5. What other methods would you suggest to make the best use of children’s talents in our country?

 

V. Ponder on the following items and present your ideas in class:

 

– encouraging very young children to study and be successful;

– being different from other children;

– stress caused by intense learning;

– generation gap between fathers and sons;

– pros and contras of coaching;

– advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling;

– qualities that make a good teacher;

– qualities that make a good student.

 

`VI. Suggest English correspondences for the following Russian proverbs. What translation transformations can be used?

 

1. Не учась и лаптя не сплетешь.

2. Знай больше, а говори меньше!

3. Ученье – свет, а неученье – тьма.

4. За ученого двух неученых дают.

5. Кто много знает, с того много и спрашивается.

6. Незнайка лежит, а знайка далеко бежит.

7. Не выучит школа – выучит охота (нужда).

8. Повторенье – мать ученья.

9. Ученье лучше богатства.

10. По платью встречают, по уму провожают.

VII. Compare the RF system of secondary education with that of the UK discussed in the previous chapter. Write a list of their strengths and weaknesses getting use of your tables. Discuss them in pairs.