Topic 82: Some people think that children should learn to compete, but others think that they should be taught to cooperate with others. What's your opinion?

There has been a lot of debate among educators about whether students should work together (known as cooperative learning) or individually (known as competitive learning). While the former model of learning encourages collaboration between students, the latter seems to value individualism and personal achievement. In my opinion, cooperative learning is more favourable, despite some of its drawbacks.

Cooperative learning occurs when students work collaboratively towards a common goal. A student's achievements are positively correlated with those of his or her peers in the group. Students work together in small clusters or groups and thus have a feeling of connection with other members of the group as they accomplish a common goal. Not only can it enhance the sense of teamwork among students but also it enables students to exercise their communication skills, with much of their learning being involved in face-to-face interaction.

Another benefit of cooperative learning is allowing students to take advantage of individual strengths and combined efforts. Working in a group, each member is assigned with a task, which closely matches his or her strengths, expertise and aptitudes. It will enhance efficiency and productivity. Meanwhile, group members might discuss how well they can function as a unit throughout the process and how effective their working relationships can be. It raises the possibility of students' making swift adjustment from school to work when the time conies.

However, some characteristics of collaborative learning have made it inapplicable on some occasions. For example, successful collaboration normally requires group dynamics, great variation in skills and intellectual levels of group members and a good command of social skills, and so forth. These prerequisites can easily overwhelm the possible benefits that collaborative learning techniques may have. Although collaborative learning tends to favour ordinary or slow students with giving them more support, it turns out that talented, eager students might learn little and become disenchanted over time. This situation can be remedied by encouraging intergroup competition, grouping students and allowing them to compete in groups. It minimises the negative effect of individualism while retaining the interest of outstanding students in groupwork.

In light of the above-mentioned facts, teachers should identify the best learning style for students and predict its outcomes, either destructive or constructive. In cooperative learning, personal success springs only from group success, while in competitive learning one learner succeeds at the cost of other learners. Collaborative learning brings more benefits, despite the possibility of impeding outstanding students' personal development, a problem which should be handled with caution.

1. collaboration = partnership = group effort = teamwork = cooperation = alliance

2. adjustment = change

3. inapplicable = unsuitable = impractical

4. overwhelm = overpower

5. disenchanted = dissatisfied = disappointed

6. spring from = arise from = originate from = develop from = derive from

7. with caution = with care = prudently = sensibly

Topic 83: Some people believe that educating children altogether will benefit them. Others think intelligent children should be taught separately and given special courses. Discuss those two views.

Not surprisingly, students feel privileged when working with someone with exceptional abilities even from very early years. With the aim to produce elite students, schools now endeavour to gather children of special talents and offer them special courses. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this educational philosophy.

Treating gifted children the same as others might seriously hamper their personal development. Imagine that a maths prodigy works out solutions to a thorny and tricky problem briskly;it makes no sense to force him or her to follow an ordinary curriculum. Some might argue that it will foster depression or frustration amongst low-achieving students if talented students are arranged with a special class and given specialised instruction. Many students think otherwise. Studying with high achievers cause slow students to feel frustrated and cast doubt on their effort. Feelings of worthlessness will drive them further toward low performance.

Another advantage of grouping students is enabling them to advance a strong friendship or partnership within different groups. Some opponents of this strategy argue that special students suffer socially, in a misguided belief that students would seldom talk to each oilier in an air of professional jealousy. This stereotype has blinded people to the fact that students with the same background knowledge are more likely to share a common topic of conversation. By exchanging experience and knowledge, they can make quicker progress toward their academic success.

Despite the significant position of special courses in education, it is not to say that ordinary students should be denied the same opportunity. Treating students differently can twist a child's perception of his or her abilities and potential. A student experiencing great difficulty in studying should be provided with extra support rather than being treated as the loser. The sense of exclusion does not inspire their performance or commitment but merely triggers their further decline in school record.

In view of the arguments outlined above, ability grouping is of great value. It fosters a nutritious environment in which talented students can facilitate their learning process and easily find their pals of the same gift. However, special courses should be open to any willing learner; otherwise, students will feel discriminated.

1. privileged = honoured = advantaged

2. exceptional = extraordinary = outstanding = incomparable

3. elite = best = most talented

4. prodigy = genius = phenomenon

5. briskly = rapidly = quickly

6. jealousy = envy = resentment

7. exclusion = isolation = segregation = elimination

8. outline = summarise = delineate

9. pal = peer

Topic 84: Some people who have been successful in the society do not attribute their success to the theoretical knowledge they learned at university. What is your opinion on the factors contributing to one's achievement?

People harbour different perceptions of tertiary education. Although higher education is recognised by many as the most important predictor of one's success, its efficacy has been subject to long discussion. It is always interesting to note that some people do not owe their success to the knowledge they acquired at university, despite the great effort they ever made in obtaining a qualification. In my opinion, tertiary education itself cannot guarantee one's success, and there are many other elements combined to mould a successful role model.

Knowledge, an essential element of one's success, is normally acquired through formal education, but it is not the only approach. A university is home to those teaching professionals who have a firm grasp of a given knowledge area and can impart it to students by various techniques. However, not all the knowledge, experience and skills can be passed on to students by teaching. Experiences and rules of thumb are non-transferable at a traditional classroom. The only way to gain a mastery of them is the full participation in a job.

In addition to hands-on skills and practical experience, characters can foretell one's prospects. Society has been polarised as economic and social changes make it more competitive. Those with outstanding academic qualifications are not sought-after as much as before. Employers show interest in other qualities of an applicant, for example, resilience, willpower and adaptability. It is increasingly believed that the most successful are normally those who are most likely to adapt to changes in their world. Some other qualities, such as the ability to work in a hard-working, stressful and ever-changing environment, are viewed as the shared traits of successful people. Running toward success is more of a marathon than of a sprint. Only those persistent, self-motivated and self-directed can eventually attain their objectives.

There are some other factors, such as opportunities, that play a contributing role in one's success, but for simplicity's sake, one does not need to cite all these factors to uphold the assertion that a college degree is not the precondition to personal success. Practical experience, a mastery of different skills and personality suffice to illustrate the complex nature of personal achievement.

1. efficacy = effectiveness = usefulness

2. grasp = understanding = comprehension

3. rule of thumb = a rule based on experience

4. hands-on = practical

5. foretell = predict = forecast = harbinger

6. polarise = separate

7. resilience = flexibility = elasticity

8. self-motivated = energetic

9. self-directed = autonomous = independent

10. for simplicity's sake

11. assertion = declaration = contention = claim = statement