Научно-исследовательская работа на тему: School education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States

Муниципальное общеобразовательное учреждение

средняя общеобразовательная школа № 5

Тема: «School education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States»

Антонова Кристина Евгеньевна

Ученица 8 «Б» класса

Руководитель:

Симинисова Анастасия

Владимировна

г. Гусев

2014

Сontents

Introduction ………………………………………………………………….….

I. Theoretical part

School education in Great Britain…………………………………….……

School education in Russia …………………………………………………

School education in the U.S.A. ……………………………………………

II. Practical part

Comparison of school education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States. Distinctive and common features…………………………………………………

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………....

Bibliography……………………………………………………………….……

Appendices………………………………………………………………….….

Introduction

I think that a good education is a key to success. A school is the first step on the education-way because it prepares pupils for their future life, helps them to choose their careers. It gives the opportunity to develop pupils’ talents, gain practical knowledge and skills. I study well at school and my dream is to speak English fluently and accurately. But to know the language well means to know its culture, traditions and such main aspects as political system, the system of education and economy.

I am preparing for my future exam in English that I will pass in the 9^th form. That’s why I devote much time to learning the English language. My teacher helps me and often offers very difficult tasks to do. The choice of the topic is connected with one of the task the teacher has given me recently. It was a speaking card: “Give a talk about schools in Great Britain and Russia”. I was at a loss and remembered only several sentences that we learned in the 7^th form. Thus, I understood the necessity to learn more about it. Fortunately, my teacher suggested me to compare school education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States to do a research work.

The problem of the research: Is it important to know the system of school education of your own country and English-speaking ones? The hypothesis is that school education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States (US) has common and distinctive features.

The object of the research is school education in Great Britain, Russia and the US. The subject of research is common and distinctive features of school education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States.

The aim of the work is to study and analyze the literature on the problem to prove or disapprove the hypothesis. Learning objectives: 1. To find the information on the problem in books and in the Internet. 2. To compare school education in Great Britain, Russia and the US. 3. To represent the results with the help of charts.

The methods of the research: general scientific, theoretical, graphic review.

I. Theoretical part

Education in Great Britain

In Britain the school year begins in September, but not always on the first day of the month, as school never begins on Monday. Children go to school 5 days a week. In Great Britain there are different types of secondary schools. Most of them are state schools where education is free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies. In some British schools uniforms are worn by all the pupils, in others children can wear what they want to. But some parents choose to pay for private education. Private (or public) schools in England and Wales are very expensive and they are attended by about 5 per cent of the school population. The education in public schools is of high quality, the discipline is very strict. The public school system is valued because it produces leaders, it is a separate system of education for the rich. The public schools accept pupils at about 12 or 13 years of age on the basis of a strict selection. They are very expensive. Most of them are boys’ boarding schools, although some are day schools and some are for girls. The most important public schools are Eton (1440), Harrow (1571), Winchester (1382), Westminster (1560), Rugby (1567), St Paul’s (1509).

Education is compulsory from 5-16 years. Primary education is given to children between 5 and 11 years of age. It is subdivided into an infant school for children aged 5 to 7 and a junior school for children aged 7 to 11. At junior stage of schooling pupils were often placed in A, B, C and D streams according to their abilities. The most able children were put in the A stream, the least able in the D stream. Till recently most junior school children had to seat for the eleven-plus examination. It usually consisted of an arithmetic paper and an intelligent test. The 11-plus or Eleven plus was an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, giving admission to various types of secondary schools. The Eleven Plus examination was once used throughout the UK but is now only used in a number of counties in England.  

Secondary education embraces the children from 11 years of age to 16. Until recently there were three main types of secondary schools: grammar, technical and modern schools. Children were sent to them according to their abilities. But now their number is decreasing. They are being replaced by comprehensive schools that take all children without selection from the age of 11 (see Appendix 1).

Children study different subjects there: English, Maths, Science (Biology Chemistry, Physics), Geography, History, Art, English Literature, Music, Physical Education and foreign languages. Most secondary schools teach French and some schools offer Spanish, German, Italian and Russian

Pupils take tests at the age of 7, 11 and 13. At the age of 16 pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination (GCSE) and they can leave school if they wish. This is the end of compulsory education. Some 16-year-olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth form college. It prepares them for national exams called “A” levels (Advanced Levels) at 18. You need “A” levels to enter a university.

Sometimes British teachers deal with the students, who are not ideal. Here some punishments used in British schools. Lines - When a teacher gives you "lines", you write out some sentence again and again, perhaps fifty or one hundred times. Detention — If you are in detention, you stay after school to do extra work — perhaps "lines" or clean the classroom. Report - If you are "on report", you have a card which you give to the teacher at the end of every lesson. Each teacher reports if you have behaved well or badly. Suspension - If you are suspended, you cannot come to school for a few days or weeks. Your parents have to see the Head Teacher. This is serious. Exclusion — If you are excluded, you are sent away from your school. This is very seri­ous. You have to go to another school where the teachers all know about your bad behaviour.

Education in Russia

Citizens of Russia have the right to education. It is guaranteed by the RF Constitution. Education at schools is free. There are some private primary and secondary schools where education is not free of charge. In Russia there is a nine-year compulsory education, but to enter a university one has to study two years more. Primary and secondary schools together comprise eleven years of study. Compulsory education is for children from 6(7) to 15 years old (see Appendix 2).

Pre-school consists of kindergartens and creches. Children there learn reading, writing and arithmetic. But pre-school education isn't compulsory - children can get it at home.

The main link in the system of education is the general school which prepares the younger generation for life and work in modern society. There are various types of schools: general secondary schools, schools specializing in certain subjects, high schools, lyceums and so on. Tuition in most of them is free of charge, but some new types of schools are fee-paying. The term of study in a general secondary school is 11 years and consists of primary, middle and upper stages.

At the middle stage of a secondary school the children learn the basic laws of nature and society at the lessons of Russian, English, German, History, Algebra, Literature, Physics and etc. So every school has a “core curriculum”. A variety of subjects are taught at lyceums and gymnasiums.

After the 9th form students have to pass exams. Also they have a choice between entering the 10th form of a general secondary school and enrolling in a specialized secondary or vocational schools. In the 11^th form students must pass the exams successfully to enter the institutions of higher education.

Education in the USA

The United States does not have a national school system. Each child is guaranteed up to eleven years of education. Though Americans have no National Curriculum certain subjects are taught in elementary and high schools throughout the country.

There are 2 types of schools - public, supported by the state, and private. Almost 90 per cent of American children attend free of charge public schools. The relations between students and teachers in state schools are democratic and friendly. In American public schools students wear whatever they want. They can choose the subjects they want to study. They often take part in non-academic activities such as sports, drama clubs, school newspaper or radio.

Some parents prefer homeschooling and educate their children themselves.

Private schools are often controlled by churches or religious groups and that’s why religious subjects are included into the curriculum. These schools are fee-paying and enroll about per cent of the nation’s schoolchildren.

The US system of education is the following: (see Appendix 3).

II Practical part

Comparison of education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States. Distinctive and common features

We have compared school education in Great Britain, Russia and the United States to find out common and distinctive features. The results of the research were the following:

1) There is National Curriculum in Great Britain and Russia. There is no National Curriculum in the USA, each state has its own system of schools.

2) Children start school at the age of 5 in Great Britain, at the age of 6 in the USA and at the age of 6(7) in Russia.

3) Education is compulsory from 5-16 years in Great Britain, from 6-16 years in the USA (but some states require from 6-18), from 6(7) -15 years in Russia.

4) We have compared the levels of education. The results are represented in the following chart (see Appendix 4).

5) We have compared the types of exams in Great Britain, Russia and the United States. The results are represented in the following chart (see Appendix 4).

For example, at the end of the 5th year in Britain many students take a national examination, the GCSE. In American school at the end of high school, students graduate with a high school diploma if they complete their studies satisfactorily. The grades go from A (excellent) to F (fail). In Russia, children pass the exam at the end of the 9^th and 11th forms. These exams are required for all students. Also pupils have different tests during the year.

6) There are state and private schools in Great Britain, Russia and the United States but they are attended by different percentage of the school population:

In Great Britain: 95 % - state, 5 % - private (public).

In the USA: 90 % - public, 10 % - private.

In Russia: 99 % - state, 1 % - private.

7) We have compared school subjects in Great Britain, Russia and the United States.

The results are represented in the following chart (see Appendix 5).

8) The beginning of the school year coincides in Great Britain, Russia and the United States, but the end of the school year in all three countries is different, as the regime of the day:

The school year usually begins in September and continues through the first or second week of June in the USA.

The school year begins in early September and continues into the following July in Great Britain.

The school year begins in September and ends in May in Russia.

Conclusion

We analyzed the educational systems in Great Britain, Russia and the United States. The aim of education in all countries is to develop to the full the talents of children for their own benefit and that of society of the whole. It is an investment in the future. Education in all countries is free of charge.

But, mostly, the educational systems in these countries have differences. Most of them were mentioned in the practical part.

Thus, our hypothesis was proved. The school education in Great Britain, Russia and the USA has both common and distinctive features.

Our work can help students to know more about school education in Great Britain, and the USA and the charts will help to remember it easier.

Bibliography

1. Барановский, Л.С. How do you do Britain/Добрый день, Британия!:учеб. Пособие по страноведению для 8-11-х кл./ Л.С. Барановский, Д.Д. Козикис. - Мн.: Выш.шк.,2006.-271с.:ил.

2. Голицинский, Ю.Б. Great Britain/Великобритания. - СПб.: КАРО, 2004.-480с.:ил. - (Страноведение).

3. Биболетова, М.З., Трубанева Н.Н., Английский язык: Английский с удовольствием/ Enjoy English: Учебник для 7 кл. общеобраз. учрежд. - Обнинск: Титул, 2011.-160 с.: ил.

4. Клементьева, Т.Б. Reader. Happy English 2.Книга для чтения. Счастливый английский 2. Обнинск: Титул, 2000.- 335с.

5. Козикис, Д.Д., Страноведение. США = American Studies: учеб. пособие / Д.Д. Козикис, Г.И. Медведев, Н.В. Демченко. – 2-е изд., дополн. – Мн.: Лексис, 2011. – 280 с.

6. Рыжков, В.Д., Разговорный английский в бытовых и деловых ситуациях/ Издание второе, дополненное. – Калининград: Янтар.сказ, 2005.- 528с.

The sources of the Internet

British education. URL: http://www.coolreferat.com/British_education (дата обращения: 01.04.2014).

Eleven plus exam. URL: http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/190933 (дата обращения: 04.04.2014).

Appendix 1

Education in GB

secondary education (for 11-16 years old) form 1-5

primary education (for 5-11 years old)

Comprehensive Schools

It combines all types of academic and technical education.

Grammar Schools

It is a type of secondary school which provides academic education.

Infant School for children aged from 5 to 7. Pupils learn the beginning of reading, writing, counting. They also draw, sing, dance, play games.

Junior School for children aged from 7 to 11. Pupils sit at desks and follow a regular timetable. Also pupils read and write compositions about their daily life.

Appendix 2

Education in Russia

Pre-school education

(nursery, kindergarten)

Elementary school, lyceum, gymnasia)

Primary education

Secondary school, lyceum, gymnasia

Secondary education

University, institute, academy

Higher education

Appendix 3

Education in the USA

Elementary School (for 6-12 years old)

At the age of 6 children start elementary school and continue until they are 12. It usually includes the first six grades – from the 1^st grade to the 6^th grade. But sometimes elementary school includes the first four or eight grades.

In general, pupils study English, the History of the USA, Elementary Mathematics and Natural Science.

Higher School (4 years of study)

Those are universities and colleges of higher education. During the first 2 years each student majors in one subject and minors in another.

After 4 years of study the students receive bachelor's degree. A degree is a title conferred upon students by a college or a university. It may be either a S.B. (Bachelor of Science) or A.B. (Bachelor of Arts).

After receiving a bachelor's degree a student may have professional studies for 2 years more at graduation school. In this case he or she receives a master's degree.

High School

A high school is usually of two parts:

Junior High School (for 12-15 years old, grades 7-9)

Senior High School (for 15-18 years old, grades 10-12)

Students of high school study many subjects and finally they receive a certificate of graduation. They also take part in a great number of outside classroom activities such as different kinds of sport, drama groups, orchestras and many others.

Appendix 4

Levels (parts) of education in comparison

Great Britain Russia The USA

Elementary School (6-12)

High School (12-18)

• Junior High School (12-15)

• Senior High School (15-18)

Primary school 6(7) - 10(11)

Secondary school 10 (11)-15 (16)

Secondary school (upper stage) 15(16) -17 (18)

Primary school (5-11)

• Infant school (5-7)

• Junior school (7-11)

Secondary school (11-16)

(The 6^th form at school/the 6^th form college)

Exams

Great Britain Russia The USA

 There are no national  exams, although some  schools and states have their own exams.

Pupils take exams at the end of the 9th and 11th forms.

Pupils take exams at the age of 7, 11 and 13 (SAT –Standard Assessment Test).

At 16 pupils take a national exam called GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)

At 18 pupils have chief examination leading to the General Certificate of Education Advanced level (GCE A-level).

Appendix 5

Timetable in Russia

Friday

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

Time

Maths

Nature Science

Russian

English

Literature

Russian

IT

History

Maths

Literature

9.55-10.40

9.00-9.45

Russian

Nature Science

Maths

Russian

Russian

10.50-11.35

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

A Long break

English

Art

English

PE

Art

11.55-12.40

Russian

History

Maths

Maths

Music

12.55-13.40

School subjects