Text 1
SOME TRAITS OF CHARACTER
WHICH A PERFECT TEACHER MUST OBTAIN
Being a teacher is a noble and complicated job that demands a lot of inner and outer efforts from a person. It stands to reason that not every man who wishes to be a teacher can become it. The point is a real teacher must combine a great number of qualities. These qualities can be divided into some groups: innate qualities, qualities of mind, volitional powers and qualities related to other people.
Let’s start with innate qualities. A real teacher cannot be without cheerful character because each lesson should be started with a teacher’s smile. Teacher’s calm and neat appearance helps children tune up to a working mood. If you are inert or a bore, there is no road for you to the teacher profession. Moreover, a teacher must be self-denying and self-critical.
It goes without saying that a good teacher cannot be without broad mind. He must acquire bright and clever head; he must be well-read, intelligent and deep in his subject. Students or pupils cannot accept teachers who are ordinary or shallow.
Teacher’s job requires a lot of volitional powers. Children are not creatures who are easy to get along with. Children are different with various trends of character, facilities and abilities. That is why only firm and strong-willed teachers can succeed in the relationship with pupils. If you feel that you are unable to control your emotions or you are hesitant and weak-willed, just drop the idea of being a teacher.
Together with all above-mentioned qualities a real teacher must acquire communicable and amiable character. He should be considerate and flexible. A teacher always comes across with so called “a pain in the neck” students, with real troublemakers, whose language is awful, who talk back, resent any advice, can tell lies and seem to have lost interest in school. While working with such students a teacher must try to analyze the feelings and to find an explanation for this behavior. It is difficult indeed: it requires a lot of power and tolerance.
We, future teachers, should remember that pupils need our presence and love. One of the greatest people on the Earth said: A good teacher can govern the state. So the point is being a perfect teacher equals to being a real person.
Text 2
SOME ADVICE TO THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE
CHOSEN TEACHING AS THEIR FUTURE JOB
Many young people consider teaching as a career. It’s not surprising: after your parents your teacher may be the most important person in your life. Have you ever asked yourself why most teachers are so devoted to their work? Maybe because they are doing the most vital job of all. Teaching is not easy and demands a real challenge to your character, abilities and talent, as teaching is a constant stream of decisions.
Children in your class aren’t just boys and girls. Every one is a unique individual. If you like people, you will love teaching. Remember: an ignorant teacher teaches ignorance, a fearful teacher teaches fear, and a bored teacher teaches boredom. But a good teacher encourages in his pupils the burning desire to know and love for the truth and beauty.
I would never stop teaching and I’m sure that you, having chosen it for your future career, feel the same way. And if you are ready to accept the responsibility of this wonderful and important work, 1 wish you all luck in the world.
VOCABULARY NOTES
demand v требовать (of; from); нуждаться, e.g. This problem demands attention. He demanded from me a total obedience.
mind n ум, e.g. Qualities of mind are important for all people.
volitional adj волевой, e.g. This teacher is a volitional person.
related adj относящийся, e.g. These are qualities related to every teacher.
appearance n 1. появление, e.g. His appearance on the stage made the audience smile; 2. внешний вид, e.g. Mary’s neat and pleasant appearance attracts people’s attention.
to all appearance(s) судя no всему; по-видимому, e.g. To all appearance he feels bad today.
require v требовать, e.g. It requires careful consideration.
character n 1. характер, e.g. a man of character; 2. фигура, личность, e.g. a bad character; a public character.
traits of character черты характера, e.g. What traits of character do you appreciate in people?
drop и бросать, e.g. She dropped the idea of being a doctor. Let’s drop the subject. You need to drop smoking.
amiable adj дружелюбный, e.g. Every teacher should have amiable character.
troublemaker n нарушитель порядка, e.g. I can’t do a thing with him! He is a real troublemaker.
resent и отвергать, e.g. My children resent any advice.
behaviour n поведение, e.g. Your behaviour leaves much to be better;
to put smb on his good behaviour дать человеку возможность исправиться, e.g. The teacher put Tom on his good behavior.
abilities n способности, e.g. Teaching demands abilities and talent.
decision n решение, e.g. We know that teaching is a constant stream of decisions.
ignorant adj необразованный, e.g. Ignorant teachers shouldn’t work at school.
fear n боязнь, e.g. Some teachers stimulate fear.
VOCABULARY EXERCISES
1.Pronounce correctly.
noble, ability, efforts, qualities, amiable, appearance, require, creatures, mind, unique, ignorance, fear, boredom.
2.Read the words paying attention to the pronunciation of the letters in bold type:
А) troublemaker, resent, character, ignorant, stay, enter, represent;
B) demand, drop, mind, related, decision, dedicate, find, develop.
3.Find the Russian equivalents of the following word combinations and expressions:
to get through to them; I was not making the grade; don’t give it up; the suggested methods; to meet my particular need; I took pains with ...; I am at a loss; to be familiar with
4.Give the English equivalents of the following adjectives and word combinations:
благородный; дружелюбный; живой; инертный; жертвующий собственными интересами; начитанный; знающий; слабоумный; заурядный; пустой; самокритичный; твердый; настойчивый; волевой; решительный; неуверенный; слабовольный; внимательный; гибкий
THE WORK IN THE CLASSROOM —
THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
On the surface teaching may appear to be a relatively simple process — the view that the teacher stands in front of the class and talks and the pupils learn appears to be all prevalent. (Ask friends and family what they think a teacher does!) The reality is somewhat different. Classroom teaching is only the most visible part of the job of the teacher.
What do you think about the invisible foundation of the teacher’s work?
BENEFITS (ПРЕИМУЩЕСТВА) OF PLANNING
Proper lesson plans are very important. You will be more relaxed and confident (уверенный) if you follow a clear plan. As you finish one phase, a glance reminds you of the next. The plan will enable you to improve your timing too. By comparing the estimated time with the actual time taken for different types of activity, you soon learn to judge lesson stages and phases with great accuracy (точность) — both in planning the lesson and executing it.
In addition, the plans are an aid to continuing improvement. After the lesson you can add an evaluation (оценка) to the plan, identifying those parts which went well and those which were less successful. This plan, with your comments and corrections, provides a useful, timesaving reference when you next plan the same lesson.
WHAT IS TEACHING?
A group of student teachers had just completed the last week of their first term of a four-year programme and they were reviewing their learning at that early stage. With the encouragement of their tutor and class teacher mentor they began to discuss and to identify personal strengths. They then moved on to think about “where they wanted to be in four years’ time” and “how they would get there”, anticipating their learning over the rest of the course. In other words they were thinking about the question “What is teaching?” Below are some of their comments to each other.
“I don’t know what it is that you do, Anna. It is quite magical. There they were, all Fidgeting (to Fidget — перескакивать с места на место; ерзать) and ready to be really naughty, and the next thing they were just as good as anything, all ready to listen and looking at you quietly.”
“Yes, and Richard, my teaching partner in the classroom, he is so really good at explaining things to the children, you could see that they were following and understood.”
“But isn’t that because he listened to them properly in the First place? You know when we listened to that tape (магнитофонная лента) of him questioning the children about his sundial (солнечные часы)? We said that he made the children feel valued.”
“Yes, but he’d planned it so carefully too, hadn’t he? But then he nearly spoiled (to spoil — портить) it all with that dreadful (ужасный) writing on the blackboard!!!”
As they talked, they collected together their ideas under two main headings:
what you needed to learn to do
what you needed to learn to be
The lists that emerged (to emerge — появляться) show how these student teachers saw the two faces of teaching, the deliberate (хорошо обдуманный) and learned skills or more intuitive response (реакция) to children and events. Here are some of the things which they listed under the two headings :
The skills of teaching
Teaching
You need to speak clearly and use your voice properly with expression.
Questioning the children is more complicated than I’d thought — we need that skill.
Part of the skill of questioning is listening carefully to the children and understanding them.
My lettering is awful, I’ll have to learn the print properly.
Managing
You need to be able to organize groups.
We’ll have to learn a lot more about discipline and how to deal with problems.
Classroom control, that’s what 1 need to find out about.
Understanding children
I need to know more about children’s special needs.
You need to recognize and teach the different abilities in the class.
I’m going to find out about different faiths and cultures.
Planning
Teachers have to learn how to plan. They need to know about the National Curriculum.
The qualities of a teacher
It’s having a feel for the class, knowing how to get interest and involvement.
It’s about being a good listener as well as telling them things.
The children can tell if you care about what you are doing.
Teachers have to be leaders. The children have to see them as leaders. So do other teachers often too.
You need to give off a sense of assurance.
It’s amazing what a difference it makes if you are able to speak with confidence, even if you don’t feel it.
It’s all about getting the best out of children.
The main thing is to make all the children feel valued.
You need to listen with understanding to parents.
I can see that I’ll have to be a lot better organized.
The group decided that above all teachers would have to enjoy their work, care about children and their families and become really involved in their work.
In their informal discussion, that group identified some important characteristics of their chosen profession. Teaching involves:
the learning of new skills
the application of theoretical knowledge in a practical situation
the inquiring (to inquire — спрашивать) and reflective approach to present practice and new situations
a professional commitment (приверженность) to children and their parents as well as to teacher colleagues.
THE ROLE OF PLAY AT THE LESSON
Children grow, learn and even investigate the world through play. Play is the basis for discovery, reasoning and thinking. When children are given the freedom to experiment, to make mistakes and then to learn from these mistakes, they are developing skills that will stay with them for life.
Children do not differentiate between play, learning and work. Children are playful by nature. They love to play because play is an activity in which any child is open to express his points of view, ideas and thoughts. It is important to notice that games are necessary not just for junior pupils; in senior forms the elements of the play must be included into the educating process. So games vary accordingly to the age of children.
In primary school the lesson is a game itself. All the material is given in the form of play: different puzzles, crosswords, different competitions, creative activities, which do not only stimulate children’s imagination, but also develop skills such as hand-eye coordination.
In secondary and higher schools games become more intellectual and scientific. They can be different projects on actual problems, role- playing, round tables, intellectual quizzes, some creative activities and team competitions.
In any case, we can’t teach and educate without plays.
1.Put questions to the text and ask your partners to answer them.
2.Discuss the statements.
Children are always ready to learn, but they don’t like to be taught.
One of the secrets of the experienced teacher is to keep children’s intellectual curiosity through play.
The best way to get along with children is to give them good cheer and amusement.
3.Define the main criteria for the educating game.
What is it?
How does it differ from the usual games or plays?
In what way should the educating game be realized?
Should the game possess any educational purpose?
How to arrange the end of the game?
What kinds of praise are used?
AH the criteria are to be written into the “pedagogical textbook” and the information, created by the students, must have a practical value.
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