Honorary Doctorate is awarded to those who deserve special recognition either for academic work or other contributions to university or society.

5. Teaching styles in UK higher education

Many new undergraduates are initially anxious about their abilities to “write”, “study” and “learn” in an appropriate way for higher education. They therefore need structured support and encouragement in order to come to terms with their higher education environment and their understanding of their own personal learning styles.

Traditionally, teaching in UK higher education takes place through lectures. Lectures are commonly used in the majority of university courses and are timetabled to last one, or sometimes two hours. Lectures, depending on the discipline, are attended by large numbers of students, as many as 400-500 students in some schools, but more usually 100-150 students in most subjects.

The purpose of the lecture is to communicate effectively key concepts, information and viewpoints to students to motivate their interest and understanding. Many lecturers see the lecture as a place to provide students with an overview of the subject and a framework in which to structure and organise their thoughts and their private study. Lecturers select and organise material so that it is accessible to the level and ability of their students. They then seek to explain it clearly using a range of audio and visual learning aids.

In style the lecturer is aiming to be relaxed but professional, enthusiastic but organised, assured and yet approachable. Maintaining eye contact, modulating one’s voice and avoiding reading from scripts or slides is important. In recent years lectures have become more interactive; lecturers expect students to play a much more active role and thus use brainstorming initiating discussion. Students are allowed to interrupt with questions.

Workshops. The defining feature of a workshop is that it involves student participation and activity – it revolves around students “doing things”. The learning activities are frequently carried out in small groups and will involve discussion and debate. The varied learning tasks are usually punctuated by inputs and plenary discussions led by the tutor or facilitator.

The purpose of workshops is to develop a range of skills, to challenge attitudes, to apply knowledge and to share experiences and views. It is a form of teaching and learning which benefits from having a mixed ability and mixed experienced group of students and aims to allow students to learn from each other and share views and approaches.

So workshops are extended small group teaching sessions, often lasting a whole morning or even a day and involving about 15-30 students. They consist of a series of learning activities embedded in a timetabled schedule and framework which are designed to help students achieve both skills and knowledge-based learning outcomes. Outcomes are also often focused on more nebulous areas of development such as growing confidence and empowering students to take the initiative etc. This may well involve challenging students to work in different ways and outside their “comfort zone”.

Workshops are often used to develop team working abilities and to nurture creativity and lateral thinking so common learning tasks may include problem-solving case studies, mini-research tasks and presentations.

Seminars are commonly used in many disciplines but are very significant in the arts and social sciences. They are usually one hour in length but maybe longer. Student numbers are kept low in seminars (typically 15-25 students in seminars, maybe lower in tutorials) or larger cohorts are divided into small working groups of about five students per group. For larger year cohorts of students it is often necessary to run parallel seminar sessions with a team of tutors. A challenge for course leaders in this situation is to ensure parity and some degree of consistency of experience for the students. In some instances tutors will be provided with set readings, questions and tasks by the coordinating course leader – so that each tutor will be asked to lead the seminar in the same way.

A common type of seminar in the UK is the “student-led” seminar in which a student or students are asked to prepare and lead a seminar on a designated topic. In rotation the students will share the role of seminar leader and be responsible for introducing the key features of the topic to be studied before facilitating a discussion between their classmates. It is very likely that students will need quite a lot of support and clear guidance to do this. Some tutors divide the two roles and give the responsibility of leading a seminar to a pair of students. In such circumstances one student would take the role as the “presenter” whilst the second would take the role as the “facilitator or discussant”.

Personal tutorials. The vast majority of UK undergraduate students are assigned a personal or a pastoral tutor who will keep this role until the student graduates. The role of a personal tutor is to:

· Provide personal support and general academic guidance to the student.

· Act as a gateway to a wide range of personal support services at the university.

· Be the first point of contact should any issues arise.

An important function of the personal tutor system is to provide the students with a first point of contact if they experience any personal or academic difficulties during their studies. To assist the development of the tutoring relationship, students are often required to meet each term or semester with their tutors and to give form and substance to these meetings, many universities ask personal tutors to carry out a range of administrative and personal development planning activities with their students.

Practical or laboratory classes. In the majority of undergraduate programmes taught in the sciences, engineering and medical disciplines students will be required to undertake practical work. Indeed such teaching may contribute a significant proportion of the taught component of the course and account for the majority of a student’s contact time with staff.

The underpinning educational theory for practical work is that of experiential learning or “learning by and through doing”. So a key belief is that the students need to have experience of carrying out learning tasks and then reflecting on them critically. The “writing-up” or reporting of practical work is therefore very important. Students are frequently guided to critique their work and propose improvements on the approaches they took and the results they achieved.

Depending on the discipline practical sessions may run over a whole day or half a day and be supervised by academic staff, laboratory technicians and postgraduate demonstrators. This teaching team is responsible for the effective and safe study of the students.

6. The structure of the academic year in the UK

In contrast to a calendar year, in most European countries an academic year begins with the start of autumn and ends the following spring. This is because it follows the medieval agricultural pattern of the year in northern Europe, in which July and August were when able-bodied young people were needed on the farms.

Describing and explaining the structure of the academic year in UK higher education is complicated by the fact that the key words used, particularly, for example, “semester” and “term”, are not always defined in the same way by different higher education institutions. As a consequence, they do not always carry precisely the same meaning. As with many elements of UK universities, there are differing practices that use confusingly similar terminology.

A semester. An academic year of approximately 30-32 weeks contains two semesters and three terms. A semester, which literally means “six months”, is usually used to describe two periods of academic-related activity in a year. Semesters are actually about four months long and are referred to as Semester 1 and Semester 2.

A term is generally understood to be a largely continuous period of teaching-related activities. Usually there are three terms in a year – for example autumn, spring and summer. Each term is about three months long and separated by holidays. A term may or may not include a period of assessment. Terms, along with holidays and examination periods, exist within the structure of the semesters. That is a characteristic structure of the academic year in UK higher education.

However, over the last 15 years, a considerable amount of time and effort has been spent on attempting to determine the best way to deliver higher education curricula. As a result, individual institutions often have their own methods for organising the structure of their academic year.

Diversity and variations to the structure of the academic year. Learning and teaching is delivered within semesters through “modules”, “units” or “courses” which are often assessed at the end of the semester. In some universities semesters are essentially continuous and separated by vacations, just like terms. Occasionally, a third semester is introduced in the summer period. Where three semesters are of equal length they may be referred to as trimesters.

Many universities run 10-week autumn, spring and summer terms, though some use different names or a specific semester system, with the new semester beginning halfway through the second term. Other universities run terms which are uneven in length, with the autumn term usually the longest.

Even within individual institutions, practice can vary from year to year to accommodate factors such as the changing date of Easter. Some universities also have a “reading week” in which no teaching takes place. At other universities reading weeks are not uniform and may be in different weeks in different faculties, departments, modules or even seminar groups. Some reading weeks only cover seminars whilst lectures continue; others stop both for the week.

An exception to most practices. An exception to the many variations in the structure of the academic year is the Open University.

Most of its undergraduate courses do not coincide with the structure of the academic year used by universities in Britain and elsewhere. Instead, they largely coincide with the calendar year – In other words, they typically start in February, with examinations in the autumn.

7. Students’ finance

The first step in drawing up a budget for student life is working out how much higher education will cost. One will need to consider tuition fees, accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees help pay for the costs of running a university or college – salaries for teaching staff, maintaining the buildings and so on. For example, the maximum tuition fees one could be charged for 2008/2009 was £3,145.

There’s a student finance package available to help with the costs of higher education. The main sources of help for full-time students are:

· Student loans and grants from the government;

· bursaries from universities and colleges.

If one takes out a Student Loan from the government, he/she won’t have to start paying it back until he/she left the course and is earning more than £15,000 a year. Any help that one gets through a grant or bursary doesn’t have to be repaid at all.

Accommodation and other living costs

There are a number of things to take into account when one is working out his/her living costs. Living costs for full-time students include:

· accommodation – this is likely to be one’s single biggest expense if one is living away from home;

· food;

· household bills – gas, electricity, water rates, phone, TV licence, contents insurance;

· clothes;

· travel;

· socialising;

· leisure and sport;

· study costs – such as books, materials and field trips for one’s course.

As well as Student Loans, one may be able to get a Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant to help with accommodation and other living costs. One won’t have to pay this back.

Grants of up to £2,835 were available for 2008/2009.

Students can also receive a bursary (scholarship) – a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education. There are two types of bursary awarded by institutions (such as universities). The first is a means-tested (need-based) bursary which is available for all students whose parents earn under a threshold value per year. It is often given out using a sliding scale, with people at the lowest end of the scale getting a full bursary, and the monetary award decreasing in value with proportion to the parental earnings.

The second type of bursary is one based on performance – a scholarship (merit-based scholarship). These awards are generally given for good performance in the exams preceding university/college entrance, where the student gets grades above the standard entry. These can be awarded by the university, or sometimes by companies.

8. Teacher training in the UK

There are many ways to become a teacher in the UK. You need to achieve your QTS or Qualified Teacher Status, which will enable one to teach in state maintained schools in England and Wales.

There are five ways to obtain your Qualified Teacher Status in the UK:

1. Initial teacher training

One can study to become a teacher while completing your first undergraduate degree. The qualification is a Bachelor of Education and incorporates your specific subject areas (such as English, Mathematics, History) with an education component. This initial teacher training (ITT) courses are provided by universities and other higher education institutions, of which the Open University is the largest provider. The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is responsible for the initial and in-service training of teachers and other school staff in England. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

It can take 3 to 4 years to complete but if one has completed previous tertiary subjects, one may be able to obtain credits for these and reduce your study time down to potentially 2 years.

2. Postgraduate teacher training

If one already has a degree, then he or she can complete the teacher training as a postgraduate. The certification is a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and can be completed by people who already have a bachelor degree in a specific field. This course can take 1 year full time or 2 years part time. One will learn how to deliver a subject to children using correct teaching methodologies. These courses are available at universities, but there are also opportunities to train via flexible distance learning.

3. In-service training

An excellent opportunity is to train and qualify to teach while one is already employed in a school. This is known as in-service training. One can earn an income while learning and be able to apply everything learnt straight away.

To become involved in this, a person needs to apply to a Graduate Teacher Program (GTP) provider who will find one a school to work in as an unqualified teacher. To qualify one needs to have a UK bachelor degree and GCSE grade C or higher in Math and English. It can take up to 1 year full time to complete this qualification.

4. Assessment-based teacher training

If a person has considerable teaching experience but does not have one’s Qualified Teacher Status, then one may qualify for assessment based teacher training.

This program is for people with substantial experience within a UK school as an unqualified teacher or instructor. One is required to demonstrate that he or she meets the standards to get Qualified Teacher Status by submitting evidence of his or her experience and abilities as a classroom teacher. This process can take up to a year to complete and includes visits to one’s school by an assessor.

5. Overseas Trained Teacher Program

If a person would like to work in the UK and he or she is a qualified teacher from another country then the Overseas Trained Teacher Program is going to be the best for such a person. One may need to spend up to a year working in a school as an unqualified teacher while obtaining his or her Qualified Teacher Status, but if one can demonstrate that he or she has the appropriate skills and experience to meet the required standards, he or she can apply to have the Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) assessment straight away. One will need to demonstrate that he or she has a UK bachelor degree equivalent, the equivalent or higher of a GCSE grade C in Math and English and if one wishes to teach 7-14 year old children one will need to demonstrate an equivalent standard to GCSE grade 3 in a science subject.

Glossary

Comprehension

Exercise 1. Look at the diagram of the UK school system and answer the questions about the levels of school education.

1. What is the age of compulsory education in the UK?

2. What kind of educational establishments is available for children below the compulsory age of schooling?

3. What are the four key stages of school education in the UK?

4. What is the age of primary education in Britain?

5. What are the two systems of primary schools?

6. What is the compulsory age of secondary education?

7. What can a person do after the age of compulsory education?

Exercise 2. Read the text and fit the sentences below into their correct places in it. There is one extra sentence you will not need.

Generally, all publicly-funded primary schools must provide the National Curriculum to their students. National Curriculum core subjects for primary schools are: English, mathematics and science. [1] Foundation subjects are design and technology; information and communication technology; history; geography; modern foreign languages; music; art and design; physical education; religious education; and citizenship. Although learning a modern foreign language in England does not become compulsory until the beginning of key stage 3 (students aged 11+), the Government encourages the optional learning of a foreign language prior to this stage.

All maintained schools in England are required to provide religious education and a daily act of collective worship. [2]

The school year consists of 380 (half-day) sessions. The actual dates of terms and holidays are determined annually by the local education authority (LEA). In general, the school year runs from about the first week of September to the third week of July. [3] The school week normally runs from Monday to Friday. The school day is divided into two sessions, one in the morning (usually between 9am and 12 noon) and one in the afternoon (usually between around 1 pm and 3.30pm).

In general, all children in their final year of key stage 2 (normally in Year 6 and aged 11 by the end of the school year) are assessed by teacher assessment in all compulsory National Curriculum subjects and by national tests in English, mathematics and science. [4] All students continue to secondary education, regardless of the outcome of the end of key stage 2 assessment.

A Unlike the key stage 1 tests, the National Curriculum key stage 2 tests are externally marked.

B At the request of a parent, any child in a publicly-funded primary school in England may, however, be excused from these activities.

C Welsh is a core subject in Welsh-speaking schools.

D Many of these are boarding schools, where children live and sleep during the term.

E It is divided into three terms, with a long summer break of about six weeks in July and August, shorter breaks of two to three weeks at Christmas and Easter, and one week in the middle of each term.

Exercise 3. Match the kinds of secondary school that exist in Britain with their descriptions.

Exercise 4. Fill in the missing information in the table.

Exercise 5. Read the text and match the bodies responsible for school education with their functions.

l The Department of Education and Science

l Local education authorities

l Boards of governors

Three partners are responsible for the education service: central government – the Department of Education and Science (DES), local education authorities (LEAs), and schools themselves. Every state school has its own governing body (a board of governors), consisting of teachers, parents, local politicians, businessmen and members of the local community. ____________________ is concerned with the formation of national policies for education. It is responsible for the maintenance of minimum national standard of education.

_____________________ are charged with the provision and day-to-day running of the schools and colleges in their areas and the recruitment and payment of the teachers who work in them. They are responsible for the provision of buildings, materials and equipment. However, the choice of textbooks and timetable are usually left to the headmaster. The content and methods of teaching are decided by the individual teacher.

____________________ are responsible for their school’s main policies, including the recruitment of the staff. A great role is played by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Practically all parents are automatically members of the PTA and are invited to take part in its many activities.

Ex. 6 Describe the peculiarities of the following types of universities and colleges in the UK.

· The two old English universities of Oxford and Cambridge and old Scottish universities

· London Universities

· The Red Brick universities.

· The Plate Glass universities.

· The new Universities.

· The Open University

· The privately financed University of Buckingham

Exercise 7. For the following statements indicate one or several names or types of universities and colleges.

1. The first university to admit women was__________________________________________.

2. The universities that appeared in the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth are called ___________________________________________________________.

3. Universities famous for their personal tuition system are_____________________________.

4. The Colleges of Advanced Technology which became universities after 1963 are now called ________________________________________________________.

5. The most famous institution of distance learning in Great Britain is _____________________.

6. The term “red-brick” is used to refer to this type of universities: ____________________.

7. Glasgow University belongs to _________________________________________________.

8. The privately financed university is ____________________________________.

Exercise 8. Answer the following questions about the admission procedure used in Britain.

1. Where should school leavers in Britain apply to if they want to go to university?

2. What information does a candidate include in the UCAS form?

3. When should one apply to UCAS?

4. What does the UCAS do with the applications?

5. What university groups consider the applications for admission?

6. What decision may be sent to the applicant?

8. When is a definite offer sent to the applicant?

Exercise 9. Fill in the missing information in the table about types of degrees awarded by British Universities.

Exercise 10. Read the text and fit the sentences below into their proper places.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 1664