▶ Topic :
Reading Script :
The traditional teaching method consists of a teacher lecturing and delivering the material to the students , often called unidirectional education. B y and large, unidirectional education has fallen out of fashion. Nowadays , schools utilize bidirectional education, which involves teaching via discussion, debate, and question and answer. However, sometimes newer is not better, and this is one of those times.
The first reason why we should stick with the unidirectional teaching system is because it is time-efficient. This is important since many teachers struggle to finish the designed academic curriculum on time. If students were not asking too many questions , teachers would have enough time to c1early explain the material. Thus, students should be smart about what questions they ask. Also, another issue arises when schools prornise parents to complete a certain curriculum. It is most important to finish a curriculum and keep their prornise to parents.
The next reason we should promote a unidirectional teaching system is because it is more organized. Think about press conferences. Very often, those sessions can turn into a hodgepodge with people firing one question after another, and the speaker is not able to finish his point. The most successful press conferences are those in which people remain silent and let the speaker speak. Only if and when there is extra time do people ask questions . In these conferences, the speaker is happy because he gets his message across, and the journalists are happy because they can c1early understand the speaker’s point. A good example of such press conferences can be seen in those organized by the White House Press Secretary. For similar reasons, we should let the teacher speak and have students remain silent.
Finally, the bidirectional system is just not possible in large c1asses . Most modern universities, no matter how hard they try to have small c1asses, will inevitably have a few c1asses with 100 or more students. When there are that many students in a c1ass, it is practically impossible to have a bidirectional system. In these settings , the unidirectional system can be a great compromise for both teachers and students.
Listening Script:
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. You’ve read about some of the pros of the unidirectional system, but, today, 1 am going to demonstrate why the reading was not exactly accurate
First of all, unidirectional learning is actually less efficient because students do not learn very well What do you guys think? 1 believe that students generally are much more likely to fall asleep, lose interest, or even leave the classroom when the teacher is just talking for two hours. Sure, unidirectional learning could be faster, but what good is the speed if the students are not learning anything? No matter how quick the pace is, if the students are not learning, it is by no means efficient.
Moreover, the bidirectional system can be more structured, as the teacher and students build and design the class together. Under unidirectional learning, the teacher is the sole person to decide class content and material. Therefore, if the teacher does not precisely understand and focus on what students do not understand or are having a hard time on, then the teacher could further confuse the students. But if the students give feedback and request to focus on certain topics, the class will become much more efficient and structured.
Probably the reading ’s best argument was the relative difficulty in implementing the bidirectional education system in larger classes. However, bidirectional education can be done and is even more necessary in large classes. Students tend to focus significantly less in large classes. Because a student in a large class would not think the professor is watching him, he is more likely to be tempted to pay less attention. This is why the bidirectional system is more necessary in large classes ‘ Although having a debate or a discussion is difficult in large classes, conducting student oral presentations and having a 10-minute question-and-answer session at the end of every lecture can be easily done and can help students tremendously. |