Tag Archive: education – intermediate

Pre-reading questions: Do you get nervous when you take tests? What do you do after taking a difficult exam? Have you ever cheated on a test? High school graduates in Japan have completed the unified college entrance examinations. It is a 2-day examinations that ended last Sunday at 691 sites. Due to the stern weather, some sites were forced to reschedule. According to a student who took the tests at Tokyo Institute of Technology, she was delighted that the tests were over and will work harder in preparation for the next lap of examinations for the university she hopes to study in. Some sites encountered delays in starting the tests…
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  Pre-reading questions: What are typical job interview questions? What do you think is the one of hardest questions asked during an interview? Does physical attributes contribute to a higher evaluation in an interview.   The NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) West Corp. developed a program at Kansai University. The program analyzed students’ practice job interviews, and the results can be used to correct eye movements, gestures, and ways of speaking. Furthermore, a wristband checks the pulse and hand movements of the interviewee. Through camera and microphone, the program monitors facial expressions and counts how many times the speaker utters er or um. However, attitudes and mannerisms can also affect…
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Pre-reading questions: What is the legal age in your country? Why do you think people younger than the legal age commit crimes? Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveils her plan to hold some youth offenders to schools rather than youth jails. This plan is part of the government’s efforts to prioritize education to rehabilitate and reduce re-offending. Truss said she will commit an additional £15 million a year for this project. Two schools will be launched where youth offenders will study core subjects such as English and Math. Youth offenders will also have access to work training and internship programs to make them productive upon release. These plans are part of…
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Pre-reading questions: Do/Did you like your school? What do/did you like best about it? What do you want to be when you grow up?/ Do you like your job now? Do/Did you like your university major?   The University of Oxford made it to the top at this year’s Times Higher Education World Rankings. The said magazine assesses top universities according to a set of criteria that consist of research, teaching method, knowledge transfer and international perspective. The California Institute of Technology occupies the second spot. Based on the magazine, the improvement of research facility and the growing number of international students are the factors that helped Oxford gain the…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you want to study abroad? Why? What do you think about immigrants studying in your country? What do you think about this quote by Aldous Huxley?: “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries”.   Colleges in the United States are asking undocumented immigrant students studying abroad to return home before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. As part of Trump’s campaign to deport 2 to 3 million undocumented immigrants, he may be able to cancel the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which gives young, undocumented immigrants temporary protection against deportation. California State University advised its 23…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you think well-known universities are the best? What qualities should we consider in choosing a university? Do you think university ranking is important?   Times Higher Education World University Rankings list the 980 finest universities. The ranking was estimated by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The world university rankings justified that Asia’s progress in higher education is developing. Around 289 Asian universities from 24 countries were included in the ranking. The National University of Singapore received the Asian crown in 24th place. The University of Tokyo, which was customarily the top Asian institution, was beaten by Peking University. The University of Tokyo ranked 39th this year….
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  Pre-reading questions: Have you ever thought of attending night classes? Do you think night classes are safe for teenagers? What can you say about a class consisting of students of different ages?   In 1947, night facility assembly for junior high school students started after World War II. It was the time when everything was in turmoil. Recently, the government is in progress with their latest policy. The government will soon acknowledge junior high school students to attend night facilities. The said junior high school students were the ones who declined going to or are unable to go to daytime facilities. The ministry has requested additional funds for this…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you like using computers? What comes to your mind when you see or hear the word “programming”? What is your most favorite subject in school? Why?   The number of classes that teach programming to children is increasing. This is in accordance to plans making programming a mandatory elementary school subject by academic year 2020. These kinds of classes are expected to promote creative and logical thinking at an early age. Last September, 60 elementary school pupils gathered in a room, their eyes glued on their computer screens. A second-grade pupil made a computer game about a parrot that rescues the monkey on a cloud by…
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  Pre-reading questions: What do you think is the best way to prevent bullying? In your own words, what are the effects of bullying to a person’s growth? Do you think bullying is a serious issue?   Experts are calling the attention of the Education Ministry to define “serious” school bullying. Modern law gave a directive to the schools and boards of education to establish teams for investigation of “serious” school bullying cases. However, the experts noticed that the scope of “serious” cases under the law is inscrutable, which makes the enforcement weak. The ministry must enumerate examples of grave penalties for bullying so that “serious” cases will be defined….
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  Pre-reading questions: Are you aware of Japan’s current English curriculum? Share your thoughts on this. Do you think that changing the curriculum will make the students more competitive? Explain.   English studies for the incoming 5th and 6th grade students in Japan would be increased by the year 2020. The proposal suggested that English studies should start as early as 3rd grade instead of 5th grade. The new proposal aims to reduce the “cram” study habits of the students. There are also additional revisions with general subjects like: Japanese history with world history called General History. The new curriculum will focus on active learning specifically on student’s thinking and…
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