Will schoolchildren study foreign languages after classes?
The curriculum has changed together with the return of the 11-year education system. No wonder, they have been simplified. For example, foreign languages will be taught to children starting from the third form and there will be no other programmes except the basic one. ERB has decided to find out what will happen to the pupils who started studying English in the first form… Will they have to start from scratch in the third form? Teachers have assured us that it will not happen. Schools will try to correct officials’ reforms on their own. That is why there will be foreign languages classes in the second form. However, it will be an optional course. Third-formers will continue studying according to the old curriculum. A teacher of English from Minsk school #27 says:
“Of course they will continue according to the old curriculum. They will not be left alone like this… Those who studied it in the second form will continue studying it twice a week. They will simply go on … we cannot leave children at the crossroads”.
According to the teacher, there will be two curriculums this year: the old one and the new one, approved in connection with the return to the 11-years education system. It turns out that officials are creating new curriculums while teachers prefer the old ones…
Officials have a different opinion about teachers’ actions in this situation. “They should not continue, they should profound their knowledge” – informed the education committee of Minsk City Executive Committee:
“They are not likely to continue, they will simply profound their knowledge of the language. For example, phrases like “I like…” will not be limited to “I like juice”, they will start saying “I like water, etc.”
Interestingly, the official suggested acquiring “the profound knowledge” at optional courses:
“They will not be ahead of the curriculum, they will remain at the same stage but they will profound the knowledge they already have. It will be an optional course. It will be like an additional educational service for those who missed something or those who need more training…”
A chief specialist of the Education Department of Moscow District Administration of Minsk Valyantsina Byazmen is sure that nobody will start studying English from scratch. The official says they will be using the old curriculum “during optional courses”:
“Third-formers will not study the things they studied in the 1st form again! They will continue studying during optional courses but their parents should write applications for it. We have been allowed to educate these children according to the old curriculum during optional courses”.
However, it is not clear what children will be doing during compulsory classes if they continue learning foreign languages during optional courses.
Photo: www.photosight.ru
“Of course they will continue according to the old curriculum. They will not be left alone like this… Those who studied it in the second form will continue studying it twice a week. They will simply go on … we cannot leave children at the crossroads”.
According to the teacher, there will be two curriculums this year: the old one and the new one, approved in connection with the return to the 11-years education system. It turns out that officials are creating new curriculums while teachers prefer the old ones…
Officials have a different opinion about teachers’ actions in this situation. “They should not continue, they should profound their knowledge” – informed the education committee of Minsk City Executive Committee:
“They are not likely to continue, they will simply profound their knowledge of the language. For example, phrases like “I like…” will not be limited to “I like juice”, they will start saying “I like water, etc.”
Interestingly, the official suggested acquiring “the profound knowledge” at optional courses:
“They will not be ahead of the curriculum, they will remain at the same stage but they will profound the knowledge they already have. It will be an optional course. It will be like an additional educational service for those who missed something or those who need more training…”
A chief specialist of the Education Department of Moscow District Administration of Minsk Valyantsina Byazmen is sure that nobody will start studying English from scratch. The official says they will be using the old curriculum “during optional courses”:
“Third-formers will not study the things they studied in the 1st form again! They will continue studying during optional courses but their parents should write applications for it. We have been allowed to educate these children according to the old curriculum during optional courses”.
However, it is not clear what children will be doing during compulsory classes if they continue learning foreign languages during optional courses.
Photo: www.photosight.ru
