Canadian Education – English Language Bits

Match these words with their meanings below. You can type the words or copy & paste them. Check your answers by clicking Submit at the end.

equal – emphasis – tend – mention – engaged – methodology – superior – dominate – authoritarian – immersive

methods and principles that you use when studying a subject or doing certain work –

special attention or importance –

making you feel you are really taking part in the events –

have a tendency to do something (often) –

strictly forcing people to obey a set of rules or laws, especially ones that are wrong or unfair –

actively participating in something, not being passive –

the same in size, number, amount, value; having the same rights & opportunities –

to control someone or something or to have more importance than other people or things –

to talk or write about something or someone, usually quickly and without saying very much or giving details –

better, more powerful, more effective –

Fill in the missing words in the text. You can type them or copy & paste them. You can check your answers by listening or by clicking Submit at the end.

equal – tend – mention – engaged – methodology – superior – emphasis – dominate – authoritarian – immersive

Yuliya: Cheryl, you -ed that volunteering at a school might be a good way to get a better understanding of how education in Canada is different from other countries. So, when somebody does that – volunteer at a school – what could they see there? What should internationally-trained teachers be looking for?

Cheryl: Yes, so I think one of the more important things that makes education in Canada different from a lot of countries is that we tend to be very .

So the teachers are not seen as vastly to the students, but the students and the teachers tend to operate on a kind of an equal level.

So, in children’s education there’s an on, you know, treating the child like… This is gonna sound weird, but treating the child like a human being, right?

They are not a lesser person to be -d and dictated to, but the child is part of their own education.

Children can say they like or don’t like something, that they want to do or don’t want to do something. And the teacher’s job is to, you know, work with the different needs of different students. That’s a big change for a lot of people who are used to a more kind of way of teaching, where the teacher is the boss, the teacher is the God of the classroom and students are told to do things, and they do what they’re told, and that’s the end of the story.

Canadian education -s to be a little messier than that in some respects.

Yuliya: So what you mentioned is mostly about relationship. How do you think that translates to kind of teaching , approaches to teaching in practice?

Cheryl: Yes, so the teaching methodologies, working with children, the methodology tends to be interactive, , that the children are not you know, sitting still in their desk all day, and in fact they’re rarely sitting at their desk.

They’re in hands-on kinds of activities, where they’re making something, they’re doing something, they’re creating something, and that’s how the students demonstrate knowledge. There is testing, of course, in Canadian schools, but it’s not as strong an emphasis as it is in schools in other countries. We don’t have competitive exams in Canada, we don’t have exit exams in Canada. So the students demonstrate their learning in ways outside of just an exam, if that makes sense.

Yuliya: Interesting. It does. Thank you so much!

Discussion Questions:

These questions can help you practice speaking or writing.

How can volunteering at a school be helpful for someone interested in teaching?

What could they pay special attention to while helping out?

What are the common relationships between students and teachers in your culture?

Are the students usually engaged in the class, or are they expected to listen?

What kind of classes do you prefer? Why?

Have you ever had an authoritarian teacher?

How did you feel during the class?

How did it help you learn?

Have you ever had a teacher that treated you as equal?

How did that affect your studies?

What kind of teacher would you prefer today? Why?

Find the best sentence for each of these words.

You can type the words or copy & paste them. Check your answers by clicking Submit at the end.

equal – dominate – tend – mention – engaged – superior – methodology – authoritarian – immersive

Computers today are far to those from just a few years ago.

Video games and virtual reality can create an experience very similar to a real one.

Our education system provides opportunities for all children.

I -ed your idea to the boss, and he seemed interested.

Both government policies and our daily actions need a greater on environmental protection.

People to need less sleep as they get older.

Most teachers are free to choose how to teach their classes. Usually, there is no strict to follow.

Most Iranians do not seem to support the regime.

Students are learning better if they are actively during class.

Healthcare issues -d the media during the COVID pandemic, and they might be very important during the upcoming elections.