The system of education in Great Britain, America and Kazakhstan

Tatyana Kolesnikova
East Kazakhstan State University
Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan

Level/age group: intermediate, 15 and above.
Time:  80 minutes
Aim: to learn and practice vocabulary connected with education
Objective(s): to produce a chart to compare the two systems with the Kazakhstan system of education.
Resources: reading texts, worksheets.

Preparation:

• prepare short texts about the three systems of education which include the basic facts about education in the three countries.
• copy the worksheets for the lesson for each student/group.

Procedure:
revise the vocabulary connected with the topic, let the students go through the texts and fill in the chart with the facts about the three systems from the texts.

Pre-stage:

1. Ask the students what they know about education in the UK and the USA (the levels of education, age of students, subjects taught, well-known universities, etc.)
2. Give them a vocabulary exercise worksheets and ask to do the exercises. Explain the difficulties.

While-stage:

1. Divide the students into three groups and assign the task to them. Ask them to read through the text and find answers to the questions on their worksheets for one of the countries.
2. Ask the students working on different education systems to share with others what they have found. Suggest them asking the following questions:
   -  Which of these systems would you like to study in? Why?
   -  Is the education system the same in the whole country?
   -  Is education free?
   -  What is the age of students?
   -  What subjects are taught in schools?
   -  What are the most famous educational institutes?
   -  How is an academic year organised?
   
   Explain difficulties, if needed.
   
   
3. Ask students to discuss the differences in the three systems of education. They may answer the following questions:
   -  Which of these systems do you find most effective? Why?
   -  What is the best age to enter school?
   -  What would you borrow from other systems of education? Why?
   -  How do the subjects vary?

Post-stage:
Ask the students to describe the ideal system of education in writing or orally.

Options for adapting:

1. Your students may be given the task to find basic facts about education in the three countries on the web before the class (provide them with the links).
2. Vocabulary exercises may be based on the texts of your choice.
3. There is no need to photocopy the comparison table. Students may draw a chart on their own following discussion questions (see while-stage Task 2)

Follow up activities:
Making a poster to advertise an ideal school.

Download:
Student Worksheets

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