A comfortable way of learning
Did you know at the age of 14 who you wanted to be in the future? Most
pupils in the 9th grade already realize that, and they understand what they need to make
their dreams come true.
The main idea of “profile education” is to put the most important
subjects in the foreground. It can help university entrants to prepare for the entrance
exams and not to think about the subjects they don’t really need.
To my mind, this way of education is very useful and it could be great
if Russian schools had such a system. It is a helping hand for every school-leaver. This
way of studying has been used successfully for many years in most European countries, and
it could become a great relief for final year pupils, because it is really difficult to
pay a lot of attention to subjects not needed for entrance exams (preparation courses,
tutors, school).
The program of “profile education” also includes a practice of
combining different subjects, creating a common educational environment based on the usage
of information technologies. This way of learning was demonstrated by one Moscow school
– the President Lyceum, school No. 1348. The model of one special profile lesson was
presented to the commission on 23rd of November. English, History and Computer
Technologies were combined to make a special project about Winston Churchill. Not only was
the knowledge of English and History introduced to guests, but also the usage of an
e-learning technology was demonstrated. The project was presented to MESI’s professor,
who was in communication with the school by web-camera.
When pupils were asked what they thought about profile education, most
of them said that it was a useful, interesting and comfortable way of learning.
To learn more about the future of the profile education system in this
school, I decided to ask the principal, Raisa Fedorovna Malovichko, some questions.
– Why do you think profile education is needed?
– We should present a spectrum of professions for pupils. Some
children can’t have trouble choosing a trade after leaving school. Profile direction is
necessary for pupils to find their place in life, because it is really easy to get lost in
the choice of professions.
– How is the system going to be developed in your school?
– Speaking about our school, it specializes in learning languages.
More study hours for them have been added. I hope soon, in about five years, our
school-leavers will speak 3 foreign languages fluently. Having a good command in 3
languages can definitely be a great help in life.
– What about the senior classes?
– The most important subjects for entering a university will be given
more attention. As for other subjects, they will perhaps be given as survey lectures. It
is impossible to exclude them, because they are necessary for everyone.
– The school has just tested the program of e-learning. Will it be
continued in the future?
– Yes, definitely. We have an agreement with MESI. I think that this
program will be advanced in the future. We plan to invite university teachers for our
pupils. It is a really interesting work and we will promote it in the future. I think that
results will be excellent.
By Alexandra Tsarkova, 11th grade
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