P re -re ad in g Sp e ak in g
Ⅰ. Pair work
Look at the pictures carefully and answer the questions below.
The two pictures above reflect the two relievos ( 浮雕) at the entryway of Yale Law School. Picture 1 illustrates a vivid depiction of a passionate professor and bored students whereas Picture 2 depicts an exhausted professor and excited students.
1. Try to make a comparison of the two pictures in detail. And try to figure out what factors contribute to the differences.
2. Have you ever had such experiences as illustrated in Picture 1 in college classes? If you have，are they small classes or rather big classes? Exchange your experience with your partner.
3. Generally speaking，Picture 2 presents an unusual scene. Can you guess what contributes to it? Have you ever encountered such a situation? Share your
experience with your partner .
4. Do you prefer small discussion classes or lectures in which the teacher plays the central and dominant role?
Some useful expr essions for your refer ence:
out-dated textbooks lacking charisma ( 个人魅力，领袖气质)
rigid teaching method tight schedule
heavy curriculum over-active students
challenging questions too enthusiastic
critical / fault-finding students overwhelming teaching tasks
Ⅱ. Grou p d iscu ssion
1. In your opinion，what factors contribute to students??boredom in class? Only teachers or students themselves or some other exterior factors?
2. What can be done to better this kind of situation both on the part of students and on the part of teachers?
P o s t -re ad in g a c t ivity
Ⅰ. Pair wor k
As illustrated in the following two pictures，the lecture room is crowded with students listening attentively and taking notes carefully. And some students even stand in the aisle and sit on the floor. Guess what it is that holds the students??interest. Judging from the students??facial expressions，do you think it is a stimulating and thoughtprovoking lecture? Do you think it is typical of the successful lectures in Chinese colleges? What might be the differences of the lectures in the Western colleges?
Some useful expr essions for your refer ence:
not simply and merely put blame on professors or students
many factors contribute to this problem
lose interest
take an active part in . . .
arouse students??interest / eagerness
charisma ( 个人魅力)
try to be passionate
be enthusiastic about
try to be amusing，stimulating，inspiring，humorous，gracious and broadminded motivate the students??initiative
try to know something about everything and everything about something
Ⅱ. Grou p d iscu ssion
1. Why does the author put the blame on the lecture system?
2. Why do some people show special favor for the lecture system and how can we change their favor for it?
3. What kind of teaching style do you prefer? Traditional or computer-aided? Teachercentered or student-centered? Stern teachers or friendly teachers? Why?
4. Have you ever had some impressive classes in your school life? Try to describe the most impressive one，such as its pattern，procedure and style.
Some useful expr essions for your refer ence
a lot of problems involved
not doing a good job of teaching
not doing a good job of learning
dull and uninteresting
talk about some outdated ideas discarded by the rest world
not knowing something useful after graduation
hard to concentrate while listening for 45 minutes
passive learning
take down notes
reduces feedback to a minimum
Ⅱ. Role-p laying
Work in pairs to perform a TV talk show. One of you play the role of the head of Education Ministry of China，and the other plays the role of a journalist from Xinhua News Agency. Make up a dialogue about educational reform especially on the measures taken to improve the lecture system and new arrangements for class teaching.
Ⅲ. Oral p resentat ion
Ta sk 1
Tell your classmates your opinion on the lecture system with the help of the following:
1. I strongly go against the lecture system because there are many problems concerning it.
2. One problem with . . . is . . .
Worse still . . .
Another problem is
3. Therefore，. . .
Ta sk 2
Take a second look at the two pictures illustrating the two relievos ( 浮雕) at the entryway of Yale Law School. Do you think the Western lecture system has superiority over the Chinese lecture system? Do you think there exist some similarities between the Western lecture system and the Chinese lecture system?