Text 3. New Education Demands

The launching of Sputnik, an unmanned Soviet satellite, in 1957 stirred national interest in educational reform. Thus began what has been called the "golden age" of education. Major national efforts were made to reform education.

While many of the problems in education were not new, other new and different demands were changing the basic structure of educa­tion. First, there was a change in national philosophy from the position of making mass education available to many to a challenge to provide education for all. Second, we were preparing children for a new type of society that didn't yet exist.

Third, since people were now living significantly longer, formal education could not end with a high school or even a college degree. It is estimated that workers would have to prepare for two to three career changes in their lifetime. Forth, modern communications such as radio, film, television and computers had created an information-rich society. School were no longer the only centre of information, but had to com­pete for students' attention. Finally, the new emerging educational tech­nologies were to become an important catalyst for rethinking education.

Increasingly, many concepts and ideas cannot be taught without the aid of technology to represent and manipulate them. Humans have difficulty in handling problems that involve large quantities of data or have many interrelated structures. Today, information overload is a fact of life and while it is not possible to meaningfully eliminate complexity, it is possible to manage it. As a tool, high-speed computers revolution­ized the representation and manipulation of information. Integrating new important developments such as theories of chaos and complexity into the curriculum traditionally takes about 20 to 30 years.

Attempts were made to create a new model of combining scien­tific research and education with the aim of shortening the long lead-time for incorporating new concepts into the educational process.

Thus new theories and concepts are being introduced at all levels of education and are made available through a hierarchical, computer network.

Many universities are pursuing virtual degree programs, offering classes via the Internet and thus allowing students with personal com­puters and teachers to interact even when they are many miles apart. Education is now a flexitime, flexiplace activity.

Exercise 23. Learn the following words and word combinations:

launching of a satellite запуск супутника

to make efforts докладати зусиль

available доступний

challenge виклик, проблема

to provide education надавати освіту

to estimate оцінювати

to compete змагатися, конкурувати

emerging technologies технології, що з'являються

interrelated structures взаємопов’язані структури

to eliminate долати, знищувати

hierarchical computer network ієрархічна комп’ютерна мережа

to incorporate (into) включати

Exercise 24. Translate into Ukrainian:

an unmanned satellite; a flexitime, flexiplace activity; available through a computer network; a challenge to provide education for all; a college degree; prepare for two to three career changes; an information-rich so­ciety; compete for students' attention; aid of technology; have difficulty in handling problems; information overload; eliminate complexity; inte­grate new important developments into the curriculum; incorporate new concepts into the educational process.

Exercise 25. Find pairs of synonyms or words close in meaning:

incorporate; pursue; objective; research; eliminate; aid; compete for; provide; a challenge; developments; technology; integrate; a problem; stir interest; investigation; curriculum; engineering; change; help; sylla­bus; fight for; attract interest; aim; offer; eradicate; follow.

Exercise 26. Here are some answers. What are the questions?

1. It stirred national interest in educational reform.

2. New and different demands did.

3. Since people were now living significantly longer.

4. Yes, they had. Modern communications had created an information-rich society.

5. Schools had to compete for students’ attention since they were no longer the only centre of information.

6. To shorten the long lead-time for incorporating new concepts intothe educational process.

Exercise 27. Look through Text 3 again and say what its main idea is. Comment on the title of the text.