Alison Utley looks at how school pu

Alison Utley looks at how school pupils are often ill-prepared for university study

Before arriving at university students will have been powerfully influenced by their school's approach to learning particular subjects. Yet this is only rarely taken into account by teachers in higher education, according to new research carried out at Nottingham University, which could explain why so many students experience problems making the transition.

Historian Alan Booth says there is a growing feeling on both sides of the Atlantic that the shift from school to university-style learning could be vastly improved. But little consensus exists about who or what is at fault when the students cannot cope. "School teachers commonly blame the poor quality of university teaching, citing factors such as large first-year lectures, the widespread use of inexperienced postgraduate tutors and the general lack of concern for students in an environment where research is dominant in career progression," Dr Booth said.

Many university tutors on the other hand claim that the school system is failing to prepare students for what will be expected of them at university. A-level history in particular is seen to be teacher-dominated, creating a passive dependency culture.

But while both sides are bent on attacking each other, little is heard during such exchanges from the students themselves, according to Dr Booth, who has devised a questionnaire to test the views of more than 200 first-year history students at Nottingham over a three-year period. The students were asked about their experience of how history is taught at the outset of their degree programme. It quickly became clear that teaching methods in school were pretty staid.

About 30 per cent of respondents claimed to have made significant use of primary sources (few felt very confident in handling them) and this had mostly been in connection with project work. Only 16 per cent had used video/audio; 2 per cent had experienced field trips and less than 1 per cent had engaged in role play.

Dr Booth found students and teachers were frequently restricted by the assessment style which remains dominated by exams. These put obstacles in the way of more adventurous teaching and active learning, he said. Of the students in the survey just 13 per cent felt their A-level course had prepared them very well for work at university. Three-quarters felt it had prepared them fairly well.

One typical comment sums up the contrasting approach: "At A-level we tended to be spoon-fed with dictated notes and if we were told to do any background reading (which was rare) we were told exactly which pages to read out of the book".

To test this further the students were asked how well they were prepared in specific skills central to degree level history study. The answers reveal that the students felt most confident at taking notes from lectures and organising their notes. They were least able to give an oral presentation and there was no great confidence in contributing to seminars,knowing how much to read, using primary sources and searching for texts. Even reading and taking notes from a book were often problematic. Just 6 per cent of the sample said they felt competent at writing essays, the staple A level assessment activity.

The personal influence of the teacher was paramount. In fact individual teachers were the centre of students' learning at A level with some 86 per cent of respondents reporting that their teachers had been more influential in their development as historians than the students' own reading and thinking.

The ideal teacher turned out to be someone who was enthusiastic about the subject; a good clear communicator who encouraged discussion. The ideal teacher was able to develop students involvement and independence. He or she was approachable and willing to help. The bad teacher, according to the survey, dictates notes and allows no room for discussion. He or she makes students learn strings of facts; appears uninterested in the subject and fails to listen to other points of view.

No matter how poor the students judged their preparedness for degree-level study, however, there was a fairly widespread optimism that the experience would change them significantly, particularly in terms of their open mindedness and ability to cope with people.

But it was clear, Dr Booth said, that the importance attached by many departments to third-year teaching could be misplaced. "Very often tutors regard the third year as the crucial time, allowing postgraduates to do a lot of the earlier teaching. But I am coming to the conclusion that the first year at university is the critical point of intervention

Kết quả (Việt) 1:

Alison Utley trông như thế nào học sinh thường bị bệnh chuẩn bị cho đại họcTrước khi đến tại trường đại học học sinh sẽ có được mạnh mẽ chịu ảnh hưởng của cách tiếp cận của trường để học tập các đối tượng cụ thể. Được điều này hiếm khi đưa vào tài khoản của các giáo viên trong giáo dục, theo nghiên cứu mới được tiến hành tại Đại học Nottingham, có thể giải thích tại sao rất nhiều học sinh gặp khó khăn làm cho quá trình chuyển đổi.Nhà sử học Alan Booth nói đó là phát triển một cảm giác trên cả hai mặt của Đại Tây Dương mà sự chuyển đổi từ trường đại học phong cách học tập có thể được bao la cải thiện. Nhưng sự đồng thuận ít tồn tại về những người hoặc những gì là có lỗi khi các sinh viên không thể đối phó. "Giáo viên trường thường đổ lỗi cho người nghèo chất lượng giảng dạy Đại học, trích dẫn các yếu tố như các bài giảng năm đầu tiên lớn, sử dụng rộng rãi thiếu kinh nghiệm dạy học và thiếu chung của mối quan tâm cho các sinh viên trong một môi trường nơi nghiên cứu là chiếm ưu thế trong thăng tiến nghề nghiệp," tiến sĩ gian hàng cho biết.Nhiều trường đại học giáo viên trên mặt khác cho hệ thống trường học là không để chuẩn cho sinh viên cho những gì sẽ được mong đợi của họ tại trường đại học. Lịch sử A cấp đặc biệt được xem là giáo viên-chủ yếu là, việc tạo ra một nền văn hóa thụ động phụ thuộc.But while both sides are bent on attacking each other, little is heard during such exchanges from the students themselves, according to Dr Booth, who has devised a questionnaire to test the views of more than 200 first-year history students at Nottingham over a three-year period. The students were asked about their experience of how history is taught at the outset of their degree programme. It quickly became clear that teaching methods in school were pretty staid.About 30 per cent of respondents claimed to have made significant use of primary sources (few felt very confident in handling them) and this had mostly been in connection with project work. Only 16 per cent had used video/audio; 2 per cent had experienced field trips and less than 1 per cent had engaged in role play.Dr Booth found students and teachers were frequently restricted by the assessment style which remains dominated by exams. These put obstacles in the way of more adventurous teaching and active learning, he said. Of the students in the survey just 13 per cent felt their A-level course had prepared them very well for work at university. Three-quarters felt it had prepared them fairly well.One typical comment sums up the contrasting approach: "At A-level we tended to be spoon-fed with dictated notes and if we were told to do any background reading (which was rare) we were told exactly which pages to read out of the book".To test this further the students were asked how well they were prepared in specific skills central to degree level history study. The answers reveal that the students felt most confident at taking notes from lectures and organising their notes. They were least able to give an oral presentation and there was no great confidence in contributing to seminars,knowing how much to read, using primary sources and searching for texts. Even reading and taking notes from a book were often problematic. Just 6 per cent of the sample said they felt competent at writing essays, the staple A level assessment activity.The personal influence of the teacher was paramount. In fact individual teachers were the centre of students' learning at A level with some 86 per cent of respondents reporting that their teachers had been more influential in their development as historians than the students' own reading and thinking.The ideal teacher turned out to be someone who was enthusiastic about the subject; a good clear communicator who encouraged discussion. The ideal teacher was able to develop students involvement and independence. He or she was approachable and willing to help. The bad teacher, according to the survey, dictates notes and allows no room for discussion. He or she makes students learn strings of facts; appears uninterested in the subject and fails to listen to other points of view.Không có vấn đề làm thế nào nghèo sinh viên đánh giá của họ chuẩn bị sẵn sàng cho cấp độ học tập, Tuy nhiên, đã có một sự lạc quan khá phổ biến kinh nghiệm sẽ thay đổi chúng một cách đáng kể, đặc biệt là trong điều kiện mở mindedness và khả năng để đối phó với người dân của họ.Nhưng nó đã được rõ ràng, tiến sĩ gian hàng cho biết, tầm quan trọng, gắn bằng nhiều phòng ban để dạy học năm thứ ba có thể được đặt nhầm. "Rất thường dạy về vấn đề năm thứ 3 là thời gian rất quan trọng, cho phép postgraduates để làm rất nhiều việc giảng dạy trước đó. Nhưng tôi sẽ đi đến kết luận rằng những năm đầu tiên tại trường đại học là điểm quan trọng của sự can thiệp