20090915 -- The School Debate (1)

The School Debate

Do boys and girls benefit more from being taught together or separately?

The debate about the best way to teach children has been around almost as long as schools have been in existence. One part of this debate has been the question of educating boys and girls separately or together.

Conversation A
Adam: Hi, Beth. How has your sister been doing since she declared art as her major in college?

Beth: She's doing well. And she decided to minor in business. Hey, don't you have a sister too?

Adam: Yes, but she's only in junior high school. Right now she's just focused on finishing ninth grade so she can move to a coed school.

Beth: So she's going to an all-girls school right now? She shouldn't be so eager to move to a coed school. Students of the opposite sex can be a distraction.

Adam: Maybe that's true sometimes, but when girls and boys study together they are more prepared for society. Single-sex education limits students' opportunities to work cooperatively with the opposite sex.

Beth: Coded schools might help ease the transition to adulthood, but single-sex schools can encourage children to achieve more. One study I read showed that students in single-sex schools get 15 to 22 percent better grades than those in coed schools.

Adam: But there is more to school than just getting good grades.
It is an ideal place to learn how to get with others.



opposite sex n. 異性
eg: People often find members of the opposite sex difficult to understand.
eg: Oliver is very shy when he meets anyone of the opposite sex.

gender n. 性別
eg: Please fill in your gender at the application form.

distract v. 使分心
distraction n. 分心/令人分心的事物
eg: The television was a huge distraction while Janet was trying to do her homework. She couldn't concentrate.
eg: Music at the workplace can be a distraction for some people.
eg: The study in my home is a good place to work because it is free from distraction.

cooperate v. 合作
cooperatively adv. 合作地/同心協力地
eg: The two teams worked cooperatively to come up with a solution to their problem.
eg: Our class worked cooperatively to finish this science project and won the title at the fair.

adulthood n. 成年(期)
eg: In early adulthood, a person experiences increased independence and more responsibilities.



//== Chat room ==//

grade n. 成績/分數
eg: get good grades

grade v. 打分數/評分
eg: grade papers
eg: grade test

grade n. 年級

大學之後就不用grade來表示年級，而是用year。
What year are you?　你現在是大學幾年級
first year 大學一年級
second year 大學二年級
third year 大學三年級
forth year 大學四年級
freshman 大學一年級
sophomore 大學二年級
junior 大學三年級
senior 大學四年級

freshman 高中九年級
sophomore 高中十年級
junior 高中十一年級
senior 高中十二年級