erently today. Education in those centuries meant monotonous17) memorizing. Discipline was extremely strict. An engraving18) of a late 18th century German school shows a cheerless school where two children are standing with their legs clamped19) together, two are being switched20), and two others are wearing dunce caps21).
This system of education was changed by people like Johann Pestalozzi22) who was a Swiss gentleman, Friedrich Froebel who founded the first kindergarten, Maria Montessori who invented the Montessori Method, and John Dewey who was an American philosopher. Not all the suggestions of these reformers were practical, but the general direction of their ideas was correct because they had a great liking for their students. They stressed the importance of an education that caters to23) every student's unique needs and learning styles, rather than education through punishment.
由于文艺复兴的影响,教育越来越成了一件关乎国家利益的大事。全世界第一批国立学校在18世纪末成立于普鲁士。美国的第一所公立高中于1821年成立于波士顿。在美国,教育的目的之一是普及民主的理念。这些新开的国立学校也受到了工业革命的影响,在原有的数学、自然科学、文学及语言、社会科学、历史等科目的基础上,又增设了农学、商学和一些技术性科目。
虽然近现代教育是基于17世纪、18世纪以及19世纪的教育而建立起来的,如今它却以完全不同的面貌呈现在学生面前。前几个世纪的教育意味着刻板乏味的死记硬背。学校的纪律也是极其严格的。一套有关18世纪末德国学校的版画描绘了这样一幅阴郁的学校场景:两个孩子站在那儿,腿被夹具紧紧地夹在一起;两个孩子正在接受鞭笞;另外两个孩子则头顶着“笨蛋高帽”。
这种教育体制的最终改变得益于许多人的共同努力:瑞士人约翰·裴斯泰洛齐、创办了第一所幼儿园的弗里德里希·福禄培尔、发明了蒙特梭利教学法的玛丽亚·蒙特梭利及美国哲学家约翰·杜威等等。这些改革者所提出的建议并非全都切实可行,但他们的理念在大方向上是正确的,因为他们都非常热爱自己的学生。他们强调根据学生的不同需求和不同学习风格因材施教的重要性,反对通过惩罚去教育学生。
Today's Education 今日教育
Education today still faces many challenges around the world. Many rural communities, especially in South America, Africa, and Asia, are very poor and struggle to afford to build schools and hire teachers. Even in relatively wealthy societies like the United States, severe discrepancies24) exist in quality of education.
Despite the challenges, education is seeing its brightest state in human history. Literacy25) rates are on the rise; an unprecedented number of students are taking advantage of higher education. The internet has made a wealth of26) information and educational materials readily27) available. Today's ease of travel has made studying abroad a popular option for countless students. While today's students may not have servants to carry their lyre and writing tablets, they do have more opportunities and resources than ever before.
今天的教育仍在世界范围内面临着许许多多的挑战。很多农村非常贫穷,一直挣扎在没钱建学校、聘老师的困境之中,南美、非洲和亚洲等地的情况尤为严重。即便是在像美国这样相对富裕的社会里,教育质量也存在着严重的分化。
纵使面临着这诸多挑战,教育却仍在经历着它自人类历史以来最为光明的时期。识字率在整体攀升;受益于高等教育的人数也是空前的。互联网提供的海量信息可以使人轻而易举地获取各种教育资料。旅行的便捷也使到国外留学成了无数学生的流行之选。今天的学生可能没有仆人为他们提着乐器里拉和写字板,但他们却有着比以往任何时候都多的教育机会和资源。
1. faculty [5fAkEltI] n. 能力;技能
2. philosophy [fI5lCsEfI] n. 哲学
3. etiquette [etI5ket, 5etIket] n.礼节,礼仪
4. sacred [5seIkrId] adj. 神圣的
5. lyre [5laIE(r)] n. 里拉(竖琴家族中的一种弦乐器,用来为歌手或朗诵诗歌的人伴奏,特别是在古希腊)
6. hurl [h\:l] vt. 猛投;力掷
7. javelin [5dVAvElIn] n. (打猎或作战用的)投枪;(田径运动中用的)标枪
8. feast [fi:st] n. 节日,节期(尤指宗教节日)
9. sound [saund] adj. 健康的;健全的
10. monastery [5mCnEstErI] n. 修道院,隐修院;寺院
11. Thomas Aquinas: 托马斯·阿奎那(1225?~1274),意大利神学家,欧洲中世纪经院哲学代表人物。他是自然神学最早的提倡者之一,也是托马斯哲学学派的创立者。
12. Peter Abelard: 彼得·阿伯拉尔(1079~1144?),法国著名的哲学家、神学家。
13. odd job: 零工
14. theology [WI5ClEdVI] n. 神学;宗教学
15. guild [^Ild] n. (中世纪的)行会,同业工会
16. democracy [dI5mCkrEsI] n. 民主;民主主义
17. monotonous [mE5nCtEnEs] adj. 单一得令人厌倦的;毫无变化的
18. engraving [In5^reIvIN] n. 版画;雕版印刷品
19. clamp [klAmp] vt. (用夹具等)夹紧;夹住
20. switch [swItF] vt. (用树枝等)鞭打
21. dunce cap: 笨蛋高帽(旧时学校中作为惩罚给成绩差的学生戴的一种圆锥形纸帽)。dunce [dQns] n. 智力迟钝的学生
22. Johann Pestalozzi: 约翰·裴斯泰洛齐(1746~1827),瑞士著名教育家。他试图通过教育来改善农民的生活,一生致力于让广大贫苦儿童接受初等教育。
23. cater to: 满足(需要或欲望)
24. discrepancy [dIs5krepEnsI] n. 差异,不一致
25. literacy [5lItErEsI] n. 识字,有文化
26. a wealth of: 很多的
27. readily [5redIlI] adv. 无困难地,容易地
