Q.1
As computers are being used more and more in
education, there will be soon no role for teachers
in the classroom.
There have been immense advances in technology in
most aspects of people’s lives, especially in the
field of education. Nowadays, an increasing number
of students rely on computers for research and to
produce a perfect paper for school purposes. Others
have decided to leave the original way of learning
and to get knowledge through online schools. These
changes in the learning process have brought a
special concern regarding the possible decrease of
importance of teachers in the classroom.
Some people believe the role of teachers started to
fade because computers have been helping some
students to progress in their studies quicker than
when compared with an original classroom. For
example, in the same classroom, students have
different intellectual capacities, thus some would
be tied to a slow advance in their studies because
of others’ incapacity of understanding. In this
way, pupils could progress in their acquisition of
knowledge at their own pace using computers instead
of learning from teachers.
However, the presence of a teacher is essential for
students because the human contact influences them
in positive ways. Firstly, students realize that
they are not dealing with a machine but with a
human being who deserves attention and respect.
They also learn the importance of studying in group
and respect other students, which helps them to
improve their social skills.
Moreover, teachers are required in the learning
process because they acknowledge some student’s
deficiencies and help them to solve their problems
by repeating the same explanation, giving extra
exercises or even suggesting a private tutor.
Hence, students can have a bigger chance not to
fail in a subject.
In conclusion, the role for teachers in the
learning process is still very important and it
will continue to be in the future because no
machine can replace the human interaction and its
consequences.
Q2.
Improvements in health, education and trade are
essential for the development of poorer nations.
However, the governments of richer nations should
take more responsibility for helping the poorer
nations in such areas.Today’s world has been divided into developing and
industrialised countrieswhich the main difference
between them is the amount of money that
governments apply in important sectors such as
education, health and commerce. Most of the poorer
nations are buried in debts as a result of their
unbalanced finances which are reflect in a failed
health care, an unstructured education system and a
weak international trade. This vicious cycle will
continue indefinitely unless wealthier nations show
interest in minimizing the worldwide economic
differences, as well as taking more responsibility
for assisting unfortunate countries.
Most of the African countries live in sub-human
conditions because of the extreme poverty,
upheaval, hunger, disease, unemployment, lack of
education and both inexperienced and corrupt
administrations. The devastating consequences of
the AIDS epidemic in those countries could improve
if the infected populations receive free drugs to
control the disease, have access to health
professionals and get information on how to prevent
its spread. But this can only be achieved through
international help programs in which leaders of the
world’s richest countries donate medicine and also
send doctors and nurses to treat and educate those
in need.
Moreover, most of the poor countries rely on
selling agricultural products and raw material to
rich nations and buying industrialized products
from them resulting in a huge financial deficit.
Consequently,they borrow a significant amount of money from the
World Bank to try to improve their broken
economies, but sometimes the money disappears with
no significant changes and they cannot even pay the
interest to the bank. Regarding this issue, last
year the G8, which is comprised of leaders of the
eight richest nations, decided to forgive billions
of dollars worth of debt owed by the world’s
poorest nations. In addition, they developed
adequate loan programs to financially assist those
countries.
In conclusion, leaders of the industrialised
countries play an indispensable role in assisting
developing nations deal with essential areas such
as health, education and trade. Also, their aid is
the key to breaking the vicious cycle, which
results in poverty and death.
Q3
Popular events like the football World Cup and other international sporting occasions are essential in easing international tensions and releasing patriotic emotions in a safe way.Every four years, the whole world stops to watch international sporting events such as the Olympics and the Football World Cup in which athletes show their best performance to make their country proud of them. These sporting occasions have proved to be helpful in easing international tensions in difficult times when powerful leaders were trying to control the world’s economy and other governments were fighting over land.
The Olympic Games are one of the best examples which prove how sporting events can bring nations together, at least temporarily. From ancient History, when Greeks and Romans would interrupt battles to participate in the games, to the more recent international disputes, when athletes from Palestine and Israel would forget their differences, compete pacifically and even embrace each other after an event. Moreover, these popular events have called the world’s attention to the terrible consequences of wars; thus some leaders have tried to accept agreements to end their dispute and live peacefully.
Similarly, international sporting events show benefits in some developing countries which live in a daily internal civil war. For example, Brazil has a high rate of unemployment, lack of education, hunger, crime, poverty and corruption which leads to an immense embarrassment of being Brazilian and a low self-esteem. However, when the Football World Cup starts, the Brazilian squad, which is considered the best team in the world, provokes an amazing feeling of pride in their country. Most people seem to forget all their problems and even the criminal activity decreases. They paint roads with the national colors, use wear the Brazilian team shirt and buy national flags. Moreover, the competition brings families and neighbors together and even rival gangs watch the games and celebrate peacefully.
In conclusion, popular sporting events play an important role in decreasing international tensions and liberating patriotic feelings as History has shown.
Q4.
As computers are being used more and more in education, there will be soon no role for teachers in the classroom.There is no doubt that education and the learning process has changed since the introduction of computers. The search for information has become easier and amusing, and connectivity has expedited the data availability. Though expert systems have made computers more intelligent, they have not yet become a substitute of the human interaction in the learning process. In my opinion; what can be expected, is a change of the teachers’ role but not their disappearance from the classroom.
Nobody can argue that the acquisition of knowledge is more fun and easier with computers. The mere activity of touching and exploring this device constitutes an enjoyable task for a kid. This, accompanied with the relaxing attitude and software interactivity, usually conduce to a better grasping of new knowledge. At a higher educational level; the availability of digital books, simulator and other academic materials, provide the student with an ever accessible source of information, that otherwise would not be at hand.
But, besides the increasing complexity and behavior of intelligent software, which is usually embedded in the academic digital material, the need of human interaction in the learning process will always be present, at least in the foreseeable future. There is the necessity for a human being to be able to determine what the specific needs of each individual are. The expertise of a teacher in how to explain and adapt complex concepts to different individuals can hardly be mimicked by a computer, no matter how sophisticated its software is.
As computers are becoming a common tool for teaching, teachers should be more aware of their role as guides in the acquisition of knowledge rather than transmitters of facts. They have to be open minded to the changes that are taking place, keep updated and serve as a problem solvers in the learning process, thus allowing students to discover the
facts for themselves.
To summarize, in my personal view, teachers play and will play an important role in the classroom, especially at the primary level. No matter how complex computers become, there will be no replacement for the human interaction, but in the
way how this interaction takes place.
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