Education + Children + Family

curriculum

the full range of subjects offered by a school or group of schools
The curriculum in private schools is sometimes wider than in state schools, because they have
more resources

pedagogical (experts)

(experts in) education and teaching
I admire pedagogical pioneers such as the Victorian English thinkers who began free schools
for all children

syllabus

the content of elements taught in a specific subject
The syllabus for geography at my school included volcanoes, earthquakes and tidal waves,
which we found fascinating

formal examinations

exams where students answer set written or spoken questions without
assistance
continuous assessment

academic achievement

the measurable performance of a student in marks, exam results etc
In my country, children enjoy school, but academic achievement is frankly quite low

further education

education after leaving school at the minimum age
Some governments encourage further education by allowing teenagers to claim benefits while
they study

higher education

education after age 18 at college or University, usually for a Degree
When I pass IELTS, I plan to go on to higher education in Canada and do a degree inengineering

group work

study where pupils discuss and agree a project together
Personally, I think that group work enables lazy children to do less work than the eager ones

teacher-led lessons

traditional lessons where the teacher delivers a long talk and the
students take notes
In my country, lessons are still very teacher-led and interaction is rather limited

autonomous learning

when a student learns through independent study and research
At University, you are expected to be an autonomous learner far more than at High School,
which is quite exciting for me

study skills

the skills of organising, using and checking study work
My study skills were rather weak until I read an excellent book by a Japanese pedagogical
expert

to synthesise sources

to use a variety of sources and combine them in one project
I use the Internet to synthesise my sources, and I always cite the origin of the information

to cite sources

to acknowledge publicly

to supplement

to add extra content or material
My supervisor said that I should supplement my essay with more examples of experiments

to assimilate knowledge

to absorb and understand it
I always use a dictionary when I study in English, to help me assimilate new phrases

guided learning

learning under the supervision of a teacher
Lessons in Primary Schools should always contain guided learning, otherwise the children
will lose focus

data-gathering

collecting information, usually in numerical form
Mobile phone companies employ many people in data-gathering Tasks, to see how users are
using the phones and Internet

distance learning

learning by the Internet or email, rather than face-to-face
My mother took an entire degree by distance learning over a period of five years

self-study

studying using a course without a teacher’s involvement
There are many self-study guides to improving your English, and some of them are actually
quite good

to discriminate between sources

to decide whether one source is better or more reliable
than another source
Children should not study using unsupervised Internet access, because they can’t discriminate
between the sources of information they find

to sift information

to remove unwanted or less useful information
I had to sift hundreds of pages of data to arrive at my conclusions when I did my thesis

to marshal facts

to organise facts in support of an idea
In IELTS essays, you should marshal a few facts to support each idea in the argument

an integral part of the syllabus

essential, central or indispensable
Nutrition is an integral part of food sciences these days
to work/study under supervision

group work

study where pupils discuss and agree a project together
Personally, I think that group work enables lazy children to do less work than the eager ones

teacher-led lessons

traditional lessons where the teacher delivers a long talk and the
students take notes
In my country, lessons are still very teacher-led and interaction is rather limited

autonomous learning

when a student learns through independent study and research
At University, you are expected to be an autonomous learner far more than at High School,
which is quite exciting for me

study skills

the skills of organising, using and checking study work
My study skills were rather weak until I read an excellent book by a Japanese pedagogical
expert

to synthesise sources

to use a variety of sources and combine them in one project
I use the Internet to synthesise my sources, and I always cite the origin of the information

to cite sources

to acknowledge publicly

to supplement

to add extra content or material
My supervisor said that I should supplement my essay with more examples of experiments

to assimilate knowledge

to absorb and understand it
I always use a dictionary when I study in English, to help me assimilate new phrases

guided learning

learning under the supervision of a teacher
Lessons in Primary Schools should always contain guided learning, otherwise the children
will lose focus

data-gathering

collecting information, usually in numerical form
Mobile phone companies employ many people in data-gathering Tasks, to see how users are
using the phones and Internet

distance learning

learning by the Internet or email, rather than face-to-face
My mother took an entire degree by distance learning over a period of five years

self-study

studying using a course without a teacher’s involvement
There are many self-study guides to improving your English, and some of them are actually
quite good

to discriminate between sources

to decide whether one source is better or more reliable
than another source
Children should not study using unsupervised Internet access, because they can’t discriminate
between the sources of information they find

to sift information

to remove unwanted or less useful information
I had to sift hundreds of pages of data to arrive at my conclusions when I did my thesis

to marshal facts

to organise facts in support of an idea
In IELTS essays, you should marshal a few facts to support each idea in the argument

an integral part of the syllabus

essential, central or indispensable
Nutrition is an integral part of food sciences these days
to work/study under supervision

to work/study under supervision

under the direction of a responsible person
At college, I discovered I did not have to work under supervision all the time, and I was free
to do independent researc

foster parents

people who have children living in their existing family for a fixed period,
with the original parents’ agreement
Being a foster parent is a difficult and tiring role, I can imagine

guardians

people who are legally appointed to protect a child’s interests in the absence of
parents
In some countries, the government appoints a guardian if the parents die or experience severe
difficulties

role models

people that children look to and respect as good examples
In some countries, the royal family are good role models for youngsters, although in other
cases this is not the case

ground rules

basic rules governing the way people can behave in a situation
During the school holidays, my parents had strict ground rules for what we could do outside

conventions

traditions or social norms that most people follow
It’s a convention for grandparents to live with their children in many countries

codes of conduct

voluntary rules which people accept in a situation
The Boy Scouts have a firm code of conduct, which seems to be a positive influence

bullying

when children attack and intimidate other children
Bullying could be reduced through better awareness and positive peer pressure in schools

truancy

when a pupil leaves school without permission (verb

delinquency

minor crime (often by young people)
Delinquency is a huge problem in urban areas, especially when policing is minimal

abduction

the crime of taking or kidnapping people for a criminal reason
Child abduction is a great concern for many parents, especially in South America

peer pressure

the pressure from people in the same group to act in a certain way
Many children start smoking due to peer pressure or bad role models

dual-income

a family where both the father and mother work
In many countries, the dual-income family is the norm nowadays

breadwinner

the person who earns all or most of the money in a family
In some families, the father is still the only breadwinner

child-minding

caring informally (not in schools) for children when parents are busy or
working
In some countries, the state subsidises the costs of child-minding

after-school childcare

caring for children in a school setting, as above
Many families rely on after-school childcare because both parents work and commute

viable

practical and possible to achieve
It is not really viable to expect all children to get maximum grades in exams

peers

people in the same group or level as yourselfMany of my peers from school are now working for charities

bonding

the development of close emotional connections between people
Festivals and parties are an ideal time for families to bond

patterns of behaviour

ways of acting and doing things (either positive or negative)
Unfortunately, some children absorb dangerous patterns of behaviour when watching movies
or playing computer games

well brought-up (to bring up children

to raise and educate them in your own moral,
behavioural or religious conventions)
I was brought up in a very religious family, and I seem to have absorbed their valuesbullying

truancy

when a pupil leaves school without permission (verb

delinquency

minor crime (often by young people)
Delinquency is a huge problem in urban areas, especially when policing is minimal

abduction

the crime of taking or kidnapping people for a criminal reason
Child abduction is a great concern for many parents, especially in South America

peer pressure

the pressure from people in the same group to act in a certain way
Many children start smoking due to peer pressure or bad role models

dual-income

a family where both the father and mother work
In many countries, the dual-income family is the norm nowadays

breadwinner

the person who earns all or most of the money in a family
In some families, the father is still the only breadwinner

child-minding

caring informally (not in schools) for children when parents are busy or
working
In some countries, the state subsidises the costs of child-minding

after-school childcare

caring for children in a school setting, as above
Many families rely on after-school childcare because both parents work and commute

viable

practical and possible to achieve
It is not really viable to expect all children to get maximum grades in exams

peers

people in the same group or level as yourselfMany of my peers from school are now working for charities

bonding

the development of close emotional connections between people
Festivals and parties are an ideal time for families to bond

patterns of behaviour

ways of acting and doing things (either positive or negative)
Unfortunately, some children absorb dangerous patterns of behaviour when watching movies
or playing computer games

well brought-up / to bring up children

to raise and educate them in your own moral,
behavioural or religious conventions)
I was brought up in a very religious family, and I seem to have absorbed their value

to cover a lot of ground

Type: idiom. Meaning: to deal with a lot of information, facts, or topics. Example: The history lecture covered a lot of ground today

to tailor teaching styles/strategies

Type: collocation. Meaning: to adapt teaching methods for a particular purpose, group, or situation. Example: Teachers should tailor their teaching strategies to students with different levels of ability

a high-flyer

Type: noun/idiom. Meaning: someone who has the ability and ambition to be very successful. Example: The teacher often pays more attention to the academic high-flyers in the class

transmission of knowledge

Type: collocation. Meaning: the process of passing knowledge from one person to another. Example: Face

interactive learning

Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: a method of learning in which students actively participate through questions, discussions, tasks, or feedback. Example: Interactive learning helps students develop problem

to bombard someone with something

Type: collocation/verb phrase. Meaning: to keep sending or giving someone a lot of something, especially information. Example: Students are often bombarded with online materials before exams

to have a good grasp of something

Type: idiom/collocation. Meaning: to understand something well. Example: Children can often have a good grasp of a new language if they start learning it early

to make the grade

Type: idiom. Meaning: to reach the necessary standard or succeed. Example: Students cannot make the grade if they rely only on luck instead of hard work

continuous assessment

Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: a system of giving students marks for coursework or projects during a course rather than only through final exams. Example: Many students prefer continuous assessment because final exams can be stressful

to be out of one’s depth

Type: idiom. Meaning: to be unable to understand or deal with something because it is too difficult. Example: Streaming in schools may help students avoid feeling out of their depth

a formal examination

Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: a test conducted under strict, regulated conditions. Example: University entrance often depends on results from a formal examination

to work your way through university

Type: idiom. Meaning: to have a job while studying at university in order to pay for your education. Example: He had to work his way through university because his family could not afford the tuition fees

to take a year out

Type: phrasal verb/collocation. Meaning: to spend a year away from formal study, often to work, travel, or gain experience. Example: Taking a year out before university can help students develop independence

to sift information

Type: collocation. Meaning: to examine information carefully and remove what is not useful. Example: Researchers often have to sift information before selecting reliable evidence

to work/study under supervision

Type: collocation. Meaning: to work or study under the direction of a responsible person. Example: At university, students sometimes conduct research under supervision

top-tier institutions

Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: leading or highly prestigious educational institutions. Example: Governments often invest large sums of money in top-tier institutions;

to deliver a lecture

Type: collocation. Meaning: to give a lecture. Example: It is now possible to deliver a lecture online to hundreds of students

streaming in schools

Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: the practice of dividing students into groups according to their level of ability. Example: Streaming in schools can help teachers design lessons at a suitable level

extra-curricular activities

- Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: activities that are not part of the normal school or university course. Example: Universities offer extra-curricular activities such as sport, music, and drama;

to fall behind with your studies

Type: idiom/collocation. Meaning: to make slower progress than expected in your studies. Example: Students who miss many classes may fall behind with their studies

to drop out of college

Type: phrasal verb/collocation. Meaning: to leave college before completing your course. Example: Some students drop out of college because of financial pressure

to pay off a student loan

Type: collocation. Meaning: to repay money borrowed to pay for college or university education. Example: Many graduates need several years to pay off a student loan

to impose discipline

Type: collocation. Meaning: to make students obey rules. Example: Teachers sometimes need to impose discipline to maintain an effective learning environment

to disrupt lessons

Type: collocation. Meaning: to interrupt lessons and make normal teaching difficult. Example: Students who disrupt lessons can affect the learning of the whole class

distance learning

Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: a way of studying in which students do not need to be physically present at school or university. Example: Distance learning allows students in remote areas to study for a degree

to give feedback

Type: collocation. Meaning: to give comments, advice, or corrections to help someone improve. Example: Teachers should give feedback so that students understand their mistakes

face-to-face learning -

Type: collocation/noun phrase. Meaning: learning that takes place in a classroom with direct interaction between students and teachers. Example: Face-to-face learning encourages classroom interaction;