Schools and Tests in Africa and Asia

Introduction

Schools in Africa and Asia want students to think and solve problems. They do not want students to only remember facts.

Main Body

Teachers want to teach new skills. But the big national tests are still old. These tests only ask for facts. This is a big problem. Teachers are confused. The government says 'teach students to think.' But the tests give high marks for remembering. So, teachers only teach for the test. A new plan is called the LEARN model. It says tests must change. Students should do projects and portfolios at school. This shows what they can really do.

Conclusion

Tests must change. If tests change, students can learn to think and solve problems.

Learning

⚡ The 'Want' Pattern

In this text, we see a simple way to talk about goals using WANT + TO.

  • Schools want to think \rightarrow (The goal of the school)
  • Teachers want to teach \rightarrow (The goal of the teacher)

How it works: Person/Group + want + to + Action

Example from text: *"Schools in Africa and Asia want students to think..."


🔄 Contrast: Fact vs. Skill

Look at how the author compares two opposite ideas:

OLD WAYNEW WAY
Remember factsSolve problems
National testsProjects & Portfolios
High marksReal ability

A2 Tip: To move from A1 to A2, stop using only "good/bad." Use specific pairs like Facts \rightarrow Skills.

Vocabulary Learning

school
a place where children learn
Example:The school is big.
students
people who study at school
Example:Students go to school every day.
think
to use your mind to consider ideas
Example:I think about the problem.
solve
to find an answer to a problem
Example:She will solve the puzzle.
tests
exams that check what you know
Example:The tests are hard.
skills
abilities you have learned
Example:He has many skills.
projects
tasks that you work on for a long time
Example:They did a project.
change
to make something different
Example:We need to change the plan.
learn
to gain knowledge or a skill
Example:I want to learn English.
government
the group that runs a country
Example:The government makes rules.