- Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
- B. F. Skinner (1904 - 1990), New Scientist, May 21, 1964
THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
It is interesting to compare some English-speaking countries education system with ours.This is a long and extended but interesting explanation to tell you about British and American Education .
EDUCATION STAGES
Day –Care (babies)
Nursery schools/pre-schools/kindergarten(under 6)
Grammar school/Primary school/Elementary school( in UK the law says that you must ensure your child is in fulltime education starting in the term after his fifth birthday. “rising fives" means the term before compulsory school age. In some areas that age is when most children start school. But it depends on where you live. In North America this stage of education is usually known as elementary education. It goes from the 1st grade to the 6th grade)
The transition to secondary school or high school is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some educational systems have separate middle schools with the transition to the final stage of education taking place at around the age of fourteen.
Middle school (sometimes called junior high school)(the age depends if it is in Great Britain or the USA)
Secondary School (Br) High School(Am)(If you finish these studies successfully you get the Leaving certificate(Br) ,but first you need to pass the A levels exams .In America you need to pass the SAT Reasoning Test in order to enter to college.
College/University
4 years+masters+PHD(you are undergraduate).When you graduate you may get the B.A(Bachelor of Arts) or B.S (Bachelor of science)
The difference between a college and a university is that a college just offers a collection of degrees in one specific area, while a university is a collection of colleges. When you go to a university you are going to be graduating from one of their colleges, such as the business college. As to which is better, it depends on what you want. Single colleges tend to be smaller while universities are bigger, but universities are better known.
Be aware that there is a very distinct difference in terminology between the USA and the rest of the world. In the US, there is very little difference academically between a "college" and a "university". In the U.S. the terms are synonymous; other countries use "college" to refer to some secondary schools, but "university" is always used to mean an institution of tertiary education and higher learning. Universities are usually larger and often contain multiple "colleges" within them. However, some of the top-ranked schools in the US have a name including "college" (ex. Dartmouth College). In other parts of the English-speaking world, the term "university" equates to the US use of "college" and the term "college" refers more to a trade or vocational school. Depends on the country you are in. In the UK, a university can award its own degrees and has a charter giving it various guarantees of independence. A college usually depends on a fully-fledged university validating its degrees, or may even be part of a university, as in Oxford or Cambridge colleges. Or a college may be little to do with degree-level education at all, such as a Further Education college. Also don't forget Community Colleges. In that usage a college is very different than a University because a community college can't offer a 4 year degree (ie a B.A. or a B.S.). Community colleges can offer trade and technical certifications and training as well as the first 2 years of a four year program but they are unable to grant bachelor degrees.
In Canada a University is an education institution that can grant degrees. (BA, BSc, MA, PHd, etc). Colleges can grant certificates or diplomas, but not degrees.
BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM
Junior School or Primary School
Year 3, age 7 to 8
Year 4, age 8 to 9
Year 5, age 9 to 10
Year 6, age 10 to 11 (Eleven plus exams in some areas of England, Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests)
Secondary Education
Middle School, High School or Secondary School
Year 7, old First Form, age 11 to 12
Year 8, old Second Form, age 12 to 13
Year 9, old Third Form, age 13 to 14 (Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Tests, known as SATs (Standard Assessment Tests))
Upper School or Secondary School
Year 10, old Fourth Form, age 14 to 15
Year 11, old Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O Level examinations, modern GCSE examinations)
Upper School, Secondary School, or Sixth Form College
Year 12 or Lower Sixth, age 16 to 17 (AS-level examinations)
Year 13 or Upper Sixth, age 17 to 18 (A2-level examinations. Both AS-levels and A2-levels count towards A-levels .)
In some regions of England, pupils attend a Lower (Primary) School before going to, a Middle School between 8 and 12 or, more commonly 9 and 13, and then a High School or Upper School. Other, more vocational qualifications offered including GNVQs and BTECs .
NORTH AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
Basically, the USA education system comprises of 12 grades of study over 12 calendar years of primary and secondary education before graduating and becoming eligible for college admission. After pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, there are five years in primary school. After completing five grades, the student will enter 'secondary school' to get the 'high school diploma' after successful completion of twelve grades.
The U.S. uses ordinal numbers for naming grades, unlike Canada and Australia where cardinal numbers are preferred. Thus, Americans are more likely to say "First Grade" rather than "Grade One". Typical ages and grade groupings in public and private schools may be found through the U.S. Department of Education. Many different variations exist across the country.
Level/Grade and Typical age (at end of the school year)
PRESCHOOL
Under 6
Pre-Kindergarten
3-4
Kindergarten
4-6
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1st grade 6-7
2nd grade 7-8
3rd grade 8-9
4th grade 9-10
5th grade 10-11
MIDDLE SCHOOL
6th grade 11-12
7th grade 12-13
8th grade 13-14
HIGH SCHOOL
9th grade (freshman) 14-15
10th grade (sophomore) 15-16
11th grade (junior) 16-17
12th grade (senior) 17-18
POST SECONDARY EDUCATION
Tertiary education (college or University) Ages vary (usually four years,
referred to as Freshman,
Sophomore, Junior and
Senior years)
Vocational education Ages vary
Graduate education
Adult education
Graduate education
Those who complete high school and would like to attend college or university must attend 'undergraduate' school. These are schools that offer either a two-year degree or a four-year degree in a specific course of study. The course of study is called the 'major', which comprises of the main or special subjects.
The next level of education system in the US is 'graduate school'. After getting the undergraduate degree, the education can be continued for next two levels. The first one is, studying to get 'master's degree' as an extended specialized study of the subject taken up in the under graduation course. It is of two years duration. The next level is to pursue PhD that leads to a doctorate degree. The minimum duration for this is about three years and may vary up to even seven to eight years depending upon the specialized and chosen topic and the ability of students in presenting their thesis. Study abroad students who aspire to go to any part of USA for further studies are advised to have clear idea about the education system of the country.
V ocational Education and Training (VET), also called Career and Technical Education (CTE), prepares learners for jobs that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation .It is sometimes referred to as technical education, as the learner directly develops expertise in a particular group of techniques or technology.(This takes place in professional or vocational schools or technical colleges).
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. This often happens in the workplace, through 'extension' or 'continuing education' courses at secondary schools, at a college or university. Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers. The practice is also often referred to as 'Training and Development'. It has also been referred to as andragogy (to distinguish it from pedagogy). A difference is made between vocational education, mostly undertaken in workplaces and frequently related to upskilling, and non-formal adult education including learning skills or learning for personal development.
EXTRA INFORMATION
Be careful with the term public schools in Great Britain. Unlike in America or in some other countries public schools are not schools financed by the State, they are privately funded.They follow a British Educational tradition. This usage is synonymous with preparatory schools in the USA, although in British English preparatory school has a different meaning.(so when you translate it into Spanish don´t use the word escuela pública but privada.In the British Education system we would use the word state schools for Escuela pública.
Boarding schools- A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils not only study, but also live during term time, with their fellow students and possibly teachers. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board", that is, food and lodging. Most boarding schools also have day students who are local residents or children of faculty.( in Spanish internado)
Coeducational schools versus single-sex schools.
Coeducational schools -the system of education in which both men and women attend the same institution or classes. The opposite would be single-sex schools.
a Preparatory or prep school in North America is a private secondary school, typically charging high fees, designed to prepare students aged 14–18 for higher education at a university or college .
A Preparatory or prep school in the UK is a private school designed to prepare pupils under 13 for entry into the fee-required public schools that are the equivalent of the college/university prep schools in North America.
A grammar school is one of those originally schools teaching classical languages but more recently academically-oriented types of secondary school.
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. Some 90% of British pupils are educated at comprehensive schools.
Here you are some videos to watch:
BA Psychology at Richmond University
Eric Prydz vs. Floyd - Proper Education
We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
(All in all you're just) another brick in the wall.
We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
(All in all you're just) another brick in the wall.
We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
(All in all you're just) another brick in the wall.
We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
(All in all you're just) another brick in the wall.
We don't need no education...
Even if it is a bit overnationalistic( too American) and there is a bit of propaganda in the end I find the next video interesting because of the transcriptions in English and the topic dealt.
This one compares the British Education system with some others.Sorry for the quality, it is a homemade video but the content is worthwhile.
