Unit One: Education and Life

Lesson 1
The Parrot’s Tale
“Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to fish and
you feed him for a lifetime.” This ancient proverb explains the long lasting
effects of education in our lives. Work with a partner. Discuss the following
questions with your friend sitting next to you.
2 English For Today
Education and Life 3
4 English For Today

C. You can listen to an audio version of the story using

this QR code :

D
Education and Life 5

E
6 English For Today

H
Education and Life 7
Lesson 2
Education and Technology
A. Think about the following questions:
1. Do you use the internet or computer while studying?
2. To what extent do you take help from the internet to know about a new study
term or word?
3. Do you think digital technology should be incorporated into classrooms?
B. Now read the following article and try to find out the answers to the above
questions.
AI in The Classroom: Pros, Cons and The Role Of EdTech Companies
By Olufemi Shonubi

Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionise the way we learn and teach.
As a tool in the classroom, AI can provide students with personalised learning
experiences, automate repetitive tasks and provide instant feedback. However, it
also has its limitations. Let us explore the pros and cons of AI as a tool in the
classroom, address the concern that AI could be a threat to teachers' and instructors'
jobs and discuss the role of edtech companies in advancing this AI use case.

Advantages of AI in the Classroom

One of the main advantages I see of AI in the classroom is personalised learning.
AI-powered educational tools can analyse data on student performance and
provide tailored support to improve their grades.
AI can also provide instant feedback. For example, AI-powered educational tools
can provide students with immediate feedback on their work, allowing them to
identify and correct mistakes quickly.
Another advantage of AI is its ability to automate repetitive tasks. It can grade
assignments and quizzes, which can free up teachers' time for other tasks, such as
lesson planning and providing more one-on-one attention to students.
There are already a few AI tools that support learning in classroom or workplace
contexts. For example, Ahura is an AI-powered learning assisant that tracks
learning habits by observing attention and engagement. Knewton offers an
adaptive learning platform that provides personalized learning experiences for
8 English For Today

students. Querium is an AI-powered tutor that provides students with step-by-step

tutoring on math problems and builds personalized lesson plans. ALEKS is an
AI-powered learning platform that provides individualized learning paths based on
students' strengths and weaknesses. Carnegie Learning offers an AI-powered tutor
that helps students improve their math skills by providing personalised learning
based on their performance. There's also Smart Sparrow, which allows users to
provide constructive feedback that is unique to each student. Finally, Gradescope
is an AI-powered grading tool that automates the grading process, which can free
up teachers' time and allow them to provide more individualised attention to
students.
These are just a few examples of AI tools with applications in the classroom. It is
important to note that these tools should not replace teachers but rather assist them
in their work.

Downsides and Challenges of AI in the Classroom

Some teachers and instructors may see AI as a threat to their jobs, believing it will
automate their tasks and make them redundant. But it is important to note that AI
is not meant to replace teachers but rather to assist them in their work. AI is a tool
and should be developed and used as such.
There are also negatives to consider, one of which is the cost of developing and
implementing AI-powered educational tools. This can be a significant barrier for
schools and teachers who need more resources to invest in AI technology.
There is also the lack of human interaction and emotional support that students
receive when using AI-powered educational tools. While AI can provide
personalized learning and instant feedback, it cannot replace the human and
emotional support that students need to succeed, and relying too heavily on
AI-powered educational tools may impact students negatively.
Privacy concerns are also a limitation of AI in the classroom. AI-powered
educational tools may collect and store sensitive personal data, which raises
concerns about privacy and security.
Education and Life 9

The Role of EdTech Companies

Edtech companies play a crucial role in advancing the use of AI in the classroom
and ensuring that it is used ethically and responsibly. To do so, they should
consider the following:
1. Cost: The cost of developing and implementing AI-powered educational tools
can be a significant barrier for schools and teachers. Edtech companies should
work to make AI technology accessible to a broader range of schools and teachers
and explore alternative funding options, such as grants or partnerships, to help
offset the costs.
2. Human interaction: AI-powered educational tools cannot replace the human
and emotional support that students need to succeed. Edtech companies should aim
to develop AI tools that augment, rather than replace, the role of teachers and
provide students with a well-rounded education that includes both personalized
learning and human interaction.
3. Privacy and security: Privacy concerns are a significant limitation of AI in the
classroom. Edtech companies must ensure that the sensitive personal data
collected and stored by AI-powered educational tools are properly secured and that
privacy is maintained.
4. Improved AI capabilities: Current AI-powered educational tools have
limitations, such as a lack of creativity and originality and a limited understanding
of context. Edtech companies should aim to improve AI capabilities and overcome
these limitations to create more advanced, innovative and effective AI tools for the
classroom.
5. Ethical considerations: Edtech companies should consider the ethical
implications of AI technology in education and develop AI tools in a transparent,
fair and responsible manner. They must also ensure that they develop and use AI
tools in accordance with the laws and regulations governing data privacy, security
and intellectual property.
10 English For Today

In conclusion, AI has the potential to be a valuable addition to the classroom. Still,

edtech companies should develop AI tools with caution and in collaboration with
teachers, educators and students to ensure that they are helpful, ethical and
effective in meeting the needs of learners. I believe that AI could revolutionise the
way we teach and learn.

C. Write true or false beside the following statements.

1. AI is always beneficial for students and teachers.
2. AI tools can provide personalised learning experiences for students.
3. The cost of implementing AI-based educational tools is not high.
4. Current AI-powered educational tools are full of creativity and originality.
5. AI-powered educational tools can replace the human and emotional support.
6. AI-powered educational tools can provide students with immediate feedback
on their work.

D. Write answers to the following questions

1. What sort of repetitive tasks can be done by AI?
2. What advantages do you get in using AI-based educational tools?
3. What disadvantages are there of using AI-based educational tools?
4. Name some of the AI tools that various ed-tech companies have created and
their functions?
5. “AI can make a student lazy and not study at all.” -Do you agree with this
statement? Justify your stance and explain this statement.
Education and Life 11

E. Write one line gist for each paragraph in the above article and paraphrase in
100 words. Please see the strategies of paraphrasing given on the next page
before completing this task.

F. How to Paraphrase
Paraphrasing refers to restating another piece of writing in new words while
retaining the original passage’s meaning. Unlike summarizing, in paraphrasing you
include roughly the same amount of detail as the original work but adjust the
language to demonstrate comprehension or make the text more understandable.

Paraphrasing is essential in academic writing as a way to use other people’s ideas

in your own work. Mixing in paraphrasing alongside direct quotes works well and
can help your paper flow more naturally.

Paraphrasing examples
Original Text Paraphrase

* Some plants release certain aromas * Some vegetation emits special scents
to alert their plant neighbors that to warn other plants that there’s
they’re under attack. danger nearby (Daniels, 1982).
** Polar bears are almost ** Polar bears cannot be detected
undetectable by infrared cameras easily by infrared cameras due to their
because of how they conserve heat. unique heat conservation (Rodriguez,
*** The observable universe consists 2002).
of more than 100,000,000,000 *** More than a hundred billion
galaxies. galaxies comprise the known universe
(Livio, 2022).
12 English For Today

Steps to paraphrasing without plagiarising

1. Read the source articles thoroughly.

The first step in rewriting articles is to thoroughly understand the source material.
Choose which passages you want to paraphrase. Look closely for points that
support the topic you’re writing your own paper about.

2. Try rewriting passages by memory.

Rewriting from memory forces you to come up with new ways to say the same
message. You can then go back to your notes and the source material to make sure
that all of your information is accurate and add anything you forgot.

3. Thoroughly rewrite by changing language and sentence structure.

Use synonyms to replace the essential words of an original passage with other
words that mean the same thing, such as using scientist for researcher or seniors for
the elderly. This is a common approach to paraphrasing, but it’s not sufficient on its
own.

• Editing the sentence structure by rearranging the order of certain phrases and
clauses or combining or breaking apart sentences is another strategy for
paraphrasing.

• Be careful that doing so doesn’t cause you to overuse the passive voice.

• Sometimes, you can rephrase a sentence by changing the parts of speech, such
as converting a gerund into the operative verb or turning an adjective into an
adverb. This strategy depends on the wording of the original passage, so you may
not always have the opportunity.
Education and Life 13

4. Check that your article rewording is different enough.

After writing a rough draft, review the original source to check that you changed
enough. You want to avoid what’s called “patchwriting,” where the paraphrased
text is too close to the original and the reader might recognize “patches” of it. This
is also a good opportunity to verify that you have all the information correct.
5. Review your content for accuracy and proofread your prose.
Paraphrasing is a ripe opportunity for introducing errors and inaccuracies. Make
sure you haven’t changed the meaning of the original work as you’ve adjusted its
style and structure. Then use Grammarly to proofread your content for clarity,
conciseness, and grammatical correctness.
6. Add the citations.
Last but not least, be sure to include the citation. Make sure you’re using the
correct citation format for your style, whether APA, MLA, or Chicago. If you’re
paraphrasing an article, most of the time you will use a parenthetical citation after
the passage.

References:
Ellis, M. (2024, April 8). How to paraphrase (Without Plagiarizing a Thing).
Grammarly Blog. How to paraphrase (Without Plagiarizing a Thing) | Grammarly
Shonubi, O. (2023, February 21). AI in the classroom: Pros, cons and the role of
EdTech Companies. Forbes. AI In The Classroom: Pros, Cons And The Role Of
EdTech Companies ([Link])
14 English For Today

Lesson 3
Children in School

A. Warm-up activities:

Get into pairs and do the following :

• Think about your school days. What was it like? Share your experiences
with your partner.
• Recollect one particular happy memory of your school and narrate it to
your partner.

A. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:

This is an excerpt from a memoir, Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window by
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. The author is a Japanese television personality and UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador. It is based on her childhood recollection of her school in
Tokyo, during World War II.

The New School

When she saw the gate of the new school, Totto-chan stopped. The gate of the
school she used to go to had fine concrete pillars with the name of the school in
large characters. But the gate of this new school simply consisted of two rather
short posts that still had twigs and leaves on them.
"This gate's growing," said Totto-chan. "It'll probably go on growing till it's taller
than the telephone poles!"
Education and Life 15

The two "gateposts" were clearly trees with roots. When she got closer, she had to
put her head to one side to read the name of the school because the wind had blown
the sign askew.
"To-mo-e Ga-ku-en."
Totto-chan was about to ask Mother what “Tomoe” meant, when she caught a
glimpse of something that made her think she must be dreaming. She squatted
down and peered through the shrubbery to get a better look, and she couldn't
believe her eyes.

"Mother, is that really a train! There, in the school grounds!"

For its classrooms, the school had made use of six abandoned railroad cars. To
Totto- chan it seemed something you might dream about. A school in a train!

The windows of the railroad cars sparkled in the morning sunlight. But the eyes of
the rosy-cheeked little girl gazing at them through the shrubbery sparkled even
more.
“I like this school!”
A moment later, Totto-chan let out a whoop of joy and started running toward the
"train school," calling out to Mother over her shoulder, "Come on, hurry, let's get
on this train that's standing still." Startled, Mother began to run after her. Mother
had been on a basketball team once, so she was faster than Totto-chan and caught
hold of her dress just as she reached a door.

“You can't go in yet,” said Mother, holding her back. “The cars are classrooms, and
you haven't even been accepted here yet. If you really want to get on this train,
you'll have to be nice and polite to the headmaster. We're going to call on him now,
and if all goes well, you'll be able to go to this school. Do you understand?”

Totto-chan was awfully disappointed not to get on the "train" right away, but she
decided she had better do as Mother told her.
16 English For Today

"All right," she said. And then added, "I like this school a lot."

Mother felt like telling her it wasn't a matter of whether she liked the school but of
whether the headmaster liked her. But she just let go of Totto-chan's dress, took
hold of her hand, and started walking toward the headmaster's office.

All the railroad cars were quiet, for the first classes of the day had begun. Instead
of a wall, the not very spacious school grounds were surrounded by trees, and there
were flower beds full of red and yellow flowers.

The headmaster's office wasn't in a railroad car, but was on the right-hand side of a
one-story building that stood at the top of a semicircular flight of about seven stone
steps opposite the gate.

Totto-chan let go of Mother's hand and raced up the steps, then turned around
abruptly, almost causing Mother to run into her.

"What's the matter?" Mother asked, fearing Totto-chan might have changed her
mind about the school.

Standing above her on the top step, Totto-chan whispered to Mother in all
seriousness, "The man we're going to see must be a stationmaster!"
Mother had plenty of patience as well as a great sense of fun. She put her face close
to Totto-chan's and whispered, “Why?”
Totto-chan whispered back, "You said he was the headmaster, but if he owns all
these trains, he must be a stationmaster."
Mother had to admit it was unusual for a school to make use of old railroad cars,
but there was no time to explain. She simply said, "Why don't you ask him
yourself! And, anyway, what about Daddy? He plays the violin and owns several
violins, but that doesn't make our house a violin shop, does it?"
"No, it doesn't," Totto-chan agreed, catching hold of Mother's hand.
Education and Life 17

The Headmaster
When Mother and Totto-chan went in, the man in the office got up from his chair.
His hair was thin on top and he had a few teeth missing, but his face was a healthy
color. Although he wasn't very tall, he had solid shoulders and arms and was neatly
dressed in a rather shabby black three-piece suit.

With a hasty bow, Totto-chan asked him spiritedly "What are you, a schoolmaster
or a stationmaster?"

Mother was embarrassed, but before she had time to explain, he laughed and
replied, "I'm the head-master of this school."

Totto-chan was delighted. "Oh, I'm so glad," she said, “because I want to ask you a
favor. I'd like to come to your school.”

The headmaster offered her a chair and turned to Mother. "You may go home now.
I want to talk to Totto-chan."

Totto-chan had a moment's uneasiness, but somehow felt she would get along all
right with this man. "Well, then, I’ll leave her with you," Mother said bravely, and
shut the door behind her as she went out.
The headmaster drew over a chair and put it facing Totto- chan, and when they
were both sitting down close together, he said, "Now then, tell me all about
yourself. Tell me anything at all you want to talk about."
"Anything I like?" Totto-chan had expected him to ask questions she would have to
answer. When he said she could talk about anything she wanted, she was so happy
she began straight away. It was all a bit higgledy-piggledy, but she talked for all she
was worth. She told the headmaster how fast the train went that they had come on;
how she had asked the ticket collector but he wouldn't let her keep her ticket; how
pretty her homeroom teacher was at the other school; about the swallows' nest;
18 English For Today

about their brown dog, Rocky, who could do all sorts of tricks; how she used to go
snip- snip with the scissors inside her mouth at kindergarten and the teacher said
she mustn't do that because she might cut her tongue off, but she did it anyway;
how she always blew her nose because Mother scolded her if it was runny; what a
good swimmer Daddy was, and how he could dive as well. She went on and on.
The headmaster would laugh, nod, and say, "And then?" And Totto-chan was so
happy she kept right on talking. But finally she ran out of things to say. She sat with
her mouth closed trying hard to think of something.
"Haven't you anything more you can tell me?" asked the headmaster.
What a shame to stop now, Totto-chan thought. It was such a wonderful chance.
Wasn't there anything else she could talk about, she wondered, racking her brains?
Then she had an idea.
She could tell him about the dress she was wearing that day. Mother made most of
her dresses, but this one came from a shop. Her clothes were always torn when she
came home in the late afternoon. Some of the rips were quite bad. Mother never
knew how they got that way. Even her white cotton panties were sometimes in
shreds. She explained to the headmaster that they got torn when she crossed other
people's gardens by crawling under their fences, and when she burrowed under the
barbed wire around vacant lots. So this morning, she said, when she was getting
dressed to come here, all the nice dresses Mother had made were torn so she had to
wear one Mother had bought. It had small dark red and gray checks and was made
of jersey, and it wasn't bad, but Mother thought the red flowers embroidered on the
collar were in bad taste. "Mother doesn't like the collar," said Totto-chan, holding
it up for the headmaster to see.

After that, she could think of nothing more to say no matter how hard she tried. It
made her rather sad. But just then the headmaster got up, placed his large, warm
hand on her head, and said, "Well, now you're a pupil of this school."
Education and Life 19

Those were his very words. And at that moment Totto-chan felt she had met
someone she really liked for the very first time in her life. You see, up till then, no
one had ever listened to her for so long. And all that time the headmaster hadn't
yawned once or looked bored, but seemed just as interested in what she had to say
as she was.
Totto-chan hadn't learned how to tell time yet, but it did seem like a rather long
time. If she had been able to, she would have been astonished, and even more
grateful to the headmaster. For, you see, Mother and Totto-chan arrived at the
school at eight, and when she had finished talking and the headmaster had told her
she was a pupil of the school, he looked at his pocket watch and said, "Ah, it's time
for lunch." So the headmaster must have listened to Totto-chan for four solid
hours!
Neither before nor since did any grown-up listen to Totto- chan for as long as that.
And, besides, it would have amazed Mother and her homeroom teacher to think
that a seven-year- old child could find enough to talk about for four hours nonstop.
Totto-chan had no idea then, of course, that she had been expelled and that people
were at their wit's end to know what to do. Having a naturally sunny disposition and
being a bit absent- minded gave her an air of innocence. But deep down she felt she
was considered different from other children and slightly strange. The headmaster,
however, made her feel safe and warm and happy. She wanted to stay with him
forever.
That's how Totto-chan felt about Headmaster Sosaku Kobayashi that first day. And,
luckily, the head-master felt the same about her.

B. Now work in groups and write the answers of the following questions.

a) What is the excerpt about?

b) How did Totto-chan react when she realized that the school had railroad cars as
classrooms?
c) How long did Totto-chan talk to the headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi? What does
that tell you about the headmaster?
20 English For Today

C. What do the following words mean? Write one sentence with each of these
words.
twig, squat, peer, shrub, askew, glimpse, abandoned, sparkle, whoop, semicircular,
abrupt, shabby, embarrass, scold, shred, burrow, disposition

D. Make a list of things that Totto-chan said to the headmaster on her first day
of school, Tomoe Gakuen.

E. In the excerpt, headmaster Sosaku Kobayashi encouraged Totto-chan to

speak as long as she wanted. Now answer these questions and develop a
paragraph based on the following questions and give a title to your paragraph
(200 words). You may have a look at the steps of paragraph writing provided
in section F.

1. Do you think listening to children is a helpful practice?

2. Did you have anyone in your childhood who used to listen to you without
interruption? Describe how that made you feel.
3. What benefit may a child have when he/she is allowed to express themselves?

F. Please read the following strategies of writing a paragraph.

Academic Paragraph Structure | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on October 25, 2022 by Shona McCombes. Revised on March 27, 2023.

Every piece of academic writing is structured by paragraphs and headings. The number,
length and order of your paragraphs will depend on what you’re writing—but each
paragraph must be:

• Unified: all the sentences relate to one central point or idea.

• Coherent: the sentences are logically organized and clearly connected.
• Relevant: the paragraph supports the overall theme and purpose of the paper.
Education and Life 21

Let’s have a look at the steps to write a good paragraph:

Step 1: Identify the paragraph’s purpose

First, you need to know the central idea that will organize this paragraph. You can start by
drafting a sentence that sums up your main point and introduces the paragraph’s focus.
This is often called a topic sentence. It should be specific enough to cover in a single
paragraph, but general enough that you can develop it over several more sentences. e.g.

Although the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the
Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption
throughout France.

This topic sentence:

• Transitions from the previous paragraph (which discussed the invention of

Braille).
• Clearly identifies this paragraph’s focus (the acceptance of Braille by
sighted people).
• Relates to the paper’s overall thesis.
• Leaves space for evidence and analysis.

Step 2: Show why the paragraph is relevant

The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about—but why does this point
matter for your overall argument? If this isn’t already clear from your first sentence, you
can explain and expand on its meaning. e.g.

This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over
the propagation of Braille resources.

• This sentence expands on the topic and shows how it fits into the broader
argument about the social acceptance of Braille.
22 English For Today

Step 3: Give evidence

Now you can support your point with evidence and examples. “Evidence” here doesn’t
just mean empirical facts—the form it takes will depend on your discipline, topic and
approach. Common types of evidence used in academic writing include:

• Quotations from literary texts, interviews, and other primary sources.

• Summaries, paraphrases, or quotations of secondary sources that provide
information or interpretation in support of your point.
• Qualitative or quantitative data that you have gathered or found in existing
research.
• Descriptive examples of artistic or musical works, events, or first-hand
experiences.
• Make sure to properly cite your sources.

Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted Braille’s system
because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

• This sentence cites specific evidence from a secondary source,

demonstrating sighted people’s reluctance to accept Braille.

Step 4: Explain or interpret the evidence

Now you have to show the reader how this evidence adds to your point. How you do so
will depend on what type of evidence you have used.

• If you quoted a passage, give your interpretation of the quotation.

• If you cited a statistic, tell the reader what it implies for your argument.
• If you referred to information from a secondary source, show how it
develops the idea of the paragraph. e.g.

This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to
adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods.
Education and Life 23

• This sentence adds detail and interpretation to the evidence, arguing that
this specific fact reveals something more general about social attitudes at the time.

Steps 3 and 4 can be repeated several times until your point is fully developed. Use
transition words and phrases to show the connections between different sentences in the
paragraph such as moreover, in addition, similarly in contrast etc.

Step 5: Conclude the paragraph

Finally, wrap up the paragraph by returning to your main point and showing the overall
consequences of the evidence you have explored.

This particular paragraph takes the form of a historical story—giving evidence and
analysis of each step towards Braille’s widespread acceptance.

It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the
Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

• The final sentence ends the story with the consequences of these events.

Step 6: Read through the whole paragraph

When you think you’ve fully developed your point, read through the final result to make
sure each sentence follows smoothly and logically from the last and adds up to a coherent
whole.

Although the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the
Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption
throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had
ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the
Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the
tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was
symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the
24 English For Today

sighted world rather than develop their tools and methods. Over time, however, with the
increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to
appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009). Access to reading
could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took
approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille
system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

References:
McCombes, S. (2023, March 27). Academic Paragraph Structure | Step-by-Step Guide &
Examples. Scribbr. [Link]
Education and Life 25

Lesson 4
26 English For Today
Education and Life 27

Scenario 1:
28 English For Today

Scenario 2:
Education and Life 29

Both