Questions 40-43 are based on the following passage:

The “Social Practice” of Teaching

Examining teaching from the context of a ‘social practice’

may provide us with fresh insights that will challenge the accepted

ways of seeing the world of teaching with important implications for

faculty development. First, we will look at what we mean by a social

practice and then see how teaching falls into that category. A social

practice needs to be understood in terms of purpose, context, and a

complex array of norms. A social practice is, first, a form of activity

that has grown out of common needs in a community to accomplish

certain purposes.

A system of etiquette and a means for communication

serve to make human society more civil. Second, a social practice

involves shared and mutually understood ways of behaving or

acting. Third, the patterns of action are guided by a complex array

or norms that we might call rules, standards, principles, precepts,

and unwritten policies. These norms have authority (people comply

willingly), and they are created and recreated in and through the

interactions of those involved in the practice (Case, 1990; Selman,

1989; MacIntyre, 1984; Taylor, 1983). The norms provide reasons

for the actions or behaviors of individuals. As in etiquette using

particular forms of address, handshaking, and removing or wearing

particular headwear are the behaviors that constitute the practice.

The behaviors have meaning only in terms of the context of

that particular community and purpose and can only be explained in

relation to the guiding norms. The feature of a social practice (they

develop out of the common needs of the community) is clearly

consistent with what has already been said about the purposive

nature of teaching. Teaching is an activity that has grown out of the

need in a community to pass on its knowledge, mores, and

behaviors and in medical schools these are formulated as mission

statements which include educational aims. To view teaching as a

social practice is to acknowledge, first and foremost, the

expectations society has for teaching, or in other words, the

particular purposes of teaching.

(Available in: D’Eon, M., Overgaard, V., & Harding, S. R. (2000). Advances in

Health Sciences Education, 5(2), 151–162. Accessed on May 18st, 2019.

Adapted.)

Questions 35-38 are based on the following passage:

The Regional English Training Centres (RETC) project – new

approach to teaching English already shows results

September 30, 2018 08:00 By The nation

British Council and the Thai Education Ministry have joined

hands to modernise the teaching methods of 17,000 English-language

teachers in the kingdom, moving from the “grammar-vocabulary”

memorisation system to focus on communication.The UK cultural and

education international body’s Regional English Training Centres

(RETC) project aims to improve the skills of teachers at primary and

secondary schools across Thailand.

Some 75% of English teachers in Thailand are ranked at the

A2 elementary level in the Common European Framework of Reference

(CEFR), representing an IELTS score of 3.5 to 4, according to the

statement issued by British Council on Friday.The RETC Boot Camp

project was first introduced in 2015 to improve overall English teaching

proficiency. After two and a half years, 15,300 English teachers, or 90%,

have improved their confidence in teaching English and using it in

classrooms.

As the next step, an assessment and evaluation system is to

be considered to assist in the adaptation toward the communicative

approach.

Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said the

development of Thai students’ English skills is crucial and needs serious

improvement. Each Thai student studies English for at least 12 years at

primary and secondary school, however most are unable to

communicate in English which is the main obstacle to global

competition, he said. Two main challenges that need to be addressed

are Thai teachers’ English skills and their teaching approach. “By

focusing on language accuracy and the memorisation method rather

than the communicative approach, most Thai students cannot

communicate effectively in English,” he said.

Many Thai students also have a poor attitude towards English

classes. Andrew Glass, director of British Council Thailand, said since

the start of the project, 15 RETCs have been established and that

17,000 out of 40,000 of Thailand’s English teachers have been trained

and mentored in the communicative approach. Additionally, more than

30 teachers have been intensively trained to become TMTs. They work

with British Council trainers to mentor and transfer knowledge to

teachers and school directors, creating academic networking

opportunities with regional supervisors to improve their follow-up

sessions.

After completing the project, the research clearly indicates that

90% or 15,300 English teachers have more confidence in teaching

English in the communicative approach and more confidence in using

English in their classrooms. Besides, 72 of English teachers improved

their lesson planning and were able to give clearer instructions, while

94% improved their lesson management. In addition, 93% of English

teachers have improved their English subject knowledge. Sutthiwat

Sutthiprapa, one of the Thai master trainers and a full-time English

teacher at Khor Wittayakom in Nakhon Phanom Province, said all the

knowledge he gained from the RETC project can be applied in his

English classes. “It significantly changes the atmosphere of the

classroom and the students’ attitude towards English. "Students are

eager to attend the class and make every effort to participate in class

activities. I believe that if every English teacher in Thailand exploits the

RETC concept, Thai students’ English ability will increase

considerably," he said.

(Available in: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1548446/british-councilhelps-

train-thai-english-language-teachers.Accessed on May 18th, 2019. Adapted.)

Schools of thought: can mindfulness lessons boost child

mental health?

Children are taking 10 minutes out from the hurly burly school

day to reflect on their thoughts and their feelings. Some ground

themselves by thinking about their feet on the floor, while others

concentrate on their breathing.

This is mindfulness, the lessons quickly growing in popularity

as an antidote to the stress of being a young person in the 21st century,

be it pressure to perform in exams, social media, or the obsession with

body image that is reported to even affect primary age children.

Children are learning about their brains and how to deal with

unruly thoughts – to control emotions such as anger and fear. It is no

longer head, shoulders, knees and toes, but amygdala, hippocampus

and pre-frontal cortex.

The most recent NHS survey of young people’s mental health

in 2017 shows one-in-eight 5- to 19-year-olds in England has a

diagnosable mental health condition. Hospital admissions for anorexia

alone more than doubled in the eight years to 2017/18.

Stress is a known barrier to learning and a growing number of

schools are targeting the emotional health of pupils through schemes

such as meditation, mindfulness and the provision of mental health first

aiders and buddies.

The Mental Health Foundation charity wants emotional

wellbeing to be at the heart of the school curriculum, and has chosen

body image as the key theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness

Week. Dr Antonis Kousoulis, its assistant director, said its survey last

year found 47% of people aged 18-24 had experienced stress over their

body image to the extent of being overwhelmed or unable to cope.

“Social media has certainly played a part,” he says. “Historically, it was

the mirror that was the main driver of perception of our image and how

we thought others perceived us. Nowadays, young people are exposed

almost on a 24/7 basis to manipulated and heavily edited images,

whether that’s in advertising or photos of their friends.”

Over the past five years there has been a proliferation of

mindfulness organisations and companies selling lesson plans and staff

training to schools. But does it work?

Secondary school teacher Richard Burnett, who founded the

Mindfulness in Schools Project 10 years ago, warns against “quick fix”

approaches. “We are a charity started by teachers who wanted to teach

children how best to manage their thoughts and feelings and deal with

the rollercoaster of being a young person,” he says.

It has two training courses for teachers – one aimed at

secondary students and another for younger classes. “It’s about training

your attention to notice what is going on. If you are aware of that, you

can choose how to respond, for example to manage the amygdala, the

part of the brain that detects fear and prepares a response,” he says.

Emotional disorders are on the rise, and we should instil

something in our children and young people about coping with stress,

advises Lee Hudson, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child

Health’s mental health lead. But should it be mindfulness? There is

evidence that the process can bring benefits to adults, he says. “[But]

the evidence for its effectiveness with children is not yet sufficiently

robust and we need more research. However, some schools are rolling

it out and children seem to enjoy it – and it unlikely to cause harm.”

(Available in: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/16/mindfulnesslessons-

child-mental-health. Accessed on May 17th, 2019. Adapted.)