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Grouping the Gifted: Con

Bruno Bettelheim

Luo Zhaohui

School of Foreign Studies2011-10

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Happy English

Tongue Twister A monk’s monkey mounted a monastery wall munching mashed melon and melted macaroni.1. Monastery: 修道院，僧侣2. Munch: 津津有味地咀嚼3. Mashed ：捣成糊状、泥状的4. Macaroni: 通心面

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Questions for discussion

Which aspects of the issue does the author focus on in his essay? What are his arguments?

Whom do you side with, Mott or Bettelheim? Give reasons to support your stand.

What do you know about the notion of grouping the gifted in the Chinese background? Is it being practiced to a certain extent in educational institutions of various levels in present-day China? What effects do you think have been produced?

What are the two arguments on behalf of grouping the gifted?

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Bettelheim focuses on two aspects:

1. The effect of grouping the gifted on the gifted /non-gifted

2. The effect of grouping the gifted on society

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Bettelheim's arguments

His arguments for the 1st aspect:A gifted student who is bored by his studies is an anxious child. Putting him in a special class does not help him as a human being.A gifted child does not learn except when he is pressed by the curriculum. When placed in an ordinary class, he has the energy to branch out, broaden his interests, and can understand far more deeply.

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His arguments for the 2nd aspect: Grouping the gifted deprives the less-gifted of

stimulation. Speeding up the pace of education for the gifted

might deprive the society of some men of broad social vision it might need in the future.

Note: This essay was most likely written in the Cold War period, i.e., the 1950's-1960's, when the U.S. Felt that it had lagged behind the then Soviet Union in education and was losing in the competition in science and technology, and thus urged the need to train a large number of scientists and technical personnel.

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Food for Meditation

高等教育的目的：教育在当今时代的作用 http://rihe.fzxy.edu.cn/show.aspx?page=2

&id=392&cid=24

教育的本质是什么？http://www.xxcb.cn/show.asp?id=664752

高等教育的目的是什么？ http://wenku.baidu.com/view/cc03b700bed5b779f3f90f1c1c.html

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Assignment

Write a short essay of about 400 words on the following topic and upload your writing to the Blog:

On Grouping the Gifted