TOEFL® iBT
Independent Writing
2018.09.02真题
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The best way for a teacher to help students interested in a subject is to explain that subject will help them outside school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.`
There is no substitute for teachers in the role of introducing students to all kinds of knowledge. It is true that teachers should give students detailed information of a subject, including what this subject will be used for in the society and what effort a student have to make toward his/her success in this area. However, this does not necessarily mean a teacher can best improve his/her students’ performance in this subject via demonstrating how this subject will benefit them in the society.
In the first place, through education, a student finally understands the importance of knowledge to the society rather than to individual benefits. In other words, it would be narrow-minded to perceive education as a tool for personal success, such as money, fame and social status, etc. It is widely accepted that all knowledge has its value in the miscellaneous industries that account for a nation’s prosperity and people’s welfare. If a student proves his competence in a future job, he will be guaranteed wealth and respect that match his contribution. In contrast, a student is likely to become obsessed with pursuing benefits while gradually neglects the importance of diligent study due to a wrong motivation. Therefore, the method mentioned above could backfire.
On top of that, teachers are supposed to cultivate their students into capable adults by virtue of high-quality lectures on subjects as well as by directing them in hands-on practice and career planning. As to teaching quality, a teacher should equip himself with knowledge that far surpasses his students’. Only in this way can a teacher help an interested student to probe further into a subject and assist in solving puzzles along the way. Besides, when it comes to knowledge application, a teacher should offer encouragement and bridge the communication between students and enterprises so that a student can truly accomplish something in this area.
Last but not least, it is true that adults who have a job are easily success-driven, which means they will work harder if incentives are mentioned to them, like a higher salary or a more desirable position in the company. However, students can hardly understand what those benefits mean to them -basically, young students work assiduously on a subject due to their aspiration for knowledge and, perhaps, a challenging class atmosphere. In consideration of the diverse psychological conditions of students and grownups, informing children of an advantage which they fail to recognize now is not effective in its purpose.
In conclusion, there are many ways for a teacher to help students interested in a subject and among them, telling a student what benefits this subject offers off campus is not the best. What is worse, a teacher may fail to stimulate his students or even mislead them to selfishness. This approach benefits neither the society nor individual students.
(476 words, an essay example by Garlic)。