Unit 15 – Online vs. Traditional Learning
Warm-up and Vocabulary
Key Vocabulary
Learning Styles and Qualities
- Flexibility: The ability to change or be changed easily according to the situation.
- Discipline: The ability to control yourself and make yourself work hard.
- Self-paced: Moving at a speed that is set by the learner, not the teacher.
- Hands-on: Involving doing something yourself rather than just reading about it.
Learning Environment and Support
- Interaction: Communication between two or more people.
- Isolation: The state of being separate from others.
- Resources: A supply of materials, money, or other things that can be used by a person or organization.
Interactive Activity: Pros and Cons Two-Column Chart
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Finding the Main Point: Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Two of the most common question types in TOEFL Reading ask you to paraphrase a sentence or find the best summary of a passage. Both skills test your ability to understand the main idea, not just individual words.
What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing is restating a sentence in your own words without changing the original meaning. A good paraphrase uses different words (synonyms) and a different sentence structure.
- Original Sentence: “Because of its convenience and flexibility, online learning has become an increasingly popular option for students around the world.”
- Good Paraphrase: “Students globally are choosing online education more often since it is convenient and allows for a flexible schedule.”
- Bad Paraphrase (just changing a few words): “Due to its convenience and flexibility, online learning is now a very popular choice for students everywhere.”
Answering Summary Questions
A summary question asks you to choose the sentence that best expresses the most important idea of a paragraph or the entire passage. The wrong answers are usually:
- Too specific: It’s a true detail, but not the main idea.
- Too general: It’s a very broad statement that is not the focus of the text.
- Incorrect: It contains information that is not in the passage.
The correct answer will accurately restate the main idea, just like a good paraphrase. Now, let’s take a look at an example paragraph below.
Sample Reading Paragraph
The Urban Heat Island
Large cities are often significantly warmer than their surrounding rural areas, a phenomenon known as the 'urban heat island' effect. This is primarily caused by the abundance of surfaces like asphalt and concrete, which absorb and retain the sun's heat, unlike vegetation in the countryside. Additionally, the lack of trees in urban areas means less shade and natural cooling through evaporation. As a result, energy use for air conditioning (AC) in cities increases, which can further worsen air pollution problems.
The Main Idea of the paragraph above is: The urban heat island effect (hotter city temperatures) is caused by building materials that absorb heat and a lack of vegetation/trees.
Sample Summary Question
Question: Which of the following sentences best summarizes the paragraph?
Analysis of Answer Choices
- The urban heat island effect occurs because materials like concrete absorb heat and there is a lack of trees, which causes city temperatures to be higher than in surrounding areas.
- Answer Type: Correct
- Explanation: This answer accurately restates the main idea. It includes all the key elements from the paragraph:
- It names the phenomenon (urban heat island effect).
- It mentions the two main causes (materials like concrete and the lack of trees).
- It states the primary result (higher city temperatures). This is a perfect summary.
- The use of air conditioning (AC) in urban areas tends to be higher.
- Answer Type: Too Specific
- Explanation: This statement is true according to the text (“…energy use for air conditioning (AC) in cities increases…”). However, it’s just one detail or a result of the main idea. The paragraph isn’t only about AC use; that is one of the consequences of the larger problem, the urban heat island effect.
- Urban development has various impacts on the environment.
- Answer Type: Too General
- Explanation: This statement may be true in general, but it is too broad for this paragraph. The paragraph does not discuss “various impacts”; it focuses specifically on one impact, which is the increase in temperature. This answer is not focused enough on the text’s content.
- Large cities are cooler because tall buildings create a lot of shade.
- Answer Type: Incorrect
- Explanation: This statement contains information that contradicts what is in the text. The paragraph clearly states that cities are “significantly warmer,” not cooler. This answer is factually wrong based on the information provided.
By understanding these differences, you can become better trained to identify which answer truly summarizes the main idea and which ones are traps (too specific, too general, or incorrect).
Tips for Success
Here are three tips to help you with paraphrasing and summarizing questions:
- Find the Subject and Verb: To understand the core meaning of a sentence, first identify its main subject and verb. This helps you focus on the main action and who is doing it.
- Don’t Get Tricked by Synonyms: Incorrect answer choices often use synonyms from the passage but in a way that changes the original meaning. Read carefully to make sure the meaning stays the same.
- Summarize in Your Head First: After reading a paragraph, try to state its main idea in your own words in your head. Then, look for the answer choice that most closely matches your own summary.
Skill Practice
Read the short passage below and complete the exercises that follow.
Learning Environment: Classroom vs Screen
One of the most significant differences between online and traditional education lies in the level of social interaction. In a traditional classroom, students are constantly interacting with their peers and teachers, which fosters a sense of community and allows for spontaneous discussions. This direct, face-to-face communication is crucial for developing teamwork and social skills.
On the other hand, online learning can sometimes lead to isolation, as students study alone. While discussion forums and video calls exist, they do not fully replicate the experience of being in a physical classroom. This requires a greater degree of self-discipline from the student to stay motivated. The flexibility of the online format, however, is a major benefit that traditional schools cannot match.
A. Multiple-Choice Questions
B. Fill in the Blanks
C. Crossword Puzzle
D. Word Search