Academic Discussion and Writing Scientific research or training teachers？

Drill  Read the following question and two answers and answer the question below bellow them.

 

Question:  Which do you think is worth spending the tax money on, research on infectious diseases or space exploration?

 

Answer A: I think it is worthwhile to spend the tax money on infectious diseases. When COVID-19 spread around the world in 2020, schools were shut down. I could not see my classmates, so it was frustrating. My mother was worried about my education. I took online courses. Although some were good, but I was not so motivated to continue studies with my tablet, which is tiring to use. We could not go out to have fun or take a trip, either. I was not able to see my grandparents for two years. I missed them, and they missed me, too. Pandemic causes so many problems and pains. On the other hand, I have no idea about space exploration. It would be a good thing if humans could go to Mars, but it is not directly related to my life. Therefore, I want governments to do enough research on new viruses.

 

Answer B: I think it is necessary for governments to spend money on pandemic prevention. Governments used to do it before. For example, the Obama administration had spent liberal amount of budget on CDC, the agency for pandemic prevention and control. They even used to simulate operation in case a breakout should happen. Unfortunately, the Trump administration had cut the budget and reduced the number of the leaders when the coronavirus pandemic broke out. As a result, almost 800,000 people died in the U.S. alone. Small businesses went bankrupt, and suicide rates went up. As it is expected new viruses are at the gate, epidemiology must be prioritized in budget allocation. Humans must survive before we go farther into the space for a new planet to settle on.

 

Question: Which of the following two answers to the question below sounds more academic? Why?

Hint: Count the number of the “I”s in each Answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Question   Which area do you believe the government should prioritize in its spending, scientific research or teacher training? Why?

 

 

☆Let’s think

1         Research the government spending of your country. Which does it spend more money on, scientific research or training programs for teachers?

Hint: See: https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/kids/hatten/page06.htm

2         How will the government benefit from spending money on scientific research?

3         How will the government benefit from spending money on training programs for teachers?

 

 

☆Ideas and Expressions

About scientific research

1.        Scientific research is indispensable to the development of the industry, which has a huge impact on economic development.

2.        To build and maintain the infrastructure of the country, governments should subsidize research and development to increase knowledge and skills for the purpose.

3.        To cope with the impact of climate crisis, we need to increase research and reward the experts.

4.        Japan, for example, has had budget cuts over the past decade especially on basic researches, which has seen breakthroughs so far but will stop seeing it from now on if this trend continues.

 

About teacher training

1.         It will benefit the government in the long run. It will raise the academic level of the whole population, who will build a good county. It will also raise the levels of both science and humanities.

2.        Good education will reduce the number of health and social problems. The more educated people are, the fewer health and social problems they are likely to have. It will increase education continuance rates. It will also reduce the number of bullying.

3.        Trained teachers can find and develop talents. Many people who are as good as any successful people are doing menial jobs because they were not taught properly and recognized when they were in school. They could have contributed to the country if they had received a good education.

4.        The budget on scientific research equals the total budget for education including salary for teachers. This means that training teachers is not prioritized at all. In fact, capitalist countries have cut costs for education, and our children are not doing well compared to children of the socialist countries that prioritized education. This reflects on the difference in recent development between the West and the rest.

 

 

Reasons for your choice

1.       New information costs money to acquire, and science is all about new information. On the other hand, education is to pass down information that is already shared.

2.       Teachers are too busy to educate themselves. They also lack resources for training by themselves.

3.       Money for science is directed to military, for developing weapons. 

 

☆Sample Response

Seeing the situation that we are in, I believe training teachers should be put before scientific research. Although science and technology have made our lives comfortable and convenient, they also have put life on earth in danger. Life has been suffering and dying from diseases and injuries that are caused by the impact of scientific discoveries and inventions. The scientific endeavor to solve these new problems have not achieved much because it is controlled by capitalism, which prioritizes profits than life. In a sci-fi movie called “Extrapolation”, humans will not have done little to tackle climate change around 2070 even though innovation on smart phones and other profitable technology has advanced extremely. This is a good satire and tells the truth of modern society, And in such society, educators are attacked because they are regarded to have dangerous ideas to disturb society while actually teachers are the people who tell the truth and show children the right path for the survival of themselves and the planet. This has been going on for generations and consequently deteriorated teachers’ qualities as well. Therefore, education of teachers must be prioritized over scientific researches.

 

 

☆Sample Response Structures

Sample A

【Advantages of spending money on scientific research】

【Advantages of spending money on training programs of teachers】

【Your choice】

 

Sample B

【Advantage 1】

【Advantage 2】

【Counterargument-treatment: The reason why the advantages of the other choice does not matter】

 

 

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Thesis = Outline】

【                    】

【                    】

【                    】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

 

 

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

                                               DRAFT