Learning English

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Try more episodes of 6 Minute English:

• What can we learn from toddlers?
• How learning to read changes lives
• Building a better world with wood?

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Introduction

What happens when you put the kids in charge of the school? Phil and Georgie discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary.

This week's question

What do children at the Bamboo School have to do instead of paying school fees?

a) teach lessons
b) learn english, or
c) plant trees

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

call the shots
have the power to make the important decisions which can influence a situation

hands-on
being actively involved in doing something practical, rather than talking about it or getting someone else to do it

real world
used to describe how the world really is, in contrast to a particular person’s view which may be unrealistic or untypical; reality rather than an idea, wish or dream

grown-ups
(informal) adults

kids
(informal) children

community service
work that is done without pay to help people in a community

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Phil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Phil.

Georgie
And I’m Georgie.

Phil
Some people remember their school days as the best time of their lives. For others, it was the worst. Did you enjoy school, Georgie?

Georgie
Most of the time, yes, but there was one thing I didn’t like - the school rules!

Phil
Luckily that’s not a problem for pupils at the Bamboo School in Thailand because there, the children, not the teachers, make the rules! Children at the Bamboo School are responsible for every part of running the school, from buying food for the kitchens to disciplining fellow students and even hiring new staff. It’s a school run by students, for students.

Georgie
Yes. In this programme we’ll be hearing about the Bamboo School, a unique school where the children call the shots – they have the power to make the decisions. We’ll also be learning some useful new vocabulary, and before you ask, Phil, - yes, the Bamboo School really is made of bamboo!

Phil
Sounds good, Georgie. But first I have a question for you. The Bamboo School is a private school for poorer children who can’t afford school fees. Bamboo School children get educated for free but have to do something in return. But what? Is it:

a)    teach lessons?
b)    plant trees?  or,
c)    learn English?

Georgie
Hmm, I guess they have to learn English.

Phil
OK Georgie, I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. The idea behind the Bamboo School is simple: teaching children responsibility by letting them run their own school. The school doesn’t employ cooks, gardeners or cleaners – it’s all done by the pupils.

Georgie
Twice a week, children go to the vegetable market with a school officer and buy food for all 150 students. The prices are then carefully checked by other students like Nooneem, who manages the food accounts. Here is Nooneem speaking with William Kramer, reporter for BBC World Service programme, 'People Fixing the World':

Nooneem
I am interested in accounting to begin with, so I get excited by it. When I actually get to do it, I enjoy it a lot since we are doing the actual job. With this hands-on experience we see the school’s real spending and the things we purchased.

William Kramer
So, you went to a local school before, just in this area, what are the differences between that school and this school?

Nooneem
My old school wasn't like this. It was just classes and then home. Here, I get to try so many things, gain real world experience, and work on my leadership skills with my friends. I never had these opportunities before and the school has been amazing!

Phil
Nooneem says shopping at the market is a hands-on experience – she’s actively involved in doing something practical, rather than getting someone else to do it.

Georgie
She enjoys managing the food accounts because it’s real world experience. The phrase real world describes how the world works in reality, rather than someone’s idea of it, which might be unrealistic. Children at the Bamboo School get opportunities to try something new and different outside the classroom, increasing the chances they’ll find something they're really good at.

Phil
Of course, there are some adults – every school needs teachers. But what’s special is how children are trusted, and respond positively to that trust. Here’s reporter, William Kramer, again, speaking with Myra Anubi for BBC World Service programme, People Fixing the World:

Myra Anubi
So, just to be clear, it seems like the grown-ups are still in charge in the classrooms, but outside it's the kids who run stuff.

William Kramer
Yeah, I think that’s broadly right, and I think one of the things that’s interesting about this school is it manages to be quite conventional in some ways and really innovative, even radical, in others.

Phil
At the Bamboo School, the grown-ups - another word for adults - are still in charge in the classroom, but it’s the kids, or children, who run everything. It’s a radical idea and means that besides lessons, there’s lots of work to be done. Children do two hours of community service, that’s work that is done without pay to help people in a community, every week.

Georgie
Anyway, I think it’s time to reveal the answer to your question.

Phil
Yes, we just heard that kids go to the Bamboo School for free but do something in return. But what? Georgie guessed it was learning English, which was… the wrong answer, I’m afraid. In fact, pupils at the school have to plant trees, 400 of them every year!

Georgie
Right, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned from this programme about a school where the kids, or children, call the shots, a phrase meaning have the power to make the important decisions.

Phil
Hands-on experience means being actively involved in doing something practical, rather than just talking about it, or getting someone else to do it.

Georgie
The phrase real world is used to describe how the world really is, rather than someone’s idea of it which may be unrealistic or untypical.

Phil
A grown-up is an informal word for an adult, and a kid is an informal word for a child.

Georgie
And finally, community service is work that is done without pay to help people in a community. Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember to join us again next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!

Phil
Bye!