|
Using English to teach Chinese has proven to be effective for children from predominantly English-speaking homes.
So, teachers should not be hung up on whether it is taboo to use a mix of English and Chinese for these children, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said yesterday.
He also revealed that a task force is due to make proposals soon on how this group of children can be taught the language.
'We think we've to make certain significant changes,' he told reporters after a conference on dyslexia, adding that parents would be given ample notice of the changes.
As for worries that Chinese standards would slip, Dr Ng pointed out that the education system allows children who are able to pursue the language at a higher level to do so.
'It's not that you have one method that you can teach the whole population,' he said, suggesting different strokes for different folks.
'Just as (we have) our ability-driven and customised approach to other subjects, whether English, mathematics or science, you also have to apply this to mother tongue.'
The challenge facing educators is what he called a 'seismic shift' in the language environment: Six in 10 of this year's Primary 1 cohort came from homes where mainly English is spoken, up from one in 10 in 1982.
Their ranks look set to swell in one or two decades, warranting a relook at the way Chinese is taught so that children are not put off by the language, said Dr Ng.
His remarks follow Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's call last week for Chinese language teachers to make learning the language fun.
Mr Lee observed that Singapore's policy on learning Chinese started on the wrong footing because he had believed it was possible to master two languages equally well.
Chinese lessons were pitched at too difficult a level and 'successive generations of students paid a heavy price because of my ignorance'.
Dr Ng suggested teachers tap infocommunications technology to make learning more interesting and relevant by, say, creating a virtual restaurant that immerses students in a Mandarin-speaking environment.
Asked about the people who had to bear with the old way of teaching Chinese, he said it was still possible to pick up the language, citing Mr Lee and himself as examples.
Dr Ng took tuition in Chinese so that he could speak to his residents at Meet-the-People sessions and deliver speeches at community events.
Similarly, pupils from English- speaking homes may not be proficient in Chinese, but they should be able to converse and take an interest in Chinese culture.
'Ifwe can teach them to use it, I think we have succeeded. If they can perform in the exam but hate the language, what have we achieved? We have not achieved anything.'
Ms Natalie Mah, 40, who speaks English to her two children aged nine and seven, welcomed any innovative way to help them grasp the Chinese language.
Said the public relations consultant: 'When you are trying to break through to the child, using a language familiar to him will help.'
Madam Lye Choon Hwan, head of mother tongue at Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), said it introduced the bilingual way of teaching Chinese in 2002, with some success.
Teachers gave instructions in English and Mandarin initially to Primary 1 pupils who had no prior exposure to Chinese. They let pupils use some English in class, but taught them to say the same thing in Mandarin. 'They were more bubbly and confident to speak up because they were not afraid to express themselves,' she said.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
| 
