<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=452><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>And that's after his own useless grand spawns flunk CL2! Btw, this Lau CB thinks he's a linguist and geneticist!
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published November 18, 2009
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Make Mandarin interesting for children: MM
Crucial not to force them to learn; pace lessons comfortably
By LEE U-WEN
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(SINGAPORE) THE key to getting children to learn Mandarin effectively is to make them as interested in the language as possible, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
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</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>Mr Lee: 'Use IT, drama, every possible method to capture the interest of the children. It doesn't matter what level they reach, they will like the language because it's fun.' </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Singapore's education system faces the ongoing problem of nudging students from English-speaking homes to take a liking to Mandarin, he told guests at the opening of the new Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL) at Ghim Moh Road last night.
Admitting his 'ignorance' and his 'insistence on bilingualism' in the past, Mr Lee said that it was time for a different approach to the teaching and learning of Mandarin in schools today. In a message for all Chinese language teachers, especially the younger generation, Mr Lee, who grew up speaking English at home, said: 'Use IT, drama, every possible method to capture the interest of the children. It doesn't matter what level they reach, they will like the language because it's fun.'
He said it was crucial not to force children to learn the language, but to pace lessons at a level and speed that they are comfortable with. In doing so, it will be easier for them to listen and speak the language before recognising the characters, said Mr Lee.
'I came to the conclusion that nobody can master two languages at the same level. If you think you can, you are deceiving yourself,' he said. 'Your brain is not structured to do so. It has nothing to do with intelligence.'
His advice to parents: 'If you can speak Mandarin, just speak it with your children. Don't worry about English, because English is so much easier. Chinese is mono-syllabic, it's tonal. The same word with the same tone can have multiple characters.'
The SCCL - which was set up in February this year - has a vision of becoming a regional centre of excellence for the teaching and learning of Chinese in a bilingual environment.
Run by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Education, the SCCL has already trained about 1,000 Chinese language teachers since June, with a target to train all 4,200 such teachers in Singapore within the next five years.
Four agreements were inked with regional and local partners yesterday, including the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), SIM University (UniSIM), the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the National Trades Union Congress's SEED Institute, which is an early childhood educator.
SCCL and MDA will study ways to use info-communication technology in teaching and learning of the language, while the centre and HKU will be offering senior educators a part-time master's degree in curriculum design in teaching Chinese as a second language. Eligible teachers can also visit HKU on a study tour.
UniSIM and SCCL, meanwhile, will offer a joint bachelor's degree starting next July for over 800 Chinese teachers who currently hold diplomas. The plan is to upgrade these educators and help improve the overall quality of the teaching of the language in Singapore, as well as boost the knowledge of Chinese literature.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published November 18, 2009
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Make Mandarin interesting for children: MM
Crucial not to force them to learn; pace lessons comfortably
By LEE U-WEN
<TABLE class=storyLinks border=0 cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=1 width=136 align=right><TBODY><TR class=font10><TD width=20 align=right>
</TD><TD>Email this article</TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD width=20 align=right>
</TD><TD>Print article </TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD width=20 align=right>
</TD><TD>Feedback</TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD colSpan=2><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pub=xa-4ae026ba0e05c08d"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> var addthis_config = { username: "xa-4ae026ba0e05c08d", services_compact: 'facebook, twitter, favorites, myspace, google, digg, live, delicious, stumbleupon, more', services_exclude: 'print', data_use_flash: false } </SCRIPT> <!-- AddThis Button END --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>(SINGAPORE) THE key to getting children to learn Mandarin effectively is to make them as interested in the language as possible, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
<TABLE class=picBoxL cellSpacing=2 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>Mr Lee: 'Use IT, drama, every possible method to capture the interest of the children. It doesn't matter what level they reach, they will like the language because it's fun.' </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Singapore's education system faces the ongoing problem of nudging students from English-speaking homes to take a liking to Mandarin, he told guests at the opening of the new Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL) at Ghim Moh Road last night.Admitting his 'ignorance' and his 'insistence on bilingualism' in the past, Mr Lee said that it was time for a different approach to the teaching and learning of Mandarin in schools today. In a message for all Chinese language teachers, especially the younger generation, Mr Lee, who grew up speaking English at home, said: 'Use IT, drama, every possible method to capture the interest of the children. It doesn't matter what level they reach, they will like the language because it's fun.'
He said it was crucial not to force children to learn the language, but to pace lessons at a level and speed that they are comfortable with. In doing so, it will be easier for them to listen and speak the language before recognising the characters, said Mr Lee.
'I came to the conclusion that nobody can master two languages at the same level. If you think you can, you are deceiving yourself,' he said. 'Your brain is not structured to do so. It has nothing to do with intelligence.'
His advice to parents: 'If you can speak Mandarin, just speak it with your children. Don't worry about English, because English is so much easier. Chinese is mono-syllabic, it's tonal. The same word with the same tone can have multiple characters.'
The SCCL - which was set up in February this year - has a vision of becoming a regional centre of excellence for the teaching and learning of Chinese in a bilingual environment.
Run by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Education, the SCCL has already trained about 1,000 Chinese language teachers since June, with a target to train all 4,200 such teachers in Singapore within the next five years.
Four agreements were inked with regional and local partners yesterday, including the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), SIM University (UniSIM), the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the National Trades Union Congress's SEED Institute, which is an early childhood educator.
SCCL and MDA will study ways to use info-communication technology in teaching and learning of the language, while the centre and HKU will be offering senior educators a part-time master's degree in curriculum design in teaching Chinese as a second language. Eligible teachers can also visit HKU on a study tour.
UniSIM and SCCL, meanwhile, will offer a joint bachelor's degree starting next July for over 800 Chinese teachers who currently hold diplomas. The plan is to upgrade these educators and help improve the overall quality of the teaching of the language in Singapore, as well as boost the knowledge of Chinese literature.
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