Mother Tongue

MOTHER TONGUE LANGUAGES

Aims:

To make the Mother Tongue languages ‘living’ languages and develop in students a lifelong interest in their Mother Tongue language and culture.
To equip students with listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in their Mother Tongue language in order to be effectively bilingual.

Emphasis of the Department:

The Mother Tongue Department aims to build a strong foundation in our students in their mastering of Mother Tongue languages and inculcate in them moral values, appreciating the cultures and traditions through interactive teaching, enriching learning activities and conducive environment for the learning and using of MT languages.

The use of contemporary issues in newspaper articles, ICT, group work and various forms of assessment is an integral part of our school-based curriculum. The key focus of our curriculum is to let our students enjoy their MTL and to be able to use it confidently and courageously in whatever situations.

Throughout the year, various language and cultural enrichment activities will be organised for students. These activities will promote greater appreciation of the different cultures and the Mother Tongue Languages (MTL).

Mother Tongue Subjects that We Offer:

Higher Chinese
Chinese
Malay
Basic Chinese
Basic Malay
Chinese Syllabus B (Only At Sec 4 Level)

1. Pedagogical Approaches

Promoting independent learning by fostering the necessary skills for acquiring MTL proficiency through the use of different ICT platforms. Often, teachers emphasize the use of SLS and iMTL to engage students in their learning. This is in line with the development of 21st Century Competencies (21CC) as these ICT platforms encourage students to be self-directed, and allow them to personalise their learning according to their needs and interests. Teachers would also be able to make use of a range of tools to customise and create meaningful learning experiences for students. With the support of various ICT platforms and tools, teachers are able to design authentic language tasks and harness interactive features, so as to enhance students’ Mother Tongue oral, written and interaction skills.

Besides the use of ICT, the Mother Tongue Department adopts a wide range of pedagogical approaches to suit our students’ learning needs. Teachers also use pair work, collaborative learning, debate, making learning visible, differentiated instructions and other teaching strategies to enrich students’ learning experiences. For the past two years, due to covid, teachers have also switched to zoom for teaching and other online platforms

2. Department Programmes

Reading Programme

One of the main highlights of the department enrichment for our students is our reading programme. Fictions and newspapers are chosen for our students to read beyond their textbooks. Teachers firmly believe that reading help to sharpen one’s mind through stimulation of the brain and it also helps in language acquisition and strengthens one’s writing skills.

Cultural Programmes and Activities

Every year our students would also experience some form of cultural activities, whether in school or outside school. The department believes in supplementing the learning of MTL through use of cultural activities whereby students not only get to experience but also appreciate our cultures. In addition, every year, the department will also organize a Xinyao concert for our students. It is a platform whereby our students will get to learn the Chinese Language in an interesting and lively manner, so as to enhance their reading and writing abilities through the promotion of local Mandarin songs and pop culture. It is also a platform to encourage and promote the composition of Mandarin songs, discover a new generation of musically talented individuals, cultivate a spirit of creativity and innovation, and ensure the continuity of the local Xinyao music culture.

Learning Journeys & Field Trips

Every year, Learning Journeys or Fieldtrips are organised to enhance our students learning experiences through visiting of heritage centres, museums and places of interests. Such trips are planned to reinforce experiential and contextual learning. Students are able to learn by making real world connections. It also contributes to their understanding of the world.

Inter-class and Inter-school Competitions

Mother Tongue department prepares our students to participate in various language competitions. Such competitions increase our students’ intrinsic motivation to learn their MTL and also strengthen their academic abilities. By participating in competitions, we develop and nurture their confidence and collaboration skills.

GEMS Challenge: Overseas Immersion Programme

This is the Mother Tongue Department’s signature programme. It enables students to personally experience the fast pace of progress in developing countries. Students are also able to understand future societal development trends and prepare themselves for the future. For this programme, students will visit some cultural sites and schools and participate in cultural activities in different setting so as to enhance their cultural awareness. In 2018 and 2019, we went to China, and students interacted with Singapore students who were studying in China and also with entrepreneurs who had experience doing business in China. From this, students would be able to widen their perspectives beyond Singapore and prepare themselves as they understand the challenges that they will face in the future. During covid years, the department still carries out this prgrammes online. Students did research online about cities in China and they had a chance for a virtual exchange with school in China.

For more information, do refer to the following links: