Dumpling attended a Chinese Oracy camp a few months ago and I really like the concept of the workshop where she got to attend some excursions as well as had the chance to explore Chinese idioms as part of the Oracy Programme. It was a 4-day camp where half of the 3 days were spent on excursions of which she visited a radio station, Mint Toy Museum and NEWater plant. The great thing was that all tours were conducted in Mandarin! :)
Dumpling with some 'camp-mates' at a radio station
At NEWater - see if you can spot Dumpling who was trying to get a shot of some light and water elements in the ground
Dumpling posing with a simple Bento open face 'sandwich' I made for her with a TV screen! :)
My interest was a little piqued on this special focus on Chinese Oracy and I reached out to the directors of the Centre on their goals and thoughts on the Chinese language. Celestine Low is an established writer for the media industry having held core production roles for multiple prime-time Chinese programmes such as Star Awards, Star Search and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, etc.
Michelle Chia is a well known, accomplished local actress in the media industry. She is also known to be an effectively bilingual TV host who started her journey in the media industry at 6 years old.
:: What sparked off the interest to start You Station at the start of this year, especially when you both are busy with your jobs in the media industry?
Celestine:
I was Chinese educated in my primary school years; whereby I took Chinese as a First Language and English as a Second Language. And that builds a strong foundation in my Chinese language. Being immersed in a Chinese speaking environment both in school and at home since young, I am deeply rooted in the mother tongue and have a strong passion for the language. Throughout my years of work in the Media industry as a Advertising Copywriter and a Research Writer for MediaCorp, being bilingual has opened up numerous good opportunities for me.
I see the importance of being bilingual and also to retain the roots of our mother tongue which our new generation seems to be slowly losing. It saddens me to see the children around me disliking Chinese or can't speak the language. And it struck me especially hard one day when my daughter at the age of 4 then, told me that she doesn't want to speak Mandarin as she is an "English" because she speaks English and all her classmates speak English too.
I was totally surprised upon hearing that because my daughter was born and lived in Shanghai for nearly 3 years and at that time, we have only returned to Singapore less than a year and she has attended her preschool for merely half a year. I then started to create a more Mandarin speaking environment at home, exposing them to Chinese kids programmes, using fun activities such as word games to reinforce their word recognition etc. I am glad and proud to say that my children enjoy learning Chinese now and they are pretty good at it. So it's important to create an appetite for the Chinese language, let kids learn through the fun way and they'll get better with practice. I have also observed that our primary school Chinese curriculum focuses mainly on worksheets and children have very little oral practice in school and also at home. Hence they are generally weak in their Chinese oral presentation. I sincerely hope You Station can play a part in nurturing and stirring up interest in the Chinese language for the young generation.
Michelle:
I love children and have always wanted to work with them since young. Though I've always had the dream to start a school long time ago, I haven't been able to find THE real direction. In the recent years I got more chances to communicate with children of family and friends, and it saddens me to see resentment in learning and speaking of the Chinese language.
Given the chance to be immersed in a Mandarin speaking environment at a very young age gave me the opportunity to learn and practice both languages. It opened many doors throughout my career, enabling me to host in both Chinese and English programmes. I sincerely wish to see our younger generations be proud of their mother tongue and are able to keep their roots. Most of all, knowing more than one language is definitely an advantage in life in all aspects.
:: So what do you hope to achieve with the setting up with You Station?
- To create an appetite for Chinese language in the young children.
- To help eliminate fear in children in learning Chinese and speaking Mandarin.
- To reach out to the children in their early childhood to strengthen their language foundation.
- To be able to show them that learning Chinese can also be fun. And being able to speak Mandarin is cool! Be proud to say 'I am Chinese', NOT 'I am English because I speak English'.
:: How is You Station, as an enrichment centre, different from that of other centres?
We believe that You Station has an unique curriculum:
1. You Station is a Chinese Oracy School. We focus on building confidence in the oral presentation, improving reading & listening skills, comprehension skills and enriching vocabulary in children.
2. The curriculum at YOU Station is under-girded by our belief that play is a powerful tool to overcome the fear of language learning.
3. Our activities in class are specially designed to be fun and interactive, enabling children to learn in a stress-free environment. One of the key strategies used in YOU Station is in creating an Edutainment Hub through role-playing as news readers and reciting stories in front of You Station "TV" and video-camera to build confidence in public speaking. Activities like picture talk, experiential learning, show & tell, word games and other music and dramatised elements.
4. Children are immersed in a Mandarin speaking environment for 1.5 hours weekly to speak, read & listen. They are given more opportunities to speak Mandarin and to read aloud in front of their teacher and classmates. With weekly practice, they get better in speaking Mandarin and reading; thus gradually build up their confidence in public speaking.
5. Experiential learning is an unique element in our preschool curriculum; children learn vocabulary and knowledge through the 5 senses. To prepare children for their primary one, we include picture talk in our K1 & K2 programmes.
6. News reading is the highlight of our primary school curriculum. We also learn practical idioms through the fun way.
Importantly, You Station's curriculum is activities-based whereas most Chinese enrichment centres are worksheets-based. We focus on speaking, listening, reading & word recognition through fun activities while other enrichment centres place more focus on writing (doing worksheets).
Our curriculum is also packed closely to the primary school examinations; like we have picture talk, show & tell, news reading etc., that'll equip children for their oral assessment in school. Such activities also help in comprehension and composition.
:: In the course of working with children, what are some of your most memorable experiences?
Celestine:
One of our students who used to dislike Chinese and wouldn't speak a word of Mandarin came to my teacher and me one Saturday showing us a sheet of Chinese lyrics of a song. He said he likes that song and is learning to sing it. And so my teacher encouraged him and sing together with him :-). That to be says a lot about the change in the student's mindset towards the Chinese Language.
Michelle:
In our classes, children are given the time to draw. I am always very happy to receive a few hand drawn cards from our students as this goes to show that they enjoy their learning experience here.
:: What has been the most rewarding part about the setting up of You Station?
We get immense satisfaction when parents feedback that their child has started speaking Mandarin to them at home and their school teachers say that they are happy learning during Chinese classes. We also had some children who refused to speak a word of Mandarin when they first joined us replying us in Mandarin after some time.
Importantly, we are happy to learn from the parents that their children look forward coming to our school every week. Some children who used to be shy and speak softly now able to speak in front of their teacher and classmates confidently and loudly :-) and this speaks a lot about their self esteem and the lack of resistance now towards Mandarin.
:: I believe that the readers would love to learn from your experience. Can you share some tips on how a parent can support their child(ren) in the learning of Chinese / love of Chinese better?
Celestine:
1. Speak Mandarin to your children (if parents are able to) even when they answer back in English. It takes time but you'll hear them replying back in Mandarin.
2. Read with them daily. Start this habit from young!
3. Watch Chinese kids programmes. xinmsn.com catch up TV has some nice ones; or watch their favourite cartoons dubbed in Mandarin. My 4 & 7 years old daughters enjoy watching Peppa Pig in Chinese and my girls speak like Peppa Pig now ...lol :-))
4. Recognise that it is a learning journey - bring them to places they are interested in and speak Mandarin along the way.
Michelle:
1. Introduce them to Chinese pop songs. Tune your radio in the car to a Chinese station and discuss about what you hear over the radio. Listening is the most efficient way to learn.
2. The younger a child starts learning a language, the faster they can pick it up.
3. Share stories and/or news with children that can indirectly show them that Chinese can also be cool. Show them videos of other children performing in Mandarin if they like singing, or even dancing. They are always curious about other young kids and are attracted by what they do.
4. If the child watches cartoons, look out for their favourite ones dubbed in Mandarin. They will be learning without realising it and you'll be surprised when they suddenly regurgitate what they've heard. My nieces did that because my mom listens to Chinese songs while traveling with them in the car.
:: What are the classes offered at You Station and why specifically those areas?
Currently, we offer classes from 4 - 10 years old. Next year, we'll add on 3 years old parent-accompanied class & PSLE preparation class (11 & 12 years old). We are starting a Chinese Calligraphy class as we think that it is nice for the children to have a chance to learn some traditional Chinese Art form.
Exclusive to Beanie N Us Readers!
I have a total of 16 passes to give away for a free trial class worth a total of $640 to give away!
Here's how to win!
Earn credits using Rafflecopter below by:
2) Leaving a comment in the comment section on "One tip which you can share on encouraging an interest in the Chinese language with your child(ren)!" (Please also provide the age of your child so we know how to allocate the slot)
3) Sharing this post with your friends on your FB page!
(For Singapore residents only)
The more credits you earn, the higher your chances! :)
Note: Class timings for the trials are provided by You Station based on the centre's classes schedules as below. This is for first-time students only.
As the classes are held in Singapore, participants need to be Singapore residents. The trial class is not exchangeable for cash or for other workshops. By taking part in this giveaway, you agree to share your contact details with You Station.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO PROVIDE THE AGE OF YOUR CHILD IN THE COMMENT SECTION!
Trial timing are as below:
4 Years Old - 4 passes to be given away!
Sat 915am - 1045am
Sun 11am - 1230pm
5 & 6 Years Old - 6 passes to be given away!
Sat 11am - 1230pm
Sat 3.30pm - 5pm
7 & 8 Years Old - 6 passes to be given away!
Sat 11am - 1230pm
Sat 3.30pm - 5pm
You Station
170 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, #03-73K / 74K,
Singapore 588179
Disclaimer: Dumpling attended as a paid participant for her camp in June. I am not compensated for this post though You Station has kindly extended these trial classes for you readers at Beanie N Us!
About Celestine and Michelle, founders of YOU Station
CELESTINE LOW is an established writer for the Media industry. Her portfolio includes advertisement projects that won international acclaim. Celestine held numerous core production roles for multiple prime-time Chinese programmes such as Star Awards, Star Search and Who Wants to be a Millionaire etc. She was also the Head of Marketing for Chinese88.com, subsidiary of MediaCorp, which was one of the first Chinese websites in Singapore. With three young children aged 10, 7 and 4, Celestine brings with her acute understanding of what young children need and her wealth of knowledge in performance within the entertainment industry.
MICHELLE CHIA is a well known, accomplished and effectively bilingual TV host and actress in the media industry. Discovered at the age of 6, Michelle established herself as a recognised modern and talented artiste over 30 years in the industry with many popular programs and awards under her sleeves. Besides the media industry, Michelle is also an entrepreneur and an active citizen. She recently received the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award, and will represent Singapore in the TOYP World award in Brazil 2013.
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