E-Bridge Pre School teachers win top prize after using elements of nature to teach Mandarin

A proven way to engage and teach preschoolers is to develop figures or props using loose materials like branches, leaves, wood chips and bottle corks.

Ms. Fang Liyuan, Ms. Chu Ya-Li, and Ms. Xu Ruijin from E-Bridge Kindergarten used the strategy to teach Mandarin to their students, encouraging them to pick up leaves, twigs, and branches, and guiding them to create different characters and props that were used to create a storybook.

The Mandarin-language book told the story of a fairy who encounters three different parts of a plant, and it was good enough for the trio to win first prize in this preschool Chinese-language storytelling contest. year.

Teachers also encouraged children to form their Chinese names using the twigs, and speaking to reporters at the award ceremony, held during the annual seminar for preschool Chinese teachers, On Saturday July 9, Ms Fang, 32, said, “We hoped to create an opportunity where more children could use natural materials and loose parts to create props and characters and give them the opportunity to express themselves. “

Ms Zhu, 25, said the model was extremely well received by the children.

“The children made props such as airplanes, cars and insects, which really showed the rich imagination and boundless creativity of our students.”

Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang, Chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), presented the first three prizes and seven honors to 10 kindergartens, Saturday 9 July.

In a speech at the launch of the seminar, Minister Gan spoke about the importance of play in early childhood education.

She said, “Interactive games and target games provide a good platform for children to develop their critical thinking, stimulate their creativity and pique their interest in the Chinese language.”

The one-day seminar, now in its 14th edition, is organized by CPCLL and supported by the Agency for Early Childhood Development and the National Institute for Early Childhood Development.

Nearly 1,000 teachers and administrators, among others, attended lectures and workshops led by early childhood specialists. The seminar aimed to improve the professional skills of kindergarten Chinese teachers and empower them to create diverse and interesting teaching methods.

A book featuring the winning works from 2018 to 2020 entitled “Creative Storytelling Aids” was also launched at the event.