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06-04-2006
New Web portal for Chinese language teachers launched
By Joanne Leow,
Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : In
a new milestone for Chinese language teaching, Singapore has launched
its first online portal for Chinese language teachers.
It aims to bring together over 3,500 teachers to share innovative ways
to teach the language, starting with some 1,200 teachers from over 100
schools in the east and the south.
This is a partnership between Microsoft Singapore, the Singapore
Chinese Teachers' Union and schools.
Teaching Chinese language in Singapore has been undergoing a review,
and this new online portal is one way to help teachers cope with
changes to the way they teach by allowing them to share lessons and
ideas across schools.
Sadi Yeo Guat
Kwang, GPC Education member and executive secretary of the Chinese
Teachers'
Union, "One
big concern is that it may actually increase the workload of teachers.
A better way is -- for those who have already come out with innovative
ideas, we should encourage them to share, so we do not have this
problem of duplicating effort of everyone. Once we pool all together
it will be more effective."
Said Barney Lau, managing director of Microsoft
Singapore, "You
have communities of teachers coming together in a like-minded way to
share information. Second of all, it allows teachers to search for
information and documents and materials. And third of all it allows
storage, submission and alteration of documents."
Teachers can log on to the
website to gain access to a library of resources, including
articles, tutorials and learning materials.
Parents are also encouraged to participate in a special forum to
exchange ideas and experiences.
The Education Ministry says it is working towards similar portals for
Malay, Tamil and English.
And it is encouraged by the work Chinese language teachers are already
doing incorporating IT into the curriculum.
Said Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, "We're really putting
emphasis on the teachers themselves, allowing teachers to use IT as
they wish, to build on their own strengths, rather than having to
adapt themselves to IT. IT must not be forced; it must not be
something not natural to the teacher."
The technological innovation doesn't just stop here.
There are plans to link up this portal with similar ones in countries
like China to encourage more cross-border collaboration and to boost
Singapore's status as an education hub. - CNA /ct
Source:
Channelnewsasia.com
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