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31 Oct 2024
Parents are raising concerns about the difficulty of Chinese dictation in kindergartens, with some K2 students being tested on vocabulary typically learned in Primary 6! This has caused stress for both children and parents, with some spending hours each day on dictation practice.
Experts believe that excessive focus on dictation at this age can be detrimental, hindering children's interest in Chinese and potentially causing a "揠苗助长 (yà miáo zhù zhǎng)" effect – trying to force growth too quickly, leading to negative consequences.
Instead, they emphasize the importance of:
Nurturing a love for the language: Making learning fun and engaging.
Prioritizing oral communication: Building a strong foundation in listening and speaking.
Developing visual recognition skills: Helping children differentiate between similar characters.
The Ministry of Education's preschool framework also highlights that writing should not be a key focus for this age group.
This article sparks an important conversation about age-appropriate learning and the need for a balanced approach to Chinese language education in preschools.
一些家长对幼儿园的华文听写难度表示困惑，他们反映K2的孩子需要听写小学高年级才会学到的词汇，这给孩子和家长都带来了压力。有家长指出，孩子每次练习听写都需要花费数小时，即使是华文水平不错的家长也感到辅导吃力。
受访的教育工作者认为，过早让幼儿进行高难度听写训练意义不大，反而可能扼杀他们对华文的学习兴趣。他们建议，幼儿园阶段的华文学习应更注重培养孩子的口语表达能力和对华文的兴趣，而非强迫他们死记硬背。
教育部也指出，学前华文教育应以口语为主，帮助孩子建立积极的学习态度，并打好口语基础。此外，专家建议，与其进行大量书写练习，不如引导孩子观察和理解汉字的结构和差异，这更有利于他们未来的学习发展。
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