TALK

Lets

TERM 2 23rd March to 31st May 2009 [MICA (P) 025/08/2008]

Play and Exploration

Entrepreneur Adam Khoo shares with us his philosophy of learning for young children

What people say...

I am so thankful to Khatijah for the wonderful eort and care she has given to my son Keenan, who has been attending her class for the past year and a half. At the end of last semester the children had a show session. My son completely froze in front of the audience but not once did Khatijah inch or make him even more nervous than he already was. She continued with the show whilst noting that Keenan was standing still in front of the audience. After the activity she said she was determined and condent it would improve. Recently, there was another show session. Khatijah sat Keenan down and asked him if he wanted to present again. Something must have happened as he replied he wanted to and have his parents there to see it. My wife and I were so happy that Keenan went through with it and for being one of the most vocal participants in the class. We were proud but more elated and thankful to Khatijah for her tenacity and belief in Keenan. I do feel this is a turning point for him, a ve year old that has now found his voice in front of an audience. We will always be grateful to Khatijah. Chris Chia, father of Keenan in Khatijah Rahmats Sunday EduDrama class. (Thank you Mr and Mrs Chia for all your support as parents).

The current state of the global economy and its domino eect is of great concern to people today. It was therefore very interesting to read a blog by entrepreneur, performance trainer and best-selling author Adam Khoo, in which he expressed his views about money and happiness. As Adam Khoo pointed out, most peoples perceptions of millionaires is that they travel everywhere rst class and buy designer goods. (Adam Khoo is often referred to as Singapores Youngest Millionaire). Perceptions are frequently wrong however, as he wrote, The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of valueI refuse to buy a rst class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily spend money to send my 2 year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning for Speech and Drama without thinking twice. Adam Khoos two daughters now both attend Chiltern House, having rst joined the Julia Gabriel Family of Services in PlayClub. Lets Talk recently met up with Adam Khoo to nd out more about his own thoughts on how children learn best, and where our nancial focus should remain in economically testing times. AK: Many people think that they must make money to be happy, so they slog away to make money. They may make lots of money but they are still not happy! For me, happily making money, happily succeeding is whats important. Happiness is not a destination but a state of mind we choose to be in. LT: How do you relate this philosophy to young children? AK: All learning is state dependent. If a child feels stressed, they will not learn. Its about getting them into the right state. Its about having fun.

Adam Khoo - happily making money

LT: The government has recently highlighted the importance of educating children more holistically, with particular attention paid to Speech and Drama. How important do you feel speech and drama are as teaching tools in a childs education? AK: Speech and Drama is very important! Children need help to bring out the best in themselves. They need to understand themselves. Teaching through play, through drama encourages this. Children learn best through play and modelling from others. The government has been talking about doing this for the last thirty years! You encourage children to speak out, to express themselves to dare to be who they are and this builds condence, not just PSLE certicates! If children nd their passion they can move on to do whatever they want to do. Learning starts the moment they are born. They absorb like learning machines. Intrinsically, all children are gifted our role is to help bring that out of them. LT: How do you express your best self? AK: I love to create things. I love speaking. I love sharing. I love writing.

June Holiday Programmes

Exciting, colourful, challenging and fun! Collect a brochure from any of our centres or download a copy from our website www.juliagabriel.com. Please contact enquiries@juliagabriel.com or call 67334322 for more details. Discount packages available.

LT: Your daughter attended PlayClub at Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning. What do you feel about her experience with us? AK: What I love most about the centre is that it connects with the emotions. Every teacher knew my daughters name, even if they were not her teacher. Everyone gave her a hug. The whole family experiences something together.

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Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning #04-00 Forum, 583 Orchard Road, Singapore 238884 T +65 6733 4322 F +65 6733 2334 #01-08, 26 Evans Road, Singapore 259367 T +65 6737 5348 F +65 6737 2136 Chiltern House 5 Halifax Road, Singapore 229259 T +65 6299 5161 F +65 6291 6651 902 East Coast Parkway, Blk C #02-17/18, Playground@Big Splash, Singapore 449874 T +65 6345 9912 F +65 6345 1871 232 Turf Club Road, Singapore 287982 T +65 6468 8566 F +65 6467 5214 #04-01 Forum, 583 Orchard Road, Singapore 238884 T +65 6737 1966 F +65 6735 8410 www.juliagabriel.com

(Play and Exploration contd) LT: What is your advice to parents regarding education during dicult economic times? AK: I feel that in Singapore parents do put their childrens education rst. I would always put money into my childs education, and my own, as this can not be taken way from us. We can lose a hand phone and the value of a car will depreciate, but we do not lose our education.
- Gaynor Fitzgibbon

Speak Mandarin and enjoy the process of learning

Little Art Bug

The newest member of Julia Gabriel Family of Services, Little Art Bug, is now running programmes, for children from Kindergarten 1 to Primary 4, at JGCL Forum. Currently, classes take place on Saturday between 9.00am and 4.30pm. Some places are still available for this term, or you can register your child for Term 3, when a wider range of programmes and time slots will be available. For more details about all Little Art Bug programmes and how to register please direct your enquiries to Shirley at shirley@littleartbug.com or call her at 63419017.
At JGCL and Chiltern House, learning Mandarin becomes relevant and fun!

Something for you...

Monteoh Business Venture LLP is oering a discount to parents of JGCL and Chiltern House for their special, non-slippery socks-Grippers. These shoes/socks are comfortable, practical, sturdy and safe, with a non-slip rubber sole. They are suitable for water play and help guard against harmful bacteria (including HFMD), dirt and dust. Available from: Mothers Work Baby, 2nd Floor, Great World City, Tel: 67385886; Mothers Work Kids, 3rd Floor, Tanglin Mall, Tel: 67382161; Femme Creations, 2nd Floor, Cluny Court, Bukit Timah Road, Tel: 90690439. Please show your childs BookRoom or Student ID card to avail yourselves of the discount. For full details please visit or call the outlets above directly.

On the morning of 25th March, Fan Gao Di laoshis Kindergarten 1 Mandarin Speech and Drama class at Chiltern House Forum was lmed and interviewed by Razor TV, an internet subsidiary of The Straits Times. The young students demonstrated their drama activity excitedly for a visibly delighted camerman, who appeared to enjoy the experience just as much as the children. Several children were asked, in Mandarin, what class activities they most enjoy, to which they variously replied, in Mandarin, drama, stories and singing songs. When asked if they enjoy learning Mandarin, one little boy, whose mother is Chinese and father originally from England, told the journalist that his Mandarin is better than his English! At the recent anniversary celebration of the Speak Mandarin Campaign (17th March), Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew re-emphasised the purpose of launching the movement back in 1979, namely: to simplify the language environment in Singapore and in so d o i n g to e n co u ra g e gre a te r communication and understanding among Chinese Singaporeans; to create a Mandarin speaking environment that would successfully contribute to the implementation of a bilingual education system; and to encourage a greater understanding and enjoyment of Chinese culture and language. The foundation of all Mandarin programmes at Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning (JGCL) and Chiltern House is to encourage this enjoyment of the language that Minister Mentor Lee desires. We know that language is caught not taught, and even this can only take place in a language-rich, stimulating environment, with motivated, strong language role models. Most of all however the learning process must be fun.

Rebecca Huang, Head of Mandarin at JGCL and Chiltern House emphasised this nal point when asked by the Razor TV journalist what we can do as adults to encourage young children to speak Mandarin, at home and at school, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. Play is the foundation of Mandarin lessons at Chiltern House, and Mandarin programmes for young children at Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning. Through play children absorb language much more easily. We use activities such as drama and stories which help children to experience the language in a fun way. They dont feel pressurised. Instead they are willing to learn. Ensuring that language remains relevant to everyday life through dynamic activities is vital, otherwise children become bored and lose interest. Songs and moving and speaking rhymes are excellent ways to help children remember new words. At Chiltern House, students have access to language CDs too, so the learning can continue at home! Minister Mentor Lee has expressed his concern that the number of Primary 1 students speaking mainly Mandarin at home has dropped from 70% nearly twenty years ago, to 40% today. Rebecca suggests one reason for this: Singaporean children generally struggle with Mandarin because they are not deeply engrossed in a Mandarin environment. Therefore, the question is, what can be done about this? Rebecca: Children from non-Mandarin speaking backgrounds absorb the language more easily, in an enjoyable way, if immersed in Chinese culture through activities such as traditional songs, dumpling making, dance and martial arts. For those children who have
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Shakespeare in the Park

Learning and fun for all the family

SRT presents Shakespeares Much Ado about Nothing. Fort Canning Park. Opens 7th May 2009. Go to sistic.com.sg for full details.

Withdrawal Notice
If your child is not returning to a JGCL class in Term 3, 2009, please inform us by Sunday 26th April 2009. We regret that if notice is not received in writing or via e-mail (enquiries@juliagabriel.com) by this date, we will be unable to refund your deposit. Chiltern House requires one months notice of withdrawal. Public Holidays Term 2 10th April (Fri) Good Friday 1st May (Fri) Labour Day 9th May (Sat) Vesak Day

(Speak Mandarin contd) some knowledge of Mandarin, we focus more on activities that encourage conversation. Families who do not speak any Mandarin may struggle to assist their children in the home, so, arranging play-days with Mandarin speaking peers, enrolling in a Mandarin enrichment programme, and attending Chinese cultural events all help. Rebecca continues, The new Mandarin syllabus for primary school focuses on speaking and listening. Writing is not so vital, as to speak uently is much more practical and relevant. Thats why all our Mandarin programmes at Chiltern House and JGCL focus on learning through play, because play encourages speaking and listening. Mrs Loh, mother of a Kindergarten 1 student at Chiltern House, Forum and Mr Shin Duk Woo, a Korean parent who has a daughter in a Nursery 2 class at Chiltern House, Forum, both discussed the challenges they faced to provide their children with a Mandarin learning environment, when interviewed by the Razor TV journalist. Both parents daughters attended Mandarin EduPlay programmes at JGCL before graduating to Chiltern House. Mrs Loh ensured her daughter Claire was exposed to Mandarin from a very early age by sending her to PlayNest, and later Chinese Cultural Arts. Mr Shins daughter attended PlayNursery, where she was able to absorb Mandarin and improve her English simultaneously. Both parents agreed that the ability of the teacher to inspire and motivate an enjoyment of Mandarin makes a big dierence to the childs ability to progress. Mrs Loh commented, Claire is interested to learn Mandarin because she likes her teacher. She feels loved, and calls her teacher by her rst name. Her Mandarin teacher always speaks to her in Standard Mandarin, even when encouraging social skills. They sing their way to the toilet! Both parents feel that their childrens condence with Mandarin has improved over the last few years. Mr Shin, who came to Singapore with his family four years ago, proudly says of his daughter that he sometimes catches her singing Chinese songs. He concludes, She likes to speak with taxi drivers and understands quite well what they say to her. Sometimes, she even translates for her parents!
- Gaynor Fitzgibbon

EXPRESS YOUR BEST SELF CONTEST 2009

There are no limits to what you can do
Martin Luther King once said, Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. This great man and his words spoke to a nation that eected a movement, that brought about change, that led to the election of Barack Obama, a man of African decent, as 44th President of the United States of America. You and I may not aspire to such greatness and yet, why not? Martin Luther King stood up and expressed his desire to change America, indeed the world. Barack Obama knew from an early age that he wanted to serve his community, and expressed his objectives through ideas, proposals and actions. Thats what he wanted to do, thats how he felt he could express himself at his best and look where he is now! To express means to convey a feeling, to articulate an opinion, to communicate a fact; to express your best means to do any one of the above in the most excellent way that you know how. It doesnt matter that it may not be better than anyone else because its all about you. What makes you happy, what inspires you, what drives you, what are your passions what matters to you? We want to discover these things about you, children and adults, individuals and families. How do you express your best self? Tell us and three winners will each receive $500cash! Perhaps you are a wife who volunteers your services once a week for a local charity and would like to send in some photos or write about what you do; perhaps you are a dad who teaches your son to play football at the weekends you could submit a video; perhaps you are a child who LOVES to help in the kitchen can you make a three minute documentary of yourself as a chef? Perhaps you are a teacher who is passionate about your chosen subject and would like to share with us your students class project; perhaps you are a grandparent who loves to tend to the plants on your balcony, watching joyfully as they blossom and grow. Tell us about it. Perhaps you are a little girl who simply loves to dress up and dance spontaneously; perhaps, you are a musician and the only thing that matters to you is to lose yourself in music. Perhaps... is exhaustive. Its up to you! For full details about the contest collect an EXPRESS YOUR BEST SELF CONTEST 2009 postcard and Entry Form from any one of our JGCL or Chiltern House centres or download them from our website www.juliagabriel.com. We are very excited about this years contest and really look forward to receiving your entries. So, dont stay silent about what matters to you express your best self.
- Gaynor Fitzgibbon

TEACHER FEATURE

Trevor Rodriguez, Senior EduDrama Teacher, experiences Incredible India

Senior Teacher Trevor Rodrigues has taught most age groups from PlayClub to adult learners during his 17 years at Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning (JGCL) and Chiltern House, so it was only natural that he should jump at the opportunity to travel to India for the rst time on 27th January, to conduct an intensive six week training for the 5th Intake of the Julia Gabriel Foundation Teaching Certicate (Speech and Drama) at Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning, Delhi. Trevor, as one of JGCLs most experienced teachers and trainers at Julia Gabriel School of Education, welcomed the challenges of training adult students from a dierent cultural background in addition to piloting such an exhaustive training programme, I enjoy extending my teaching range to cover dierent ages and approaches so I stay in touch with educational developments and further my own personal and professional growth. (Trevor obtained his Masters in Education in August 2008). A little more daunting initially, was the prospect of living in the hustle and bustle of Indias capital city, and, spending such a long time away from his wife Anna and two boys. Both new experiences! The whole experience however proved to be rewarding, enjoyable and interesting and one which Trevor says he would happily repeat. Ably assisted throughout the training process by two of JGCL Delhis senior teachers, Shalini Patarabaram and Susan George, and warmly guided by JGCL Delhi Director Meenakshi Chibba along with senior teacher Shamila Kohli, the six weeks passed in a ash, not least of all due to the packed training schedule.

Trevor tries his hand at driving an auto-rickshaw

Training for the eight adult students in Delhi took place every day (except Sunday and Monday) from nine in the morning to ve in the afternoon. They were guided through vocal warm ups, speech activities, poem recitals, choral pieces, planning, preparing and presentation of talks, how to use storybooks eectively with children, and drama activities all culminating in their moderation on 12th March. The training methodology of the speech and drama teaching certicate is such that it provides interactive learning experiences during each module of the course, enabling student teachers to put themselves in the shoes of young children, gaining a much deeper understanding of how their future young students might feel in dierent situations. As

Trevor remarked in his observations of some of the challenges faced by the Delhi trainees, standing in front of an audience to present a talk, reading aloud, or reciting a poem can be scary for adults too when they do it for the rst time! Due to the wonders of modern technology, the training experience for the Delhi students became even more interactive when Trevor was able to set up a live web feed that enabled the students to view several EduDrama sessions at JGCL, Singapore. This proved to be a benecial highlight of the training process as Trevor explains: Afterwards, we were able to discuss elements of each class viewed and how the teachers concerned used various teaching approaches to tackle the dierent activities and the dynamics of their groups. For example, one teacher had a student who appeared to have separation anxiety and needed more time to settle in. Another teacher demonstrated how she successfully worked towards maintaining control of a very enthusiastic group of students! Despite Trevors busy schedule whilst in Delhi, he was able to take the opportunity to explore the local markets and do some shopping for family and friends on his days o, quite an experience he exclaims! Browsing through the many bookshops in the famous Connaught Place and watching Hindi lms on TV oered pleasurable times for relaxation. Trevor fondly recalls how welcome he felt everywhere he went. And naturally, how could any visit to North India be complete without an excursion to Agra and the beautiful Taj Mahal! Sadly, on this occasion Trevor made the visit alone. Hopefully he will get to return again, next time with his wife! - Gaynor Fitzgibbon

Trevor shares the joy of graduation with his wife Anna and sons Andre (left) and Aaron (standing)

Talk to us! Lets Talk gladly welcomes dialogue with our readers. Please direct your emails to gaynor@juliagabriel.com. We look
forward to hearing from you.