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Flavors of Singapore
Flavors of Singapore
TEACHING DUTCH and
FRENCH IN SINGAPORE
Interview with language teachers
We all know the importance of languages! The diversity of culture
and the ability to communicate in a second language contributes to
the full development of the human potential.
We prepared an interview with two language teachers to find out
about the science of teaching a language!
Sophie UNDORF-BOUVIER was
born in South Korea and grow up in
Brussels.
After New York and Paris, she has
been living in Singapore since 2012.
She initially graduated in Political
Sciences and holds a Master in
political sociology and an advanced
Master in Interdisciplinary analysis
of European construction. Later she
decided to focus her studies and
researches on teaching and learning
French as a foreign language. She
always envisions teaching as a
sharing experience, passing on a
knowledge an a culture.
© Alliance Française
Bie VAN WYNGENE is from Zwevegem, a teacher and speech therapist. She
arrived mid 2015 in Singapore after five years in various countries in Latin America,
where she was able to teach in Mexico and Brazil.
"In Mexico I taught French and English in a local school. In Brazil I was teaching
Dutch to Dutch and Belgian kids. Once we knew we were moving to Singapore,
I contacted LanguageOne and an interview was scheduled some days after my
arrival. Shortly after, I received the good news that I could already start in August."
Does a Belgian teacher has some
specificity, a different way of teaching
(compare to a French or Dutch teacher
for example)?
Sophie: Nationality does not make a
difference when teaching. Nevertheless,
a strong regional accent can be
a disadvantage point to be hired.
According to me, specificities or
different approaches mostly come from
the various background trainings and
intergenerational differences in teaching
methods.
Bie: At LanguageOne we developed a
teaching approach which is adopted by
all teachers. Off course every teacher is
different, has their own personality and
brings something unique to the classroom.
Is French or Dutch easy to learn/teach
and why?
S: We hear often than French is a difficult
language. Yet, basic conversational
French is very easy to learn, especially
for Latin and English speakers. But then,
that is true that it can turn out to be very
difficult when you seek to master the
language. Indeed, French has countless
rules to follow and all the exceptions that
go along.
B: We only teach kids who already have
at least basis understanding of Dutch.
Most students struggle with different
pronunciation of vowels and need some
time to familiarize themselves with sounds
that don’t exists in other languages.
Although our students
minimally have one Dutch
speaking parent, they use
other languages for
the majority of the day
What’s the biggest challenge to
overcome as a French/Dutch teacher
here and in Asia?
B: Although our students minimally have
one Dutch speaking parent, they use
other languages for the majority of the
day – at school, playdates, after school
activities… Even our better students
use Dutch for only 15% of the day.
Moreover, they are barely exposed
any written Dutch. As a consequence,
the development of the language slows
down considerably.
S: In Asia, I would say the biggest
challenge to face is the pronunciation,
and in particular the “r” sound. As a
teacher, another big challenge is to find
ways to keep the students motivated but
that is true everywhere!
In your opinion, how do students best
pick up languages?
S: In order to improve in a language, you
need to dedicate time and seize all the
opportunities to practice.
Today thanks to internet all medium are
available, everyone is able to practice
and study further on their own. I strongly
encourage autonomous work.
B: By playful learning, group exercises,
communicating with friends & family (e.g.
playdate with a “Dutch group”, Skyping
with grandparents back in Europe)… as
long as it’s fun!
What do you think about “Languages
cannot be taught, they can only be
learnt.”?
S: Some people can learn easily and by
themselves. But most students will need
a guide. Indeed, it is the qualities, years
of experience and ongoing trainings
that make a difference. A qualified
teacher should be aware and eager to
know more about all the various existing
pedagogies and methodologies. He/
She should be able to adapt to any kind
of audiences and requests.
As a teacher, what would be your
advices to learn Dutch or French?
B: It’s important that Dutch is present at
home and that parents put it to practice
with their children from a young age. A lot
of parents underestimate the importance
of formal language education. There’s
a difference between home and school
language. At home you mostly talk about
daily activities, such as: “Put on your
shoes” “Hurry up” “Finish your plate”. In
our lessons we work with multiple themes
to expand their vocabulary.
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Flavors of Singapore
Flavors of Singapore
There is proof that keeping up the level
of the mother tongue strongly benefits
the development in a second or third
language.
S: Take all the opportunities you can so
you are exposed and able to practice
the language. For instance, the Alliance
française of Singapore is very dynamic.
You can borrow books, attend French
movies with English subtitles, concerts…
Most of the activities are open to
non-members.
CYF-Challenge Your French Pte. Ltd
was founded by Sophie in 2013.
Learning a language is a endeavour
which can quickly become boring
and challenging if the approach
and the supporting material are not
carefully adapted. Sophie strives
to make it fun, interactive and
interesting. She offers private tuitions,
one-on-one or to small groups, from
age 2 to adults. She gives tuitions in
international schools and provides
corporate lessons as well. Over
the years, she developed a large
collection of over 300 books and
board games to support her teaching
for all groups of ages.
https://www.facebook.com/
CYFChallengeYourFrench
What’s your teacher dream?
S: My biggest satisfaction as a teacher
is to know that my students are having
fun learning French and that my teaching
methods make sense. Knowing that
learning French can have an impact and
make a difference on the student’s life,
whether it is a child or a grown-up, and
even changed a destiny.
On a personal level, my dream is to
pursue my training as a teacher in all the
different aspects of this field, to specialise
and do research about education and
related disciplines.
Do you have any tips or any resources
to recommend to the parents/readers to
the Gazette who would like to improve
their Dutch?
B: There are three things that I would
recommend to anyone:
•Continue reading in Dutch, even comic
books are good.
•Watch occasionally a Dutch movie or
television program.
•Support of formal education at school.
Do you have any anecdotes? A funny
story with some of the students?
S: We can say that at CYF we create
funny stories every day during the lessons.
However even if learning French is an
enjoyable and funny time, it is also a real
contract between the student and me. I
am fully committed to the success of my
students. That’s why my motto is “Your
success is our goal”.
B: I discovered that many Dutch words
have a very different meaning to Dutch
and to Flemish kids. This can lead to
hilarious situations.
LanguageOne is an international
organization in Dutch mother tongue
education. They provide Dutch
language and culture education
to children living abroad in the
short or long term. Through their
weekly lessons, the children retain a
connection with the Dutch language
and culture.
Their contemporary education is
designed to help children enjoy
learning, which contributes to their
success in the future. This year they
also started a program for adults.
“We have 170 students in Singapore
at 6 different international schools.
The group sizes are approximately
10. We try to integrate the Dutch/
Belgian educational goals in the
PYP and the MYP, because most
international schools work that way.”
http://languageone.org
My biggest satisfaction as a
teacher is to know that my
students are having fun
learning French and
that my teaching methods make
sense.
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