mother tongue teaching success or not ?

Hi,

There are a few points i like to share with you.

1. the love of learning (for anything and any language) should be induced at young age. I personally do not think the current education system in HK can successfully facilitate that. Continuously cramming in doing loads of homework will only discourage their curiosity in nature.

2. A balance needs to be achieved. Mother tongue is critical, yet, English is cosmopolitan, which must not be ignored. The more critical question here is

a. how much we use English as a language to teach children in their lessons.
b. how much we use Chinese inthe same way?
c. when do we use them?
d. more importantly, HOW to teach them. (i.e. an interactive, fun and stressfree way or doing more exercises and cramming)

3. the Opportunity for people to practice either language is also not to be neglected. In Hong Kong, there are not many opportunities available.

4. Last but not least, not to make the children 'wrong' is important.
(example, my children are educated in a public school in overseas, since age 5, they were encouraged to make their own sentences and words, I never found any 'X' in their exercise books, but the teacher only used red pen to write the correct words/alphabets on top.)

hope this sharing helps.

Nowadays, many school teach their students in Chinese. I think that is not good for the students. It is because there is only a subject which teaches in English. Therefore, students do not have chance to study English all the time. Their ability of speaking or writing English is worse. I remember that when I was a secondary student, I could learn in English with all subjects. Although my English was not very well, I could speak and write English fluently. And then, now I can speak English with foreigners fluently too. It is very useful to work with foreigners.
All in all, I think mother tongue teaching is not good for students and it is not success in Hong Kong. I suggest some schools can teach them in English with more subjects. The students can learn more English and improve their English.