The New Chinese-English Bilingual Programme at OWIS
Mandarin has gained prominence in our global economy and is spoken by a large number of people worldwide - with one estimate claiming nearly 917 million people speak it fluently. Singapore, where One World International School (OWIS) is located, also has a large number of Mandarin speakers. Addressing a growing need for a bilingual education in Singapore, OWIS has recently introduced a Chinese-English Bilingual programme. This programme is for students aged 6 to 11 (Grades 1 to 5) and aims to help students achieve native-level fluency in both English and Mandarin.
Key highlights of the OWIS Bilingual programme:
- This programme is for primary students from Grades 1 to 5 and is taught by a bilingual teacher. Every bilingual class at OWIS will also have a bilingual teaching assistant.
- Students will receive equal exposure to both Mandarin and English throughout the bilingual programme. Lessons will focus on developing age-appropriate, mother-tongue skills in speaking, writing and reading.
- Each bilingual class will have a maximum of 24 students, giving students more personalised 1:1 time with the teacher and teaching assistant.
- In order to give students an opportunity to be immersed in Mandarin learning, students are exposed to a wide variety of Chinese literary texts and Chinese culture so that they are able to relate linguistically and culturally to Mandarin.
- Our bilingual programme aligns with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) with experienced PYP teachers facilitating student learning. Additionally, Music, Arts and Physical Education teachers provide specialised instruction for students as part of this programme, with the support of the bilingual teaching assistants.
The OWIS Chinese-English Bilingual programme is suitable for native-Chinese and non-native Chinese speakers (who have an advanced level of understanding in both languages) and it ensures that children maintain and build the language skills that they need, to work in both languages and cultures fluently.
Why our bilingual programme is special
The bilingual programme at OWIS has been designed to provide students with a deep understanding of all concepts using both languages. Our bilingual educators are qualified teachers who can fluently speak, read and write in both English and Mandarin. As they can explain any age-appropriate concept to students in either Mandarin or English or both, students benefit from being in an immersive learning environment.
One World International School is also one of the few international schools in Singapore offering a Chinese-English bilingual education at a moderate fee point. Many benefits accrue to bilingual speakers, including cross-cultural understanding, better cognitive development and future economic opportunities. Our bilingual programme offers students a firm foundation in both languages while enabling them to access a comprehensive, immersive bilingual education with a high return on investment (ROI).
OWIS has a diverse multicultural student population of over 70 nationalities and this bilingual programme enables us to continue to welcome students of different nationalities, to support diversity in our student body and to groom future leaders and citizens of the world.
If you'd like to know more about our Chinese-English Bilingual Programme and how it can benefit your child, please get in touch with us or set up a virtual school tour.
