Mr Edwin Tan created an environment that promotes Standard English not only in the classroom, but in the whole school. Coming from a dialect-speaking family, he attributes his English language skills to his own school environment – including his interactions with teachers, students and friends. He believes that teachers need to understand that they are role models to their students, and should always speak in good English.
To achieve this, he devised a programme to improve the level of spoken English in both teaching and non-teaching staff. With his students, he started a reading recovery programme and engaged language facilitators to improve their pronunciation. In order to be a better role model himself, he made personal efforts to improve his own language skills by attending English language courses with British Council.
