PHILOSOPHY

My teaching philosophy & strategies

The first year is critical because it establishes the foundation of language knowledge, which students will rely on throughout their Chinese learning journey. Learning a new language should also be enjoyable and engaging. If a student struggles early on, it can be discouraging and negatively affect their motivation to continue learning another language.

I tailor my teaching to the specific needs of each student, focusing on practical skills that support future communication and interaction with Chinese speakers.

STRONG FOUNDATION

My teaching is highly customized to each student’s learning style, schedule, and goals. I have found that a two-tier approach is most effective for most adult learners. On a weekly basis, this approach combines frequent, intensive conversation sessions with focused reading and writing sessions. The conversation sessions aim to improve speaking skills and the practical application of newly learned vocabulary and sentence structures.

These sessions mimic an immersion environment, during which I usually speak only Chinese. Because the sessions are relatively short, they can be conducted via phone or live video at your convenience. In the reading and writing sessions, we focus on new sentence patterns and vocabulary. I provide explanations and tips in both Chinese and English, and we work on character writing and reading. While I recommend suitable textbooks, I can also adapt to any textbook you already use or prefer.

At intermediate and advanced levels, I incorporate knowledge of Chinese culture, customs, and social and professional etiquette into my teaching. I believe that learning a language is like learning to swim. Traditional language-learning systems often focus on connecting new words to our native language. While this approach can improve translation and comprehension, many students still struggle to speak fluently or form sentences naturally.

From my experience as both a language teacher and a student, speaking a language fluently requires consistent reinforcement and exposure to build “muscle memory.” This muscle memory allows the new language to connect directly to our thoughts and ideas, bypassing our native language entirely.

The right technology and tools enhance access to learning resources and improve language retention. To maximize the effectiveness of my lessons, I use a variety of tools and online resources during and after sessions. These include online flashcards, interactive pronunciation practice, video comprehension programs, character-writing demonstrations, and vocabulary retention trackers.

These tools help sustain classroom learning and reinforce progress. Using a system called Spaced Repetition, students follow a consistent, strategic review schedule that greatly improves their vocabulary retention and mastery of language patterns.

CUSTOMIZATION

GROWTH

TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS