Through our APP, each student will receive tailored study material, and revision homework, from their personal teacher. Besides online instruction, local spoken practice partners are ready to help each student improve their practical communication skills. Whether you are total beginner, already have some basic Mandarin knowledge or prefer to study towards tightly defined goals (for example HSK exam pass), we tailor our all-inclusive tuition package accordingly.
Communication Skill Courses
Grammar Course
Using instructional videos, students learn Mandarin grammar systematically, with the focus on understanding the ‘why’ of grammar rules which are heavily influenced by principles of Chinese logic. All explanations are brief, concise and clear. In the Describe and Explain stage, students gain confidence in creating precise expressions. By the Comment and Discuss stage, students will understand all essential rules of Chinese grammar. In the Analyze and Argue stage, students will fully understand the logic of the Chinese language and begin communicating freely, and intuitively, in any situation.
Grammar Practice
Complementing each grammar class, Grammar Practice helps deepen students understanding of Mandarin grammar and explains frequently made mistakes. With over a decade of marking student’s work, we know exactly what these are, and teach you how to avoid them from the start.
Listening Practice
Listening practice includes textbook content, daily conversations and media resources. This practice helps students not only review vocabulary and phrases learned from textbooks, but also experience these used in real life situations. In addition, students adapt to the speed of local speakers gradually. This is a crucial step for students to improve their practical communication skills.
Vocabulary Bank
The Vocabulary Bank accessible via our App is completely guided by our syllabus, rather than follows alphabet list of a dictionary. Corresponding to each chapter in our textbook, all new words and phrases are systematically listed, and their use demonstrated in several contexts, with standard pronunciation reading. This is the biggest difference between our operation and common Chinese vocabulary Apps. This operation has been proven to be greatly effective in improving retention.
Chinese Character and Reading Course
Although radical and stokes of each character are explained in detail, this course focuses on recognizing characters and gradually improving reading comprehension; complementing the three communication skill stages. Unlike teaching in universities, we don’t introduce character reading and writing from very start as students will initially learn to use Pinyin (official method to translate Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet) so that they can begin communicating immediately. Students can decide how much focus they place on character study, since it is possible to reach spoken fluency without learning Chinese characters.
Media Resources
Provide constantly updated information about China to demonstrate the language in action, create interesting teaching exercises and deliver cultural instruction. Materials are drawn from multiple sources, including TV, newspapers, main news websites and social media.
Instructive Support
Personal Teacher
All students are assigned to a class lead by a dedicated professional teacher. We cater for those with no experience through to advanced level students. The teacher of each class is available to its students seven days a week. Unlimited interaction with your teacher (and classmates) via social media tools, which support written, spoken, audio and video formats is provided. If you have a question for your teacher, you will typically feedback on the same working day (time difference permitting).
One on One Communication Practice
Students practise communication with local spoken practice partners for one hour every week, this is divisible (if required) into shorter slots to ease scheduling. The practice partner is arranged via your teacher and they debrief teachers after each lesson; so your teacher can work on any weaknesses identified.