The Pros and Cons of Teaching Different Class Sizes
Class size is one of the major factors in determining the general “vibe” of a class, what activities you do, and how fast students will likely improve. There are pros and cons to each type of class, and having a variety of class sizes will make your teaching career more interesting. Here is a run down of what to expect and how to best handle one-on-one classes, small groups, and large classes.
Read MoreTips For Learning to Read and Write Chinese
Language is not genetic. Taiwanese children have all of the same difficulties you do in learning to read Chinese. When I was teaching at an elementary school, I used to sit down next to my students in study hall, and practice writing my Chinese characters exactly as they did. To learn the pronunciation of the characters, the children read Bo Po Mo Fo, the same as me. One day, one of my second grade students teased me, “Teacher, your book is baby Chinese.” “Really?” I said, “I bet you can’t read it.” It was a dialogue about going to the bank and exchanging traveler’s checks and currencies. Of course, three words in, the boy was already pointing at the Chinese characters asking, “Teacher, what is this word?” “That’s 銀行, it means bank in English.” “Teacher, what’s this word?” “押金, it means cash deposit in English.” When you are struggling with the language—and everyone struggles—just remember that native speakers had trouble learning it, too. The upside is that the native speaker was seven when they were reading at the level you read after only two or three years of intensive study!
Read MoreInterview with Martial Arts Master Robert Jay Arnold
Robert Jay Arnold (aka Warren Fox), is a U.S. martial arts expert, recorded rap artist, and one of the best non-native speakers of Mandarin Chinese you will ever meet. Robert has been learning martial arts for over 25 years, including extensive training in Taekwondo, Hapkido, Jeet Kun Do, Western Boxing, and Ninjutsu. As an exchange student in college, he fell in love with Baguazhang (八卦掌 Bā Guà Zhǎng), and has been diligently learning the art ever since. He trains under Master WÚ GuóZhèng (吳國正師父) in XīnDiàn (新店), and placed third at the Asian World Martial Arts Competition (華人武術亞洲初賽), becoming the first foreigner ever be invited to, let alone place, in the event!
Read MoreRecommended Tools
The fun, efficient, adult-friendly way to learn Chinese characters.
