昨天晚上GLN春季班開學
教的是中文初級班
大家幾乎都是第一次學
而我也是第一次教中文班/成人班
事前經過三次師訓 還有和TA開會討論
準備課程計畫 教材 投影片 和學生們email聯絡
我和我的TA都非常興奮 也非常緊張!
感想：
我只能說
實在
太開心了!!!!!
I love working with people who can actually communicate and actually want to learn!!!!!!!
和兒童/幼兒教學比起來
這簡直就是天堂啊...
(學生都是職業人士 背景有顧問,工程師,公務員,律師,警察...)
不必再想盡辦法威脅利誘他們寫功課
不必再苦苦哀求他們開金口或閉嘴
不必再絞盡腦汁設計新遊戲 唱唱跳跳裝瘋賣傻吸引他們的目光 (最慘的是還不被領情)
第一次覺得如此有成就感......
附上我可愛學生們的Feedback
Awww how nice and cute they are... <3
I love my job!!!
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Thanks for everything 老师!!!
I liked that we were able to practice a lot with the tones, I feel like that should be a review section in every single class. Mainly because it is so odd for most of us to speak that way, it really is a new way of speaking.
I like the game and the competitiveness aspect, but one problem I see with it is that we all want to win, so our tones and pronunciation goes out the window in favor of speed. Maybe, a slower game, where as long as the person speaks it accurately they get the point?
I like that you were able to take the time to see us each individual try the pronunciation of the different tones, I think that was very helpful, and maybe something that should be done again in future classes.
I also like the cultural section, I think it is important that we aren't just learning a language, but a different culture. Perhaps in addition to our prepared presentation, the 老师 can provide another cultural topic, or facts in addition to the students.
Everything else was fantastic! Quite honestly, having taken two other GLN Mandarin courses, this one has been by far the best. I feel much more confidant in my abilities after one session of this class than all the other classes combined, thank you very much! I feel like you both are able to focus on the individual student and really get the basics across, which has been difficult for teachers in past classes, where they didn't want to tell students that they were doing something wrong. You're both doing an absolutely amazing job!
Thanks again,
T.
註: T昨天第一個到教室(提早來停車),和他聊了一下,他說之前已經上過兩次初級中文,但是都沒有打好基礎,最令人沮喪的是他試著和中國朋友講中文,結果對方都聽不懂(大部分是發音和聲調的問題),這學期是他最後一次的嘗試
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T,
Thanks for your compliments and suggestions! I'm very glad that we decided to teach the tones even in our first class. We're definitely going to review them again and again. We'll invent more different types of games in the future - thanks for your good advice! For the cultural moment, we will also give some input in addition to the student's presentation.Thanks again for being an amazing student! I really appreciate your feedback and your experience as a Chinese learner. So excited about our new semester! :)
Best,
Amber
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Dear Hsiao-Ting Chen,
I really enjoyed the class yesterday. To respond to your questions:
1) the thing that i enjoyed the most is that you made it really fun and are honest when we are really off the tones, but in a very nice way.
I think that the cultural moment was very interesting and mostly new to me.
2) the most difficult part will always be remembering what i learned the previous class, since it is hard to relate the chinese sounds to something familiar to us in english. But i think you made a good effort in trying to associate chinese words to english concepts.
3) i think that both of you are bubbly and energetic, and it's a breath of fresh air after a work day in the office. The only issue with the room might be that it is a little small for such a big class. Perhaps laying out the desks in a different way may work (such as in rows).
Thank you very much for everything!!
Sincerely,
K.
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Dear K,
Thanks for your kind compliments and suggestions! I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
I was also surprised that everyone on the list showed up! Although from what I've heard, the class usually gets smaller and smaller each week due to people's busy schedule. So hopefully it won't always be so crowded. (I'll talk to NYU and see if they can get us a bigger classroom if everyone keeps coming.) The reason why we asked everyone to sit in a "U" pattern was that it makes it easier for me and Wenyan to reach out to everyone when needed. Also I like it when the whole class are able to see everyone's face in the classroom, which makes the atmosphere more casual and fun. However, we'll definitely reconsider about it and try to make more room for everyone.
Thanks again for your feedback and for being a great student! Have a great weekend and Xin1 nian2 kuai4 le4!
Best,
Amber
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Thanks Hsiao-ting. I thought the class was great! (and difficult, as I expected) I'm hoping to improve enough to move to the next level in the coming semester. You have your work cut out for you!
My feedback:
1. I loved the personality, expertise and enthusiasm of the teachers. The most interesting thing were the tones.
2. The tones were also the most difficult. Hopefully patient practice, practice, practice will help us conquer this challenge together.
3. The class moves very fast and I'm not sure everyone has "got it" before we move on; however they told us in the preliminary emails that this would happen, so this may not be something that you "can improve on". If I think of anything else I will let you know.
恭禧發財
S.
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S,
Thanks for your nice compliments and suggestions! I'm glad that you liked our lesson and I really appreciate your determination to learn the language well.
I understand the tones are really abstract for most Chinese learners, especially for beginners. (In fact, when I first went to elementary school, I thought they all sounded the same to me.) So just like what you said, patience and consistent practice are definitely needed. We will make sure we have enough practice each week in the future. And don't worry, it will come eventually. I have friends who started learning Chinese when they were adults, and now they speak like natives! It is just a matter of time and effort.
Since it was my first time teaching a class like this, I was trying to get a sense of how fast / slowly we should go. Repetitive demonstration is a critical part in language instruction, but sometimes we as native speakers tend to forget this. Thanks for reminding me - we'll try to slow down a little bit next time. If you feel you haven't got it and want to spend more time on something before we move on, please feel free to let me know. For me, it's better for everyone to fully chew the materials instead of swallowing everything down and getting choked.
Thanks again for your feedback and for being a great student! Have a great weekend and 新年快樂!
Best,
Amber
