Some Updates
Dear listeners and Chinese learners,
This is a long due response to you all! I created the learnchinesepod.com in 2006, the original idea was a kind of “test” or challenge to myself. I had taught Mandarin/Business Chinese incorporating the most innovative methods for many years and developed my personal style. My teaching career has always been a fulfilling, rewarding and successful experience. One day a friend of mine challenged me to bring my teaching and lessons on line.
It was quite difficult for me as I was accustomed to classroom experience and online learning (pre-recorded) was a new and radically different domain for me. I could remember when I was learning English, our teacher would let us listen to a lot of cassette tapes (no MP3 at the time) and I hated them. They all have those “standard” British accent, with a very cold and dreary voice and it was all scripted . It was not fun and it’s definitely not a language learning product which I would like to take part in.
At the time, there were a lot of questions. How to convey those body gestures I use in the class? How do I explain tones without association of facial expression and hand movement? How do I use eye contact to involve every students to ensure learning outcome? How do I personalize content on the fly to teach by employing progression principles? How to cope with student mass with diverse background and learning aptitude? How to structure the lessons? How to eliminate the street noise outside my living room while I am doing recording? How to improve my English skills and oral presentation skills so I can express myself clear by only use sound? Technical issues? etc….
One could probably could never answer all these questions. But I thought for several weeks and with some planning and hard work, learnchinesepod was born. Due to personal reasons, I relocated several times and now re-establish myself in a complete new country and environment. For a period of time, I needed to deal with so many personal things that I forgot about the project.
Now that I am settled. I would like to soon came back to the project. Before I restart, I would really appreciate your help by submitting some of your overall comments, opinions and ideas toward the current podcasts. I promise that I will read them all and take them into consideration for the forthcoming pod casts.
17 comments January 19th, 2009