Our Methods
We have developed our teaching methods over a number of years to ensure that they are effective for every student. This applies not only to the learning techniques our teachers use, but also to the way we structure our courses and the materials we select. Here are just a few of the reasons that our methodology will ensure you reach your goals:
Freedom from text books
Many Chinese schools (not to mention renowned Chinese universities) still make learning by rote the focus of their methodology. This usual means many hours pouring over text books and lots of ‘parrot fashion’ repetition. This is not only hard work for the student, it’s an entirely ineffective way to learn any language. Although we can recommend text books to supplement your learning if you ask us to, your CSO classes will be focused upon listening and speaking, to ensure that the language comes alive.
Student focus
At CSO the student is the centre of each lesson – even at beginner level at least 60% of the talking will be done by you, and in one to one classes there’s nothing to divide your teacher’s attention. This ensures total speaking confidence and rapid progress.
Revision made easy
Most of students lead extremely busy lives, so we make it as easy as possible for them to revise outside of class when it suits them. Within 24 hours of every class, your teacher will post the notes and an MP3 recording of all the new vocabulary into your personal log-in area. From there you can access them at any time and download them to your laptop or MP3 player for regular review.
‘Real’ Chinese
At CSO we make it a priority to teach what will be useful and applicable in real life. What’s more, we never teach long, related vocabulary lists; instead we introduce new vocabulary in real sentences to allow you to understand the practical usage and gradually master sentence structures. This means that in each class you’ll build your vocabulary in a usable context and you can apply it immediately in real life exchanges.
Tracking progress
To ensure that you understand the progress you’re making, every 10 lessons you will receive a review from one of our language consultants. These reviews are a two way exchange – you can raise any concerns you have about your learning so far, discuss strengths and weaknesses, monitor overall progress and plan the next stage of your language development. At beginner level we are happy to conduct these reviews in English to make sure you’re completely clear about how you’re doing.
Unique materials
When we launched CSO we quickly realised that there was a real lack of quality teaching materials and resources available for Chinese students. Rather than relying on what existed, we have created our own suite of tailored materials, including cartoons, TV programs, advertisements, newspaper articles and MP3s. We also have a host of resources for students studying SATs or advanced placement tests. All of these materials are designed to ensure that you learn Chinese from ‘real’ sources, not from dry academic comprehensions.
Dedicated customer service
As well as our dedication to high-quality teaching, we also aim to provide our students with a great ‘school’ experience. Our team is always on hand to deal with any queries or concerns and our intuitive student log-in areas make it really easy for your to keep on top of your schedule, plan your revision and change your classes if necessary.
