Online lesson formats

[mungouk]

I'm not sure if this topic has come up before, but there seemed to be some interest recently when I described my own online lessons, so here goes...

 

Teacher Shuo of the ShuoshuoChinese说说中文 youtube channel has been live streaming lessons with her students. Obviously this is a promotional exercise because she teaches online, but it's also interesting to sit in and watch/listen to compare with your own experience, especially if — like me — you've only ever studied Chinese online and 1:1.

 

Here's today's live stream which I hope will also be available after it has finished: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGqYailVWZg

 

One thing I noticed is that even with this student who's studying HSK4上 she speaks quite quickly. What do you guys think? My teacher usually speaks a bit more slowly than this.

 

 

 

 

[roddy]

These insights into practice and process can be really valuable. I've been doing something similar for guitar recently, running a small 'practicing in public' zoom group. Does look like the whole lesson is still available. 

[Guest realmayo]

11 minutes ago, mungouk said:

One thing I noticed is that even with this student who's studying HSK4上 she speaks quite quickly.

 

I reckon the best teachers speak as quickly as they can get away with - so, fast enough to put the student slightly out of their comfort zone. But the teacher will always circle back to ensure comprehension of they key teaching points they're trying to make. That way the student learns from exposure to language at just the right level of difficulty (the brain gets and benefits from a real workout), and also learns the teaching points prepared for that day.

[mungouk]

I recommend her Youtube channel actually... she has some interesting content. 

The world doesn't really need yet another 的 - 得 - 地 lesson (although, in hindsight, she did one). OTOH learning some expletives could be useful, or at least interesting... 

Also, she can be quite funny and engaging. So many YT "teachers" are not.

[889]

Good audio is important!

 

When it's muddy -- as it is here -- I switch it right off.

 

 

 

[mungouk]

Muddy? Where?

[889]

Her whole audio on that clip has bad sound. Strangely, the student's is much clearer. (Not talking about the voice itself but how well it's recorded.)

[mungouk]

Clear as a bell here in Hangzhou, VPN going through Singapore.

 

(I am also rather sensitive to bad audio and/or acoustics.)

 

[abcdefg]

4 hours ago, mungouk said:

One thing I noticed is that even with this student who's studying HSK4上 she speaks quite quickly. What do you guys think? My teacher usually speaks a bit more slowly than this.

 

If your teacher speaks slower than this, she is babying you. 

 

I think this lady has probably slowed her normal speech down for the sake of the lesson. If she were talking to one of her local native Chinese contemporary pals, it would be faster and less distinct, with some words more likely to be slurred. 

 

Of course, I might be mistaken. My experience has been that native Chinese speakers, like native speakers of any language, seem to have an individual preference for speaking speed. Some just go fast and some just go slow. I currently live in the American Southwest, where many people, especially rural old-timers, tend to talk as slow as molasses. 

 

I watch quite a few Chinese cooking videos. Some of these men and women just naturally talk fast, and I would guess they have since childhood. Here is one example, in which the speech is rapid but clear with relatively "standard" pronunciation. 标准

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68v5mGdE978 

 

My experience has been that if you ask someone like this (in Chinese) to "please slow down a little" they just cannot do it for more than a second or two. Teachers are the exception. Normal "regular" people just have one main speed, maybe slowing slightly to emphasize part of one sentence here and there. They don't have a special "pedagogical" speed that they can switch on temporarily. 

 

This next lady speaks relatively slowly, not the "machine-gun" delivery of Wang Gang, but she still is faster than the teacher in the video lesson for foreigners which you posted. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8QDNLM2uxw 

 

I have always encouraged my teachers to talk at "real speed" and then repeat certain things if needed, if I cannot understand key elements. I don't care about understanding every single word. I see that as unnecessary and unrealistic.  I don't even catch absolutely everything in English, despite it being my native language. 

 

The teacher in your example also uses way too much English, in my opinion. 

 

 

[柏锦鸿 (bǎijǐnhóng)]

3 hours ago, mungouk said:

I recommend her Youtube channel actually... she has some interesting content. 

 

3 hours ago, mungouk said:

Also, she can be quite funny and engaging.

 

Yeah I like her content too. She has a way of explaining grammar points in a simple manner. I finally understood exactly when to use and when to not use the 把 structure from this video of hers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrVvU96Q7uM&list=PLMM2peOgOuB6uFlztJ62eka7ONMBUPuyd&index=58

 

Prior to that, I knew how to use it by reading dry textbooks, but always struggled with when to use it (or not).

[Jan Finster]

Thanks for sharing.

To me her audio is clear and her speed is fine. The student is adorable. I am glad he would let us see this. 

As to the lesson, it looks like a standard-ish lesson, neither particularly outstanding nor particularly bad. 

[Apollys]

I was curious but I just feel wayyy too awkward watching this hahaha.

 

I'm also the kind of person who never understood comedies that utilize extreme awkwardness to be "funny," to me it hurts so much I just pray with every fiber of my being for the scene to end.

[889]

Yes, watching another foreigner stumble around in Chinese is painful as can be.

 

[Flickserve]

Audio quality seems fine to me.

 

She seems to be speaking a bit slower than normal pace - maybe for the student and camera. For me her pace of delivery is ok. 

2 hours ago, 889 said:

Yes, watching another foreigner stumble around in Chinese is painful as can be.

I will make it point to avoid you - no hard feelings ?

[889]

Happy to speak English with you.

 

[amytheorangutan]

The format of lesson seems to be quite similar to my current semi private lessons. I think my teacher speaks a little bit faster but different format to my Italki lessons and my Italki teacher definitely speaks faster even compared to my non Italki teacher. 
 

Honestly, I always feel so jealous of people who can do that on camera without feeling too self conscious. 

[roddy]

Credit to the guy (who's quite possibly reading this) for doing that.