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While there are slight variations in programs based on time and location the following is a general overview of classes offered. Please note that this applies to set courses only. Custom courses can be arranged to suit the individual needs of the participant.
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| Hours and Dates: Language courses are generally taught for 4 hours in the morning Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 12:00 noon for a total of 20 hours per week of core class room instruction. Programs very in length from 2-20 weeks, starting at various points through out the year (see prices and schedules page) and can be combined into half and full year programs.
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| Class Content: Classes at all levels focus on the fundamentals of language acquisition including speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Teachers even at introductory levels are encouraged to speak as little English as possible in order to aid the students to become accustomed to learning in a Chinese environment as rapidly as possible. This also helps to avoid becoming overly dependent on English explanations and translations, rather focusing on giving the student the basic tools and foundation to learn in Chinese. Class size is generally limited to 20 students, though most classes have 8-15 students.
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| Materials: Up to date, specially designed textbooks will be issued to students based on the level of study. Core materials will emphasize the simplified characters currently in use in mainland China. Traditional characters may be covered through supplemental materials and tutorials. The official Hanyu Pinyin romanization is used in all textbooks and class materials. In addition various materials such as newspaper and magazine articles, videos and movies, songs may also be used. Click on the link to see the titles and contents of some of the textbooks
currently being used in EducAsian classes.
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| Prerequisites: All levels of Chinese from absolute beginner to advanced to independent study are offered, so the only prerequisite is that you have an interest to learn Chinese and are not afraid to make a few mistakes as you learn
one of the most challenging and intriguing languages on earth.
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| Placement: All students are given a placement test at the beginning of each session to determine the appropriate class and section. Please
As students are coming from all different backgrounds, as well as from all over the world, it can be difficult for a few students to find a class that fits their situation exactly, almost everyone is in a similar position. But after a few days of class, the equivalent of several weeks at home, almost everybody is at the same level. In addition, our staff is there to help resolve any issues regarding moving levels or requesting special help.Finally, one last word learned from seeing hundreds of Chinese students arrive in China for the first time. Don’t be discouraged if you feel very frustrated after having spent a year or two
learning Chinese, and then find as soon as you get to China, you don’t know how to get around or even order food. This happens to almost everybody. Studying for an hour a day, even over two academic years will give you a base of language skills, but without the proper environment it is almost impossible to learn the specific skills necessary for conducting life in a foreign language, not to mention a very foreign country. However, after a few weeks in class, you will have the skills to put this base to effective use, and will be amazed at how quickly your language skills will progress.
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| Grades: Grades will be based on daily quizzes and homework assignments, mid-term and final examinations, oral presentations, class participation and mandatory attendance. We can not emphasize this point enough. While you might be able to learn Chinese outside the classroom, you are not going to pass the class!
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| Completion Certificates/Transfer Credit: Host universities will issue Official Transcripts and Completion certificates
as well as grade reports at the conclusion of all programs. For many of our courses, transcripts will be issued through the State University of New York at Brockport. In nearly
all cases students are able to obtain transfer credit to their home universities.
While EducAsian will facilitate this process in anyway possible, it is
the participants responsibility to inform us as to what is required.
This is much easier to arrange if everything is very clear before beginning
a course of study, so we strongly recommend that students seeking transfer
credit check with their Academic Advisors or Department Chair prior to
departure.
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| Tutorials: In addition to organized review sessions given regularly in the afternoons, EducAsian will be happy to arrange tutors for students wishing to have individualized help or wanting to pursue a specific area of study. For more in-depth courses of study or distance learning programs see Independent Study
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| Pengyous / Exchange Partners: A highlight of every program is the pairing of our students with local Chinese students (usually English or other foreign language majors). This provides a terrific opportunity to both practice "real"Chinese as
it is spoken by the locals and learn more firsthand about life in modern China. Our student/tutors exchange partners have come to be affectionately referred to as pengyous (taken from the Chinese word for friend: pengyou).
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