Chinese Lessons for Heritage Learners

Learning Chinese as a heritage student differs significantly from learning Chinese without any prior Chinese background. In our Chinese courses designed for heritage learners, our instructors are highly attuned to the unique challenges that heritage learners may encounter. These limitations include:

Pronunciation: Receive language input from family or community environment, so may be influenced by dialects or accents, resulting in inaccurate pronunciation or a heavy accent.

Vocabulary and grammar: May use less formal vocabulary and grammar structures because language input primarily comes from family or community environment, which may not provide sufficient standard Chinese input.

Cultural differences: Have cultural differences with standard Chinese, which may affect  Chinese thinking and expression abilities. For example, in etiquette, social interaction and expression, logical thinking and cultural background, this may affect performance in Chinese oral communication.

Language conversion: Frequently switch between Chinese and mother tongue, which may affect Chinese thinking and expression abilities.

Our professional teachers will meet your specific needs in the following ways:

Personalized teaching plan: Our teachers will develop a personalized teaching plan based on your Chinese proficiency, language skills, and learning goals to ensure that you have the most suitable learning experience. Provide standard Chinese input, enhance cultural understanding, emphasize formal vocabulary and grammar structures, encourage students to think and express themselves in a Chinese environment, etc., to help heritage learners improve their Chinese thinking and expression abilities.

Emphasis on reading and writing skills: Heritage language learners commonly encounter challenges related to limited reading and writing proficiency, which can be attributed to their relatively limited exposure to language input and output opportunities. Our course will focus on improving these skills.

Cultural understanding: In addition to language skills, our course will also include content related to Chinese culture to help heritage learners better understand and appreciate Chinese culture.

Learning resources: We will provide students with rich learning resources, including textbooks, courseware, workbooks, recordings, and videos, to help them better master language skills.

Regular assessment and feedback: Our teachers will regularly assess students and provide targeted feedback. This will help students identify their strengths and areas for improvement and adjust their learning strategies to achieve better learning outcomes.

Cultural activities: We will regularly organize cultural activities related to Chinese culture, such as Chinese New Year celebrations, mooncake making during the Mid-Autumn Festival, calligraphy and painting, etc., so that students can better understand and appreciate Chinese culture and improve their language skills through practice.