The method
Learn-chinese.online is a digital platform for learning Chinese language and culture.
It is a comprehensive Mandarin Chinese course for self-learners. It can also be used in addition to other Chinese courses. Learn-chinese.online also prepares you for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) with many test simulations.
The courses follow the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) program, which provides a recognized benchmark. On the other hand, the Learn-chinese.online courses are not a mere preparation for the HSK tests. This is a comprehensive method for learning Chinese language and culture.
I really insist on the cultural aspect, because it is as important as the mastery of the language and we tend to forget it.
I will start by introducing the training course from the language point of view then the cultural perspective.
Chinese language Training
Learn-chinese.online is a complete, structured and spiral Mandarin Chinese method.
Complete because it enables the learner to acquire the fundamental Chinese language skills. This is what I call a "core" method that differs from "satellite" practices (applications, series, films, games, spaced memorization, oral practice, etc.). “Satellite” practices do not provide a structured progression. They are however very interesting and highly instructive in addition to a “core” method. I strongly encourage all students of Learn-chinese.online to use these “satellite” practices according to their interests and affinities.
A "core” method is much more difficult to build. My experiences as a learner and teacher have confronted me with the great difficulty in finding such methods. Recent textbooks are often too unstructured. With such methods, the learner is unable to progress serenely and gets discouraged very quickly. I experienced it personally when learning other subjects. So I developed these Mandarin Chinese courses by putting myself in the learner's shoes, writing what I would have liked to have in his place and by listening constantly to my students and other users of the site.
The Learn-chinese.online courses aim to form the backbone of your Mandarin Chinese learning.
Structured because each level and each lesson introduces new contents clearly. Levels are progressive and new concepts are well identified. Difficulties are isolated, explained, worked on and then gradually introduced with already acquired knowledge.
Spiral because previously studied material is reviewed in different situations during all the learning progress in order to fully understand its various aspects. The Chinese language is very rich and it is counterproductive to want to explain everything at once at the beginning (this is the common mistake made by new teachers who would like to share everything with their students). It is therefore very important to revisit previous material (characters, vocabulary words, grammar, pronunciation, cultural point) and to re-use it in different contexts.
If it is not possible to see all aspects of Chinese language and culture, the educational choice allows the learner to build a solid foundation in language skills to be able to discover further topics by himself.
One of the main objectives of the Learn-chinese.online language and culture courses is to develop the learner’s ability to progress autonomously. By the end of level 4, he will be sufficiently armed to be able to learn through authentic documents and discover new concepts on his own.
Chinese culture training
If we do not master the cultural codes, we will not be able to really dialogue with the Chinese, even with a very good command of the language. Dialogue goes beyond simple communication which is an exchange of information. In a dialogue we try to really understand the other. Note that nowadays we talk a lot about communication and all too rarely about dialogue. This is really unfortunate because it harms good relationships between people from different cultures.
In Learn-chinese.online, the discovery of Chinese culture is as important as the acquisition of the language. Briefly addressed in the first 2 levels in order not to overload the lessons, culture is systematically approached in level 3 which introduces a Western student (Xiaoli is her Chinese name) who arrives in China to study. We follow her from her arrival at the airport to her discovery of the corporate world in China, including her university life, her outings, her illnesses, her relationship with her new Chinese friend and his family, and more. Inspired by my personal experience, level 3 is a real introduction to Chinese culture as a Westerner would discover it.
In level 4, major themes are addressed, but this time directly from the Chinese point of view. In order to better understand the cultural aspect, a parallel with level 3 is easily identifiable. For example, the arrival of a foreign teacher as seen by Chinese students (level 4 lesson 7) echoes the discovery of Chinese class in China by Xiaoli, our little westerner from level 3 (lesson 4). The same goes for the workplace (level 3 lesson 10 / level 4 lessons 12 and 13), travel (level 3 lessons 1 and 8 / level 4 lessons 3 and 4), family (level 3 lesson 12 / level 4 lessons 17 and 18), etc.
Adaptable and balanced, the Learn-chinese.online courses are therefore integrative, both by the method used and by the association of the cultural aspect with the learning of the Chinese language