4 BENEFITS OF COLLABORATIVE, SMALL GROUP LEARNING
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Have you heard that studying in small groups is the way to go when learning a new language? Well, if you haven’t, we’re telling you that is is.
For the past several years, there is a theme of overcrowding in schools. For many classrooms, there are 30-40 students crammed into a room. Then when those students head to university, they’re one of the many hundred in the lecture hall.
This type of learning isn’t the most beneficial for many people. Instead of being merely a number, learning in small groups allows students to be an actual pupil.
We’ve taken that approach at Keats School in Kunming, China. We offer intensive one-on-one Chinese programs for students who wish to work with a teacher privately and offer small group learning. Our small group has no more than 15 students in one room with one teacher.This allows the teacher to get to know each student and their study needs. Our small group Chinese class is four hours long from Monday to Friday for 16 weeks.
If you’re not convinced yet that small group learning is the future, here are four benefits of small classes.
FLEXIBLE LEARNING
One advantage of learning in a small group is that it can offer a more flexible learning curriculum. When the teacher has the ability to get to know each of their students personally, study patterns are formed.
The teacher will be able to develop and teach in a way that will work for their students. In addition to that, if one student doesn’t understand or is struggling with a concept, it will be easier to monitor and help that student. Not only can the teacher help, but another student in the class might be able to offer help too.
INSPIRES CONFIDENCE
We all know that inside classrooms, low self-confidence can form. It can be intimidating to raise your hand in class to ask questions or have the teacher repeat the phrase. You may think that your question is stupid, and the idea of speaking up is daunting. If you think that way, your confidence in class will lower.
It’s easier to be brave in a smaller setting, trust us. In smaller groups, an informal atmosphere can be formed, making students feel comfortable joining conversations. Not only that, but students tend to encourage each other when it’s a smaller, more intimate setting.
FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE
Getting feedback may be an issue if you’re in a large lecture hall with 100+ other students. We all want feedback, especially when learning a new language. In a small group setting, feedback on work can go beyond an A+ or a red X. Teachers have the ability and the resources to spend extra time on learning materials and feedback.
You’re also more likely to receive instant feedback on pronunciation and classwork in a smaller setting.
BUILD TEAM WORKING SKILLS
The more intimate environment of a small learning group, the more team-building skills. While students may sink into the background or get distracted in a large group, small, tight-knit group learning results differently.
People have the ability and desire to work with each other and work towards the same problem or project. Collaboration and discussions are great when learning a new language.
Teachers are also much more likely to deviate from a rigid plan and allow students to work at their own pace and develop group learning strategies.
KEATS OFFERS THIS AND MORE
At Keats School in Kunming, China, we believe small classes are the way of the future. Every year hundreds of students fly to Kunming to study Mandarin at our school. We specialize in small classrooms full of educated and professional teachers.
To learn more about our small group classes, contact us today.
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OVER 7000+ STUDENTS
HAVE STUDIED AT KEATS
I can’t tell you how much I liked it. The thing I liked about the teachers and the teaching method is that there is so much flexibility. The other thing I liked about the teaching is the combination of classic textbook learning and going outside. I loved it! I like getting to know other students. Everybody shared the same goal and that’s making their Chinese better. Kunming is a big city, but it is very safe to live here. Another thing I liked about Keats is the idea that people here help you. I can’t recommend it enough. I think it was a valuable experience. Looking forward to coming back!
The best part of the school is the patience the instructors had and the time to focus on the fundamentals like pronunciation. I think it is very easy to skip over those and go to vocabulary. But by learning the pronunciation, I feel like it helped me gain a better understanding of the language.
I found Keats to be very good, teachers are excellent and really take the students seriously. Kunming is the best place to learn Mandarin in China. The environment is awesome, no pollution. The air quality is great, good weather. The people here are very friendly. I come to take classes every day. I feel comfortable studying Chinese at Keats. I learned so many things, although I only studied at Keats for 2 months. I am really satisfied with my teacher. For us foreigners, Keats is the best Chinese school in China. Therefore, I would highly recommend Keats to all of you.
It has been notable because I have met a lot of people who I met first time last year like me to come back to Keats this year. The teaching has been fantastic. The teachers carefully prepare each lesson. I think this one-on-one approach is really a great way to rapidly increase your level of Chinese and increase your confidence and fluency with the language.
Since last semester, we started studying Chinese at Keats. It was the best choice we can ever make. It is a really good school. The classes are a lot of fun, you learn a lot, but very interactive, so you talk a lot which means it is not just books and writing. Kunming is a really pleasant city to live in, especially if you compare it to other cities in the east. If you like to travel, if you like to study Chinese in a fun way, Keats has the best Chinese language program for you.
My name is Sarah Fish. I am 81. I knew very little Chinese when I arrived. How was I going to survive 2 weeks of intensive Chinese course? I have to laugh when I think of that now. What a positive experience this has been! I really wish we could be here a little longer. The teachers are extremely encouraging, evaluating first how much someone knows, and then starting from there.
Kunming’s scenery is very beautiful. It is the best place to study Chinese in China. My favorite learning method at Keats School is one-on-one because it is suitable for everyone. My teacher is very good, very caring, and lovely. My life when learning Chinese in Kunming is very good and the weather is very good. The air is very good. It is good for the elderly’s body.
I come to Kunming because I think the environment in Kunming is better and I heard that Keats School is better. I like the small group Chinese class because my classmates study hard and our teachers are very good. I like the teaching method of Keats because I like the activities at Keats. I think Yunnan is a particularly beautiful Chinese province.