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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I really had a wonderful experience at the school. The teachers are very very friendly. In my class, we practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing. We play games and other fun activities. We have trips around town. The staff at Keats is phenomenal. My teacher is one of the best teachers I have ever had in my educational experience. She comes in with a smile every day.
I really enjoy studying Chinese in Kunming at Keats. The teachers are great and my classmates are awesome. It is an unforgettable experience for me. I also got the chance to travel to other places in Yunnan. Those places are amazing and you definitely need to visit these places when you study Chinese in China at Keats.
It doesn’t matter what level of Chinese you have, or even you can start from the zero level. Your teacher will prepare the lessons according to your requirements. The advantage of living in the school is that you will have your tutoring, you will have your private accommodation with your own bathroom and all the meals provided. I highly recommend everybody to actually take the whole package because you get to meet other students.
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.
Before I came to Keats School, I had no confidence in my Chinese proficiency. I did not have the confidence to speak Mandarin Chinese and chat with Chinese people. However, after 4 months of study at Keats, I become more and more confident in speaking Chinese now. Studying Chinese in China at Keats School has been the best decision I have ever made. There are many games in the class, and my teacher’s teaching methods are also very interesting. My experience at Keats School has changed my view of China and Chinese people.
My school is amazing. I recommend Keats School because it is a more convenient way to learn Chinese in Kunming.
I found Keats School and I am so glad that I did. When you learn Chinese in China at Keats, you are fully being taken care of. My teacher is really great and we become lovely friends.
The visa application was really straightforward, because Keats School helps us a lot with that. Keats has a big emphasis on conversational practice, so we learn a lot of vocabulary and daily life plans which is very convenient for us to go around town and speak with Chinese people which is the whole point of learning Chinese in China.