Learning Chinese at your fingertips
Dr. Janice Yu, Chinese Learning 101, TutorChinese, June 16, 2009
Chinese, like any language, is a communication tool for people. However, the Chinese
language is much more complex than the other languages.
The best practice in learning Chinese, thus, is the practice most suitable to the
learner. Generally speaking, one-on-one instruction is preferred because in such case
the instructor-student ratio would be exactly right for people who pay attention to
the nuances of studying a language.
Right now, online learning is given exceptional emphasis because unlike the
traditional classroom education, online instruction enables learners to save the time
and the cost of travelling across miles to learn directly via the internet applications.
1. Real Time Interaction
Chinese is a language constituted by different characters. To people who are
used to the alphabets, various applications allow students to draw on a white
board while looking at the screen will be an ideal way of learning Chinese. By
putting down what is on your mind, you can accomplish more through the
immediate eyes, ears and hands coordination. Besides, you can also speak out
what you have learned from your online tutor in real time. Tutors can correct
your pronunciations, tones, and expressions.
2. Self-Learning Process
Learning Chinese according to your own pace is also an important factor in
acquiring an online program. You can set up your own schedule and chances
are you can learn at ease and pick up more while studying. To English speaking

people, Chinese is so different a language that it does indeed require some
more time to digest the learning material. Therefore, being able to set up your
own class session would be a plus in the learning process.
To sum up, one-on-one online classroom with facilities that enable learners to study
at their own speed would be the best practice in learning Chinese.
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For more information about one-on-one online Chinese Language Learning, please visit TutorChinese
(http://www.tutorchinese.com). You can start your free trial to Learn Chinese with native speaking tutors
online.
Biography
Dr. Janice Yu, is a senior e-learning analyst of TutorChinese with focus on online language
education research. She is also a news editor of the Government Information Office in Taiwan.
Previously she wrote columns on international politics and economy in the Central Daily News.
In 1998, Yu was a Jefferson Fellow at the East-West Center in Hawaii and she won the 1999
Distinguished Women Journalist Award from Friends of the East-West Center Foundation. Yu
completed her PhD at the University of Iowa and served as a news editor at the China Television Company.
Yu has published around 30 books.