6 months and counting.
I've been studying Chinese at Shi-Da since September. This is my six month progress statement. I've had a number of inquiries regarding how much one can learn, how quickly it can be learned, etc. So I thought I'd address some of those questions here to make the answers readily available to all.
When I started my Chinese was at a very basic level. After my preliminary placement test at Shi Da they stuck me into a book 1 lesson 13 class, using the Practical Audio-Visual Chinese series. At the beginning I felt I was in over my head. I probably should have started around lesson 7, but I had a good teacher and I studied a lot in my spare time. I opted for the "intensive" classes, which means that there are three hours of daily instruction as opposed to the two that most classes offer. In the past six months my Chinese has certainly improved. I can get by in day to day situations now. Broken, error ridden conversations are possible. I can even struggle through a newspaper article if I have a dictionary at hand.
While I have progressed, I have spent the majority of my time here studying. As languages are not my strong suit, I've put in hour upon hour of practicing on top of the demands of my coursework. At home Chinese radio is always on. I read Chinese as much as possible. I use outside materials to supplement my textbooks. And I try to have converstions when and where I can.
Thus far I've studied through the end of the second book 'shang' (that is the first half of the second textbook, which is for some unknown reason split into two books). Next term I'm going to switch to the Far East Everyday Chinese series, as I had a look through one of the books and found the material to be more suitable. I'd much rather learn how to say modem than typewriter. I've decided to return to Canada this summer so I've only got three months left. I'm going to try to be even more persistent by studying for at least an average of 8 hours per day during my last term here. I'll be sure to post a follow up report in a few months.
Comments
This post reminds me of those hard days at Wenhua University... I was not so focus on the study and had to work part-time to make my living.
I would say that for a 2 hours class a day, you will need an additional 2 to 4 hours of homework to really learn and remember all the new Chinese characters.
Posted by: Hesiem | February 27, 2006 01:42 AM
Almost ended up in Taiwan myself, but somehow took a right turn and landed in Seoul, South Korea. What are your plans for Chinese back in Canada?
Posted by: Sumiyoshi Pilgrim | February 28, 2006 06:01 AM
Well I ought to finish my History/Asian studies degree that I've been slowing working away at for a few years. After that I've no solid plans. Either some sort of glamorous job, or graduate work. Somehow I think grad. work is a more likely scenario.
Posted by: Ryan Whalen | February 28, 2006 11:12 AM
Are Shi-Da folks all like that? that's very impressive. As a TLI (private school) student I got to admit the sad truth that people don't put anywhere near what you describe here, and progress is therefore much slower.
Read a newspaper, eh? that's a neat skill I would like to have.
Posted by: fiLi | March 3, 2006 04:00 AM
No Shi-Da folks are not all like that. Like any schooling, you get out of it what you put into it. Some people put a lot in. Others not as much.
Posted by: Ryan Whalen | March 5, 2006 05:16 PM
That's interesting to me, Ryan. How expensive are the 3-hour classes now? Also, is it hard to get into them?
A large part of why I left Shida is that they wouldn't let me into a 3-hour a day class. Due to scheduling issues, they said they could only open 2-hour a day classes. I think that by getting into an intensive class, you're not only getting more class time and a better student/teacher ratio, but you're getting more motivated classmates, too.
Posted by: Mark | April 21, 2006 07:42 PM
Hey Mark, The 3 hour classes are the same per hour fee as the two hour classes. Which makes them $27 000NT per term, plus sundry fees.
The school claims to be actively promoting them now, and tries to give precedence to their scheduling. I guess they've decided that 3 hours is better than 2, which makes perfectly good sense to me.
They also claim to limit the number of students to 8 as opposed to the 10 student limit in 2 hour classes. But like most administrative issues, that has proved an issue.
I have found that the students who choose the intensive classes seem more dedicated, and I think they select their 'better' teachers to teach them as well. That said, my current 2 hour class teacher is fantastic.
Posted by: Ryan Whalen | April 21, 2006 09:28 PM
Good idea mate, great article as well.I have a question, Just wondering ... If the tories take over in the next general election, do you think our education system will get more efficient ?Thanks
Posted by: Private tutor | September 10, 2006 12:22 PM