Suggestions for the teaching platform

1

I have no idea whether that’s the right place so feel free to take this off if needs be.
I have suggestions to make up for the fact I’ve just given a dreadful mark as feedback.

I think the principle of Flexiclasses is great, there’s a lot I like and also would suit anyone who can’t commit to a regular class or just like the flexibility.

BUT…
One hour is too long. I feel so tired sometimes, I would rather do 30 minutes, 45, or even 50 minutes would be a better length. There are studies that show one hour is too much for study. It’s not so effective.

It’s cheap, but I would pay double to be able to book with the teachers I think are really good and totally worth my time.
I also want a better relationship. It’s a lot easier to study with people you’re getting to know a little.

I also would choose teachers I know have consistently good audio. It’s exasperating to have to say a dozen times you’re cutting, I’m not understanding your accent/your sound is too low/don’t use your headphones it never works well/please for the 50th times don’t speak so fast/try and understand my level of comprehension etc

If I could choose the teachers whose accent I’m getting familiar with, it would already make my lessons so much more enjoyable.

Voilà

All the best!

2

and now I’ve just had the perfect lesson.
In fact I’m embarrassed, I’m paying so little, I hope someone that good is rewarded for her time and expertise, I’m worried she’s not. 60 minutes! it’s so long and she was so good.

It’s not right that there can be such a gap in expertise and talent.
Since I gave a 1 for the previous class, I’m going to have to give a 10 for this one. You couldn’t flaw her, she was perfect.

But clearly there’s a problem if we have a situation like this.

3

I don’t think one hour is too long. Students learning Chinese in China have 4-6 hours of classes per day. However,

It’s exasperating to have to say a dozen times you’re cutting, I’m not understanding your accent/your sound is too low/don’t use your headphones it never works well/please for the 50th times don’t speak so fast/try and understand my level of comprehension etc

this I agree with - I can forgive audio issues once, but it happened to me with one teacher multiple times, to the point I got annoyed and started hoping to avoid classes with her, because it felt like she didn’t take those problems seriously. I was going to write an annoyed review, but then forgot about it and it timed out, lol (my bad) That said, majority of teachers don’t have those problems.

My own suggestion is that teachers should pay more attention to correct tones. This week I had class with a teacher who corrected me constantly, which made me realize how many mistakes I made - and that’s a good thing! I’m not saying teachers should correct every single word - when I went to Taiwan I didn’t have much trouble communicating despite somewhat wonky tones - but shouldn’t accurate pronunciation and correcting bad habits be the goal? I feel like teachers are so used to wrong pronunciation they become kinda numb to it :sweat_smile:

4

Thank you so much for all your valuable feedback!

“60 minutes is so long”: Flexi Classes are designed for group sessions with a maximum of 5 students, which is why we set 60 minutes per lesson. This ensures everyone has ample time to practice speaking. Right now, it’s common to find yourself as the only student in class, as others may not choose the same level, topic, and time as you. But as we grow, we hope you’ll soon have classmates joining you! For 1-on-1 classes, you can request a shorter 30-minute session by leaving a note for the teacher when booking.

“I would pay double to be able to book with the teachers”: For group classes, you can’t select a specific teacher, as each student has their own favorite. However, you can choose your preferred teacher when booking 1-on-1 classes. Just keep in mind that teacher availability is limited, so you won’t have 24/7 scheduling options if you select a specific teacher.

“Choosing teachers with familiar accents would make lessons more enjoyable”: We totally understand that it’s natural to have a preferred accent. The benefit of learning with different teachers and accents is that it helps prepare you for real-life conversations with various native speakers. Training your ear to adapt now will be really helpful later! That said, if you’d prefer a particular teacher for 1-on-1 classes, you can request them. Our support team will reach out to help arrange this for you. But keep in mind that for add-on requests, you’ll need to give up the flexible scheduling option. @Pascale-Mandarin_Simplified_HS

“Audio problem”: Unfortunately, Zoom doesn’t always work well in China due to local restrictions, which can lead to connection issues for teachers based there. We are aware of this and are actively seeking alternative solutions to improve the experience. Actually, most videoconferencing platforms are restricted in China, as China has its own platform, so searching for a platform to have a strong connection between China and the rest of the world is quite challenging. This is a top priority for us, and we’re hopeful to have it resolved asap. We’re sorry for the experience you had with the teacher, and our support team will follow up with you to better understand the situation. @Sandra-Mandarin-HSK_4

“Teachers should be stricter in correcting pronunciation”: Noted! We will remind our teachers to focus more on pronunciation correction going forward.

If there is anything you think we should improve, feel free to email support/ post here/ leave comment on rating form.

5

Personally, I don’t feel that an hour is too long, but that’s my current feeling. I generally chat and ask a lot of questions and go off-track on related topics, and love it when the teacher is flexible and goes with me exploring other vocabulary or ideas, etc. If I feel tired (as I have in the past), then I just ask for the lesson to end early. Or do some 八段锦 exercises together or chat about something more enjoyable. :slight_smile:

I’m really impressed that the teachers can use Zoom, as it’s definitely an issue with other teachers in China, who aren’t willing to go the “illegal” route of using a VPN.

I used to get frustrated teachers who spoke too fast for my level, despite repeated requests that they speak slower. It was partly from my own embarrassment and lack of confidence. Now I just say, 听不懂，可以再说一遍吗，你说得太快了，什么什么什么什么？ :joy:

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6

It’s not illegal to use VPN in China, most people have one. In the big cities anyway.

It’s illegal to download it in order to install it however. So it’s a bit chicken and egg :joy:
But that’s why foreign students who come to China are told by the education ministry to come already with a VPN installed on their device.

I didn’t know Zoom was a problem here so that’s good to know.

@Sandra, yeah, I know I have 4 hours every morning and it’s killing me… but that’s also why flexi classes are important to me. During class we repeat in unisson a lot of sentence structures but we don’t get to make our own sentences. So I need Flexi classes to put what I’ve learned into practice, make my own stories!! ayooo

So that’s why one hour feels too long. I’m knackered… If that’s all I had, ok, but I just want to chat for 30 minutes. I could do this 3 times a week.

And I’ve said so many times, please don’t speak so fast, please repeat, you’re speaking fast again… I’m just irritated now.

Accents are an interesting subject though. Here in Beijing what you hear every day is mostly
rrrROOOARRRRRRzhhRGGRRrRrrrGGGnnroooHHHZHHhhhherrrrrrr ma?
then you try and tease that apart and see whether you can pick some words out.

So when I hear Southerners speak I think PAH, too easy. And Taiwanese just lisp :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
ah la la

But I think being able to stay with one teacher and get used to their accent is best. My life is hard enough as it is trying to understand so many different people every day.
So yes, maybe I should think about 1-1 online.

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