Squirrel Chinese
About
Our aims
Squirrel Chinese is a Chinese weekend school offering Chinese lessons to 5-11 years. I aim to show the beauty of Chinese language and culture to the children in Twickenham, and also help them to build a solid foundation for progressing to GCSE Chinese and A Level Chinese. The course (across five years) is designed to teach 600+ vocabularies and 100+ grammar points, which equals to the proficiency of HSK Level 3*. Children will be well prepared for further Chinese studies when they get into secondary schools.
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*HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is the standardized test of proficiency in Mandarin Chinese for non-native speakers such as foreign students and oversea Chinese. It has six levels.
Our philosophy behind the materials
I designed my own teaching materials based on over 15 years teaching experiences in the UK and China, and also my own experiences of learning Korean and Spanish. The materials were designed based on the theoretical framework below:​​
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Vocabulary is taught with a repetitive method in order to train memorisation skills.
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Pronunciation is taught in a relaxed way, but I aim to shape their pronunciation closer to native speakers in every lesson. Children are encouraged and praised to say unique sounds in Chinese, ​
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Grammar is taught as solving puzzles. I make it fun to encourage students to apply grammar rules to build new sentences.
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Culture awareness is important and the differences between languages and cultures are always explored. I aim to show children that every language is unique and fascinating. ​
My teaching experience and teaching style
I taught in China and the UK for 15 years, and the age of my students range from 4 years old to adult learners. I like to apply new technology into my teaching, and believe audio and visual aids, customised presentations with well-designed activities can facilitate teaching very well.
I recorded a series of A Level Chinese videos about literacy and film study, and some videos introducing features of Chinese language on my Youtube Channel. You could see my teaching styles through these videos.
Timetable & class locations
Timetable
Spring Term: Jan 13th, 2024 (Sat) - Mar 23rd, 2024 (Sat) - 10 weeks
Holiday: Feb 17th, 2024 (Sat) - Half term
Summer Term: April 20th, 2024 (Sat) - July 13th, 2024 (Sat) - 11 weeks
Holiday: June 1st, 2024 (Sat) - Half term.
June 22nd, 2024 (Sat) - School Fair
Autumn Term: Sept 7th, 2024 (Sat) - Dec 14th, 2024 (Sat) - 13 weeks
Holiday: Nov 2nd, 2024 (Sat) - Half term.
Dec 7th, 2024 (Sat) - School Fair - tbc
Location
St. Marys C of E Primary School (Middle site)
Strafford Rd, Twickenham
TW1 3AD