YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Name: Wang, Yan
Background: Education (Nanjing, China), Journalism (Beijing, China), European Studies (The Hague, the Netherlands)
Current occupation: Instructor at Opal Languages
What do you love most about working at Opal Languages?
The freedom it gives to design course materials and trajectories for the individual student. Working with the student, we select the most appropriate textbook or supplementary materials and go through them systematically, whilst allowing for the language-learning ‘improv’ time which is vital to true language acquisition.
And of course, I always love working with and getting to know my students better. It’s a two-way deal: I learn as much from them, socially and culturally, as they do from me in terms of Chinese language and culture.
What would you change at Opal Languages, if you could?
More class time or ‘contact hours’, as it’s called in education. Most of my students have busy schedules, so our classes, whether in person or by Zoom [an online video conferencing system], are often fit in between other activities and obligations. This is a common dilemma and distraction of language learning in the modern age: whilst students can fit in, say, a 45-minute lesson during a lunch break or just after work, it also requires more focus for them to make the switch [from their previous activity]. We also tailor to the busiest of schedules, helping students ease into the lesson at the beginning, naturally, so that there is greater flow in the middle and especially by the end of it.
It’s one of the challenges of the 21st century, perhaps: moving with the speeds and getting the greatest result from the often compressed class time. It’s quite different from when I was teaching in the early 2000s in Beijing and presents new, often exciting obstacles to overcome in effective language acquisition.
Why teach Chinese, and are there any special rewards to teaching at Opal Languages?
Firstly, the rewards. One of the great things about teaching at Opal Languages is that I can create my (our) own curriculum. I’ve experience teaching in both primary and high (secondary) schools in China, as well as a Chinese school for heritage learners in the Netherlands, and I can definitely say that Opal Languages allows for an intense, effective language experience. I can go more with my own instincts about what a student needs or wants to have happen during class time, and as a result, the time is always well spent.
Why teach Chinese? I love it. It’s really that simple, being able to explain what I know of the Chinese language, with cultural reference, and as any true teacher will say, it’s terribly rewarding to see a student progress from week to week.
What would you recommend to someone thinking of studying at Opal Languages?
Feel free to get in touch with me to describe your language needs. You’ll get one-on-one attention and above all, a humility with regard to what you may or may not need in a self-tailored course. That’s the most important factor perhaps when deciding to study with Opal Languages: an accurate assessment of what a learner’s true ability and level are. If you already have the [Chinese] characters down, for example, then we’ll focus on pronunciation and tones as we introduce new vocabulary. If you’ve already spent some time in China and have a good verbal command of the language, with a lot of colloquialisms, but have only just begun to learn how the language is written, then we can focus on that as we introduce new words and expressions.
It’s all a moving diagram, quite dynamic, never a fixed curriculum which goes A B C – you’ll be amazed at the progress students make when they have a hand in developing their own study program.
And, needless to say, all study programs are welcome. What we do ask is that students spend a proportionate amount of time reviewing and studying, or listening to audio or video materials, outside of class time, to make most effective use of our interaction when we meet or connect online.
What are the advantages of studying with Opal Languages?
Some of this has been noted above already. Probably, the one-on-one contact with a teacher who is not exhausted by her workload and therefore has the time to concentrate on each student’s progress. Opal Languages has a limited number of spaces for study, and these students always take priority.
There is, in fact, no other priority at Opal Languages – the student’s actual progress in the language is our goal.