the Price of Chinese Lessons

The course was three weeks intensive Mandarin at the continuing education school of a local University, with classes daily for four hours in the morning. We used a textbook I already had, as well as photocopied pages provided by the instructor. We also watched Mandarin movies on occasion and discussed Chinese culture, and we went on a few field trips, mostly to restaurants in Chinatown, where we spoke in Chinese to the staff.

The lessons were excellent, and the teacher was also excellent. A small class meant lots of individual attention, and the assignments were helpful. However, the class was a little too easy, and it was not sufficiently intensive - it should have been significantly more in-depth, with the teacher speaking much more in Chinese and much less in English. The field trips were fun and interesting - for someone with experience of the external side of Chinatown, it was nice to have exposure to the parts of Chinatown mostly reserved for people who speak Chinese fluently, as the proprietors speak little English. However, we were not expected to speak in Chinese on these trips - the instructor did - and it would have been better if we had been asked to speak for ourselves.

My only advice would be to ensure that you know what you're getting - if you want a truly intensive experience, choose an immersion program. Also be sure that the teacher and classroom environment are what you want -try to observe a class before enrolling.