Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles tagged with ‘Input’

  1. Four key principles to improve your Mandarin listening comprehension

    Listening is the cornerstone of language learning, yet many students struggle to improve their Mandarin listening comprehension. Fortunately, making progress isn’t as difficult as you might think; just follow four key principles!

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  2. Three things I wish I had known as an advanced student of Chinese: The time machine, part 3

    Improving after you reach an advanced level of Chinese requires new ways of learning and new sources of motivation. If I could go back in time to give a less proficient version of myself advice, here is what I would say.

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  3. Three things I wish I had known as an intermediate student of Chinese: The time machine, part 2

    Traversing the intermediate Chinese learning plateau requires a shift in focus. Here are three pieces of advice for intermediate students of Mandarin.

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  4. Why you should preview before every Chinese lesson

    Previewing before Chinese lessons is a simple yet frequently overlooked method to enhance learning. By previewing, you maximise the benefits of each lesson, allowing you to focus on areas where you truly need a teacher’s guidance.

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  5. Is speaking more important than listening when learning Chinese?

    What languages do you speak? Do you speak Chinese? We often use speaking to represent language ability in general, but does that mean that speaking is more important than listening?

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  6. 8 great ways to scaffold your Chinese listening and reading

    Listening and reading in Chinese can be a challenge, especially when your level is not high enough. To understand more and thereby also learn more, use scaffolding!

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  7. 100 hours of Chinese listening in 3 weeks: What I learnt and how to apply it

    The more you listen, the more you learn. That’s why I listened to one hundred hours of Chinese in just three weeks. Here’s what I learnt and how you can apply that to your own learning.

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  8. Analyse and balance your Chinese learning with Paul Nation’s four strands

    When learning Chinese, it’s hard to make sure you’re doing the right things. Paul Nation’s four strands allow you analyse and balance your learning!

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  9. A student’s guide to comprehension-based learning

    In this third and final article, the focus is on how students can make their own learning comprehension-based, with or without a teacher. It draws from the principles and ideas of the previous articles and allows you to apply these to your own learning.

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  10. The benefits of a comprehension-based approach for teaching and learning Chinese

    Diane Neubauer continues her series of guest articles about comprehension-based approaches to teaching and learning Chinese. In this the second part, the focus is on principles and motivations for using a comprehension-based method. There’s also an overview of teaching practices that fall into this category.

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