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 the pronunciation closer to native speakers in every lesson. Children are encouraged and praised to pronounce the unique sounds in Chinese, ​
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Grammar is taught as the way as solving puzzles. I make fun games for students to use 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 over 15 years. The age of my students range from 4 years old to adult learners. I like to apply new technology into my teaching, and I believe audio and visual aids, customised presentations with well-designed activities can facilitate teaching very well.
I recorded a series of videos on how to study the literacy and film section in the exam of A Level Chinese, and two videos introducing the unique features of Chinese language on my Youtube Channel. You could see my teaching styles through these videos.
Timetable & class locations
Timetable 2024 - 2025
Spring Term: Jan 11th, 2025 (Sat) - Apr 5th, 2025 (Sat) - 11 weeks
Holiday: Feb 22nd, 2025 (Sat) - Half term
Mar 15th, 2025 (Sat) - Teacher training
Summer Term: Apr 26th, 2025 (Sat) - Jul 12th, 2025 (Sat)* - 11 weeks
Holiday: May 31st (Sat) - Half term.
*Jul 12th, 2025 or Jul 19th, 2025 (Sat) - School Fair - tbc
Autumn Term: Sept 6th, 2025 (Sat) - Dec 20th, 2025 (Sat) - 12 weeks
Holiday: October 25th (Sat) and Nov 1st, 2025 (Sat) - Half term.
October 11th, 2025 (Sat) - Teacher training​
Dec 6th, 2025 (Sat) or Dec 13th, 2025 - St Mary Christmas Fair (tbc)
Location
St. Marys C of E Primary School (Middle site)
Strafford Rd, Twickenham
TW1 3AD