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***We've updated our experience after completing 16 classes***
This is a review of our experience with LingoAce's Online Chinese Preschool Program (1-to-1 classes for 3-6 years old).
Like many families in Singapore, we tend to use English at home much more frequently than Chinese.
As a result, our kids are exposed a lot less to a Chinese speaking environment and are also less comfortable with using Chinese.
So we were thrilled by this opportunity to work with LingoAce to share our daughter, Christy's Chinese learning experience with the Preschool Program (she is 6 years old).
Having attended 16 online classes of the Preschool Program so far, we are happy to say that our experience has been very positive!
LingoAce's teachers really know how to make the lessons interactive and enjoyable. The effective use of a variety of multimedia to complement the language learning process also makes classes more engaging.
More importantly, the classes are a hit with Christy and she looks forward to her Chinese classes!
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This is important for young learners as you always want them to have fun when learning a language and not see it as a chore.
In addition, the flexibility and convenience of being able to schedule classes whenever you want are really big benefits.
Read on to find out more about our experience with the online Chinese lessons!
We'll be providing updates regularly as Christy continues on her Chinese learning journey with LingoAce so make sure you check back regularly.
Sign up for the trial class through our referral link and get referral rewards such as additional classes and free gifts!
LingoAce is an Online Chinese Learning platform for kids from ages 3-15.
It uses gamified technology to ensure that learning is made fun and fulfilling for modern young learners.
It offers a range of programs depending on the needs of your child. Classes can be either 1-to-1 or small class groups of 1-to-4.
Prices start from $21 per class. Visit LingoAce's website for more details on the prices.
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LingoAce's teachers are mainly from China and hold professional teaching certifications.
As LingoAce only recruits teachers that have excelled in the Putonghua Proficiency Test (a test that requires strict adherence to the pronunciation of Standard Chinese), parents won't have to worry about differences in accent and pronunciation, a common gripe about Mainland Chinese teachers.
LingoAce's teachers have also undergone rigorous training to ensure they are aligned with the education requirements set by Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE). This ensures that their lessons are tailored to the unique learning needs of Singaporean students.
Getting started is really easy as a course consultant is on hand to guide you through the whole process including arranging for the free trial class.
The course consultant will also be able to recommend the best program and teacher based on your child's competency level, learning needs, even their personality and character is taken into account!
The trial class is pretty much like a regular class and is intended for you to get a good sense of how a LingoAce class will be like and whether it will be a good fit for your child.
For the Preschool Program, the lesson duration is only 25 minutes (compared to 55 minutes for the older students).
This may seem short to some parents but I think it is quite appropriate for the younger kids as they tend to have shorter attention spans.
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Another advantage is that since classes are only 25 minutes, you can schedule multiple classes throughout the week without worrying that the classes become too intensive and turn the child off learning.
After the trial class, you'll get an assessment of your child as well as feedback on her in-class performance.
Teacher Yuan's feedback was that Christy is attentive in class and that one of the areas of improvement will be on expressing herself in Chinese.
She'll need more exposure to a Chinese environment so she can have more practice in speaking and conversations.
Overall, the trial class was a good experience and Christy enjoyed it very much so we were happy to move on to the regular classes!
Booking classes is a breeze through your user dashboard. Just select your preferred teacher (either your regular teacher or one of the recommended ones), choose the slot that you want from the teacher's calendar and your lesson is all set.
If you need to, you can cancel classes easily through the dashboard too.
The ease and flexibility of scheduling classes are certainly one of the main advantages of online classes.
Each lesson's theme usually revolves around three words and children are taught various expressions and usage of the words.
At the start of each lesson, you'll also briefly revise what was covered in the previous lesson. A good way to improve memory retention.
Lessons are kept highly interactive with different techniques and methods to keep students engaged and interested as they learn.
Throughout the lesson, kids will be exposed to a variety of activities such as songs, videos, word recognition exercises, and fun interactive games. Learning never becomes monotonous.
Teachers can also give out awards such as stars, medals, and trophies when tasks are performed correctly, adding to the fun factor.
This is where LingoAce's platform shines as it makes excellent use of its multimedia capabilities to make learning enjoyable.
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Teacher Yuan also did a really great job of keeping Christy engaged. She was very encouraging throughout the class which was very helpful in building Christy's confidence in expressing herself in Chinese.
Her enthusiasm and bubbly personality was also a big factor in keeping the lessons fun.
As the classes are 1-to-1, Christy is able to get individualized attention and learn at a pace that's just right for her.
We also like that we could just chat with the teachers for a few minutes at the end of the classes whenever we wanted some feedback about her progress.
Teacher Yuan was always eager to share about Christy's development as well as offer some great suggestions on what we can do at home to help her improve.
Your class history along with the accompanying assignments, recordings, and teacher feedback are easily accessible.
Classes are recorded so you can playback and monitor your child's class whenever you want.
There are also after class assignments that help reinforce the material learnt during class.
For the Preschool Program, assignments consist mainly of short interactive exercises where kids will revisit the words they have learnt.
A novel feature is the speaking exercises. You will actually be reading the words aloud and the program's speech recognition software will be able to determine if you have pronounced the words correctly.
In addition to the interactive exercises, each lesson comes with some study materials for students to revise the material covered in each lesson.
We found that printing these out and reviewing them for just a few minutes daily helped Christy in recalling the words learnt in the lessons.
Throughout the program, there will be a Learning Advisor assigned to you.
The Learning Advisors provide support on customer service related issues and help take care of administrative matters such as payments and teacher feedback.
They will also assist with any problems or concerns you have with the program.
In this aspect, our experience was excellent as well.
Our Learning Advisor Gladys was always eager to ensure our experience was a positive one.
She was very responsive and always addressed any questions that we had promptly.
Overall, it has been a great experience so far and we are very happy with the program.
The interactivity of the classes and the quality of the teachers really combine well to create an engaging and effective experience.
And the convenience and flexibility are just unbeatable.
No more shuttling to and fro enrichment centres and lingering around waiting for classes to end. So much time saved!
To be fair, online classes do have their drawbacks. You lose some of the in-person interactions with classmates and perhaps the relationships you build with classmates and teachers online will not be as strong as those in a physical class.
However, these are more than offset by its advantages, namely the convenience and highly interactive nature of LingoAce's classes.
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We were also impressed by the quality of the teachers. They really know how to make every class fun while at the same time ensuring that your child is focused and learning.
The teachers are dedicated as well. On a few occasions, Teacher Yuan went beyond the allotted time as she wanted to make sure that Christy had really learnt the material before ending class.
Over the 16 lessons, we've been seeing steady improvements weekly, and Christy is already showing more confidence in using the language.
Her diction is improving every week and she's able to retain the words that she has learnt in class.
She's conversing in longer sentences, and has also surprised us on a few occasions by being able to recognize Chinese characters that we didn't think she would know!
In addition, the LingoAce lessons help to reinforce what Christy has been learning in school, making them a great complement to her regular Chinese lessons in Kindergarten.
More importantly, she genuinely enjoys the classes and looks forward to them every week. She's constantly reminding us to book the next lesson!
Christy will be moving on to LingoAce's P1 Preparatory Program so stay tuned for more updates.
We'll be sharing our experience every step of the way so make sure you follow along with us on our language learning journey!
This article was brought to you by LingoAce.
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