blog3

Blog 3: Inclusive Design

Our target group is the 15-35 age group, which leads to two problems: one is the need for different classes by age, as the level of knowledge received varies by age. To address this, we focus on the different age groups of students in an effective way. We also take into account the special groups of single parents who work full time and English speakers. For single parents who work full-time, they do not always have enough time to learn Chinese, and for English speakers, Chinese is a completely different language and can be very difficult for them to accept. To accommodate this, we use readings and videos to help students gain an understanding of Chinese in their own time allocation and in an English way. We emphasise communication between teacher and student, especially where students may make mistakes. We are constantly correcting and practising to promote effective comprehension.

Secondly, to avoid students not having time to read the content in the book, we summarise the key points in a relevant PowerPoint, which can effectively eliminate students being too busy and not having enough time to read the required reading material. In the Pinyin section, we show videos of the teacher reading along, especially for European and American speakers who have difficulty pronouncing b, p, j, p, x, z, c, s and other parts of the language, with amplified oral videos. Students can communicate with the teacher on Facebook to make step-by-step adjustments to pronunciations that they do not quite understand. The video and direct feedback from the teacher can effectively remove potential barriers to learning. The group allocation also helps to create a language atmosphere for the learners.