Why
the classroom may be holding you back
Updated:
2007-08-31 06:58
There are roughly 30 million people in the world studying
Chinese, and Fred Rao, founder and CEO of eChineseLearning,
thinks many of them are learning it the wrong way - in a
classroom.
"The traditional way of Chinese language instruction is
insufficient. Students go to class for 1.5 hours a week, and
then they forget everything they've learned," says Rao, who
once taught Mandarin through a Chinese culture center he
founded in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Rao saw an opportunity. Eight months ago, he established
eChineseLearning, a website that specializes in one-to-one,
real-time instruction with experienced teachers in China via
Instant Messaging software, such as MSN, Google Talk or Skype.
Private lessons cost as little as $4.50, with topics ranging
from Chinese culture to business etiquette.
The idea came to Rao after spending 10 years in the United
States, where he attended Stanford University's business
school and later founded a social networking website.
So far, eChineseLearning has enrolled about 300 students
from 25 countries. Most come from the United States, but other
students come from as far way as Venezuela and Latvia.
Students' ages range from as young as 4 to more than 60.
China Daily
(China Daily 08/31/2007 page17) |