I took my end of semester test today, and scored high enough that I’ll be able to skip part of the next level! That’s pretty exciting news. Not surprisingly, my reading score was a good bit higher (nearly 20% higher) than my listening score since I’ve spent so much time focusing on reading. I’m OK with that for now, but I would like to take a class that will bring my listening up to par, so I went to talk to my teacher about what to do for next term.
Up through the end of Practical Audio-Visual Chinese Book 4, it’s a pretty clear choice every term. After book IV, your options open a bit. The standard route, as I’ve written before, is to take Far East Everyday Chinese Book 3, then PAVC 5. Some people (maybe one in four) choose to take Mini Radio Plays instead of Far East 3. Mini Radio Plays is just what it sounds like, 12 lessons in the form of short radio dramas (7-14 minutes).
I’ve heard nothing but good about it from other students who have taken it. One said that after finishing the book he was really able to listen to the radio here and understand pretty much everything. Another person said he was now able to attend university lectures and follow with no problems. I’m a little skeptical about these results, but the book really does seem quite good.
Now, here’s the problem. My score on the test the other day will allow me to skip to chapter 10 (or maybe it was 11?) of PAVC 4. So next term, after a few weeks once we’ve finished Book 4, we’ll take a vote on which book to do next. Which statistically pretty much means it will be Far East 3. Depending on the teacher, the vote may take place either in the first week of the term (which is OK) or once Book 4 is done, at which point it’s too late to switch classes. So all in all, it doesn’t look very good.
My teacher thinks there’s no point in me doing Far East 3, since there’s so much overlap between that book and what I’ve already studied (she is familiar with my study outside of class and is really cool about working with me when I don’t turn in my homework because I’m studying other stuff). She actually said she thinks I could skip straight to PAVC 5, which is more 書面, but I don’t want to jump that far because my listening and speaking still need some work, and I can keep working on my reading on the side like I’ve been doing.
So she recommended that I go to the office and request to skip straight to Mini Radio Plays. It’s only a few extra chapters to skip, and I have no problem understanding the first few lessons of the book. So I’ll be asking tomorrow. I’m sure it will take some pushing, and I may need to get my teacher to tell them that she thinks it’s a good idea, but she told me it’s our right as students to take the classes we want to take if our Chinese is up to the task, and she said I should be able to get them to let me take what I want to take, provided there are other students who also want to take the class (which in this case, there are).
So, wish me luck!
So I went to the office today to ask about this. The asked what my score was on the test (I was only 3 points short of being able to test into the class I’m requesting anyway), asked if I had taken a look at Mini Radio Plays yet and if I thought I could handle it (yes and yes), and then said they’d get in touch with my teacher to get her opinion on whether I’m ready for that class yet (yes). They said they’d let me know within a day or two, which I assume to mean business days, so I should know Monday or Tuesday. But it seems like it should be no problem!
Good job on your test, and it seems like you are making great progress in your Chinese studies. Also, thanks so much for the detailed guide that you wrote in Chinese-forums.com. I have a question for you about studying at MTC that I don’t believe was addressed in your post.
Because my mom is Taiwanese, I grew up hearing Mandarin all the time, went to Chinese school as a kid (although never paid attention), and it wasn’t until recently in college (about 4 years ago) that I seriously studied Chinese for a year (I took an accelerated course with other “heritage speakers,” but haven’t been able to practice any since then).
I have been approved to study at MTC in this upcoming spring quarter (Mar 1- May 31, 2012), and I was thinking about doing the intensive course. However, I’m worried that 3 months might not be a long-enough period of time to continuously learn the language, and that if I return again, I may have to just start all over again because I’ve forgotten a lot of the characters. However, I definitely feel like I would be able to pick up speaking and listening faster than I would be able to pick up writing and my goal is to speak fluently and be able to understand the television news programming.
So my question is: do you think it is worth it to come to MTC to study for just the 3 months, or do you think I should wait until I get a longer period of time to study in order to allow for continuity? (don’t know when that will be).
Thanks!
Jasper
It’s hard to say. There is a separate group of classes here specifically for overseas Chinese (華僑) in your situation. They move quite quickly, and from what I’ve heard and can tell, the students are able to progress really well due to having a solid background. I do know that the girl who writes http://shuflies.blogspot.com/ studied at MTC a few years ago in the 華僑 class, so you may want to ask her what she thought of it.
I’m not sure what you mean by being approved to study for the Spring term. If it’s because that’s what it says on your admission letter, then you can stick around as long as you like. The admission letter just specifies which term you can begin. Are you only able to stay for one term due to financial or family reasons (or other reasons)? If you can stay longer, obviously that would be better, and there are some scholarships available through the Ministry of Education here (though, if you hold a Taiwanese passport you may be disqualified, I’m not sure). You can also find work as an English teacher (if you have a Bachelor’s degree) or tutor here.
If I can help any more, please let me know!
As an update on my class situation, the office has told me I need to take another test in order to skip to Radio Plays. The test is next Monday. It’s essentially the same test I already took, one level higher. That is, it’s more or less the TOP/TOCFL “Superior” or 高階級 test, though it isn’t the official test (I won’t get a certificate). I have to score at least a 50 on the test, which wouldn’t be a passing score on the real test, but will allow me to skip to Radio Plays. I’ll be working with practice test this weekend, so hopefully it will go well.
OK, so I took the test today, and even though the test seemed really hard, I got a 65. So I’ll be taking Mini Radio Plays next term like I was hoping. Success! Once again, my reading score was significantly better than my listening score, which confirms my decision to take Mini Radio Plays, in order to work on my listening ability. I will likely be behind the other students in the class by virtue of the fact that I’m testing in rather than studying all the lessons leading up to this book, but I’m OK with that. It gives me motivation to work harder.