Product Overview of Lingo Bus
Lingo Bus is an online Mandarin Chinese learning platform specifically designed for children aged 4 to 12 years old. Here’s a detailed look at what the product does and its key features:
Purpose and Target Audience
Lingo Bus is tailored to provide one-on-one personalized Chinese lessons, aiming to make learning Mandarin fun, engaging, and accessible for young learners. The platform is ideal for both non-Chinese speakers and those looking to improve their Mandarin skills, particularly focusing on children who may not have extensive exposure to the language at home.
Key Features
Certified Teachers
All classes on Lingo Bus are taught by professionally trained and certified Chinese teachers. These instructors have degrees or specializations in teaching Chinese as a foreign language and often have over three years of teaching experience. The rigorous selection process ensures that only about 4% of applicants are hired, guaranteeing high-quality instruction.
Interactive and Immersive Lessons
Lingo Bus lessons are highly interactive, incorporating methods such as Total Physical Response (TPR), Presenting, Practice, Production (PPP), and Scaffolding. These methods make the learning process engaging and comprehensive, encouraging students to speak, listen, and move around during classes. Each lesson includes interactive elements like drawing, clicking, and dragging items to reinforce understanding.
Theme-Based Curriculum
The curriculum is designed around theme-based units that focus on core vocabulary, key phrases, and expressions. These units are aligned with the National Standard for Language Learning and 21st Century Skills for World Languages (The 5Cs: Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities). Themes range from everyday activities like camping to cultural experiences, making learning both fun and meaningful.
Cultural Awareness
Lingo Bus places a strong emphasis on cultural awareness, integrating activities and themes that introduce students to various aspects of Chinese culture. This includes traditional icons, festivals, and daily life scenarios, helping children develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture.
Additional Resources
The platform offers a wealth of additional resources to support learning:
- Unit Workbooks & E-Library: Workbooks with fun games and activities, along with an audio e-library featuring over 400 graded Chinese books to help with pronunciation and tracking progress.
- Flashcards and Review Materials: Downloadable resources such as flashcards, PowerPoint presentations with audio, PDFs, and workbooks to review and reinforce learning.
- Animated Chinese Characters: A collection of animated Chinese characters to aid in learning and memorization.
Flexibility and Convenience
Lingo Bus offers flexible scheduling, allowing parents to schedule classes up to two weeks in advance or cancel them up to 24 hours before the class without any charge. The platform also includes a user-friendly iPad app that enables learning anywhere, anytime, with features such as scheduling classes, accessing preview and review materials, and monitoring study progress.
Pricing and Payment
Each session on Lingo Bus costs $20, but discounts are available for purchasing class bundles, which can reduce the cost to as low as $16.5 per class. Payment methods include PayPal, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), and Alipay. A refund policy is in place for unused classes within their validity periods.
Functionality
- One-on-One or Small Group Classes: Students can choose between one-on-one classes or small group classes with up to four students.
- Free Trial Class: New users can take advantage of a free one-on-one trial class to experience the platform.
- Class Previews and Reviews: Animated preview videos introduce key words and sentences for upcoming classes, and review materials are available after each class.
- Progress Tracking: The platform includes a learning progress map and unit quizzes to monitor students’ progress and provide feedback from teachers.
In summary, Lingo Bus is a comprehensive and engaging online platform that provides personalized Mandarin Chinese lessons for children, supported by certified teachers, interactive learning methods, and a wealth of additional resources to ensure a fun and effective learning experience.