Smartly Mandarin
Meet Your Teacher
Hi, I’m Shengnan(胜男)!
Welcome to Smartly Mandarin!
"My goal is to help you turn what you learn into Mandarin you can actually use — through a learning system that makes better use of your time, effort and teacher support."
I’m glad you’re here, and I hope Smartly Mandarin gives you a more practical and sustainable way to keep learning Mandarin.
My background:
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Chinese/Mandarin native speaker
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7+ years of teaching experience in the UK & the Netherlands
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MA in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages
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Certified International Chinese Language Teacher
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Research experience in the Production-Oriented Approach
Why I Created Smartly Mandarin
Over the years of teaching Mandarin to adult learners, I kept seeing the same two challenges. Many students understood the vocabulary and grammar we studied, but still struggled to use what they had learned in real conversations. At the same time, many genuinely motivated learners found it difficult to keep up with a fixed weekly class alongside work, travel, study and family life.
That led me to a simple question:
How can I make the time the student spends learning Mandarin more effective?
The answer became the foundation of Smartly Mandarin.
I believe not every part of language learning needs to happen live with a teacher. Vocabulary, grammar, sentence patterns and how expressions work can often be learned very effectively through a well-designed self-paced online course — with the flexibility to pause, repeat, practise and learn when it fits your life.
At the same time, teacher time can then be focused on what benefits most from personalised guidance: personalised feedback, targeted practice and real interaction.
That is why Smartly Mandarin combines carefully designed independent learning with one-to-one coaching.
How I Teach
Smartly Mandarin is built around a simple principle:
Learn the parts that don’t require live teacher time through structured e-learning, and use one-to-one coaching for personalised feedback, targeted practice and real interaction.
This approach comes together in a structured 10-week programme, with one e-learning module and one personalised coaching session each week.
The e-learning is carefully structured, so you still follow a clear learning path with teacher guidance rather than being left to study on your own. Each module takes you through vocabulary, grammar, useful expressions, listening, speaking practice and review, with the flexibility to learn and revisit content at your own pace.
I don’t use one-to-one time mainly to explain things you could learn independently. I use that time to observe your actual Mandarin, give feedback, practise with you and help you improve.
Real conversation skills are built into the process from the beginning — including how to respond, keep an interaction going, express what you mean and deal with communication difficulties.
Together, e-learning and coaching create an ongoing learning cycle:
Learn & practise → Get feedback → Revisit & improve
Learn the parts that don’t require live teacher time through structured e-learning, and use one-to-one coaching for personalised feedback, targeted practice and real interaction.
This approach comes together in a structured 10-week programme, with one e-learning module and one personalised coaching session each week.
The e-learning is carefully structured, so you still follow a clear learning path with teacher guidance rather than being left to study on your own. Each module takes you through vocabulary, grammar, useful expressions, listening, speaking practice and review, with the flexibility to learn and revisit content at your own pace.
I don’t use one-to-one time mainly to explain things you could learn independently. I use that time to observe your actual Mandarin, give feedback, practise with you and help you improve.
Real conversation skills are built into the process from the beginning — including how to respond, keep an interaction going, express what you mean and deal with communication difficulties.
Together, e-learning and coaching create an ongoing learning cycle:
Learn & practise → Get feedback → Revisit & improve
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