Theresa Harwood-Xie is originally from the UK and came to China to teach at an international school in 2012. After she came, she met her husband, got married, and has lived here ever since.

With a master’s in art history from the University of Sydney, and a fervent love of art, Theresa, or Terri, as she’s more affectionately known, founded Civillita as an art studio in 2020.

As a qualified teacher of art and design, Terri offers short courses on drawing and painting, helping to develop students both young and old into confident artists. She is also deeply passionate about art history, specifically Chinese art history, which she says “reflects two millennia of human history.”

If you or your child are similarly interested in art history you’ll be glad to know that starting Jun 4, middle schoolers between the ages of nine and 12 who have a thirst for art knowledge and culture can join Terri’s Western Art History course. The online course will be conducted on ClassIn and is limited to only eight participants. At the same time, Terri will offer another course suitable for teenagers and teachers who want to learn about key issues in the context of art history.

Aside from art history, Civillita is offering an online academic drawing course suitable for anyone from 11 to 90 years old. The only requirement of the course is that you want to learn to draw! If you have always wanted to draw but don’t quite know where to start, such as how to make objects appear three-dimensional on a 2D surface such as paper, then this is the course for you. You’ll even find out what terms such as “directional hatching” and “scumbling” mean, so you can really impress your art-savvy friends and teachers! In Terri’s own words, “It is bizarrely addictive. Additionally, these courses are very useful for cultivating the skills necessary in IB Visual Art.”

These courses have limited spaces and are often sold out quickly, so do book your spot soon!

KEEP READING: With E-Learning Comes E-xercise! Online Workouts To Stay In Shape

Images: Unsplash, Theresa Harwood-Xie

As overwhelming as it might feel to combine online schooling with working from home and all your other household tasks, it helps if you remember that learning should be fun. And Science is one of those topics that should really be learned in the most hands-on, fun way possible so the ideas stick. In fact, all kids are born as little scientists, curious about their world, and excited for experiments. It’s our job to indulge in those curiosities as far as they go, and keep it safe! Here are some cool easy experiments and a few online resources if they need to understand a concept in a more tangible way.

Mad Science Winter Vacation Class Pack: Online Lessons and Materials Shipped to You

In response to parents’ requests for ways to keep kids entertained over the Chinese New Year, Mad Science is holding a special winter discount on their 9 online live bilingual classes and a course kit with 50+ labs inside a box. The teachers send a preview of the material before class, interact with the kids while conducting experiments, and integrate science facts and review so the concepts really sink in. Classes start Feb 1 and the live component is twice a week between the hours of 9.30am-12pm depending on your child’s age. Scan the QR code for more info.

Outschool

We got into the Outschool habit last spring, and still love to join a class or social club or two when it’s a subject that interests my kids. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right teacher, but the coolest thing about Outschool is the teachers combine learning with popular games, shows, and more. So that’s how you get Mario Math, Jedi training, LEGO Build clubs, and an assortment of cool science-related courses as well. Some are one-offs and others recurring. It gets tricky with the timezones, but we’ve found many good options no matter when we were available.

NASA Stem for Students

With topics like exploring the space station, NASA’s Search and Rescue office, build an airplane/spacecraft, and decoding secret messages, plus coloring pages, interactive games, and free science-related books, your kids could explore the NASA sit for days! And it is all for free. Scan QR code to start your astronaut training.

SciShow Kids

Every since SciShow Kids premiered, we’ve been excited to share it with our kids. Especially once they got into their “Why?” phase, most questions about nature or how the world works science wise are explained in a non-condescending and factual way, with great graphics to help kids understand the concepts. Their videos are neatly organized in playlists and very easy to find. Older students will also enjoy SciShow, SciShow Space, and SciShow Psych. SciShow also has a game show which is a cool way to “quiz” kids but make it fun!

KEEP READING: Say It Like You Mean It: Online Chinese Learning Resources for Kids

Photos: courtesy of websites, Cindy Marie Jenkins

In every educational establishment of this city, from traditional Chinese institutions to Beijing’s international schools, the desire of our parents for us students to succeed is evident. The race for the best tutors, the reach for the best grades, and ultimately the sprint for the best universities—present in every family, these are competitions which may at times be more nuanced, yet are always there.

Despite all of this, it is an unfortunate reality that the system we have grown accustomed to sometimes fails to provide kids with topics which truly absorb them. For every aspiring mathematician fascinated by the list of double angle formulae, there is a budding entrepreneur whose itch to build and innovate is sadly unmet by any subject presented to them in a standardized curriculum. And this, right here, is the problem. Kids are told that they can do anything, be anyone… to dream big, as it were. Yet, few of us dare to realize the honestly quite harsh (and scary!) truth: that we might just lack the proper tools to do so.

Whether we like to admit it or not, there are simply too many restrictions in a physical schooling system. There can only be so many buildings and classrooms and desks and teachers. This isn’t an accusation of our city’s educational infrastructure—it’s a hard reality. Whether it is the IB, AP, GSCE, or a traditional Chinese curriculum, there just cannot be enough options and varieties of topics for us (the students) to be able to truly experiment and freely pursue our interests.

Online courses, on the other hand, are tremendously scalable, hence the term MOOC: Massive Open Online Course. This hints at one of the most valuable aspects of e-learning, that its digital nature eliminates many of the barriers holding us back in the physical world – the “frictions”, as Professor David Bell of the Wharton School at U-Penn calls them in his MOOC which I’ve actually just finished, titled E-Commerce and Entrepreneurship in the Digital Economy.

While a traditional classroom setting can only be capable of hosting a specific number of people at a specific location at a specific time, e-learning allows for content to be shared and accessed by a potentially unlimited number of people from all around the world, at any time they so desire.

Most online courses follow an “on-screen, on-demand” format. Materials are primarily pre-recorded video class sessions and are available to students 24/7 for playback as needed. This format allows for an interactive style of learning where a student can feel engaged, as a real professor uses conversational language to provide content despite not being physically present. It also enables students to tailor the pace of the teaching to suit their own preferred learning styles.

Let’s take a look at some of the front runners of in the game of e-learning.

EDX

EDX (pronounced “Ed-Ex”) is a non-profit MOOC-hosting platform founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 and is cited by some sources such as the New York Times as being the most popular application currently out there. This coveted reputation comes from the 14 million students actively using their service each year. EdX offers more than 1800 unique courses through their Open-Source Platform, coming from over 100 reputable institutions worldwide—ranging from US or Chinese universities to professional corporations. The caveat is that the best EdX courses are on the premium platform, but most paid options do come with recognized certificates, though EdX services do not offer functional degrees.

Coursera

Coursera is another large MOOC service founded in 2012 by Stanford professors and has since expanded to partner with 149 institutions across 29 countries. Coursera courses traditionally last for between four and ten weeks, with one to two hours of video material provided each week. Unlike most EdX courses—which generally release all materials at the commencement of each course—Coursera courses release their materials in stages. Some courses also operate in a way which restricts access to past material after a certain point. This tends to mean that Coursera courses can be more rigorous and demanding of their students. Coursera scores over EdX, though, by offering fully accredited bachelors and masters degrees since 2017.

Udacity

Udacity, unlike the previous two, is a for-profit MOOC platform, offering courses at both the university level as well as professional qualifications. It was founded in 2012 through a Stanford outreach program, and it just so happens that the early renditions of Udacity and Coursera stemmed from a single collaborative effort by a Stanford team. This service hosts 1.6 million users, again through both free and paid courses yielding the likes of university credits, masters, and bachelors degrees, and “nanodegrees”—a degree system recognizing technical ability, unique to Udacity and launched through its partnership with AT&T. Nanodegrees have gone on to become closely associated with careers at the AT&T Corporation, beginning with entry-level positions.

Udemy

Udemy is unique in that unlike MOOC programs which are driven by traditional collegiate coursework and a university styled structure, this platform uses content created by specialist instructors. Udemy provides tools which enable users to create a course, promote it, and earn money from student tuition charges. This format allows for an increased amount of flexibility in terms of what type of courses are offered. Here, there are courses in everything from digital design and 3D modeling to computer programming and even Reiki healing. Though degrees aren’t available through this platform, this is definitely reflected in the lower prices at which their 80,000 online video courses are offered.

CreativeLive

CreativeLive is primarily for right-brained individuals looking to boost their skillsets in a variety of creative fields. Courses in everything from photography and video, art and design, music and audio, crafts, and finally money and life are a click away to set you on the right path towards mastering one of these many skills. The classes offered are a bit pricier than Udemy but it shows in the production quality of these video courses. This is also available in an IOS app so that you can watch and learn on the go. This is a great resource if you feel like you aren’t exactly gaining the knowledge you crave from your school’s more traditional art classes.

e-Learning

As we’ve seen, every service associated with e-learning has its own pros and cons. But there do remain some important things to consider before deciding to make this style of self-led education a regular part of your routine.
One major deterrent is the high price point that comes with some of the options available. While there is also a plethora of free courses, many outstanding opportunities can cost you upwards of hundreds of dollars (USD)—a price which may not be within everyone’s budget.

To decide whether the benefits of a course might outweigh the cost (or indeed might not — keep in mind, this style of learning may not be for everybody), make up your mind as to what your ultimate goal is. Specifically, consider whether your primary objective is simply to learn something new, or whether it is to obtain some form of credit for participation.

Courses from highly reputable institutions (think Harvard Law School, the Wharton School, and so on) tend to package completion of their courses alongside functional certificates or degrees, which are generally recognized by universities or even hiring organizations. However, more often than not, these so-called “verified” courses are the ones which come at the cost of more than a couple of bucks out of your pocket. For many, this style, of course, is not worth the cash. But if your goal is to use the accreditation from a reputable course to your advantage in college or even job applications, it may be something to consider.

Additionally, it is important to remember that a valuable part of the collaborative innovation that takes place in classrooms often comes thanks to just that—collaboration. When students are able to consult with their peers and share ideas with not only one another but also their teacher or professor, amazing things can happen.
This is something that may, unfortunately, be sidelined in most online learning opportunities. Set against the golden advantage of scalability, the limitation of e-learning lies in that fact that students (and, of course, the actual teacher) of the same course will be scattered all around the world, in different countries and conflicting time zones. As such, each participant can only really rely on his or her own pacing and comprehension of the materials.

So what is the real takeaway here?

The bottom line is this: whatever the costs, it cannot be ignored that the world of e-learning offers a significant step up in variety, in ways that the traditional education systems of our community are simply unable to do. As cliché as it might sound, this variety may very well be the key to opening up unprecedented opportunities, and in turn, a wider set of possible futures for students. While it remains true that mastery of the traditional realms of learning, such as mathematics and science, is essential to educational development, branching out from these areas and exploring alternative topics is something which is becoming more and more important in an ever-changing world.

Photo: Adobe Creative Cloud
This article appeared on p35-37 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue.

For those looking to feed their brains with the knowledge and challenges that they crave, check out the following free apps that will help keep your thinking skills sharp and ready for the new school year.

Games

Lumosity
Scientists and game designers have come together to develop this brain training game. Lumosity is a simple online tool that allows anyone to train core cognitive abilities, such as memory and attention. Challenge your brain with more than 30 different games and puzzles, and track your score to help you improve or see how you compare with others. Free to download on iOS and Android

Brilliant
Are you looking to improve your math and science skills? Then this “brilliant” app is for you! Master subjects like chemistry, number theory, and computer science through conceptual quizzes, written by mathematicians and scientists who are passionate about teaching. Free to download on iOS and Android.

Chess.com
Have you ever shied away from learning chess, because it seems like too much of a difficult game? This app will boost your confidence by giving you various forms of support on your chess-learning journey. Lessons and videos teach you everything you need to know about openings, endgames, tactics, attacks, and strategy. You can solve tactical puzzles to develop your intuition about the best moves to make, or you can play against others or the computer to strengthen your overall skills. Free to download on iOS and Android.

Language Help

HelloTalk
HelloTalk is an app that you can use to learn languages by chatting with native language speakers from around the world. Choose from over 100 languages and become instantly connected with native speakers. This app offers many language learning tools such as voice-to-text, transliteration, translation, and grammar correction, which will help you pick up the language faster and more efficiently. Free to download on iOS and Android.

ChineseSkill
Similar to the well-known Duolingo, ChineseSkill is a game-based app that makes learning Mandarin a whole lot more fun. The lessons are available in the form of mini-games that test your listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills. The lessons are also split into bite-size pieces that cover topics such as greetings and introductions, shopping, travel, food, dating and flirting, and many more. Free to download on iOS and Android.

Online courses

Khan Academy
Whether you need extra homework help or you are just passionate about learning, Khan Academy offers videos, interactive exercises, and in-depth articles to help you learn math, science, economics, humanities, and more. You can also find lessons to prepare you for the upcoming SAT, GMAT, or MCAT. This is one of our personal favorite learning tools, as the lessons are easy to understand, and the exercises do a great job of reinforcing the main points. Free to download on iOS and Android.

edX
edX offers online courses from the world’s best universities and institutions including Harvard University, MIT, Tsinghua University, Microsoft, and The Smithsonian. Anyone who loves learning will benefit from the plethora of courses in subjects like programming, calculus, and business, which will fit into even the busiest of schedules. Free to download on iOS and Android.

Fun for kids

Scratch Jr.
Children as young as five can learn the basics of coding with Scratch Jr, an app designed by researchers at Tufts University, MIT Media Lab, and Playful Invention Company. This programming language is a simplification of the more famous Scratch language, as it is suitable for children who have yet to strengthen their reading skills. The objective of this app is to snap together different programming blocks to make adorable characters move, jump, dance, and sing. This app is not only perfect for teaching kids how to code, it is also great for improving their problem solving, design, and creativity skills. Free to download on iPad and Android tablets.

Photos: MIH83 via Pixabay, courtesy of apps

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This article originally appeared on p 18-19 of beijingkids August 2017 issue.
Download the digital copy here.

In the three years I’ve lived in Beijing, I must confess that I haven’t once attended a Chinese class. Admittedly, my Mandarin isn’t that bad to begin with (thanks to my mother’s homeschooling and a year of Chinese classes in first grade), but taking the HSK (standard for measuring your Chinese proficiency in China) has crossed my mind more than a few times.

In the past, I have tried to put some effort into studying…I watched youtube videos, subscribed to (free) websites, downloaded iOS apps, utilized CCTV’s free learn Mandarin website, and even got Pimsleur Chinese idioms. Turns out it’s pretty hard to remember proverbs and idioms, and even more difficult to remember characters.

At some point, I even researched private tutors and decided on one! That was over two years ago. I still have her WeChat (she’s good for business Chinese, FYI).

Now, as I’ve been getting busier (what with children and all), I really doubt I’ll ever drag myself to a legit Chinese class. However, as I’ve taken online courses before, and most of these are “go at your own pace,” I think a university course is feasible.

Here’s a roundup of FREE university Mandarin courses we could all potentially benefit from (if we can just make ourselves do it). The benefit of these courses is that they’re all “verified” and thereby trustworthy sources of information (which is more than we can say about some private tutors):

Basic Mandarin Chinese Level 1

1. Basic Mandarin – Level 1
National Chengchi University’s level one class is for complete beginner’s and only focuses on tones, basic phrases for getting around, and culture.  The course is recommended for friends or “groups” since it would allow you the chance to practice (but we’re in China, so…), but otherwise the six units can be completed at your own pace.

2. Basic Mandarin – Level 2

National Chengchi University’s level 2 Mandarin course teaches more vocabulary for daily use, such as describing people and objects, making comparisons, and stating opinions using a variety of sentence structures. The course highlights vocabulary differences between Mainland and Taiwan, and focuses a lot on tones and intonation for basic communication.

Tsinghua Chinese

3. Tsinghua Chinese – Start Talking with 1.3 Billion People

Tsinghua University’s Mandarin course is the most well-known in Beijing, and it’s beginner class acts as a sample and basis for HSK 1 studies! The course is varied and well-organized with dialogue, real-life listening comprehension, Chinese characters, Mandarin songs, and self-study tips.  Although I don’t know how this course compares to their official course, you can also get a certificate of completion for USD 49.

Chinese for Beginners

4. Chinese for Beginners

Peking University has a beginner’s Chinese class on Coursera where students can learn basic phonetics and easy day-to-day phrases. The course is six hours long, and although the lectures are delivered in English, you can view subtitles in Serbian, Urdu, French, and Marathi!

5. More Chinese for Beginners

A follow up course to the above, More Chinese for Beginners helps students expand vocabularies about personal information, daily life, food and drink, healthy, and expressions about greeting, suggestion, agreement, comparison, complaint, prohibition, experience, plan, recommendation, etc. No Chinese characters are taught in this class. This class has subtitles in Urdu.

Intermediate Chinese Grammar

BONUS: Intermediate Chinese Grammar

Peking University’s Intermediate Chinese class looks challenging (to me) as it’s for honing your grammar skills if you already have a grasp of Chinese grammar in speaking, reading, and writing for translation purposes. To comfortably take the class, you should have learned 1,500 words and the basics of Chinese grammar.

If you’d rather learn while watching cartoons with your kids, try googling Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, a Nick Jr. cartoon that’s been airing since 2008. I have a friend in the US who was ABC and spoke Cantonese at home, but managed to pick up Mandarin (to some extent) just by watching this show on a daily basis. You can watch full episodes on Youtube and other (not blocked) websites.

You can also check out Open Culture’s roundup of free Chinese learning resources (audiobooks, podcasts, etc.), BBC’s Learn Chinese site, Chinese Education Center has simple phrases, MIT offers their Foundations of Mandarin course textbook online for free, and this site has a really good roundup of useful websites.

Photo: courtesy of Jessica Suotmaa, Flickr