Anny Li
Chinese History & Culture
Practical Chinese for Living and Working in China
Practical Chinese for Living and Working in China (Intermediate)

Anny Li brings ten years of teaching experience and a world of enthusiasm to her students at ELC.  After graduating from Harbin University with a degree in teaching, Anny taught first at Yuhang Senior High School in Hangzhou, and then at Shangwen Junior High in Shanghai, sharpening her skills within the high-pressure exam-oriented Chinese education system.  After four years, Anny pursued her true passion of teaching Chinese to foreigners, beginning with a two-year stint at Downtown Mandarin Training Center in Shanghai and blossoming into a thriving independent tutoring business, which for the past four years has gained a reputation for extraordinary results among many of Shanghai's leading foreign business people.  Anny's teaching strategy is above-all practical, utilizing a variety of contemporary methodologies, including TPR (Total Physical Response) and a diverse range of visual, physical, and interactive techniques that mimic the way a child learns his or her native language, encouraging higher retention in the memory.  Anny rarely resorts to using English in the classroom, instead employing "simple Chinese to explain more complicated Chinese".  Completely interactive, Anny's approach engages every student throughout the entire learning process, making Mandarin accessible through a series of enactments and activities focused on everyday life.  Her dedication to this type of "crawl-walk-run approach", combined with seemingly boundless care, patience, and nurture, make Anny an unusually effective and well-regarded instructor.  Anny has been awarded the coveted Qualification Certificate of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language by the Chinese Education Ministry, and has achieved Expert Status in the teaching of Chinese characters, with a concentration in analyzing radicals, meanings, history, and writing sequences.  Anny is a talented instructor with a reputation for giving individual students exactly what they need to progress.  Her client list is a virtual who's who of foreign business leaders in Shanghai, but one consistent theme emerges from all of their many enthusiastic reference letters, that Anny is the best Chinese language teacher they have had.  It's the same theme that we repeatedly hear from Anny's students here at ELC, and we feel very fortunate to have her.  One such reference letter is copied below, which is representative of her students' sentiments.

    "I studied Chinese in Shanghai with Ms. Li from 2007 to 2008, and found her to be a devoted and serious teacher.  I came to her with scattered abilities, having already lived in China for one year.  From the beginning she was able to quickly hone in on my specific level and design a program for me.  I had worked with several other Chinese teachers before meeting her, and I can say with certainty that she was head and shoulders above the rest.  While she is good at working with her students and keeping the language on their level, she also pushes, as any good teacher should.  I always felt a bit exhausted after our lessons, which told me I was learning quickly.  I never felt as if I was simply rehashing what I already knew.  We were perpetually moving forward, yet I was constantly surprised that I was able to communicate well with her.  She is able to find the delicate point between comfort and progress, which is the key to learning a new language.  Additionally, Ms. Li is open to changing her methodologies to accommodate the desires of her students.  Whenever I felt that I wanted to focus on different areas or techniques she was willing to change her teaching style accordingly.  She is also a highly efficient teacher.  There is little wasted time in her lessons, demonstrated by her desire to use only Chinese with her students virtually from the first lesson.  Even a walk down the street to a nearby shop is a learning experience with her.  She does not believe in taking time off from her duties as your teacher.  Teaching second languages to professionals is a tricky thing.  As a former English teacher in China, I know this as well as anyone.  A teacher must be accommodating to her adult students, but also strict enough to ensure continuing development.  Ms. Li is able to balance these two needs effectively.  But what truly makes her a great teacher is her passion for it.  It is clear that she enjoys being a teacher and that is what makes studying with her special.  I recommend her to anyone looking for a fruitful educational experience."

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Chinese History & Culture
Practical Chinese (Beginner)
Practical Chinese (Intermediate)