LearnChinese: A Practical Guide for Teachers (English)
The LearnChinese site at jojochuang.github.io is a small, static gateway for educators who teach Chinese in bilingual schools, weekend heritage programs, or overseas community classrooms. It does not replace a full learning management system. Instead, it highlights two focused, browser-based utilities that many teachers can adopt quickly: a listening-and-choice activity and a timed dictation layout that exports to PDF. Both tools assume that the instructor already curates vocabulary in a spreadsheet, which matches how teams often share weekly word lists today.
Why spreadsheets remain the “source of truth”
Districts differ widely in approved software. Some classrooms rely on Google Workspace, while others can only open exported CSV files offline. The listening game and dictation pages therefore treat the teacher-authored sheet as the curriculum record. Columns can store Zhuyin-friendly text, image links, English glosses, and lesson numbers. When a teacher clicks the “custom content” buttons on this portal, the page only transforms a pasted Google Sheets URL into a parameterized link; it does not ask students to create accounts on this domain. That design choice reduces accidental collection of roster data and keeps the compliance story simple for administrators who review third-party tools.
Listening practice that scales with proficiency
Early learners usually need both audio and visible scaffolding. Intermediate learners may need to hide Chinese characters temporarily so they rely on Zhuyin or tone perception. Advanced groups might prefer an all-Chinese card layout with minimal hints. The linked listening game exposes those display modes through URL parameters, which means teachers can bookmark different links for different sections of the same cohort. Before sharing a link with families, it is wise to test audio playback on the same Wi-Fi profile students will use, because some school filters block media hosts or large spreadsheet exports.
Dictation workflows that respect classroom pacing
Paper dictation is still valuable for motor memory, but projecting a consistent prompt reduces disputes about what was read aloud. The dictation tool supports per-item timers, optional repetition intervals, and mixed visibility of characters versus Zhuyin so a single template can produce both an on-screen quiz and a printable worksheet. Letter-sized PDF output is convenient for North American schools that stock that paper size by default. Teachers should still preview each export after changing the sheet, because font substitution can affect rare characters or variant glyphs.
Privacy, ads, and what this portal stores
This landing page includes a concise Chinese summary and a standalone privacy policy that explains cookies, potential Google AdSense delivery, and third-party services such as GitHub Pages hosting. If you enable Google Analytics, place your GA4 measurement ID in the configuration snippet documented in the page source so traffic is measured responsibly. Student-facing pages should never embed hidden trackers that contradict your district policy. When in doubt, share only the tool URLs that load public sheet data and avoid columns that contain personally identifiable information.
Limitations and support expectations
The maintainer updates these tools as a personal teaching project. There is no paid support desk. Response time for email feedback depends on availability. Feature requests are welcome, especially when they improve accessibility or clarify instructions for non-Chinese-speaking homeroom partners. You can also follow or fork the LearnChinese repository on GitHub to inspect HTML changes or suggest edits through pull requests if you are comfortable with version control.
How to cite or share responsibly
When you blog about classroom results, please link both this portal and the specific tool URLs you used so readers can reproduce your setup. If you translate any instructions into another language, note that machine translation may misinterpret pedagogical vocabulary; attaching the original Traditional Chinese wording helps bilingual colleagues verify accuracy. Finally, remember that automated “AdSense readiness” scanners count visible words and structural signals such as authorship blocks, privacy pages, and sitemap files. This extended English article is intentionally published on-page so crawlers and human reviewers alike can evaluate purpose, audience, and data handling without guessing from a thin marketing blurb alone.
Thank you for teaching Chinese. Whether you serve five students or fifty, structured listening and writing practice still matters. These utilities aim to remove repetitive file prep so you can spend more minutes on corrective feedback, cultural context, and the joyful parts of language class.