Bata, Sidney Christopher T. teaches at Ateneo de Manila University. Across 11 comments from students, they hold a rating of 3.8 out of 5. Students score them 3.6 out of 5 on clarity, 3.2 out of 5 on helpfulness and 3.0 out of 5 on workload. Of those comments, 8 read positive, 2 read mixed and 1 read negative. They are listed for 3 sections this term.
Bata, Sidney Christopher T.
Ateneo de Manila University · 11 comments
What students said
positive 8
neutral 0
mixed 2
negative 1
Bata, Sidney Christopher T.3.8
Background
Leans worth takingCareer · CoursesShowHide
Leans worth takingread from published reviews and public records · medium confidence
Take Bata for Mandarin / Chinese Studies if you want a nice, conversational language teacher who will actually drill tones and who talks to students outside class, and you will show up. Lean away if you plan to cut, treat the hour as optional, or cannot stand being interrupted for pronunciation. Sample is three writeups and no grade distribution, so this is lean_take rather than take.
Suits
students who want a conversational Mandarin classroom with live correction
students willing to speak (recordings, pair work, oral final)
students who will attend and take the class seriously
Look elsewhere if
students who skip and expect the niceness to cover it
students who dislike being stopped mid-sentence for tones
Dr · Director, Chinese Studies Program · OIC, Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences
Chinese Studies (Chinese language and culture, Chinese society, Chinese film)
Career
Director, Chinese Studies Program, Ateneo de Manila University · Chinese Studies Program · current
OIC, Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University · Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences
Recent courses
CSP 11
CSP 35
CSP 55
Bata, Sidney Christopher T. | Ateneo de Manila
Comments
Breakdown
Clarity3.6
Helpfulness3.2
Workload3.0
n=11
Top comments
Witty Badger
Conversational and chill, nitpicky on tones
mixed
Retake?Yes
Just like the previous comments, I also have a good experience with sir Bata. Actually, I quite enjoyed his teaching style because it felt more like a conversation rather than an actual lecture so it really helped me retain the info being taught. Sir IS really nitpicky when it comes to tones and pronunciation, he really does cut off students when speaking to correct them (beginner or has background w/ Chinese). However, it didn’t come off as him being rude, but him wanting to really help students learn (I remember him talking to some students regarding their hokkien, etc.). He’s not just there to teach, he sparks up conversations with students too, with some topics being quite controversial haha. Overall, sir’s really chill and I hope you give him a chance (as someone who also thought he was kind of rude at first, though make sure you don’t piss him off or disrespect him), he grades fairly fr (got an A, but put in a lot of effort practicing).
Things I remember from his class:
- Can be quite particular with pronunciation w/ students who already have a background in Chinese
- Pretty lax with students who are beginners
- Very lenient with written outputs
- Quite strict with oral recitation
- Likes to question students about random topics
- Tries to make students have convos w/ each other in Chinese
- didn’t really mind that some students were using their gadgets during class lol (but I don’t think he condones the use of earphones)
- the more you learn, the more he’ll start speaking in Chinese during class instead of English, he’ll also pick some students to provide examples/engage in conversation
- dynamic way of teachingmore
Anonymous
Chill intro language class, generous and patient
positive
LeniencyYes
Sorry to hear that,. :( My experience with Sir Bata was actually the complete opposite, so I thought I’d share a different perspective. Back when I took his class, he was very chill and laid-back. Lectures were conversational, so the atmosphere was pretty casual. He was also patient with beginners while still accommodating those who already had some background, so the class kept a good pace as an introductory language course. He does nitpick pronunciation, but personally I think that’s fair since it’s a language speaking class. 😅 he does on the spot corrections which made it easier to remember the right pronunciation and articulation immediately… Other than that, he graded generously and was very considerate in my experience. He’d even help me articulate things better when checking our work. I’d recommend testing the waters first before concluding he’s rude, since that wasn’t how he came across to me. That said, if he really is treating students unfairly now, it’s definitely something worth speaking up about. Fighting,! 🫶more
Gentle Koala
Expects some Chinese; classes stay engaging
positive
Retake?Yes
WorkloadMedium
I've taken him during my freshie year and he does expect his students to have at least a little background in Chinese already but he does help you throughout the semester (ex: helping with the correct pronunciation or can sometimes prompt you towards the right answer.)
During class discussions, he calls on people and almost the entire class sometimes to either read or give examples/answers but I found that to be a positive thing because it helps in keeping the class engaged. Also in my opinion, there was never a dull class discussion.
We had four assessments with him which was relatively okay in terms of difficulty. You do need to put effort especially in the video submissions. I also remember he left comments on parts I could improve on for the remaining assessments.
A 10/10 if this is strategy is your cup of tea or what you are looking for but it can be a 9 or 8 if you have no background with Chinese at all ^^
His subject is A-able with effort!more
All comments
Anonymous
Generous grades; nobody below a B
positive
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes
disclaimer: everyone in my class had a background in chinese or at least went to a chinese school at one point but the answer is a no.
what you get is what is in your aisis but to make it clear i don’t think anyone in my class before got lower than a B with a good amount of B+ and As, he was very generous with grades.more
Vivid Yak
Nice, actually teaches; workload was manageable
positive
WorkloadLight
I took Sir Bata during intersession (‘20-‘21) and he’s v nice and really teaches the course content during synch sessions! His workload was manageable— we had to submit voice recordings of us reading the sentences that we made in Chinese + there were activities done in pairs/triads (it was randomized), then we had final orals at the end of the semester but it wasn’t hard naman like esp if you have a bg in Chinese na :>more
Anonymous
Great for beginners but quite nitpicky
mixed
Had a great experience with sir bata, I have no background in chinese. That said, ive seen him behave as you said with my classmate who also was new to chinese but was going to take a more advanced chinese class afterwards. Looking back, he is quite nitpicky (i was so close to an A hahaha) but I jst accepted that abt him and stayed quiet when he corrects. dont blame u tho, ig its just different personalities can clash sometimesmore
Anonymous
Super nice off-class, uneven when students cut
positive
From experience Sir Bata was also super nice and didnt really mind that we were playing Genshin / HSR / Horse Game during his class. Even after classes ended he was always super nice and would talk to us if he ever saw us on campus.
All that said he wasnt as nice to certain students in our class. He once got mad at a student for cutting previously as they were supposedly behind and holding the rest of the class back. He also got mad at another class (although justified) since a lot of students were cutting and being very obvious about not taking his class seriouslymore
Quiet Llama
Didn't teach writing, taught typing
negative
Idt he ever taught us how to write but he did teach us how to type on keyboard
Brave Robin
Kwento in class and a pretty Easy A
positive
4.0 attainableYes
WorkloadLight
sir makes kwento in class a lot, so lessons get quite engaging. he's pretty nice and calls on students during class to recite (although not graded, its just to help you learn and practice speaking).
his assessments are a mix or written and oral, and you don't have to memorize much because he allows reading during orals.
pretty Easy A!more
Keen Moth
Engaging if you want to learn, not an easy A
positive
Retake?Yes
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes
WorkloadMedium
he has a very engaging teaching style like he would ask questions during class and prompt the students to participate - which can be a pro and con because that also means he would be excepting or at least hoping that you would have some background in chinese already to participate.
his has 4 assessments, 25% each, not necessarily difficult but not easy either. he’s quite generous so you can get an A, but he’s not an easy A.
overall, 10/10 suggest if you want to learn and engage, he’s not a super strict to the lesson kind of guy which is why you’d learn a lot but it might be hard to pick up with no background.more
1 replyHide replies
Golden Robin
does he curve?
Earnest Heron
vv chill with deadlines, 10/10 take again
positive
Retake?Yes
WorkloadLight
Hi! I was a beadle for sir Bata's class and he was vv chill super chill with deadlines and decent workload. 10/10 would take again group works are medium-low effort cc: Bianca Cue Jenson Sy CJ Casela-Doctormore
