Immersion Class

Language immersion, or simply immersion, is a method of teaching a second language in which the learners second language (L2) is the medium of classroom instruction. Through this method, learners study school subjects, such as math, science, and social studies, in their L2. The main purpose of this method is to foster bilingualism, in other words, to develop learners communicative competence or language proficiency in their L2 in addition to their first or native language (L!). "dditional goals are the cognitive advantages to bilingualism. #mmersion programs vary from one country or region to another because of language conflict, historical antecedents, language policy or public opinion. $oreover, immersion programs ta%e on different formats based on& class time spent in L2, participation by native spea%ing (L!) students, learner age, school subjects taught in L2, and even the L2 itself as an additional and separate subject.

Background
The first modern language immersion programs appeared in 'anada in the !()*s. $iddle+income "nglophone (,nglish+spea%ing) parents there convinced educators to establish an e-perimental .rench immersion program enabling their children to appreciate the traditions and culture of .rench+spea%ing 'anadians as well as ,nglish+ spea%ing 'anadians .

Formats
Age

Early immersion& /tudents begin the second language from age 0 or ). Middle immersion& /tudents begin the second language from age ( or !*. Late immersion& /tudents begin the second language between ages !! and !1. Adult immersion& /tudents !2 or older.

Class time

#n complete immersion, almost !**3 of class time is spent in the foreign language. /ubject matter taught in foreign language and language learning per se is incorporated as necessary throughout the curriculum. The goals are to become functionally proficient in the foreign language, to master subject content taught in the foreign languages, and to ac4uire an understanding of and appreciation for

other cultures. This type of program is usually se4uential, cumulative, continuous, proficiency+oriented, and part of an integrated grade school se4uence. ,ven after this type of program, the language of the curriculum may revert to the first language of the learners after several years. This is not to be confused with Total #mmersion5 which is 6erlit7 s proprietary high+intensity learning solution. The Total #mmersion5 program was designed in the !()*s and has been taught around the world ever since. #n partial immersion, about half of the class time is spent learning subject matter in the foreign language. The goals are to become functionally proficient in the second language, to master subject content taught in the foreign languages, and to ac4uire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures, but to a lesser e-tent than complete immersion. #n content-based foreign languages in elementary schools (.L,/), about !080*3 of class time is spent in the foreign language and time is spent learning it as well as learning subject matter in the foreign language. The goals of the program are to ac4uire proficiency in listening, spea%ing, reading, and writing the foreign language, to use subject content as a vehicle for ac4uiring foreign language s%ills, and to ac4uire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures. #n FLES programs, 08!03 of class time is spent in the foreign language and time is spent learning language itself. #t ta%es a minimum of 20 minutes per wee%, at least every other day. The goals of the program are to ac4uire proficiency in listening and spea%ing (degree of proficiency varies with the program), to ac4uire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures, and to ac4uire some proficiency in reading and writing (emphasis varies with the program). #n FLEX (.oreign Language ,-perience) programs, fre4uent and regular sessions over a short period or short and9or infre4uent sessions over an e-tended period are provided in the second language. 'lass is almost always in the first language. :nly one to five percent of class time is spent sampling each of one or more languages and9or learning about language. The goals of the program are to develop an interest in foreign languages for future language study, to learn basic words and phrases in one or more foreign languages, to develop careful listening s%ills, to develop cultural awareness, and to develop linguistic awareness. This type of program is usually noncontinuous.

L1 students

#n submersion one or two students are learning the L2, which is the L! for the rest of the class. 6y analogy, the former are ;thrown into the ocean to learn how to swim;. #n two-way immersion, also called ;dual-; or ;bilingual immersion;, the student population consists of spea%ers of two or more languages. #deally spea%ing, half of the class is made up of native spea%ers of the major language in the area (e.g., ,nglish in the <./.) and the other half is of the target language (e.g., /panish). 'lass time is split in half and taught in the major and target languages. This way

students encourage and teach each other, and eventually all become bilingual. The goals are similar to those of partial immersion. =ifferent ratios of the target language to the native language may occur.

;#mprovement in linguistic and meta linguistic abilities; "n increase of cognitive ability ;such as divergent thin%ing, concept formation, verbal abilities,; listening s%ills ;and general reasoning; #mproves one s ;understanding of his9her native language.; ;:pens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries.; ;#ncreases job opportunities in many careers where %nowing another language is a real asset.; /uperior /"T scores and standardi7ed testing ,nhances memory

Learning a foreign language has its assets, and studies suggest that immersion is an effective way to learn foreign languages.>0? $any immersion programs start in the elementary schools, with classroom time being dedicated to the foreign language anywhere between 0*3 and (*3 of the day. >)? Learning a second or third language not only helps an individual s personal mental s%ills, but also aids their future job s%ills. @ean Aiaget, a developmental psychologist, had a theory that stated that when a child faces an idea that does not fit their understanding, it ;becomes a catalyst for new thin%ing;. "s a new language is completely foreign to a child at first, it fits perfectly as this ;catalyst for new thin%ing;. 6a%er found that more than !,*** studies have been completed on immersion programs and immersion language learners in 'anada. These studies have given us a wealth of information. "cross these studies, a number of important observations can be made.

,arly immersion students ;lag behind; their monolingual peers in literacy (reading, spelling, and punctuation) ;for the first few years only;. Bowever, after the first few years, the immersion students catch up with their peers. #mmersion programs have no negative effects on spo%en s%ills in the first language. ,arly immersion students ac4uire almost+native+li%e proficiency in passive s%ill (listening and reading) comprehension of the second language by the age of !!,

but they don t reach the same level in reading and writing because they have enough level to communicate with their teachers. "lso, if they communicate only with their teachers, they don t learn the s%ills to hold day+to+day conversations. ,arly immersion students are more successful in listening and reading proficiency than partial and late immersion students. #mmersion programs have no negative effects on the cognitive development of the students. $onolingual peers perform better in sciences and math at an early age, however immersion students eventually catch up with, and in some cases, outperform their monolingual peers. /tudies have also shown that students in dual programs have ;more positive attitudes towards bilingualism and multiculturalism;.

Why Immersion?
!. Children of today will need to be bilingual to be successful in the global society and economy of their adulthood. Today two languages are useful + tomorrow they will be re4uired, and a third language will be desired. 2. Childhood is the best time to develop an appreciation and understanding of diverse cultures, peoples, and perspectives in the world. Areschoolers are aware of differences, but harmful prejudices develop during the elementary school ages. 'onsistent positive e-posure and interaction are the best prevention. C. An optimal time to learn languages is prior to age twelve. Desearch on brain development in recent decades supports this claim, with wide discussion in the popular media. :ur brains are wired to produce all sounds, but if we don t learn to ma%e certain sounds, we can lose that ability. (/ome of us use this as a convenient e-cuse for our difficulty in learning another language as an adult, but it isn t a barrier + just a reason to start young.) 1. Children learn language by listening and repeating, and don t have any fear of a !foreign! language. This was one of those clicE moments for me, when # reali7ed that immersion teachers taught the immersion language in the very same manner children already learn ,nglish + by spea%ing and repeating in conte-t. #t is very natural for children. $y children attended a university preschool where many of the children spo%e a different language at home, yet even the newest children participated fully, understood, and 4uic%ly spo%e in ,nglish. "gain, there is research to support this concept, and schools recruiting students should ma%e copies available, but it is a common+sense e-planation as well. 0. Academic skills are actually enhanced. /tudies consistently show that immersion students do as well as or better than comparable non+immersion students in ,nglish language s%ills, math, science, and social studies. #f you ve studied another language, you %now that those classes taught you much of what you %now about ,nglish grammar. #ncreasingly, research has also demonstrated connections between math, music, and language s%ills. ). Children are guaranteed to be challenged. #mmersion learning ta%es e-tra effort from children (and parents) in that reading and writing s%ills need to be practiced in two languages. # was surprised to learn that programming for gifted children can be difficult in the early years, when their minds wor% faster than their developed vocabulary in the new language. " successful immersion program provides both gifted and special education assistance to meet the needs of all students. 2. "arents will be involved. #n most districts, parents have to choose to send their child to an immersion school. # e-pected, and it is true, that the parent community

would be supportive of the school, the children, and each other. #nvolved parents are one of the most critical elements of a successful educational program.