Language immersion is a method of teaching a second language in which the target language

Second language

A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....

 (or L2) is used as the means of instruction. Unlike more traditional language courses, where the target language is simply the subject material, language immersion uses the target language as a teaching tool, surrounding or "immersing" students in the second language. In-class activities, such as math, science, social studies, and history, and those outside of the class, such as meals or everyday tasks, are conducted in the target language. Today's immersion programs are based on those founded in the 1960s in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 when middle-income English-speaking parents convinced educators to establish an experimental French immersion

French immersion

French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which a child who does not speak French as his or her first language receives instruction in school in French...

 program enabling their children 'to appreciate the traditions and culture of French-speaking Canadians as well as English-speaking Canadians'.

In the United States, and since the 1980s, dual immersion programs have grown for a number of reasons: competition in a global economy, a growing population of second language learners, and the successes of previous programs. Language immersion classes can now be found throughout the US, in urban and suburban areas, in dual-immersion and single language immersion, and in an array of languages. As of May 2005, there were 317 dual immersion programs in US elementary schools, providing instruction in 10 languages, and 96% of programs were in Spanish.

Educators distinguish between language immersion and submersion programs. In the former, the class is composed of students learning the L2 at the same level; while in the latter, one or two students are learning the foreign language, which is the first language

First language

A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...

 (L1) for the rest of the class, thus they are "thrown into the ocean to learn how to swim" instead of gradually immersed in the new language.

A new form of language related syllabus

Syllabus

A syllabus , is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in an education or training course. It is descriptive...

 delivery called Internationalised Curriculum provides a different angle by immersing the curricula from various countries into the local language curriculum and separating out the language-learning aspects of the syllabus. Proponents believe immersion study in a language foreign to the country of instruction doesn't produce as effective results as separated language learning and may, in fact, hinder education effectiveness and learning in other subject areas.

Types

A number of different immersion programs have evolved since those first ones in Canada. Immersion programs may be categorized according to age and extent of immersion.

Age

• Early immersion: Students begin the second language from age 5 or 6.
• Middle immersion: Students begin the second language from age 9 or 10.
• Late immersion: Students begin the second language between ages 11 and 14.

Extent

• In total immersion, almost 100% of class time is spent in the foreign language. Subject matter taught in foreign language and language learning per se is incorporated as necessary throughout the curriculum. The goals are to become functionally proficient
  Language proficiency
  Language proficiency or linguistic proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language. As theories vary among pedagogues as to what constitutes proficiency, there is little consistency as to how different organizations classify it...
  
   in the foreign language, to master subject content taught in the foreign languages, and to acquire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures. This type of program is usually sequential, cumulative, continuous, proficiency-oriented, and part of an integrated grade school sequence. Even in total immersion, the language of the curriculum may revert to the first language of the learners after several years.
• In 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 (though to a lesser extent than through total immersion), to master subject content taught in the foreign languages, and to acquire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures.
• In two-way immersion, also called "dual-" or "bilingual immersion", the student population consists of speakers of two or more languages. Ideally speaking, half of the class is made up of native speakers of the major language in the area (e.g., English in the U.S.) and the other half is of the target language (e.g., Spanish). Class 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 the above program. Different ratios of the target language to the native language may occur.
• In content-based foreign languages in elementary schools (FLES), about 15–50% 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 acquire proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing the foreign language, to use subject content as a vehicle for acquiring foreign language skills, and to acquire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures.
• In FLES programs, 5–15% of class time is spent in the foreign language and time is spent learning language itself. It takes a minimum of 75 minutes per week, at least every other day. The goals of the program are to acquire proficiency in listening and speaking (degree of proficiency varies with the program), to acquire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures, and to acquire some proficiency in reading and writing (emphasis varies with the program).
• In FLEX (Foreign Language Experience) programs, frequent and regular sessions over a short period or short and/or infrequent sessions over an extended period are provided in the second language. Class is almost always in the first language. Only one to five percent of class time is spent sampling each of one or more languages and/or 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 skills, to develop cultural awareness, and to develop linguistic awareness. This type of program is usually noncontinuous.

Method quality

Baker found that more than 1,000 studies have been completed on immersion programs and immersion language learners in Canada. These studies have given us a wealth of information. Across these studies, a number of important observations can be made.

• Early immersion students "lag behind" their monolingual peers in literacy (reading, spelling, and punctuation) "for the first few years only". However, after the first few years, the immersion students catch up with their peers.
• Immersion programs have no negative effects on spoken skills in the first language.
• Early immersion students acquire almost-native-like proficiency in passive skill (listening and reading) comprehension of the second language by the age of 11, but they don't reach the same level in reading and writing because they have enough level to communicate with their teachers. Also, if they communicate only with their teachers, they don't learn the skills to hold day-to-day conversations.
• Early immersion students are more successful in listening and reading proficiency than partial and late immersion students.
• Immersion programs have no negative effects on the cognitive development of the students.
• Monolingual 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.

Benefits of Language Instruction

• "Improvement in linguistic and meta linguistic abilities"

• An increase of cognitive ability "such as divergent thinking, concept formation, verbal abilities," listening skills "and general reasoning"

• Improves one's "understanding of his/her native language."

• "Opens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries."

• "Increases job opportunities in many careers where knowing another language is a real asset."

• Superior SAT scores and standardized testing

• Enhances memory

Learning a foreign language has its assets, and studies suggest that immersion is an effective way to learn foreign languages. Many immersion programs start in the elementary schools, with classroom time being dedicated to the foreign language anywhere between 50% and 90% of the day. Learning a second or third language not only helps an individual's personal mental skills, but also aids their future job skills. Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....

, 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 thinking". As a new language is completely foreign to a child at first, it fits perfectly as this "catalyst for new thinking".

Culture

In language instruction, it is impossible to ignore the culture(s) of the language being taught. Culture can affect the way that language is taught and its interpretation and because language is a social instrument, "the feelings... and motivations of learners in relation to the target language..., to the speakers of the language, and to the culture will affect how learners respond to the input to which they are exposed". Studies have also shown that students in dual programs have "more positive attitudes towards bilingualism and multiculturalism".

See also

• English Village
  English village
  English villages are language education institutions which aim to create a language immersion environment for students of English in their own country....
  
  
• French immersion
  French immersion
  French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which a child who does not speak French as his or her first language receives instruction in school in French...
  
  
• Gaelscoileanna Irish-Gaelic language immersion
• Multilingualism
  Multilingualism
  Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
  
  

External links

• Why Immersion? ACIE Newsletter, February 2001, Vol. 4, No. 2