Molly Mocogni

Lib 105-5

Language Immersion

Mr. Witthoeft
 Language Immersion

Have you ever thought of traveling to a different country but were too nervous to go

because you did not know that countries language? Whether you are seventy-five years old or

just turning five, being able to speak a different language all relates back to when you started

learning different languages in school. Most people did not start learning the Spanish language

until 5th or 6th grade, and some even started way after that. At this point in their learning, their

brain cannot process all the new grammar types and accents marks and it goes in one ear and out

the other. It is important for children to start learning different languages from the beginning of

their school career, like in kindergarten. Children who are immersed in different languages will

have access to more opportunities later in life such as when they are applying for a job. They will

have more benefits and pros that can help them achieve anything they want and be able to

provide for a family if that is the life they choose.

John Dewey, a famous researcher of education, believed that education should be based

on the principle of learning through doing. He did experiments on Russia’s educational system

and realized that it is important to focus on the present when teaching and not teach the students

everything from the past. He is not saying that the past is completely irrelevant, but he is saying

that some information about the past is important and should be taught. Dewey says that, “we

cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always

specific, concrete, individualized, unique.” Everyone has different learning styles. It is

important to take those into account when learning anything new. Also, when learning a

different language, it is important to be interactive and not so focused on where every comma

needs to be and this quote from John Dewey expresses that.

membership” (Vásquez). The language that you first learn relates back to your culture and the

society you grow up in. Language sets you apart from different groups and it makes it known

what group you are in the first time you open your mouth and simply greet someone. Being

bilingual is beginning to become more popular. Bilingual speakers are people who can speak

two languages, for example children who are English born speakers learning Spanish in school.

Although, in today’s world, not many children can speak more than one language because of the

age they are when their school is trying to teach it to them. The parents of native English

speaking children don’t feel it necessary for their young children to have to learn other

languages. They don’t want to overwhelm them at a young age because the ideal age to start

teaching them to be bilingual is as young as kindergarten. By the time they are being taught new

languages, their brains are already developed and it makes it very stressful and difficult for them

to gain this new knowledge.

According to Merriam Webster, language immersion is defined as a method of learning a

foreign language by being taught entirely in that language. The idea of language immersion

dates back to nineteenth century when a good amount of states started learning German and

French. When World War I started, loyalty of the German-speaking immigrants was tested.

There was a lot of mistrust for the people in the United States who did not speak English. This

was because the United States was afraid that people from Germany and France were taking in

everything the Americans were saying and reporting back to their countries. The United States

did not want their plans for World War I to be shared, for obvious reasons as they wanted their

attacks to me a surprise. Because of this, bilingual education was no longer around in the United

States by the 1920’s. Congress passed the first federal law for bilingual education in 1968. The
law was not in effect until 1974 when the Supreme Court rules the bilingual programs

constitutional.

It is important to realize that there is a difference between learning the language and the

acquisition of learning. Acquisition “emphasizes that language is acquired, often unconsciously,

through engagement in everyday activity” and learning “emphasizes that language is explicitly,

or formally, taught and learned” (Swann). Language acquisition is often done by infants and

young children when they are learning to talk and it is the natural progression and development

in how they use their language. It is an unconscious process that occurs in everyday, ordinary

conversation. The bilingual side of this is second language acquisition which is done my

children or adults who are learning a second language through conversation with native speakers.

Two-way bilingual programs were first created in the 1960s, in which they “employ an

integrated model in which speakers of two languages are placed together in a bilingual classroom

to learn each other's language and work academically in both languages” (Salamone). In the

United States, these classes are split 50/50 by students who speak English and by students who

are learning English and are native speakers. The characteristics of this program include: a non-

English language is used for at least 50% of instruction, in each period of instruction, only one

language is used, both English and non-English speakers are present in preferably balanced

numbers, and the English and non-English speakers are integrated in all lessons. The bilingual

programs encourage people who do not speak English as their first language to want to receive

an education. It provides for all people to have an education and an equal chance at having

success.

Along with two-way bilingual programs, there are also programs called Heritage

Languages Programs. This program was founded in 1977 in the province of Ontario and has
been funded by the government for the past 25 years. The program “provides support for the

teaching of heritage languages for up to two-and-a-half hours per week outside of the regular

five-hour school day” (Cummins). They use the term heritage languages to acknowledge the

languages that are important to specific aspects of heritage of individual children and their

communities that might be different than a normal language taught in schools, such as Spanish.

But, in the early 1990s, the government changed ‘heritage languages’ to ‘international

languages.’ This was done because the term ‘heritage’ is related to the past and they wanted to

focus more so on acquiring the language skills for the children’s overall educational

development. Bilingual education can be very helpful down the line. Later in life when

someone is applying for a job, being bilingual can open up many more opportunities for them

and they could be hired over someone who is not bilingual. They can gain more out of

experiences they encounter when they are able to talk to more people and learn new things about

someone else’s life.

Children learn better when they are around their peers and learning from each other rather

than adults. By sending a child to an immersion program they are getting that interaction they

need from other children and they will have a huge advantage when the program is over and

being fluent in foreign language. First, when children are in starting this program, they learn to

develop initial literacy and then develop a complete understanding of the foreign language. A

cognitive benefit of these programs is that they underlie the ability to read a foreign language and

understanding how the relationship between the spoken language and written word go together

and can be transferred from one language to another. “After all, a full immersion school exposes

children to cultures they may not regularly encounter on a day-to-day basis, and it develops in
them an ability to make friends and connections with a variety of classmates” (Chen) These are

only a few of the benefits that children can gain from these programs.

With these advantages, come some disadvantages, or some parents might say ‘concerns.’

They are concerned about their child being taught at a later age and not being fully immersed,

rather they are just learning two languages. Parents are concerned that if a child learned a

different language or culture they will be exposed to it too much and could forget their roots. A

downfall of immersion programs is that they are not widely known yet and people are not as

eager to join them. Parents who are looking for their children to have an abundance of

extracurricular activities or large class sizes, might be more held back when deciding on entering

their children. It is important to check that the programs are up to date with their curriculum and

teach the same things as other schools. The parents need to take the time to check out the

programs and see the environment and where their children are going to be spending most of

their time. Another con can be that the child may resist the new language. A study has shown

that it can take many years to achieve fluency in a different language. This can cause frustration

in the child and they might come to hate this language and not want to learn it. It can also cause

stress for the parents knowing that they are sending their children into a place they do not want to

be and is very challenging. The child can become very tired and moody because of this stress.

While learning this new language along with everything else a kindergartener might be learning,

they will become exhausted more easily and it is a lot for their brain to handle. It will take a

while for their brain to adjust but as a parent you need to encourage them to keep trying and be

the best they can be. It is important to keep up with their health when they are moody and tired

because their brain is tackling a lot. This could mean having very early bedtimes which means

less family time together which is not good for a growing family.
 Looking back to the aspect of stress, no matter what age, learning a new language can

cause extreme amounts of stress. Research has shown that

“learning a new language in a more casual classroom environment can already be

a stressful experience, so you can imagine that stress levels increase substantially when

you’re thrown into a situation where you feel you can’t adequately express yourself.”

It is tough being put into a class where you know nothing, especially if you don’t have a good

teacher. It can be stressful for a student who knows nothing about the topic to be in a class with

people who know what is going on. It can make them feel dumb and that they aren’t as smart as

the other kids and not try as hard. Language courses take up a lot more time than regular classes.

It is a much bigger commitment than most people think. Other responsibilities such as jobs or

sports can get in the way and an immersion program or course might not be as flexible as a

regular school or job. One will just have to find other ways to incorporate their extracurricular

activities into their daily lives while in this program, as kids get involved in things before they

are beginning to enter grade school, such as sports when they are trying to fit in and make

friends.

When taking these courses with other students, it is highly likely that they will be in the

same boat as you in that they know nothing about the language you are going to learn either. A

lot of these programs do not allow any English speaking during the class and it will be difficult

to have a conversation with someone in Spanish when both students know nothing about how to

say all the words. It can cause students who are usually outgoing and extraverted to become

more shy and keep to themselves in fear that they will get an answer wrong or pronounce

something wrong. So, starting them early with learning new languages can prevent this problem

in the future. Classes will run more smoothly and learning will be more fun and proactive. None
of the students will feel like they don’t belong in the class because they have all been learning

this for as long as they can remember.

Studying abroad is also an option when wanting to learn a new language. Learning a

language abroad will allow a person to have access to the culture and all the resources the

country has to offer. It will help them to learn the language fluently and be able to create

connections with people who have similar interests as them and have access to people who have

lived this culture their whole lives and might be able to guide them in their learning of the

specific language spoken in the country. It can make the experience more enjoyable and can

have a memorable effect on the time spent abroad. According to an article from Inlingua Malta,

“most of the language learning techniques encourage language learners to experience total

language immersion by learning a new language in the place where it is spoken in order to be

fully aware of the place and culture.” It really opens up the door to have the full experience of

being immersed into the culture and get to see how everything in another place works and open a

person’s eyes to new things they have never experienced. Patience is a key virtue when studying

abroad. It is not like you are stepping into a classroom that speaks the language for a set amount

of time and when it is over go back to English, rather one can never escape the language if they

are in the country. It will take time get used to it but being consistent is also a good help. In

language, “consistency in studying a foreign language means that your firmness or stability in

your determination to learn a new language should be consistent” (Malta). Some major points

when studying abroad are going out and having cultural exposure and traveling to many cities

within the country and making the most of the time being spent abroad.

Overall, learning a new language is one of the best things a person can do. “Studying

foreign languages abroad is considered one of the best methods and current trends in language
learning. It has been proven time and again that cultural immersion is the most effective and

fastest way to learn a new language” (Rubal-Lopez). So, going back to my original question of

‘have you ever thought of traveling to a different country but were too nervous to go because you

didn’t know that countries language?’, starting one of these programs can help you learn the

basic needs of what you would need to know to be able to travel around the world. To travel

around the world a person doesn’t have to be 100% fluent in the language, as long as they have

the basic idea and basic key terms they will do just fine.

Sooner rather than later, English and Spanish will be going back and forth on which

language has the most people living in the United States. It is good to get ahead of the system

and start early so that a child doesn’t fall behind and can have greater experiences later in life. A

question was written in to Education Week that says, “is it true that language immersion is better

for their brains?” The answer to this question is yes. The explanation is that there have been

years of research that shows that bilingual people’s brains work better in executive functions,

which helps with other things such as problem solving, moving between tasks, and recalling

words and information. All of these factors help later in life with schooling and even in some

careers. It is shown that bilingualism is something that people value and need to take seriously.

It can get them very far later in life which can go a long way. They will be more likely to

succeed and have the ability to be self-sufficient and can provide for others.

Works Cited
 Chen, Grace. “The Pros and Cons of Full Immersion Programs.” PublicSchoolReview.com, 19 May

2008, www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/full-language-immersion-programs-in-public-

schools.

Cummins, J. (2001). Heritage languages. In R. Mesthrie, & R. E. Asher (Eds.), Concise encyclopedia

of sociolinguistics. Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science & Technology. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.loras.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/

estsocioling/heritage_languages/0?institutionId=4043

“The Importance of Full Immersion When Learning a Language!!” Inlingua Malta, 18 Mar. 2013,

www.inlinguamalta.com/blog/the-importance-of-full-immersion-when-learning-a-

language/.

"language acquisition." A Dictionary of Sociolinguistics, Joan Swann, et al., Edinburgh University Press, 1st

edition, 2004.

http://ezproxy.loras.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/

edinburghds/

_acquisition/0?institutionId=4043. Accessed 19 Nov. 2018.

Rubal-Lopez, Alma. "Bilingual Education." The Praeger Handbook of Latino Education in the U.S., edited by

Lourdes Diaz Soto, ABC-CLIO, 1st edition, 2007.

http://ezproxy.loras.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/

abclatinoed/bilingu al_education/0?institutionId=4043. Accessed 19 Nov. 2018.

Salamone, Virginia. "Bilingual Education." Encyclopedia of American Studies, edited by Simon Bronner,

Johns Hopkins University Press, 1st edition, 2018.

jhueas/bilingual_ed

ucation/0?institutionId=4043. Accessed 19 Nov. 2018.

Singmaster, Heather. “Is Language Immersion Right for My Child?” Education Week - Rules for

Engagement, 28 Mar. 2016,

blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2016/03/is_language_immersion_right_for_my_child.

html.

Vásquez, Olga A. "Language." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, edited by Patrick L. Mason, Gale, 2nd

edition, 2013.

http://ezproxy.loras.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/

galerace/language/

0?institutionId=4043. Accessed 19 Nov. 2018.