Why+Immersion

//Greatest success in language learning when a subject is taught in the target language (e.g., history taught in French)// //Dr. Suzanne Flynn,// //Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT//
//[|The Bilingual Brain]//

**Dual Language Enrichment Education** //Dual Language Enrichment Education is the only educational model that does all this:// //Successful Dual Language programs all share the following minimal characteristics:// //Bilingual education means any educational program in which more than one language is used in a classroom setting. Dual language enrichment education is one kind of bilingual education and has been shown to be by far the most effective model. Dual language enrichment education, as seen above, has strict requirements for schools, programs, and teachers in order to help students reach very high expectations.// //Most dual language schools are public schools. It is more expensive for the school and the district (but not for families), because://
 * //What is it?//**
 * //gives English-speaking students a second language;//
 * //closes the ‘achievement gap’ between non-English-speaking students and their English-speaking peers// //i// //;//
 * //offers Heritage Language// //ii// //students the gift of speaking with grandparents in the family’s traditional language;//
 * //provides all students with cross-cultural skills to operate successfully in our global society; and//
 * //maintains rigorous academic expectations and outcomes for all students.//
 * //How is all this accomplished?//**
 * //students continue in the program for at least 5-6 years, and ideally through high school (why?// //iii// //);//
 * //the non-English language is used for at least half of the school day (why?// //iv// //); and//
 * //teachers do not translate for students (why?// //v// //).//
 * //Who can participate in a dual language program?//**
 * //All students can participate in and benefit from dual language education, including English-speaking students, speakers of other languages, students receiving special education services, etc.//
 * //Dual language education may not be appropriate for some families, i.e.,//
 * //those who know they are moving soon to where dual language education is not available, or//
 * //families who are unwilling or unable to support their children in learning a second language.//
 * //Isn’t this just another name for bilingual education?//**
 * //Is this type of education very expensive? Is it available in the public schools?//**
 * //schools must have teachers who are academically fluent in the non-English language;//
 * //all dual language teachers must have special training in first- and second-language acquisition,// //as well as thematic instruction, integration of language and content objectives, cooperative learning and guidance in learning cross-cultural skills, and many more areas that make dual language enrichment education so strong;//
 * //parents and communities need on-going education about the goals and requirements of the program at each grade level; and, unfortunately,//
 * //in our current educational and political climate, schools have to spend time educating politicians and community leaders about why it is essential to make this investment in our children.//
 * //How can I learn more?//**
 * //visit DLeNM’s website at www.dlenm.org, especially the “Dual Language 101” presentations;// o //visit dual language schools and classrooms in your area (see www.dlenm.org for suggestions); and// o //talk to other families, students, and community members (networking available online through// //www.dlenm.org ).//
 * //© Dual Language Education of New Mexico, 2008, www.dlenm.org//**

i **//What’s the Achievement gap?//** //In traditional educational models, including the “California model” where non-English-speaking students are given one// //year of intensive English instruction before being included in regular classrooms, it is very rare for those students to ever “catch up” to the academic achievement of English-dominant students. “Catching up” is a daunting task: a child who is two grade levels behind her or his peers will have to progress three grade levels during a school year to catch up, as other students, of course, are progressing an average of one grade level per year. It’s a moving target, and current No Child Left Behind federal mandates make it difficult to give non-English-speaking children sufficient time to catch up in English while, ideally, they continue to study academic subjects in both English and the home language. Dual language programs help non-English-speaking children to maintain their academic progress by providing challenging academic content in their home language so that they are ready to take off academically in English once their language skills have been sufficiently developed.// ii **//What’s a Heritage Language?//** //In many U.S. communities, elders still speak the language of their ancestors, whether Navajo, Korean, Spanish, or one of// //the hundreds of other languages spoken here. Due to the English-only nature of our school system and society, many of these communities are rapidly losing their “heritage” language and becoming English-only, rather than adding English as a second language. The children of these communities share many traditional customs with their elders, but most have lost that heritage language. Heritage language programs revive the language among the younger generation while guiding their acquisition of academically-rich English.// iii **//Why are dual language programs long-term?//** //It takes any individual an average of five to seven years to learn the academic registers of a second language. Using the example of “effortless” first language learning ignores the differences in context: infants and toddlers have a rich language environment filled with adults talking to them, helping them learn, and patiently explaining words and concepts in a child-friendly way... and we would never expect them to jump into middle-school science classes and function successfully! All of our schooling includes language instruction as well as content instruction –“playground” or social English is not the same as academic English. A student may seem fluent or competent in social settings, but still need years of support to gain the academic vocabulary and grammatical structures for school success.// iv **//Why do students spend at least half their time studying in the non-English language? Doesn’t this put them behind in English?//** //This is the paradox and the difference between “immersion” and “submersion” education. In a “submersion,” or “sink- or-swim,” setting, students are put into a classroom where they do not understand the language and given no extra help. Rather than taking advantage of children’s native ability to learn languages and use languages to learn, the new language becomes a barrier between the child and his or her education.// //In “immersion” programs, including dual language enrichment education, teachers are trained in “sheltering” techniques to help children learn a language and learn through a language at the same time. Spending at least half the day in the non-English language gives the English speakers enough language experience to make sense of it, and gives the non-English speakers academic support and challenges in a language they understand but need to deepen, like all students. Students learn when they participate, and immersion programs ensure that students are engaged and learning content in both language settings while they are enriching their first language and learning their second language.// v **//Why don’t teachers translate for students? How can students learn if they don’t understand the language?//** //Again, a key factor in successful dual language enrichment programs is that teachers are fully trained in sheltering techniques. Teachers continually support both language and content learning. When a teacher translates, students stop trying to understand the second language, and just wait for the translation. Learning stops. An educator with high expectations and a long-term vision of student success will use gestures, humor, role plays, physical objects, written cues, and other supports and strategies to help students participate and meet the challenges of both content and language learning.// © Dual Language Education of New Mexico, 2008, **//www.dlenm.org//**

// ** What is language immersion education? (from Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition "CARLA")** // //Definition of Key Terms and Acronyms: // //Minority languageA language other than the one spoken by the majority of people in a given regional or national context, for example, Spanish in the U.S., Basque in Spain, English in Japan, etc.Majority languageThe language spoken by the majority of people in a given regional or national context, for example, English in the U.S., Spanish in Spain, Japanese in Japan, etc.// //**L1** = First language// //**L2** = Second language// //Core Characteristics of Immersion Education // //Distinguishing Characteristics of One-way (Foreign Language) Immersion Programs // //Distinguishing Characteristics of Two-way (Dual Language) Immersion Programs // // Dual immersion programs are sometimes called: two-way immersion (TWI), bilingual immersion, dual language immersion, two-way bilingual, Spanish immersion (or whatever the minority language of focus might be), or developmental bilingual education (DBE – a term used by the U.S. Dept. of Education). // //Growth of Dual Language Immersion Programs in the U.S. //
 * //Additive bilingualism with sustained and enriched instruction through the minority language and the majority language is promoted//
 * //Subject area instruction through the minority language occurs for at least 50% of the school day during the elementary school years//
 * //Teachers are fully proficient in the language(s) they use for instruction//
 * //Support for the majority language is strong and present in the community at large//
 * //Clear and sustained separation of languages during instructional time//
 * // Growth in Foreign Language Immersion in the USForeign language immersion programs are sometimes referred to as partial versus full/total immersion, early, mid or late, etc. //
 * // Student population consists of majority language speakers with limited to no proficiency in the immersion (minority) language, e.g., English speakers in U.S. schools //
 * // Exposure to the immersion language takes place primarily in the classroom and school //
 * // The immersion language may target a more commonly taught language (e.g., Spanish or French), a less commonly taught language (e.g., Korean or Mandarin), or an indigenous/heritage language (e.g., Ojibwe or Yup’ik) //
 * // FL immersion began in 1971 with first Spanish immersion program in Culver City, California //
 * // Branaman & Rhodes (1998) report that between 1987-1997 the percentage of elementary programs offering foreign language education through immersion grew from 2% to 8% //
 * // Curtain & Dahlberg (2004) report 278 foreign language immersion programs in 29 states //
 * // Student population consists of majority language speakers and minority language speakers with dominance in their first language and home language support for this language (e.g., Spanish dominant students whose parents use primarily Spanish in the home and English dominant students from English-speaking homes) //
 * // A 1:1 ratio is ideally maintained for these two language groups, but a minimum of one-third of each language group (i.e., a 2:1 ratio) is essential //
 * // An academically challenging learning environment is provided to bring children from two different language groups together to learn from and with each other in an integrated setting //
 * // Instruction through the minority language is viewed as an enrichment experience for all, not as remedial or compensatory education for the language minority students in the program //
 * // The languages of instruction will involve both the majority and a minority language. The minority language may be a more commonly taught language (e.g., Spanish-English), a less commonly taught language (e.g., Korean-English), or an indigenous/heritage language (e.g., Navajo-English) //
 * // First two-way immersion program in the U.S. began in 1963 //
 * // Surge in number of two-way immersion programs across the U.S. is relatively recent – since mid 1980s. //
 * // According to the directory maintained by the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington D.C., as of July 2003 there were 271 dual language immersion programs in 24 states (plus D.C.), there are 400 programs as of October 2011. //

//A 2007 report from the National Academy of Sciences warned, “The pervasive lack of knowledge of foreign languages and cultures threatens the security of the United States as well as its ability to compete in the global marketplace and produce an informed citizenry.”International business leaders are warning that American graduates may be technically competent but are increasingly culturally deprived and linguistically illiterate compared with graduates from other countries competing for the same jobs. … 20 out of 25 industrialized countries start teaching world languages in grades K-5, and 21 countries in the European Union require nine years of language study. //