Time and time again the world has proven that language acquisition benefits its users in more ways than one. Socially, it allows us to communicate with others when we wouldn’t have the means otherwise. This skill has also become vital in the business world, as globalization and the era of MNCs eradicates the limitations of our national borders. On an intellectual level, language has been found to increase cognitive development in children, especially with regards to critical thinking and memory.
It’s clear we’ve accepted these findings since most (if not all) primary and secondary schools require participation in foreign language courses, yet our awareness of the benefits of language immersion is much smaller. Language immersion is the creation and use of a linguistically rich environment that allows students to explore and communicate more fully. We see this most often in dual-immersion schools where school days are spent in both English and a second language, each language being used for half of the day.
Such a system isn’t feasible in post-secondary institutions. It’s almost comical to imagine organic chemistry being taught to a room of dazed students in Mandarin. And while the foreign language courses at the U can technically be called immersive, the true definition of the word has to do not only with conducting class entirely in a different language, but also with creating an environment in which a variety of subjects are explored in a shared tongue.
These environments can be established in a multitude of ways. Language classes could, for example, regularly tutor groups of children in elementary schools in districts where languages like Spanish are most prominent, or interact with groups of international students looking for a welcome break from speaking English. These opportunities would open doors for language students to strike up genuine conversations with those from diverse backgrounds.
Studies from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition have shown there is a high correlation between exposure to a second language and language proficiency. Immersion allows students to become more aware of the cultures that fostered the language they’ve chosen to study. Further, by engaging members of the community who can’t claim English as their first language, students get the opportunity to practice English with native speakers. This form of immersion, in which both parties can practice their native tongues, allows students to gain a deeper understanding of English as well.
Studying abroad is extremely effective at supplementing language proficiency, placing students within the country and culture they’re studying, but the expense of such programs is often too substantial for a student to pay alone. Immersive activities within foreign language courses at the U would allow students to increase their proficiency at no additional cost, while still being able to study other subjects, live at home and work.
Immersion schools were initially created to give students an advantage in a world where life wasn’t experienced only in English. Today, that fact is no less true, and this advantage grows each day as our minds transcend borders and oceans in an effort to connect with others. Making our classes truly immersive provides us with the means to strengthen that connection and benefit the community around us, a connection that everyone can understand. For more information on the benefits of immersion, visit carla.umn.edu.