English Language

“Why is English Language and Academic acquisition through English Immersion the best model?”

When one thinks about learning your first language, what were the characteristics of the process? Parents begin by giving one syllable words, repeating often, and encouraging verbal sounds close to the verbalization given. Parents and other family members often point to objects and pictures, repeating the new words. Parents expect their child to learn the language the child hears, while watching the formation of the mouth in speaking new words. The family uses simple sentences to teach the child how to ask for basic needs, often encouraging the child to repeat words and phrases.

Acquiring a second language can assume this same model (English Immersion), or it can use the model of translating from the first language to the second language (Bi-lingual Acquisition). As we have often heard, “much can be lost in the translation.” Experts say the best way to learn a language is to live in the country where they speak the language in the process of every day living. This same principle applies to education. The best way to learn the English curriculum is to learn the content in the language one will be doing assignments and testing.

For several reasons, the best model to use for students is to be “immersed” in hearing and using the English language.

First, acquiring new curriculum and content vocabulary is better learned in the language of the testing process. Learning new vocabulary in one language and then taught a second time in the English language is an unfair burden for students, putting them well behind their peers. English Immersion students will learn closer to the rate of English speakers because English speakers will also be learning new vocabulary content words at the same time.

Secondly, a two-step language acquisition model is an unreasonably expensive and time-consuming learning model; more so than the more productive one-step language acquisition process. Using reasoned thinking and logic, the two-step method will likely take close to twice the time to learn the required curriculum. It could polarize students and cause them to feel unequal, excluded, or different. It could contribute to groupings and cliques on campus, leading to lack of good communication between students and staff. Lack of positive communication leads to a poor learning environment, and we want to build positive communication in society.

If our students are to succeed in college and in acquiring jobs, they will need to be fluent in English at the level of English speakers. Placing students behind others will make it difficult for those students to earn good grades, enter college, compete in the job market, and keep their jobs.

It is important to provide an equal education for all our students, giving students the same abilities to succeed. We can do this if we use the English Immersion model in California schools.

This may be reproduced if credit is given to Diane A. Lenning, Ed.M. Candidate for CA SPI, 2006.