Bilingual and Immersive Educational Strategies

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Positive Sides
Obstacles and Barriers
Immersive Teaching Strategies
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Bilingual education in modern America is of great importance due to the country’s multicultural population. The multinational diversity contained in the territories of the States requires the introduction of the study of several languages in the practice of teaching children. Until the age of 13, children ae at the age when it is most convenient and easy for them to master new languages, the second or even the third. Learning several languages at the same time, although suitable for children from a cognitive point of view, raises concerns of a different character. The purpose of this essay is to examine the language immersion or bilingual teaching techniques used in modern American language schools. The intellectual and cultural benefits of multiple language learning opportunities for children are clouded by the many barriers imposed by the conditions of interaction with social institutions.

Positive Sides

Discussing the positive opportunities that bilingual practices bring to the education system, it should be noted its importance for representatives of other cultures. The ability not to lose your native language in the new social and civil conditions may be of fundamental importance for the bearer of the culture of his people. Migrant parents periodically experience anxiety that by learning only English, their children may lose touch with the language, and therefore not only with the culture, but also with their own personality. Initial language skills can be supplanted by English if it remains the only way to interact in the main environment of intellectual development, that is, at school. The ability to preserve and improve the native language seems to be a fundamental advantage of bilingual education, which realizes the value of the native cultural and linguistic individuality.

The second and also quite weighty argument in favor of Dual Language Learning is associated with the ability of children to memorize and process information at a young age. Children before adolescence are extremely sensitive to information and register a large amount of data. In the context of teaching and learning languages, this information-processing ability of the young brain holds great promise for every student. There are assumptions of scientists according to which the study of two languages is able to affect the infrequently used parts of the human brain and stimulate them. Such a fuller use of its functions by the brain should accompany a more complete development of the personality and its intellectual perfection. Probably by learning languages at a young age, a child gets the opportunity to express their potential much more vividly.

Finally, it seems necessary to mention how the process of education is improved for students who perceive information in a bilingual format. Children from other cultures have proven to be more successful in learning English if they remember how to speak their native language. Parents often refuse to send their children to bilingual classes for which there are a number of prejudices. Many parents claim that they could independently educate their children in a language they already know. Parents who did not initially speak English and whose language skills are not so strong are sure that the successful career and happy future of their children depends on the knowledge of the English language.

Therefore, parents may be inclined to send their children to a program that is more focused on the rapid acquisition of English. However, as statistics show, many children have embarked on this type of education, yet were not even able to finish it (Films Media Group, 2009). The negative impact of the introduction of the English language on the educational skills and performance of non-English-speaking children is due to a number of factors. This is both great pressure from the education system, and an alien language environment with a lack of adaptation mechanisms. At the same time, studying the school curriculum in another language provides opportunities for development that go beyond the scope of education. Knowledge of several languages turns out to be fundamentally useful in a multicultural world, where bilingual persons get more opportunities, for example, in work and business, not to mention culture.

Obstacles and Barriers

It is necessary to note certain obstacles arising in the sphere of this type of institutions on the way to bilingual education and thinking. The social pressure experienced by children from another culture in an English-speaking environment usually motivates them to use English in their communication. It seems to them necessary in order to exist in a more socially comfortable linguistic situation, not to feel excluded from the team. As a result, this type of social adaptation can lead to the fact that the child forgets his native language. The bilingual school here also shows its advantage, since in a different language situation, for example, when studying in a fully English-speaking school, the child would be guaranteed to completely forget the language.

The monolinguistic beliefs of a large segment of American society also build cultural barriers to creating the most favorable multi-lingual education for children. A notable paradox in American society is both an approving and tolerant attitude towards representatives of other cultures, but at the same time a painful fixation in the English language. Most Americans do not see the need to learn even a second language because of the perceived sense of the absolute cosmopolitanism of English. The lack of interest of Americans in other languages and a strong concern for preserving their language really represent a kind of ideological monopoly that limits the free study of languages in the country. Many parents fear that as they explore other cultures, children might forget the American one, which will be supplanted, but this hypothesis is mostly wrong.

Two examples should be given to characterize the typical experiences of parents, especially from another culture. Victor, the father of Kelly, who is studying at a Chinese bilingual school, worries that her daughter will not communicate with her parents in English, which is their only language. At the same time, the Hispanic migrant Jose worries about his son Jason – if he starts to forget Spanish, the connection between parent and son will be broken. The problem of generational interaction in non-American families can become quite acute when children are receiving multilingual education. With this in mind, for my future practice, I would strive to focus on more involvement of parents in the needs and interests of their children. Parents should not oppose the activities of a multicultural school, but a neutral and passive attitude can also cause dissonance in a child. Therefore, in practice in the field of bilingual education, it is necessary to pay additional attention to the balance of the child’s life in the family aspect, which constitutes a real everyday environment.

Immersive Teaching Strategies

The difference between bilingual and immersive teaching methods essentially lies in the intensity of their introduction into another culture. Bilingual teaching clearly distinguishes between English and other language subjects, while immersive teaching creates the hermetic illusion of another culture. In a Chinese-English school, for example, children learn national Chinese dances, and most of the subjects are taught immediately in Mandarin (Films Media Group, 2009). It is important for teaching that a teacher who is associated with a Chinese-speaking subject cannot speak English with students.

Interaction with children at a multilingual level should start at a very early age. When discussing language education for very young children, engaging ways such as naming objects play a useful role in building a child’s vocabulary (Eastern Connecticut State University). Dramatic scenes that simulate real situations in the required language are also useful because in a playful way they force children to prepare for solving possible real problems (Colorado Department of Education, 2021). The main difference of the immersive method lies in the exclusive focus on another language culture, however, the English language should at least in a small form be represented in the educational program. To summarize, the following can be called immersive practices – communication with native speakers, associating a teacher with a specific language, using positional vocabulary and dramatic dialogue-staging. All of these techniques are appropriate for the development of the child and can be used by the teacher from a very young age.

Conclusion

Thus, a bilingual educational environment can be extremely beneficial for the intellectual, cultural and social development of a child. Being in a multicultural space enriches knowledge, improves educational skills, instills tolerance for cultures and nations. Involving the parent in this child’s learning process could eliminate the likely personality or identity discord that might arise from cultural conflict. Immersion techniques used in this education system contribute to cultural adaptation and fusion with the language environment.

References

Colorado Department of Education. (2021). Real conversations during a pretend lunch [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Films Media Group. (2009). Speaking in tongues. Films On Demand. Web.

Eastern Connecticut State University. (n.d.). Using positional words during toddler play. Web.

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