Immersion Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Immersion Program - Essay Example The first lesson learned was that language taught in a meaningful context is acquired much easier and more completely than language taught in isolation from other subjects. Rather than focusing attention on the academically correct grammar and syntax of the language, the lesson learned here was that language taught with a focus on meaningful communication between and among students and teachers is much more successful than language focused on academic proficiency. In addition, by placing the language instruction in the context of other academic pursuits, the main focus on learning is not placed as severely on the language acquisition itself, but on the academic subject matter, with language acquisition merely a part of communicating information about this subject with the teacher and with other students. By taking the pressure and focus off of the language itself, it becomes less of a burden to students and more of a challenge to accomplish. In addition, this context provides stimula tion and encouragement for students to learn more about the language as a means of communicating more about the subject involved. A second lesson learned through the research was that while comprehension among immersion students was far higher than that among students taught in isolation, the speaking and writing skills of these students remained at a much lower level than those of native speakers of the language. The study theorized that the reason for this shortfall was due to the lack of actual language use by the students while participating in their classes, often responding to questions posed by the teacher rather than formulating their own ideas in the second language. This hypothesis was backed up with discussion from various other studies that have been conducted all seeming to reach the same conclusion. This reveals the importance of providing ample opportunity