Today the globe feels more connected than ever. In order to be successful in the world’s economy, it seems as though it is becoming increasingly important to speak another language. But learning a new language is extremely difficult. So how can you offer your child a step up and teach them a new language in the best way possible?
Spanish language Immersion is definitely right for your child. Immersion is the best way to learn a new language. To learn more about this innovative language education structure, look no further.
There is a wide range of Spanish immersion programs out there to choose from. Different factors to consider whether or not immersion is right for your child to include but are not limited to;
- Levels of Spanish language skill
- Cost of program or school
- How your child learns best
What is Spanish Immersion?
Spanish language immersion is another name for a program that allows for constant learning of the Spanish language. Language immersion means your child would spend all or a good portion of the day learning a new language.
The immersion approach to learning a new language thus maximizes the time your child gets to learn and practice the language, allowing your child to constantly speak, read, and write in Spanish.
Some language immersion programs will incorporate the second language into more than just language subjects. They include the language in other subjects, such as history and sciences, giving the child a more holistic knowledge of the language.
Yes, it may seem like a daunting task for your child. But once your child becomes more and more fluent in the language and makes friends within these programs, they will begin to enjoy it and succeed in many unexpected ways!
What are the Benefits of Spanish Immersion?
Spanish immersion can offer your child a wealth of opportunities. By giving them Spanish immersion experience, they will be better equipped to advance their Spanish skill level in a world that is increasingly demanding more Spanish language speakers.
Studies also show that knowledge of a second language can greatly improve a child’s brain development, making them more creative, flexible, and mentally stimulated. It can even improve your child’s native language skills!
Learning a Second Language Can Help With Your Child’s Brain and Social Development
Early exposure to a different language is proven not only to help a child’s communication development level but also to help their brain development!
According to a 2004 study done by psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee, bilingual students were more successful in dividing objects by color and shape than their peers who only knew one language.
This study suggests that knowledge of a second language improves a child’s brain’s overall command center, giving them the ability to solve problems and other mental puzzles.
Other studies have shown that students who study a foreign language, especially those who begin in elementary school or earlier, tend to receive higher standardized test scores than those who did not study a foreign language.
Education in a different language and culture is also proven to improve a child’s overall character development. Learning about cultures other than their own allows children to develop more empathy for others.
This is because education in a new language offers a child a different perspective than their own and thus broadens their worldview. By learning to care for and empathize with other people, your child will develop critical social skills.
Many cognitive processes are involved in learning to read and speak a foreign language. This includes understanding the relationships between written language and spoken language.
Such relationships are transferable from one language to another. Thus not only do Spanish immersion programs offer children an opportunity to gain fluency in Spanish, but they will also strengthen their understanding of their native English language.
Learning About New Cultures Makes Your Child More Accepting
Studies show that learning a new language can also help a child unlearn cultural biases. Learning a second language such as Spanish makes a child more tolerant of other cultures.
Psychologists suggest that bilingual children are more likely to accept diversity, whether that be in the form of languages spoken or even other people’s physical appearances. Thus learning Spanish through an Immersion Program can promote acceptance and understanding of social and cultural diversity, as well as physical.
Further research demonstrates that bilingual children are more likely to be more tolerant of foreign or atypical accents as well. This could even mean that your child would be more accepting of someone with a speech impediment as well since they are typically more tolerant of different pronunciations of words.
Therefore Spanish immersion could help your child become more tolerant and open-minded with people from all walks of life. This is a great skill for them to learn as young as possible.
Why Choose Spanish as the Language for My Child to Learn?
Language immersion also gives your child a step up in the world since globalization is increasing the need for more and more multilingual people.
Learning a new language and exploring a different culture offers your child key skills that will be needed in the future workforce. And in the United States in the 21st century, Spanish is arguably the most important language to learn right now and will be in the foreseeable future.
According to Babbel, an online language learning platform, more than 43 million Americans speak Spanish as their first language, and that number is expected to continue to grow in the years to come. That’s over 13% of the United States population who speak Spanish!
Another study predicts that by the year 2050, America will have the largest population of Spanish speakers in the whole world.
Moreover, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. Therefore the future opportunities that will be available to your child fluent in the language would be boundless!
Globalized businesses need more and more employees who understand not only the language but also the knowledge of Spanish and Latin American cultures.
The future of the workforce will need to be able to communicate with all kinds of different people from various backgrounds. Facilitating interest in different languages and cultures will help a lifelong ability to learn about others and grow as an individual.
Knowledge of another language will make your child extremely marketable to their future employers, no matter what field of work they choose to go into someday. Researchers, doctors, lawyers, you name it – all could benefit themselves and their industry by knowing another language.
Basically, the benefits of immersing your child in a new language are endless.
According to a report by The University of Washington News, 27% of children in the United States under the age of 6 are now learning a language other than their native English language. Why not give your child the opportunity to join this growing cohort of bilingual speakers?
Are There any Negative Consequences to My Child Learning a New Language?
In short, the answer is definitely no – there are no consequences to your child learning a foreign language! Research has proven that learning a new language does not interfere with a child’s understanding of their native language, even at a young age.
Children’s brains are extremely flexible, and the skills developed while learning a new language will stick with them their whole lives. There are only benefits to be made when your child learns a new language!
When is the Right Time to Immerse My Child in a New Language?
There is no ‘right time’ to start a second language education. However, research shows that the earlier, the better!
Young kids have a great ability to quickly acquire new language and knowledge. Until the age of about 8 years old, children benefit from malleable ear and speech muscles that detect differences between the sounds of a second language and their native language.
This is because the young person’s ear is much more perceptive to sounds, structures, intonation, and grammatical rules and patterns of a second language compared to the average adult.
Many daycares, preschools, and kindergartens are beginning to offer language immersion programs to start children’s language education as early as possible. Be sure to research programs and schools available to you in your area.
If your child is older than 8 years old, do not fret. Young people well into their adolescence have a great capability to learn Spanish and benefit from an immersion program.
Teenagers with extensive Spanish language education and skills can also give them a competitive edge when applying to colleges and part-time jobs.
It is also commonly known that the average brain does not stop developing until about mid-twenties, so even if you have young adult children, they could benefit from and excel by enrolling in a Spanish language program!
Basically, there is no ‘wrong’ time to have your child begin a Spanish immersion language program. Now is as good a time as ever, no matter your child’s age!
What is Wrong With Traditional Language Education in the United States?
In its current state, American secondary language programs are failing our children. Research shows that four out of five American children do not have good access to foreign language education.
Without proper foreign language education, the United States is failing to offer future generations proper preparation for a global workforce and global economy.
A 2017 report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences calls for the need for more focus on the education of secondary languages for children in the United States.
Compared to other economically developed countries similar to the United States, our children have significantly less access to good foreign language instruction. Thus, Americans are much less likely to speak anything other than English.
Traditional language teaching programs in America typically only center around the language as a subject to be taught. Language Immersion teaching programs, however, allow for the learning of a second language to be a tool in which the student is completely immersed in the subject.
Due to the lack of proper language education in the United States, very few Americans who claim to speak a second language other than English credit their language knowledge from their schools.
According to a 2006 survey, only 25% of American adults reported speaking a foreign language other than English. Within the small subgroup of Americans who reported speaking another language, almost 90% said they learned the second language within their childhood home from their parents. Only about 7% of second language speakers said that they learned it from their school education.
Americans are by and large accepting of the fact that their foreign language education is a failure. Studies show that the majority of students will not reach fluency in their second language courses.
This should not be the case. American parents should learn more about immersion programs in order to help their children achieve language fluency. Immersion programs offer American children to exceed all expectations on language fluency.
What Does a Spanish Immersion Education Look Like?
Spanish immersion education can vary based on different programs and schools. However, they generally employ a similar structure by including the Spanish language in everyday school subjects, not just in Spanish class.
More advanced students are able to be taught in many, if not all, subjects in their second language through the immersion approach to foreign language education.
Even though the immersion program’s length toward fluency may seem long, it can produce great results. Remember that learning a new language is never a super easy task. But with the right immersion program that consistently adheres to the education of the language, Spanish fluency is easily attainable for your child.
Initially, the course of your child’s immersion education will first be determined by whether or not your child has any knowledge of Spanish, to begin with. Those students who already have some basic knowledge of the language are fast-tracked to more comprehensive teaching methods and subjects.
However, you should not worry if your child does not speak a single word of Spanish. Students in these programs with little or no knowledge of Spanish have the same opportunity to succeed as any of their peers in attaining language fluency.
Since language education is a primary goal in Immersion programs and schools, your child would be given individualized attention based on their fluency level.
Despite variations from school to school, most Spanish immersion educators differentiate phases of Spanish language skill into general categories. Immersion programs are typically organized into the following structures.
- Pre-production, also known as “the silent period,” is a period that can last from a few hours to a few months depending on the child. This is the initial stage in the immersion program, where students are only receptive to about a few hundred Spanish words.
They can not yet speak the language at this point. Through repetition and yes-or-no questions, students are able to only mimic language sounds and words.
- The Early Production period is when children are able to use about a thousand or more Spanish words. During this stage of several months, students are able to answer simple questions and discover the basic patterns and intonations of the Spanish language.
- Speech emergence is a period where the student will have a working knowledge of about a few thousand Spanish words. They can employ simple phrases and understand the general principles and ideas of the language through repetition and visual stimulation.
- Intermediate Fluency occurs when a student masters several thousand words and actively employs them in their reading, writing, and speaking of the Spanish language. This stage usually appears around a year after the beginning of their Spanish language education.
Students are able to communicate using complex sentences and can even learn different subjects such as math or science in the Spanish language. More Spanish culture and literature are typically incorporated in the child’s education at this point.
- Advanced fluency, or Continued Language Development, can appear anywhere from a few years to ten years. from the start of their Spanish language education. Students are able to use most vocab words and understand proper grammar and language structures. This level of Spanish language skill can even become close to the mastery of their native language.
What if My Child Has Unique Needs?
In order to determine if Immersion in Spanish is right for your child with individualized needs. Many children who have learning disabilities or special needs find success in immersion programs.
Here are some things to consider for your child.
Does Your Child Have Speech Issues?
A 2010 study from the Journal of Applied Psycholinguistics demonstrated that children with speech and language development issues experienced the same levels of success as neurotypical children in language immersion schools.
Does Your Child Have Hearing Issues or Impairments?
If so, you may be wondering if they would have difficulty distinguishing between the different sounds, intonations, and patterns between two different languages. This would be entirely dependent on your child and their unique abilities.
It is recommended to speak with a pediatrician or specialist on whether or not you should enroll your child in an immersion program. Most of the time, special accommodations can be made to suit your child in order to help them succeed.
Does Your Child Have Executive Functioning Issues?
Fear not, because if they do, immersion programs are proven to only help solve such issues. Studies show that children demonstrate enhanced executive functioning skills, the more they become bilingual.
If your child has specific issues with becoming overly stimulated, such as ADHD, it is again advised to speak with a pediatrician or specialist. Consider contacting Immersion schools or programs of interest to learn more about the accommodations they can give to meet your child’s unique needs.
Different Options of Spanish Immersion Programs in Schools
There are many different immersion programs offered by both private and public schools that are beneficial to children of all ages.
The variations in these programs are important to consider, as well as other factors such as cost and geographic location.
When deciding which immersion school is best for your child, it is also recommended to research testimonials and contact parents of successful students. This kind of specific insight can help determine which Spanish immersion program is right for you and your family.
Understanding the different immersion options available to you will help you get the best out of your child’s Spanish language immersion.
Here are some of the different programs and schools available to your child:
- Foreign Language Experience or Exploratory (FLEX) programs expose students to the secondary language and culture within the classroom. A small part of the class time is spent learning about the language. However, full fluency or even proficiency is not the primary objective of FLEX programs.
The goals of this program are to improve the student’s listening skills while expanding upon their cultural and language awareness. Only basic words and phrases are taught in Spanish or other secondary languages.
- Foreign Language in elementary school (FLES) programs offer students the opportunity to speak, read, and write in a secondary language. Unlike FLEX programs, proficiency in the second language is the target goal while also educating the students on the language’s culture.
- Submersion programs are when students typically receive most, if not all, of their instruction in their second language.
It is also typically referred to as a “sink or swim” program because there is little to no instruction in the student’s native language, making this line of language education sometimes quite difficult.
- Two-way immersion programs, also known as bilingual or dual-immersion instruction, means the student population is educated in two or more languages.
These programs help non-native speakers of English better understand English while also teaching native speakers of English a second language, such as Spanish. For English speakers, two-way immersion programs are often considered a “foreign language acquisition environment.”
- Early Exit Programs mean that bilingual students transition from bilingual to mainstream classrooms at an early age (ranging from seven to nine years of age).
These programs intend to support the acquisition of a new language through an early transition into the full curriculum of desired language education.
- Late Exit Programs are where bilingual students transition from bilingual to mainstream classrooms and curriculums at a later age of childhood, such as around the ages of ten or nine.
These programs employ the two languages in all subjects in order to help the students excel academically.
What Are Some Alternatives to Spanish Immersion Programs?
Whether or not you are thinking of admitting your child into a Spanish language immersion program, the following alternatives to learning a new language could benefit your child. They can be used in place of or in addition to a Spanish immersion program.
- A trip abroad to a country that speaks Spanish is often considered the best way to immerse a student in the language and culture. However, not all students are so lucky to have the time or finances to do so.
- Volunteering at refugee centers is a possible option for high school-age students to visit the native language-speaking country while also volunteering for a good cause.
Companies such as Go Beyond Travel offer a wide range of programs and locations. Like trips abroad, though, they can often be a bit pricey.
- Heritage schools are offered in many different areas that provide students with language exposure while also educating them on the culture of the language.
- Online school or tutoring programs are offered on many different platforms at a range of prices online. From the comfort of your own home, your child can learn Spanish using just a laptop!
- Multilingual schools or private schools with good second language programs are an option for parents who are willing to change schools or send their child to a private school. Exposure to a new language in school offers your child the ability to learn alongside their peers.
- Watching Spanish television and reading Spanish books offers your child an entertaining way to learn the language. Instead of letting them watch their usual go-to shows, why not put on a Spanish show with English subtitles for them?
Once their language skill level improves, reading and watching Spanish entertainment could be rewarding and fun.
- Consider an online pen pal to build a relationship and practice Spanish with native speakers. Websites such as The Mixxer offer free services to virtually connect with people of different languages.
- You as the parent can learn to speak Spanish too! You can teach yourself simple phrases and vocab words to communicate with your child. This will, in turn, enhance their learning experience. Learning a new language as a family could be lots of fun!
Conclusion
It is not hard to see why immersion programs are worth investing in for your child.
Why not give your child a great education while also giving them the opportunity to become fluent in a new language and knowledge of a different culture?
Through a good Spanish immersion program, you can give your child a leg up in their future while also helping them develop mental flexibility and strong character. Take the next step and research Spanish immersion programs near you for your child!
