Immersion Question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

The french immersion system in Canada:

http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=144196bf-8a12-47e8-8109-b7be65a7bb9b

I have a child in an immersion school, and think it's stretching his mind in wonderful ways. However, I think that studies of French immersion or bilingual schools in Canada really don't apply here. French has official status as a second language, and an entire province where it's the official language. The US certainly has large areas where Spanish is the most commonly spoken language, but it lacks official status even at the local level, let alone protections for Spanish speakers at the national level. This gives Canadians incentives to be bilingual that the US simply lacks.

The PP questioned immersion programs in general "how you know that it's doing well". I agree that there is a difference between French Canada and the US. However, as the link argues, these programs are very successful for the elite and the students that attend the private language schools like WIS in DC and other schools in the Northeast in the US are "doing well". There are also successful public programs near Cambridge, MA and in NYC that do well by US testing standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope that immersion programs are not just a fad, but my gut tells me it is. I'd love to see a study that tracks YY students to see if they are truly bilingual five years after graduation. I know that China is super important because they are such a financial and military power and they are heavily invested in the USA (buying our debt, etc.) but I honestly can't imagine it being all that useful to be bilingual in Chinese. More power to those families who commit to learning Chinese...I just have the suspicion that when all is said and done learning Chinese in 2012 will be looked back on they way that Japanese became a fad in the 1980s. Spanish immersion, I understand more...more useful on a day to day basis in the States.

Learning Japanese was a fad in the 1980s, and it's true that Japan never took over the US economy the way that many folks expected, but that does not mean that learning Japanese was useless. I'm in finance, and my colleguaes who know even basic Japanese have a huge leg up over those who don't. Although Japan's overall economy has been in sad shape for over a decade, some of the world's largest companies are still headquartered there. I predict something similar regarding China. I can readily believe that the average American won't need even a scrap of Mandarin 30 years from now, but there will be US industries and corporate departments where familiarity with Mandarin will make an employee that much more valuable.

[Anonymous]

As a person who has taught in an international bilingual school and is bilingual, I would say it is a great opportunity. Your child will have so many more opportunites compared to a monolingual person. Personally speaking, I have had better teaching opportunites open up to me due to the fact that I am bilingual. Some places even pay candidates more who can speak a second language. There have been many studeis done on the benefits of bilingualism. I am sure there a schools that do a poor job of it. However, if yo can get your child into a quality program, then by all means do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

WIS, successful bilingual graduates.

Doesn't sound like you know much about WIS. They conveniently flunk out students who don't become sufficiently bilingual. But maybe that's your definition of "doing well"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

There are established immersion schools in other parts of the US that have a track record and are doing well, so a "fad" here in DC, maybe, but not in other areas, especially outside of this country, where it is done well and the model has been around for many years (dating back to at least the 1970s/1960s).

Name one. And then explain how you know that it's "doing well".

WIS, successful bilingual graduates.

Doesn't sound like you know much about WIS. They conveniently flunk out students who don't become sufficiently bilingual. But maybe that's your definition of "doing well"

Well I attended a private elite high school and they counseled out kids that didn't do well-- the kids that graduated went on to do well. I guess you are questioning a school's ability to educate everyone-- which is valid, but I personally don't buy into that or care. Some kids will never do well in foreign languages, humanities, science, math . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

Monolingual is the new stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really can't understand all the hype about immersion programs. I'm not convinced that anyone knows how to do language immersion. It's just the latest educational fad. Coupled with all that touchy-feely IB stuff, what a waste of time. But if it makes you feel good, what the heck.

Monolingual is the new stupid.

maybe, but "immersion" isn't the only, or even the best way to learn a language.

[Anonymous]

Monolingual is the new stupid.

Wow, PP, do you always speak in overused, bumper sticker cliches? You're the old stupid.

[Anonymous]

I don't think anyone would question the value of learning a foreign language, but in a school environment like DC, it makes sense to prioritize an overall quality of the school over the inclusion of a foreign language in the curricula. Simply speaking, a parent may pick a better school over a worse school that happens to offer a foreign language. I know I would.

[Anonymous]

OP here. The school in question is Mundo Verde

[Anonymous]

Not all schools that offer foreign language are immersion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The school in question is Mundo Verde

We are not at MV, we are at a different immersion school. Comparing my kids to MV kids with the same exposure to the target language, I'd say the MV kids are doing better than my kids at learning the target language.