Why Spanish Immersion?
Around the world, speaking more than one language is the norm—not the exception.
Children in Europe, for example, are taught second and even third languages from the time they enter school at four or five. In other parts of the world, multiple languages are spoken at home and in the community.
In the United States, however, unless a child learns a second language at home, schools traditionally skip second-language instruction until middle or high school. At this point, the effects of such instruction are limited and typically non-permanent.
The alternative to this customary model of foreign language instruction in the United States is language immersion, ideally from a young age. According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, there are more than 1,000 language immersion schools in America today, and most of them offer Spanish as the immersion language of choice. These schools have proven outstandingly effective at helping students learn Spanish as a second language quickly and permanently.
Parents considering a Spanish immersion preschool or elementary school for their children can look forward to the following benefits.
IMMERSION HAS BEEN PROVEN MOST EFFECTIVE AT TEACHING NEW LANGUAGES.
In schools where only a few hours of study time is spent learning a new language, the effects have proven minimal, at best. That’s because students are not learning the new language in a practical way or with real-world scenarios.
Instead, traditional instruction of second languages has students learning chunks of unrelated vocabulary, obscure grammatical rules, and full conjugations of verbs. This isn’t how anyone learns their native language from birth.
If English is your native tongue, for instance, you naturally learn through immersion. Your parents and other family members speak English at home. You hear English on the television and radio. And when you go out into the world, English is the most common language you hear from people in stores, at restaurants, and on the street.
Spanish immersion schools create a similar environment, leading to the same natural, lasting language acquisition.
Contrary to popular belief, learning a second language won’t interfere with a child’s development of strong English skills. These skills are easily honed and reinforced by community and family.
Furthermore, because languages are essentially stored separately in the brain, there is no risk of a child “replacing” English with Spanish. Instead, children have more than enough “space” in their brain to fully acquire knowledge of a new language while continuing to use both English and Spanish efficiently and effectively.
SPANISH LANGUAGE IMMERSION DOESN’T AFFECT ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS
Acquisition of a second language boosts cognitive abilities.
Students who learn Spanish through immersion benefit from the acquisition of the language itself, but they also benefit in other cognitive ways. They develop skills that monolingual students typically do not learn in school.
As an example, learning a new language improves your listening skills to identify sounds more accurately. You also become adept at breaking apart words and analyzing them in novel ways. In effect, words in English often take on new meaning as well.
A monolingual English speaker might view a “bookcase” as just a piece of furniture. Most won’t think of the term beyond this definition. Someone who is bilingual, on the other hand, will likely look at the word “bookcase” and see that it is, in fact, two terms put together to provide new meaning: “book” + “case” = A case, or holder, for books.
In general, bilingualism has been shown to help students outperform monolinguists in a variety of tasks, from math and science to history and the arts.
Learning a second language — especially one so widely spoken as Spanish — allows a person to diversely communicate with more people. As a result, bilinguals have a multitude of additional opportunities personally and professionally.
If a young child can learn Spanish fluently as a second language, they will have a better chance of finding jobs as they get older. This will, in turn, improve the likelihood of them enjoying and finding meaning in their careers. Colleges and universities, likewise, want to see candidates who are bilingual. And finally, on a personal level, those who can speak Spanish have the ability of traveling to a multitude of Spanish-speaking countries with ease.
Many English-speaking adults say the same thing: “I wish I had learned Spanish as a kid.” At Mi Casita, we give children that early start—making language learning natural, joyful, and part of everyday life from the very beginning. Unfortunately, acquiring a new language as an adult is considerably more difficult than learning as a child.
Spanish language immersion schools solve this challenge. Children’s brains work differently from adults’, as they are more “sponge-like.” These schools give children the chance to absorb Spanish naturally — building fluency that lasts a lifetime.
