4 Long-term Benefits Language Immersion May Have for Your Child

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The following is an opinion editorial by Amy Krolevetskaya, Co-founder and Head of Linguistic Research and Methodology at Novakid:

Learning a foreign language is an essential component of an overall child’s development and is one of the first choices for extracurricular activities.

However, with all the techniques available, what is the best way to achieve native-like fluency?

Researchers concluded that one of the most studied and scientifically-proven methods is language immersion.

Language immersion is a practice that views students “immersed” in the chosen language and this helps them to learn it naturally through everything that surrounds them.

The first thing that comes to mind is that to dive into a new language, you have to go to the native-speaking country. Even though it will likely help in your studies, you don't necessarily have to move somewhere else to achieve a similar effect!

There are various methods to organise a “full-immersion” experience, even during your English classes at home: from language lessons that are taught entirely in English to CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), that combines learning language with school subjects.

Novakid, an online English school, developed a methodology focused on developing a child’s speaking skills in English. This is why all the lessons are held entirely in English by native teachers who do not speak the student’s language during the classes. In this way, Novakid provides full language immersion for young language learners.

Why and how does immersion impact the learning process?

Kids are ideal candidates for full-language immersion as they tend to learn faster than adults because their prefrontal cortex is still developing.

The research team of Harvard University conducted a large-scale experiment on 2/3 million English speakers. Based on this information, scientists developed models that could forecast how long it might take to become fluent in English and what age is best to start learning.

According to their findings, a critical period for the second-language acquisition has a form of plateau followed by the continuous decline. This decline normally takes place after the age of 18.

However, in order to become completely fluent in a foreign language, the process of learning a language should ideally commence before the age of 10 with the full immersion method.

It’s well known that a child's brain soaks in information “like a sponge” and that’s why it’s much easier for them to pick up sounds, vocabulary and grammar rules naturally, whereas for adults it might take continuous sessions of drills exercises to achieve the same results.

Hitting two targets at once: CLIL as the solution to mastering the language and learning other subjects

There are different types of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) that vary from including only one lesson a week to almost 50% of the curriculum.

This method has numerous benefits for second-language learners. Children don’t only study the language but they also gain new knowledge in the language, meaning that they have to listen to the explanations of the concepts, form links with their first language, reflect on the topics and discuss them. All of this, undoubtedly, leads to children starting to think in the language.

At Novakid, the CLIL method is applied in the Virtual Explorer course.The Virtual Explorer course consists of over 60 themed VR trips to the most amazing places in the world. During the lessons, children will explore the world together with the teacher and talk about it in English.

Language immersion is a shorter path to other languages

For children that become bilinguals thanks to immersion programmes, it gets easier to learn other languages later in life than for their monolingual peers.

While it seems logical that developing the skill of learning a second language may be applicable to the third and the fourth ones, it was scientifically proven that there are also some visible differences in the patterns of the brain activity of bilinguals and monolinguals.

When exposed to various events, our brain structures may generate small voltages called event-related potentials that we may see as peaks on the recordings of brain activity. One of such event-related potentials is P600, associated with language processing in native speakers of languages.

In 2017, Georgetown University Medical Centre carried out an experiment that showed how the bilingual brains exhibited a peak of P600 already at the end of the first day of studying a new language, when monolinguals began to display such activity only by the end of the week.

A foolproof way to make new friends

Not only do children make progress in their language fluency, but they also display higher tolerance, cultural sensitivity and openness to the world.

Through language immersion, students are constantly exposed to the culture of the target language and become accustomed to the reality that might be significantly different from their own. In the 90s, a one-year research was done on native Spanish and English speakers in the 4th grade that were attending literature-based language arts programme in both languages.

The results showed that except for improved language skills, children became much more appreciative of the other culture and English natives started making friends with children of Spanish background and vice versa.

As it was cited in the study, the most effective way to develop multicultural awareness could be the indirect approach through socialisation and cooperative learning as it may “foster contact and acquaintance among students of various backgrounds, lead to a sense of equality in social status, avoid artificiality and enjoy the support of the community in which they occur”.

When immediate contact with natives of the other language is not possible, immersion programmes can provide continuous cultural context that motivate the student to explore more and understand alternative ways of living, helping them to be a part of a multicultural community.

Immersion programmes are not simply the way to boost your language knowledge, they give you much more: brain development, enhanced “soft” skills, a doorway to other communities, - basically all the elements that you need to become a true global citizen of the future!

ENDS

About the author:

Amy Krolevetskaya

Co-founder and Head of Linguistic Research and Methodology

Amy has more than 20 years of teaching experience (both offline and online). She developed a complete learning methodology for Novakid’s digital, on-demand English lessons as well as virtual 360-degree tours, fun games, and creative homework exercises to keep students challenged and engaged throughout their learning journey.

Amy has more than 20 years of teaching experience in different countries worldwide (both offline and online). She developed Novakid’s curriculum to address the unique needs and challenges ESL learners face, particularly from an early age.

Amy earned a B.A. in Social Sciences from Keene State College and an M.S. in Organizational Management and Accounting from the New England College, both located in New Hampshire.