EduCareer StaffBlog"Rinjin Blog" | "EduCareer"Supporting your career in English teaching in the Japanese school system

Duel Immersion

2011/10/19

Some schools in America, Canada, and Europe have started trial programs of duel immersion with students where students are instructed in core subjects for half the day in their native language and half a day in an additional language such as Spanish, French, or English. A large part of the push for bilingual education has come from communities where the student makeup is split between native speakers of one language or the other, but some school districts are introducing programs even in places where the majority of the students speak a common language.

Proponents of duel immersion claim that it allows students to pick up language naturally through meaningful tasks and for language learners it gives them the chance to shine in their native language as well as learn the second language. It can inspire empathy from students who have to learn in a second language as well, and in a best case scenario both populations end up bilingual. Opponents, however argue that in the case of ESL learners who speak their native language at home, any school time spent in that language slows English progress. Likewise, they worry that all students will fall behind in core subjects if half the class is constantly working through a language barrier.

Could programs like this work in Japan, either by presenting duel English lessons or other languages for places with a large immigrant population (areas with large amounts of Portuguese speakers, for example)? The idea is daunting but intriguing. Beyond just the language benefit, Japanese students would see what it's like to be truly immersed in another language, something that happens all too rarely in the English classroom.

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