Luckily, many schools and programs are specifically designed for students who like to learn a language besides their mother tongue. Various resources are available online, such as Spanish books for beginners.
Immersion schools like The Magellan International School adopt programs designed for elementary to high school students. They offer a Magellan International Spanish immersion program along with English and Mandarin instruction.
The advantages of immersion programs are that many people believe that to excel in any foreign language, one must go through some complete immersion program as it is the best way to learn a new language. Sufficient scientific and academic research reveals several neurological and psychological benefits of language immersion that improve planning, analysis, judgment, and problem-solving. Besides, there are improvements in empathy and attention, besides delaying the onset of brain disease. The younger the child, the better it is to send them to immersion programs, which is evident from its popularity in schools right from preschool and daycare.
Who benefits the most? While immersion learning benefits children and adults alike, when it comes to learning a foreign language, it appears that children whose parents cannot speak the foreign language benefit the most from it. The reason is that children learn faster from other kids than from adults. Therefore, a classroom teaching session in a foreign language where the teacher is an adult can hinder children's learning process. Children acquire fluency in a foreign language more quickly through immersion programs.
Steps in the learning process Children going through complete immersion programs develop primary literacy in the foreign language they learn, enabling them to understand the language entirely in time. Besides acquiring the ability to read a foreign language, children begin to understand the relationship between written and spoken language and the transfer or translation of one language to another. Besides acquiring proficiency in a foreign language, children develop a strong understanding of the native language, too.
Think global, act locally. In addition to learning the language, students are exposed to cultures they do not encounter daily. It helps them develop the ability to connect with and make friends with various classmates. Children of total immersion schools learn to think globally but act locally, which is the mindset gaining prominence nowadays.
Children of immersion schools perform much better in language skills even if they do not have any prior exposure to the language.
