Both of there interviews discuss the effectiveness of immersion and how it is significantly more effective than learning in a classroom. However, both interviewees stated that a background of classroom learning BEFORE being immersed in a culture gives a huge head start when entering the culture. Reading comprehension and listening skills (both acquired in the classroom) are essential for beginning language learners (Krashen 1983), but to fully master a language, the communication skills acquired from immersion are necessary.
In the interview with Professor Nelsen, she told us that she went to Spain without knowing a lot of Spanish vocabulary and grammar. After her first two month in Spain, she could not even understand most Spanish and she had to do a lot of memorization on her own before she really went to school to study. She told us that "I think it would have best acquire a little bit more before leaving and then putting into practice because I found myself doing a lot of backtracking. Learning at the time meant that I knew masculine and feminine gender of nouns something that doesn’t happen in English so it would take me years to fix just six months of kind of not paying much attention to this." From her words, we can tell that although the immersion experience make her be able to speak fluent Spanish, she still needs to do more learning afterwards to know more about conjugations, grammars.When we learn a language in the classroom, we learn a language in separated parts, like grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension. If she could memorize more vocabulary, acquire more reading and listening skills of Spanish in classroom, she doesn't have to do a lot of backtracking and speak really fluent and clean Spanish. Her experience of learning Spanish and her reflection about it actually forwards the the Krashen's theory that "Reading comprehension and listening skills(both acquired in the classroom) are essential for beginning language learners. Bridget states this as well in her interview. Her interview also mentions what Haiyan Qiang, Siegel, Linda S.points out in their research “ In traditional English classroom teaching, teachers customarily pay attention only to language teaching in areas such as grammar, word memory, and sentence pattern drills. The English immersion approach focuses on overall development in English language cognition, subject area knowledge, and socio-cultural competencies.” She said that the classroom learning in China taught her basic English skills including vocabulary, grammar and how to read and write but not train her speak English and teach her many idioms in English.(She mentioned her troubles with English idioms in her own literacy narrative). But if she hasn't learned English in classroom first, she is no able to quickly get immersed in the new language environment and put what she learned before in practice.She emphasized the importance of both classroom learning and immersion, saying that the classroom prepared her sufficiently for entering American culture.
Building a foundation in the classroom is essential to learning a language. Once the foundation is built, then it can be effectively expanded upon.
Analyzed by : Yi Pei (Bridget) Scott Clanton
Work cited:
Krashen, S. D. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED230069
Haiyan Qiang, Siegel, Linda S. INTRODUCTION OF ENGLISH IMMERSION IN CHINA: A TRANSPLANT WITH MODIFICATIONS. International Education; Spring2012, Vol. 41 Issue 2, p6-18, 13p
Further Analysis on the two source:
http://wrtingproject3.weebly.com/my-thoughts-about-source-3.html
In the interview with Professor Nelsen, she told us that she went to Spain without knowing a lot of Spanish vocabulary and grammar. After her first two month in Spain, she could not even understand most Spanish and she had to do a lot of memorization on her own before she really went to school to study. She told us that "I think it would have best acquire a little bit more before leaving and then putting into practice because I found myself doing a lot of backtracking. Learning at the time meant that I knew masculine and feminine gender of nouns something that doesn’t happen in English so it would take me years to fix just six months of kind of not paying much attention to this." From her words, we can tell that although the immersion experience make her be able to speak fluent Spanish, she still needs to do more learning afterwards to know more about conjugations, grammars.When we learn a language in the classroom, we learn a language in separated parts, like grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension. If she could memorize more vocabulary, acquire more reading and listening skills of Spanish in classroom, she doesn't have to do a lot of backtracking and speak really fluent and clean Spanish. Her experience of learning Spanish and her reflection about it actually forwards the the Krashen's theory that "Reading comprehension and listening skills(both acquired in the classroom) are essential for beginning language learners. Bridget states this as well in her interview. Her interview also mentions what Haiyan Qiang, Siegel, Linda S.points out in their research “ In traditional English classroom teaching, teachers customarily pay attention only to language teaching in areas such as grammar, word memory, and sentence pattern drills. The English immersion approach focuses on overall development in English language cognition, subject area knowledge, and socio-cultural competencies.” She said that the classroom learning in China taught her basic English skills including vocabulary, grammar and how to read and write but not train her speak English and teach her many idioms in English.(She mentioned her troubles with English idioms in her own literacy narrative). But if she hasn't learned English in classroom first, she is no able to quickly get immersed in the new language environment and put what she learned before in practice.She emphasized the importance of both classroom learning and immersion, saying that the classroom prepared her sufficiently for entering American culture.
Building a foundation in the classroom is essential to learning a language. Once the foundation is built, then it can be effectively expanded upon.
Analyzed by : Yi Pei (Bridget) Scott Clanton
Work cited:
Krashen, S. D. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED230069
Haiyan Qiang, Siegel, Linda S. INTRODUCTION OF ENGLISH IMMERSION IN CHINA: A TRANSPLANT WITH MODIFICATIONS. International Education; Spring2012, Vol. 41 Issue 2, p6-18, 13p
Further Analysis on the two source:
http://wrtingproject3.weebly.com/my-thoughts-about-source-3.html
Images from :http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/category/english-learners/
http://queens.abroadoffice.net/langauge.html