Language Learning

By Elizabeth Gregory

I have studied 3 foreign languages, taught 2 languages, and have also participated in immersion programs for 2 different languages. For Spanish, I took 6 years of classroom instruction here in the US and spent one semester in Spain in an immersion program. I can honestly say that I learned more in the 4 months I was in country than the 6 years of classroom instruction. However, this does not mean that classroom language instruction is obsolete or unnecessary. I have outlined some of the advantages of each instructional method below as well as where the 2 overlap. Immersion is always a good way for any language student to refine or brush up on their skills in a setting where the language is used everyday in every way. Additionally, absolute beginners can benefit from immersion by getting a solid start without too much translating back to their native language as often happens in the classroom.

Classroom instruction advantages
• More emphasis on accurately using grammatical structures
• Explanations can be given in native language for ease of understanding
• Textbooks typically include explanations in native language
• Frequently, more focus on reading and writing

Immersion instruction advantages
• Typically much smaller class size
• Native speakers of the target language
• Students tend to learn a lot more in a much shorter period of time
• Frequently, more focus on oral communication

The same for classroom and immersion
• Students grouped by language level
• Same goal of target language learning