The question is: Is total immersion the right way to learn a 2nd language? That is basically what we do to our ESL/ELL students in our classrooms. We chastise them for speaking to their peers; we isolate them from all that was familiar; we stick them in a corner or send them to the office when they shut down; we put them off to the side during a math or social studies lesson when we feel the content is too hard or we give them mindless activities to keep them busy. Before coming to this country, it bothered me somewhat that there were so many advertisements and signs written in Spanish and English. My thought was that if you were going to be in America, you should know how to speak the language….English! Thank God there are signs here in English! I am also glad that there are people here who speak my native language! If nothing else, this trip has taught me what it feels like to be a second language learner and to have that reverse discrimination. It was very frustrating to be turned down by 2 available taxi drivers because I could not communicate effectively in Spanish!
I have learned that I need to speak to my peers (who speak my language); I have learned to gather those things around me that I am familiar with; I have learned that it’s almost impossible to go a full day without reaching the saturation point and shutting down; I have learned that I can grasp complex concepts through content, group discussion, practice, and application…..which I can’t do from a corner!
Immersion works, but we need to give those special considerations for our ESL/ELL Students too!
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