What is Language Immersion?
By Language Immersion we mean an
Immersion Program where our students
are surrounded by qualified staff and
materials in English (in the morning) and
in Spanish (in the afternoon), providing
as many educational and recreational
experiences as possible to expose the
children to the English and Spanish
language and culture.
English/Spanish Immersion means that your child is
immersed, surrounded by two languages in separate
programs and culture during his or her school day, in the
morning only in English, in the afternoon only in Spanish.
The BTBS program is held in an academic and
developmentally appropriate preschool environment and
designed for children who:
- Speak only English and want to learn how to read
and write in English and also want to learn a second
language (Spanish).
- Speak only Spanish and wants to learn how to read
and write in Spanish and also want to learn English
and/or improve their English skills.
- Speak any other language and want to learn how to
read and write in English and also want to learn
another language (Spanish).
When very young children are "immersed" in a language, their
brains actually form new neural connections. This strengthens
their intellectual "foundation" as well as future academic
success.
BTBS is the program that has everything you are looking for:
academic excellence, innovative approach, parent
participation, and more, “mucho mas”, in two languages.
You will be surprised to see how soon you will find your child
using and comprehending two languages at the same time!
Why Learn Another Language
at an Early Age?
One widely held misconception is that there is room in a child's
head for only one language and one culture. In this as in other
ways we grossly underestimate the capacities of children. Maria
Montessori, who knew children very well, wrote, "Only a child
under the age of five can construct the mechanism of language,
and can speak any number of languages if they are in his
environment at birth". It has been proven in many studies that
those children with English-speaking parents, living with nannies
speaking a different language (usually Spanish), learn a second
language without any problems, and bridge connections between
“both worlds” many times as interpreters, allowing their parents
to communicate with the childcare provider.
The earlier a child learns the language, the better their
pronunciation will be. Why? Because neck and mouth muscles
are the main elements in the phonetic apparatus.
When a baby is born, the sounds they emit do not follow specific
patterns. After some time, the child is exposed to the sound of
one language and the muscles of their vocal tract adapt to the
learned language. Different languages have different sounds
produced by different parts of the vocal tract. As time passes, our
muscles take the “shape” for a specific language. As we grow,
the incorporation of new sounds becomes more difficult. That is
why when we learn a language as a grown up it is more difficult
than when we are children. When children learn a language at a
younger age, they learn to speak each language with native-like
pronunciation.
There are also many other benefits from speaking another
language. Recent studies have shown that there are "windows of
opportunity" for learning certain skills. The ability to speak another
language also leads to many other benefits such as:
Improves academic and linguistic skills in both languages.
Promotes brain development to increase cognitive skills.
Widens career opportunities and broadens worldview.
Statistically superior scores on SATs and college entrance
exams.
Increases college and university attendance.
Boosts English language skills.
Provides lifelong benefits in learning capacity.
Studies have shown that along with a broader cultural outlook,
learning a second language also gives academic and
developmental advantages. These are a few findings about these
benefits:
• A second language promotes improved overall performance in
school and an advantage in problem-solving skills (Bamford &
Mizokawa, 1991)
• Students with at least 4 years of foreign language study
outscored other students on both verbal and math portions of the
SAT (The College Board SAT, 2003)
• Students involved in rigorous high school programs, including
3 years of language study were more likely to receive better
grades and not drop out. (Horn & Kojaku, 2001)
• Learning a second language can enhance knowledge of
English structure and vocabulary. (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004)
• Students of foreign languages have better career opportunities.
(Carreira & Armengol, 2001)
• “Learning other languages alters the brain's gray matter, that
processes information, much like exercise promotes muscle
growth. People who learn a second language at a younger age
were also more likely to have advanced gray matter in
comparison to those who learned later.”
• A key linguistic benefit of early language learning is a more
native-like speaking ability:
- “Early exposure is the best way for children to attain full and
equal native fluency in two languages with no errors in
pronunciation or grammar.” (Start Early to Help Your Child
Become Bilingual, Pediatrics for Parents, Vol. 20, Iss. 10, 2003)
• Learning a second language also leads to:
- An enhanced level of English language abilities and
metalinguistic awareness (which enhances one's ability to read
in any language) as it promotes decoding abilities.
- Greater facility in learning additional languages.
• BTS parents prepare their children for a life of success in a
world with a variety of cultures and languages in the 21st century.
Becoming Bilingual
In an increasingly globalized world, the learning a second language
is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity. Here are
some articles about BTBS' Language Immersion program and the
importance of learning a second language.
