{"id":674,"date":"2017-04-11T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-11T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metrokids.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/11\/how-do-kids-benefit-from-language-immersion-programs\/"},"modified":"2017-04-11T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-04-11T05:00:00","slug":"how-do-kids-benefit-from-language-immersion-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metrokids.com\/how-do-kids-benefit-from-language-immersion-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Kids Benefit from Language-Immersion Programs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Decades of research consistently find strong benefits for most learners in pre-K through grade 8 who participate in an immersion, dual-language or two-way language program. In a good program, “You’re not just teaching a language,” says Kathy Kotchick, head of the French International School of Philadelphia<\/a> in Bala Cynwyd, PA. “You’re teaching through language.”<\/p>\n

Cognitive boosts for bilingual students<\/h3>\n

Babies and young children typically acquire the language of their surroundings naturally and efficiently. When that groundwork becomes the foundation for acquiring a second language during the primary school years, the student generally becomes more proficient in the second and subsequent languages than older language learners do.<\/p>\n

Although most experts expect that children may experience a brief temporary lag in developing new languages, testing shows that if students continue to develop their heritage language along with the new language, they get stronger in their first language as well. “The process solidifies their mother tongue,” asserts Kotchick.<\/p>\n

Studies suggest that bilingual brains differ from those of students who don’t become proficient in another language. Bilingual students have stronger attention control, multi-tasking skills and executive-order functions. Bilingual adults delay dementia as much as 4-5 years later than speakers of only one language. Researchers have also found differences between bilingual and monolingual brains in responses to strokes and rehabilitation from strokes, says Kristin Epstein, executive director of YingHua International School<\/a> near Princeton, NJ. Immersion research also provides examples of better problem-solving skills and cognitive flexibility among bilingual learners compared to monolingual peers. “They’re more creative problem solvers,” says Epstein. “They understand and know in a different way.”<\/p>\n

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Types of Programs<\/strong>
\nLanguage-immersion programs have many different names and formats. Two-way immersion, dual-language immersion or (developmental) bilingual education programs generally have the following key components:<\/p>\n