What is Language Immersion? In the competitive world of today, learning is a necessity. However, many people take up learning as a hobby- especially learning different languages. This has led to the growth of language immersion. Having been considered as the most effective technique of teaching in language schools over the ages, language immersion aims at teaching the target language by using it as a medium of instruction. The target language in any language course is the language that is to be learned.

This method of teaching incorporates immersing the students in the target (or second) language. In earlier days, the language that was to be learned was considered as a subject. However, recent techniques have been revised to form a better learning experience. All instructions are meted out in the target language and it is used as a tool for teaching not only inside the classroom but also outside it. For example, let an English school be considered. Students attending this school would want to learn the language as well. Instead of setting down only a classroom based English course, all subjects are taught in the English language. Everyday activities like meals are also conducted in English. You can get acquainted with this method while attending a Spanish course or a French course as well.

History Of Immersion: The modern and more effective technique of teaching languages is based on the programs which were started in Canada in the 1960s. It originated when a few English speaking parents belonging to the middle income group asked teachers to inculcate a French immersion program so that their wards would learn about the cultures and customs of the French speaking Canadians. These programs gained popularity in the 1980s, especially in the United States, due to various reasons. A competitive global economy gave rise to an increased number of second language learners. The success of earlier programs also led to the heightened popularity of this method.

Submersion: A slight difference exists between the immersion and submersion processes. In the former, the target language is learned by everyone in the class. Submersion is when only a couple of students are learning a language which is the first language for the rest of the class. Learning in this method is much more difficult as it is up to the student to take in as much knowledge about the language as possible.