Image: Mitchell Hall via WCUPA Virtual Tour of North Campus
The study of foreign languages has long been a topic of interest for me. For the past four semesters, I have worked as a tutor of Spanish and Russian at West Chester University (WCU), so I have had a lot of exposure to the ways in which languages are taught at this university. The current dominant approach is “immersion learning,” in which students are taught entirely in the foreign language, without the use of English. Unfortunately, this approach is not always beneficial for students.
Almost all of the students who have come to my tutoring sessions, especially those taking 100-level courses, have thanked me profusely for explaining concepts in English. Professors, they say, do not elucidate topics of grammar and vocabulary in the language that the students understand. The constant use of the foreign language leaves these students in the dark about what they are meant to be learning in class. It is confusing for them and does not facilitate learning.
Learning a language by immersion is most effective if the learner is constantly exposed to the language. Attending 75-minute classes two days a week hardly provides adequate exposure. Additionally, many students are just seeking to pass the class, not actually to become competent speakers of the language, which makes the immersion experience even more frustrating as they see little benefit from it. The goal of language classes should be to instill conversational skills in students and motivate them to improve their use of the language. Unfortunately, when students cannot understand what is going on in a class, they can become unmotivated, even if they do have a genuine desire to learn the language.
I do not wish to imply that immersion learning is never useful. In fact, some professors are talented at teaching by immersion, and their students benefit greatly from the correct application of this method. While it takes some time for learners to get accustomed to the use of the new language, they can catch on when the professor uses repetitive phrases, gestures and pictures to illustrate what they are trying to convey. Professors who are skilled at this type of teaching are able to help students quickly gain basic comprehension of the language and even apply basic communication skills. I am all in favor of pedagogical tactics that work well.
However, good immersion learning is not a pedagogical skill that every professor is trained in, nor, in my view, can it be applied in every circumstance. There is nothing wrong with this since there are other methods that can work quite well. Often, students find it easier to have concepts explained in their native language in order for them to fully understand. Some nuances of grammar and vocabulary are very difficult to convey without explaining them clearly in English. Also, students who have taken language classes before college are accustomed to having concepts explained in English, and, if thrust into an immersion environment, it is hard for them to adapt to having to figure everything out in a foreign language. Therefore, I think that we should not undervalue traditional methods including explaining concepts in English to ensure that students fully comprehend them.
Naturally, higher-level language classes should be taught in the foreign language once students understand the grammar and lexicon. The exclusive use of the foreign language forces them to improve their fluency. However, I believe this approach works best for students who already have a good foundation in the language. When a student is just beginning to learn the language, it is often more beneficial to have things explained in English. When done right, immersion teaching can be an excellent approach. However, I believe that in many cases, students will understand concepts better in the language they are more familiar with. And once students fully grasp a concept, they are more confident in using it in a foreign language. Students’ understanding of concepts should take precedence over strict adherence to any particular pedagogical method.
Emily Karreman is a fourth-year student with majors in History and Russian and minors in Spanish and Global Studies.