Learning English by Immersion
By Oliver Kim

Considering immersion school for your child? Do you have questions or are you worried about your child becoming overwhelmed? Wondering if your child will be able to follow instruction in another language? Read about one successful English immersion school in Austria and an immersion school teacher’s professional advice.

Profile of one Immersion School in Austria: LISA
The Linz International School Auhof (LISA) is unique as it is the only public school in Austria that offers instruction in English. Students have the possibility of graduating with both the Austrian Matura as well as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Our goal is to give the students a broad general education (we are not a vocational school) and to teach them English to the extent that they are capable of using this language with confidence and competence by the time they graduate. It is our intent that the students become “bilingual“ by the end of their school career.

Of course, the term "bilingualism" can have a wide range of different meanings and we have decided not to limit ourselves to one particular definition. Rather, we have a somewhat pragmatic approach: By the time the students graduate, English should have become second nature to them to the extent that they are capable of passing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (examined in English) without problems. This is an ambitious goal. One should not forget that the students are living in country where the majority language is German.

Due to the strong prevalence of the German language, the school must provide a context which maximizes exposure to the English language but at the same time ensures that curriculum material is taught. In order to give the students sufficient opportunity to practice and apply their English, it is necessary to create a primarilly English-speaking context. Our school employs staff members that are capable of teaching their material in English. Native English-speaking assistants are employed, and appropriate textbooks are ordered from Great Britain and the US. There is a problem though. A majority of the students coming to our school after elementary school do not understand sufficient English to follow the lessons.

We therefore do not have a separate ESL (English as a second language) program; rather, the school teaches the contents of the national curriculum in both German and English (parallel) to the students. The teacher switches back and fourth between those languages. Over the years the use of German is reduced. It is still taught as a language course, but is not used for other subjects, so that the strong focus on English remains.

Additional foreign languages are required. French is is introduced in 7th grade and students have to choose between Italian, Spanish and Latin starting in 9th grade. Additional courses in Russian, Polish and Czech are offered as voluntary courses for gifted students. By the time they graduate, the students will have studied a minimum of four languages, including German.

Immersion schooling: Frequently Asked Questions
It is interesting to note that parents are often a bit worried before their children start the new school. We sometimes reply jokingly: "Do not worry about your own English capabilities! If you don’t know much English, then you will automatically learn this language along with your child, when you help them with the homework!". Many parents simply cannot imagine that by the end of the first year their children are able to understand and even communicate in basic English. But it is possible.

What’s so special about the program? After all, English is also taught as a subject in other schools. Is it not enough to attend regular English courses to learn the language? It depends on what you want. Of course one can learn a language by attending a dedicated language course. It may, however, take longer to reach a comparable level. An important advantage of immersion learning is that students learn a range of subject-specific vocabulary that are otherwise not obtained. It is unlikely that domain-specific words like millipede, bone marrow and antlers can be found on an average vocabulary list taught in a language subject. These words, however, are covered during the regular biology lesson. A second important advantage is that students simply have more opportunity to practice their verbal abilities. How much speaking time can one student get in a class of 30 students during regular language lessons? In the case of an immersion system, it is simply not possible for a student not to open his or her mouth during the course of a day.

Are the students delayed at the beginning? Many parents are concerned that teaching both in English and German during the first months may result in an academic set-back. It is correct that it may not be possible to teach the same quantity of material and that energy and time is spent to teach (and learn) the subject in two languages. As teachers switch and teach more and more using English, this initial delay is quickly recovered. The fear that this delay results in an overall lower academic achievement is clearly countered by the fact that students repeatedly achieve outstanding results at both their International Baccalaureate Diploma and the national school-leaving examination. I also try to convince parents that the use of high-quality English-language teaching materials, engaged teachers, a willingness to study, and a positive working environment probably play a greater significance in determining academic achievement than the fact that the material is initially taught in two languages.

Will the students understand the English textbooks? It is extremely difficult to obtain textbooks and teaching materials that are specifically designed for the needs of bilingual education. What we need are materials that cover the curriculum but use a simplified language. Authentic teaching materials imported from the US or Great Britain, written for students that are already fluent in the English lanugage, is simply too advanced for beginning language learners. On the other hand, material that is written in a simple language often does not meet our curricular requirements.
The question of whether students understand authentic teaching material must be answered in different ways. Beginning students often encounter problems in understanding both the language and the content, while more experienced students have already acquired the necessary skills to deal with both content and language. Teachers are therefore expected to evalutate the situation and make decisions appropriately.

Are my children capable of following instruction in the English language? If the instruction is only given in English, and the student did not learn English in Elementary school, then he or she will not be able to unterstand the instruction. How could they? During the beginning months, the teacher therefore uses both German and English as languages of instruction. Tests are administered in both languages (on the same sheet) and the student is allowed to choose the language. As the student’s level of English improves, the teacher will place a stronger emphasis on English, until German is not used at all. It is important to note that English is never forced! This the only way we can ensure that the student develops a positive attitude towards the language. This bilingual model also benefits students who do not speak German and who are given the opportunity to learn the language. It is interesting to observe that many students choose to answer the quesitons in English rather than their native German. This can be easily explained: After all, the majority of reading material and work sheets are in English. The student starts to think in English and it would be a greater effort for them to think up an answer in German and then to translate it into English.

Are my own English language capabilities sufficient to support my child in school work? This question often arises from a misconception. Many parents have attended a school system in which foreign languages were taught in a rather "formalistic" way - with a focus on grammar and vocabulary and a strong theoretical/linguistic component. I sometimes get the impression that some parents (while capable of conversing in simple English) are worried that they will harm the language acquisition of their child. "What if I teach them something wrong?" This fear is not openly voiced, but often becomes evident during the admission interviews.
Here it must be stated that our school has a different concept of language learning than the parents assume. The formal, linguistic component is only one aspect of language acquisition. It is important that the children are immersed in an environment where a lot of English is spoken. I’d rather have the parents talk to their children in poor English than not at all. Errors are an integral component of the learning process.

Will bilingual instruction not exert my child too much? Many parents are concerned that the education of the curriculum in a foreign language might exert their child too much and cause high stress. Of course it is difficult, if not impossible, to give a short and universal answer to this question, as many factors besides language issues are involved. We repeatedly tell the parents that the academic success and stress issues depend to a large extent on the willigness of the child to attend a bilingual school and his or her intrinsic motivation. Occassionally, students were enrolled in the school because it was the wish of the parents, and not the wish of the child. In our view this is to be avoided and might indeed be an unnecessary burden on the child.

Will my children forget their mother tongue? Other parents are concerend that their children will not get enough German input in the non-language subjects and will therefore be disadvantaged when they continue their studies at university. What if they don’t learn enough of the subject-specific vocabulary? I always tell parents that the ability of the child to understand English is probably a better preparation for university life. Many courses in our national university system are already taught in the English language (at least in the sciences). The increased internationalization with exchange professors also plays a role in English being a common language of instruction at university.
I vividly remember a conversation that I had a few years ago with a former student of our school. I asked her if she benefitted from her English abilities. Her answer was, "During the lectures I have to smile to myself when I see the other students trying to follow the lesson, looking up vocabulary words in their thick dictionaries. And to me it’s second nature. But unfortunately they did away with the lessons in English. There had been too much student protest against it. The head of the department was fuming with anger."

Certainly parents and students alike are very anxious for our ambitious program at LISA to succeed. The International Baccalaureate program is a central driving force and gives both students and teachers a goal to work towards. Our school is successful due to many reasons. In my view, the most important factors are supportive parents, a motivated staff, as well as a student body willing to take on the challenge of a bilingual education.

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Oliver Kim is an instructor at the Linz International School Auhof, Austria. He teaches the subjects of IB Biology, Computer Science as well as Theory of Knowledge. Visit LISA at: www.auhof.eduhi.at/lisa/

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