Structured English Immersion
Structured English Immersion (SEI) is a teaching methodology designed to help speakers of other languages quickly and effectively acquire English. This approach focuses solely on English language acquisition, contrasting with bilingual education programs that support maintaining a student's primary language alongside English learning. Advocates of SEI argue that it offers a more efficient and cost-effective means for English language learners (ELLs) to achieve proficiency. Originating in Canada in the 1980s, SEI drew inspiration from French immersion programs, but its implementation in the United States has sparked controversy, particularly regarding its perceived role in promoting English over native languages.
SEI programs typically follow a set of best practices, including dedicating a significant portion of the school day to English instruction and grouping students by their proficiency levels. While many SEI programs are employed in K–12 public schools, they often face opposition from proponents of bilingual education, who argue for a more balanced approach to language learning. The effectiveness of SEI can vary based on adherence to established frameworks, and its political implications remain a topic of discussion across various states. As the demand for effective English instruction continues, Structured English Immersion is likely to remain a focal point in educational debates.
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Structured English Immersion
Structured English immersion refers to a specific methodology for teaching English to speakers of other languages. Unlike approaches that seek to maintain the primary language of English language learners (ELLs), structured English immersion programs concentrate solely upon the acquisition of English as the end goal of instruction. Advocates for bilingual education often decry the use of structured English immersion, but its advocates tout it as a relatively quick and inexpensive way to build English proficiency for ELLs. Research supports that structured English immersion tends to be more effective than bilingual education for improving the academic achievement of ELLs. As with most language acquisition programs, structured English immersion is predicated upon adherence to an evolving framework of best practices.
Overview
Structured English immersion was first put forth by Keith Baker and Adriana de Kanter in a 1983 recommendation to the Canadian government as a way to quickly and inexpensively assist non-English speakers become fluent in English. Canadian use of structured English immersion was based upon the success of Canada’s French immersion programs for native English speakers. Use of structured English immersion programs in the United States, however, has sometimes been used as a way to force speakers of other languages to acquire English. Structured English immersion programs in the United States have often been advocated over bilingual education programs that encourage the maintenance of the ELLs primary language while also teaching English.
A variety of models exist for instructing English to speakers of other languages. While ELLs can acquire English at any age, most English acquisition programs are used in K–12 public schools. Transitional bilingual education involves instruction in a child’s native language in an effort to ensure that he or she will not lose ground in mathematics, social studies, and science while learning English. These programs can last six or more years, although most attempt to transition the students out after three years. Dual language immersion programs are designed to assist both native English speakers and ELLs to become bilingual and biliterate. These programs often begin in Kindergarten with 90 percent of instruction in the minority language and 10 percent in English, with the goal of equally dividing the languages among curriculum by the time children are enrolled in the fifth grade. Studies suggest that dual language immersion programs are highly effective, although difficult to implement due to the cost of using two teachers or the scarcity of qualified personnel who speak certain minority languages.
Structured English immersion became popular in part due to opposition in certain quarters to transitional and late-exit bilingual education programs. They are less expensive than dual language immersion programs insofar that the classroom teacher may be an English-only speaker. They are also most effective when they follow a framework based upon best practices. This framework includes:
Devoting a significant portion of the school day to teaching English;
Grouping students for instruction based upon their levels of English language proficiency;
Focusing on English language acquisition as the main objective;
Maintaining English as the language of instruction;
Engaging students and teachers in listening to, speaking, reading, and writing English;
Using instructional methods that teach English as a second language;
Teaching of specific and explicit grammar skills;
Maintaining rigorous time lines for students to exit the program;
Providing support services to ELLs after exit from the program; and
Assisting graduates of the program to be designated as fluent in English.
Structured English immersion programs that adhere to this framework tend to be much more successful than those that do not. Structured English immersion continues to be a controversial political issue. On the one hand, voters in Arizona, California, and Massachusetts passed referendums that made structured English immersion the preferred method of English language instruction for speakers of other languages. On the other hand, voters in Colorado rejected a similar proposal. As interest in educating speakers of other languages grows, structured English immersion will continue to be an issue of interest.
Bibliography
Baker, Colin. Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 5th ed. Buffalo: Multilingual Matters, 2011. Print.
Cary, Stephen. Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions. 2nd ed. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2007. Print.
Crawford, J., and S. Krashen. English Learners in American Classrooms: 101 Questions/101 Answers. New York: Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2007. Print.
Freeman, D., and Y. Freeman. English Language Learners: The Essential Guide. New York: Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2007. Print.
Garcia, O., and J. Kleifgen, Educating Emergent Bilinguals: Policies, Programs, and Practices for English Language Learners. New York: Teachers College P, 2010. Print.
Krashen, S. D. Explorations in Language Acquisition and Use. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003. Print.
Nieto, S. The Light in Their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities. New York: Teachers College P, 2010. Print.
Santa Ana, O. Tongue Tied: The Lives of Multi-Lingual Children in Public Education. Lanham: Rowman, 2004. Print.