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Students interact with a professor during the dual
language immersion program. |
PULLMAN, Wash. – Thirteen Washington State University students recently spoke only Japanese for one week, six hours a day. It was challenging; but they enjoyed it so much that many want to sign up for the next dual language immersion program Aug. 31-Sept. 18.
“How many times a year does a student get to use six hours of Japanese every day during a week?” asked Adrian Ellison, a social sciences major who took part in the March program. “Never! Not only is this type of program very rare, but the amount of time using the language I am studying is rare as well.”
In the inaugural program, the WSU students were partnered with 16 visiting students from six universities in Japan for Japanese/English immersion classes and various activities and excursions. The students practiced their mutual languages and created lasting intercultural bonds.
“It was very clear that all of the students were able to create lasting memories and develop lifelong friendships,” said Anne Drobish-Shahat, special programs coordinator in the WSU Intensive American Language Center (IALC), which conducted the program.
“I’ve never seen WSU students so completely involved and dedicated to anything as much as these students were,” said Rob MacAuslan, adjunct WSU sociology and IALC instructor. “I was incredibly impressed by these students’ complete commitment to the program from start to finish.”
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Students participate in a linguistics
exercise during the program. |
The IALC – under administrative oversight of WSU’s Office of International Programs – prepares international students requiring English language competency with linguistic and other skill sets to be successful in their academic careers. The IALC has been spearheading development of the dual language immersion program since early 2012.
Pamela Duran, IALC director, and William Brecher, assistant professor of Japanese, worked with the American Cultural Exchange of Japan to create a program that brought native Japanese and English speakers together for three weeks of linguistic and cultural immersion. That included English as a Second Language classes for the Japanese students and bilingual classes for the Japanese and American students together.
The immersion classes were conducted by visiting faculty member Deborah Connell, communications skills teacher at Union County Public Schools in Monroe, N.C., and Reho Abo, IALC instructor. Dynamic activities focused on useful conversation practice and critical thinking, designed to emphasize cooperation and intercultural understanding.
Other IALC faculty led courses developing students’ cultural and linguistic competencies to strengthen the overall outcomes from the experience for both the WSU and Japanese students.
Students worked together on special projects, such as making a short film, to encourage creativity, problem-solving and natural dialogue. The Japanese students attended a WSU baseball game and visited the Appaloosa Horse Museum.
“It is very exciting that we were able to have such a successful program that brought so many bright individuals together,” said Duran. WSU offers classes in several other languages, and there is the possibility for additional dual language programs in the future.