1. French Immersion (以下简称FI）是什么？
2.如何查找自己所在区域的FI学校。
3. FI适合什么样的孩子。
4.不同区域的FI的介绍链接。
5.如何报名FI。
6.FI的课程设置。
7.我对FI的看法。
1. French Immersion (以下简称FI）是什么？
French immersion programming spread rapidly from its original start in Canada in 1965. French Immersion education is optional and not compulsory. Parents have the choice in sending their children to schools that offer such programming. Students are encouraged to begin communicating in French as consistently as possible. Teachers in French Immersion schools are competent in speaking French. Classroom communication of French in French Immersion programs is meaningful and authentic for students. Learning French becomes subconscious and there is a strong focus on understanding before speaking. Most students that enroll in French Immersion programs are not experts in French and lack experience in it. Students in French Immersion programs complete the same curriculum as students in the Core program.[1]
[edit] Formats
Programs:
French Immersion: French as the language of instruction
Extended French: available only in Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia; French as the language of instruction for one or two core subjects in addition to French Language Arts
Intensive French: a more recent program which started in 1998 in Newfoundland and Labrador and branched out to six other provinces and the Northwest Territories; intensive period of French instruction for one-half of the school year (70% of school day in French)[2]
Age: The age an individual begins the French Immersion program varies:
Early Immersion: Kindergarten (infant age)
Middle Immersion: Nine to ten years old
Late Immersion: Secondary level
Time: The amount of time French Immersion students spend in immersion varies:
Total: commences with 100% immersion in the second language and continually decreases to 50%
Partial: commences with close to 50% immersion and remains at this level[3]
[edit] Benefits
Data shows that students enrolled in French Immersion programs often show superior academic achievement than their regular-programmed peers.[4]
Students participate in French Immersion programs to gain employability-related skills and to increase job opportunities.[5]
Students in French Immersion demonstrate a superior level of mental flexibility, which is an ability to think more independently of words and to have a higher awareness of concept formation as well as a more diversified intelligence than students in the regular program.[6]
Data illustrates that students in French Immersion programs also have a linguistic advantage as they are able to adopt two different perspectives, offering alternative ways to look at the same information.[7]
French Immersion students also have a deeper appreciation and respect for various cultures. In addition, they also gain more fulfillment in learning a new language.[8]
Students in French immersion programs also have greater opportunity to understand their own culture or their own nation. For example, Canada's identity is based on the fact that it holds two official languages, English and French. French Immersion students have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of what it means to be Canadian through the French Immersion program.[9]
[edit] Challenges
Many challenges in participating in French Immersion programs subsist. For example, many French Immersion students do not reach native-like language proficiency in French.[10]
In addition, there is a lack of willingness on the part of French Immersion students to communicate in French outside of the classroom. This could be because they do not feel prepared or equipped to practice the language.[11]
Also, there are students who face additional challenges in learning French as they may have various language or learning difficulties as well.[12]
