Immersion

Yared Dibaba is not only a multitalented artist, but a multitalented linguist, too. Born in Ethiopia, he plunged into the German language and culture at the age of four – and learnt German via immersion. He is a fan of ‘Plattdeutsch’ and speaks not only German and English, but also Oromo, Swahili, Amharic and French

In special classes, refugee children learn German until they are able to keep up in normal lessons. The immersion method is used, so that they fully absorb the language

People who have not spent an extended period abroad or grown up in a multilingual family can still immerse themselves in a language thanks to special educational trips

With the immersion method, children pick up languages automatically – without the stress of vocabulary lists. In the Phorms nurseries and reception classes, children always have contact with one English-speaking and one German-speaking teacher on a day-to-day basis. At primary school, four subjects are taught in English and, at secondary school, the students can choose international qualifications in addition to the German Abitur. In addition, all Phorms schools cover regional differences in their curricula. Phorms teachers from Berlin Süd, Hamburg and Frankfurt offer a glimpse behind the scenes at our schools.

It’s an exciting time in the field of language education: bilingual immersion education is a model that can assist schools in realising children’s multilingual potential. But what exactly is an immersion programme, how can I help as a parent and what does it mean for my child? Helena Curtain, an expert in language and immersion education, answers some important questions regarding immersion programmes