Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Students prepare a symposium on Dual Language Immersion programs
By Kayla A. Swenson

Students at Utah State University will be giving a dual language immersion presentation at the research symposium this Friday. The symposium will be hosted by the department of languages, philosophy and communication studies.

Last year the department added two linguistics classes that instruct students on teaching in DLI classrooms. Maria Louisa Spicer-Escalante, a Professor of Linguistics and Spanish, teaches both classes presenting at the symposium.

“I’m excited about the symposium,” said Tempe Mabe, a graduate student in the DLI class. “I think that a lot of people don’t know about the Dual Language Immersion program here in Utah. Most people don’t know that it’s growing.”

Utah’s Dual Language Immersion programs include a 50/50 module where elementary-high school students spend half of their day learning core subjects in the target language and the other half in English.

“We have five languages, 25,000 students and 118 programs in Spanish, Chinese, French, Portuguese and German and we are going to start in the fall with Russian,” Spicer-Escalante said on the immersion programs in Utah.

Throughout the semester students in the DLI linguistics classes have been researching the different modules of immersion programs around the world as well as exploring the politics that affect implementation.

“A lot of people still support English only education,” Mabe said. “I’m from Iowa and I had never heard about dual language immersion programs until I came to Utah.”

Most of the students presenting at the symposium are elementary education and secondary education majors. Recently they have switched their focus to becoming dual language immersion teachers.

Michelle Pfost, an Elementary Education major, learned French while serving an LDS mission in France.

“I love the French language so much I thought that well, I will combine both loves: teaching and the French language,” Pfost said.

For the past semester she has been student teaching the French immersion class at Providence Elementary. Next year, Pfost will teach third graders in the French dual language immersion program at Diamond Ridge Elementary in West Valley.

To end the symposium Pfost will give a presentation regarding reflections on teaching and learning in the DLI programs.

“DLI is a very current thing that could be applicable to students who are getting married soon, starting a family soon and considering what they want to do for their children in the future,” said Elizabeth Abell, the moderator of the presentation.

The Symposium will be held this Friday from 3:00-6:30 p.m. in Old Main.


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