Sprechen sie Englisch? Local kindergarteners respond to language immersion program

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ciara M. Travis
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Midterm results of the language immersion program, "English on the Doorstep," were released during a presentation on April 7 to Rheinland-Pfalz Minister of the Interior, Karl Peter Bruch, and Brig. Gen. Mark Dillon, 86th Airlift Wing commander.

The project has compared two different techniques to teach the children English.

Sponsored and directed by Kaiserslautern University, the project was initiated by the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, the city of Kaiserslautern and the KMC, and has been used in the Villa Winzig since September 2009.

While the 25 students at Villa Winzig, a German kindergarten in the Kaiserslautern area, have been learning the second language by full immersion, another group of students at a kindergarten in the neighborhood has learned English only once a week.

So far, results have shown the full immersion into the English language has offered the best results for the program.

"From what I have observed, the program seems to be working very well," said Christine Dodd, Villa Winzig kindergarten teacher. "The children who spend a lot of time with me obviously understand more than the children who don't."

During the first few years, the program's main focus isn't designed to teach the children to speak English, but instead to help the children understand the language the same way infants learn a language from the start. Later the children should gradually begin speaking English in little steps.

Mrs. Dodd, a British native, was hired by the state of Rheinland-Pfalz to teach the children by accompanying them in the group, continuously talking to them in English.

"I have enjoyed the work very much," Mrs. Dodd said. "It has been a very interesting experience to observe how the children have reacted and how their passive vocabulary has developed. I hope the program can continue after the three year trial."

Along with learning a new language, the children have also had the opportunity to learn a new culture. Therefore the project also intends to bring the German children in contact with American children and their families.

"I thought it was a great experience for the children to participate in a visit to an American kindergarten," said Mrs. Dodd. "They were able to spend the morning in class and also eat lunch with the American children."

During the presentation, General Dillon and Minister Bruch watched as several children were quizzed though games on their knowledge of the English language, proving the immersion worked.

"Not only do they want to understand, but they also want to speak English," said Elisabeth Lindemer, Villa Winzig director.

The eagerness of the students has been noticed by their parents, who insist on trying to continue the program throughout elementary school.

While Villa Winzig is one of the first trial schools to run this project, the City of Ramstein-Miesenbach has agreed to use the immersion program at their kindergarten, Pinocchio, as well.