“Immersion” is when something or someone is completely surrounded by something else. So, to learn the English language by immersion, you must surround yourself with the language all the time. This learning method has been scientifically proven to change the way your brain works and helps you think like a native. This is because you are exposed to the language and culture every day, rather than a couple of hours per week in a classroom.
Consider how a baby learns to speak. They come into the world without understanding anything around them, but they are surrounded by people speaking a certain language. Slowly but surely, they learn new words until they are completely fluent, all by listening and watching the people around them. The immersion method is very similar to this process. The point is; the more you’re surrounded by people speaking a certain language, the more likely you are to pick it up and piece together certain words until you can have a fluent conversation with someone.
By relocating to an English speaking country to learn the language, either for a long or short period of time, it’s highly likely that you will pick it up fairly quickly. You will have to order food restaurants in English and ask for directions in English; essentially, you will be forced to use the language outside of your classroom.
There are other steps you can take to truly immerse yourself in the English language, such as changing the language on your phone and social media accounts. You could join online forums where you can chat to other people in English over instant messenger. It’s also worth watching TV shows and movies in English; first with subtitles and then eventually without them. Furthermore, you could read English books or listen to English music.
At Our World English, we offer excellent quality summer courses to help our students learn English in a truly immersive environment. Please contact us for further information!
