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Publicado: 23 de octubre de 2012
Reflections on “The Case for Structured English Immersion” by Kevin Clark
Elizabeth G. Devine
Ms. Jean Saragosa, Facilitator
Full Structured English Immersion Completion CourseOctober 18, 2011
Reflections on “The Case for Structured English Immersion” by Kevin Clark
The article by Kevin Clark (2009) serves as a general introduction to the topic of StructuredEnglish Immersion (“SEI”) in the United States. He describes how confusing the concept can be not only for the voting public but for educational professionals. He explains how in three states – California,Arizona and Massachusetts (p. 42) – voters passed laws requiring students' fluency in English through SEI. These laws were passed because of concerns about low academic achievement among Englishlanguage learners (“ELLs”). As Clark puts it, implementation is the tricky part.
He goes on to clarify what SEI entails and what it does not entail, gives specific elements of sound SEI initiatives, andprovides case studies to illustrate some successful programs.
From the point of view of my current position, the article helps identify what might be called best practices. Clark's “framework”(2009; pp. 44-45) lists clear definitions of the tenets of SEI (in contrast to, say, “submersion” or “sheltered instruction;” Clark, p. 43). Having taught Spanish and English as to non-native speakers(“world languages”), I can see similarities between their instruction and SEI. For example, treating English as a foreign language and students' acquisition of discrete grammar skills (Clark, p. 45) helpsframe what an SEI instructor is trying to accomplish. The main difference between SEI and typical world language classes I've taught is time. Most of the items in Clark's framework include largeamounts of time instructional time dedicated to SEI. Any world language teacher would relish the same amounts of time dedicated to their languages. And many intensive language instruction institutes...
Elizabeth G. Devine
Ms. Jean Saragosa, Facilitator
Full Structured English Immersion Completion CourseOctober 18, 2011
Reflections on “The Case for Structured English Immersion” by Kevin Clark
The article by Kevin Clark (2009) serves as a general introduction to the topic of StructuredEnglish Immersion (“SEI”) in the United States. He describes how confusing the concept can be not only for the voting public but for educational professionals. He explains how in three states – California,Arizona and Massachusetts (p. 42) – voters passed laws requiring students' fluency in English through SEI. These laws were passed because of concerns about low academic achievement among Englishlanguage learners (“ELLs”). As Clark puts it, implementation is the tricky part.
He goes on to clarify what SEI entails and what it does not entail, gives specific elements of sound SEI initiatives, andprovides case studies to illustrate some successful programs.
From the point of view of my current position, the article helps identify what might be called best practices. Clark's “framework”(2009; pp. 44-45) lists clear definitions of the tenets of SEI (in contrast to, say, “submersion” or “sheltered instruction;” Clark, p. 43). Having taught Spanish and English as to non-native speakers(“world languages”), I can see similarities between their instruction and SEI. For example, treating English as a foreign language and students' acquisition of discrete grammar skills (Clark, p. 45) helpsframe what an SEI instructor is trying to accomplish. The main difference between SEI and typical world language classes I've taught is time. Most of the items in Clark's framework include largeamounts of time instructional time dedicated to SEI. Any world language teacher would relish the same amounts of time dedicated to their languages. And many intensive language instruction institutes...
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