How can you learn languages effectively? This is one of the most frequently asked questions amongst families interested in the learning model we follow at Globeducate British International Schools. It is not a trivial question as one of the pillars on which the foundations of the educational model of our schools is based is, without doubt, language learning. We would not be able to understand language learning without linguistic immersion which provides many more benefits than the theoretical learning of several hours a week.

And that is precisely what a language immersion programme consists of: soaking up the language from the inside; using it in the context in which you live, without theorising grammar or vocabulary to the maximum: defending yourself in order to understand and be understood. A language immersion programme makes true the phrase "you learn more English (or any other language) by living there for a few years than by studying it all your life". And it also provides an answer to the eternal question that families have about how to learn languages effectively.

Learning languages as a globalising tool 

In our schools we have discovered the secret to learning other languages in a fun, entertaining and, above all, highly effective way. We are advocates of the need to learn different languages and get to know other cultures in order to form true global citizens, capable of getting by in a world which, day after day, presents greater challenges and which accelerates globalisation on a daily basis.

For this reason, we expose pupils from early years education to languages other than their mother tongue, in order to make it easier for them to understand and learn them throughout their academic life.

Learning which, as we say, begins on the first day of Early years Education and continues throughout the child's academic life, even beyond school hours, and which allows them to obtain (if they so wish) an official certificate at the end of their Baccalaureate studies in order to go on to higher education.

The decision to offer students immersive learning does not come about without a solid foundation behind it that dictates how to learn other languages effectively. We are supported by different scientific studies which, as we mentioned at the beginning of this text, support the benefits of learning languages through linguistic immersion and not in a theoretical way with only a few hours a week.

How to learn languages: immersion programmes at British International School

Let's look, point by point, at the language immersion programme which has allowed us to discover how to learn languages effectively and which we carry out at Globeducate British International Schools. A programme that demonstrates how our students learn a second and even a third language beyond the hours they have in the classroom.

One of the key points of our programme is that students begin to become familiar with a second language as soon as they start their Early years Education (in this case, English). This learning, as throughout their academic life, takes place in an immersive environment, where learning takes place in a natural way, while the children engage in fun activities adapted to their level of development, such as games, music and art.

These activities are attractive to them and promote their interest in learning other languages.

In primary school, language learning takes on an even greater role. In Key Stage 1 (sixth year of Infant School and first year of Primary School) classes are taught in English, although they are already becoming familiar with other languages. This will be consolidated over the following years.

Once in Secondary, subjects are taught in English (as part of the English National Curriculum) and in other languages. These other languages are taken on an optional basis, which can also be extended into the Baccalaureate (sixth form) stage.

However, as we mentioned at the beginning, if we want to know how to learn languages effectively, one of the biggest secrets is that learning cannot be confined to the classroom. This is something we know well at Globeducate British International Schools. To complete the training and continue with the language immersion programme, we have exchange programmes and trips to other countries, as well as holding educational and cultural events to promote better understanding.

Exchanges allow children to spend an entire academic year studying at Stonar School, one of the group's schools, located in the UK.

Many families who are interested in our learning model ask us how they can get their children to learn other languages effectively. And we always give the same answer: our language immersion programme has easily demonstrable results. Results which, as we say, are nothing more than the fruit of hard work and solid foundations, supported by science and practical experience which demonstrate that introducing the language fully into a person's life is a much more effective way of learning it than memorising grammar and vocabulary endlessly for many years of their lives.