Immersion is widely recognized as one of the best ways to learn a language because it breaks down the barriers to learning that are present in one's home country. Learning at home stops the moment the student exits the classroom and can once again rely on his or her native tongue. The student merely learns the basics of the language, without ever really learning to think in it. That difference is essential to gaining fluency and can usually only be provided through immersion studies. When a student tries to learn Spanish at home, he or she may gain proficiency in grammar and vocabulary but will still revert to the native language when possible. When a student attempts to learn Spanish in Argentina, for instance, success is hard to avoid as immersion makes learning a dynamic process that never ends.
Students that study a language abroad have no choice but to use their new skills in everyday situations. In this way, all interactions become a learning experience. Even the grocery store becomes a classroom as students browse the aisles for manzanas instead of apples, duraznos instead of peaches and ciruelas instead of plums. When lost in the streets of their new city, students quickly learn the difference between cerca, or near, and lejos, or far, in Spanish. These immersion experiences make the entire trip a learning experience that can build vocabulary, increase comprehension and help students reach fluency more quickly than at home.
Most students who learn Spanish in Argentina and other countries stay with local host families. Throughout their stay, students learn to speak the language in the same manner as natives, instead of only learning the formal Spanish that is taught in most schools in the student's home country. While the Spanish learned in the classroom is certainly helpful, it is often not taught by a native speaker. Students that rely solely on what is taught in the classroom will be able to get by on the streets in any Spanish-speaking country but may always be recognized as foreigners. To speak the language of the people, one must live side-by-side with them, an opportunity only offered by immersion programs.
Students who study abroad can make the most of their experience by traveling to areas that lack a large English-speaking population. In Buenos Aires, for instance, one may not be hard-pressed to find someone that speaks English. In smaller cities like Salta, Purmamarca, Chacras de Coria and Cafayate, reverting to the native language may be far more difficult because less people speak English. Students in these areas are truly forced to rely on their budding language skills to communicate in most situations.
Study abroad participants are often grouped with other students from around the world, offering them camaraderie in their new country. The downfall of these groupings is that students can often revert to their native language with one another. English is the second language of many people from around the globe, and students may find themselves using it outside the classroom even in their host country. To avoid this, students should consider independent study abroad programs that take place at local universities and colleges. Without the distraction of other English speakers, students will again be forced to rely more on their new Spanish skills.
By being constantly exposed to the language and challenged to use it, students that study Spanish abroad quickly adjust to thinking in their new language. Before long, many students gain a new confidence with the language that would not otherwise be gained in a traditional classroom setting in one's home country.
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Students that learn Spanish in Argentina via Latin Immersion receive internionally-accredited Spanish instruction plus cultural lessons. Its Spanish schools in Argentina include Buenos Aires and Mendoza. More details => http://www.latinimmersion.com/learn-spanish-argentina-buenos-aires.php
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