Our Method: Controlled Immersion
Learning Arabic by relying on French will never make you Arabic-speaking.
Never.
This approach limits you and keeps you in a translation-based thinking pattern.
Just imagine: You first think of your sentences in English, then translate them into Arabic in your head.
Can you visualize the process?
Do you think you can become bilingual or even speak Arabic fluently with this methodology?
It’s not natural for the brain, and this learning pedagogy is limited.
Free immersion (without a framework, objective, or pathway) will certainly help you progress but not as fast as expected.
So, we have developed what we like to call “Controlled Immersion”.
A natural learning process for your Brain
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have demonstrated that « learning through immersion in the English language allows the creation of brain connections similar to native English speakers. However, the audio material must be authentic. In other words, you must be facing people for whom the language is native. » (Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience – M.I.T).
To effectively learn the Arabic language, you must immerse yourself in it with a native speaker.
According to another study conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, it has been proven that people who learn a language through immersion progress up to twice as fast as those who rely on traditional classroom courses (Berkeley Language Center – University of California, Berkeley). Immersion thus promotes faster and deeper learning.
Based on our long experience in the field (+20 years, including 17 years online), learning the Arabic language using English keeps you stagnating at a beginner’s level.
Over the last few years, we have welcomed numerous students who had spent years learning the Arabic language using English.
Over the last few years, we have welcomed numerous students who had spent years learning the Arabic language using English.
Save your time and money and choose the immersion method to learn the Arabic language.
Controlled Immersion
According to Krashen, a renowned linguist, language acquisition occurs naturally and intuitively when one is immersed in an environment where the target language is commonly spoken (Krashen, 1981).
When you are constantly surrounded by native speakers, whether online or in real life, you are forced to understand and speak Arabic to communicate.
This intensive process stimulates your brain and strengthens the neural connections necessary for the acquisition of the Arabic language as we have seen above.
In the past, immersion meant traveling to an Arab-speaking country and exposing yourself as much as possible to various everyday life situations.
With the internet, partial and voluntary immersion is facilitated.
You can visit websites in Arabic, watch videos in Arabic, listen to the news in Arabic, and set your phone and computer to Arabic…
The more you are exposed, the faster you will learn.
And to effectively and quickly learn Arabic online, you will need to choose the pedagogical model of controlled immersion (with a pathway, framework, and objective).
Authentic and Quick Feedback
One of the keys to language learning is to regularly receive feedback on your skills.
Immersion provides you with authentic and quick feedback from the Arabic-speaking teacher, which will help you improve your pronunciation, grammar, and syntax (Long, 1996).
By regularly conversing with your Arabic-speaking teacher, you will be able to identify your mistakes and work on the areas that need improvement.
The motivation to access a new world
Learning a language can sometimes be difficult, especially when you don’t immediately see the progress made.
Immersion, on the other hand, puts you in a situation where you must constantly use Arabic to communicate.
This constant pressure acts as a motor, prompting you to continually improve your language skills (Dörnyei, 2001).
The more progress you make in Arabic, the more you will realize that a new world opens up to you.
You will be able to learn your religion from the source, you will no longer be dependent on translations.
And that is priceless.
In conclusion
In conclusion, immersion is unquestionably the method to use to learn Arabic. Take advantage of our pedagogy too.
What do our students and parents of students say about us
References:
— Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience — M.I.T (2012). Explicit and Implicit Second Language Training Differentially Affect the Achievement of Native-like Brain Activation Patterns
— Krashen, S. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford: Pergamon.
— Long, M.H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. Ritchie & T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (pp. 413-468). New York: Academic Press.