Pathways to Multilingualism: Evolving Perspectives on Immersion Education

Immersion education serves as a highly successful pathway to multilingualism. This volume focuses on the evolution of perspectives and practices within language immersion education and showcases an international roster of scholars who offer theoretical perspectives, research reviews and empirical studies on teaching, learning and language development in immersion programs. This collection of studies and discussions represents three branches of immersion education, foreign language (“one-way”), bilingual (“two-way”) and indigenous immersion programs. Each branch has its unique situational dynamics to address, and such dynamics must be carefully considered particularly in the interpretation of research findings. Nevertheless, the volume’s co-editors argue that much can be learned from research and practices carried out in closely related immersion settings that experience similar challenges related to the delicate balance between language and content. This volume presents an opportunity for thoughtful cross-context dialogue and knowledge exchange.

Tara Williams Fortune is an Immersion Teaching Specialist and Coordinator of the Immersion Projects at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota. She is founding editor of The American Council on Immersion Education (ACIE) Newsletter, a publication written for and by immersion practitioners that is currently in its 14th year of dissemination. Her professional and research interests focus on struggling immersion learners, K-8 oral proficiency development of immersion students, and language and literacy development in early total Chinese immersion programs.

Diane J. Tedick is Professor Emeritus of Second Language Education at the University of Minnesota, USA. Her research interests include student language development in immersion education and immersion/dual language teacher education and professional development.