Katoh Gakuen Schools in Numazu, Japan offer an English immersion program from kindergarten through high school with the goals of developing students' bilingualism, 21st century skills, and global citizenship. The immersion program integrates language and academic content, using English for at least 50% of instruction. Research shows that immersion students gain strong foreign language skills and perform equally to or better than non-immersion students in their first language and core academic subjects.

1. Aspect of Open Education:
Katoh Gakuen Schools
Japan
By: Mark Elnar

2. Introduction
Katoh Gakuen is a large private Japanese
school in Numazu, Shizuoka, founded in
1926. Katoh School includes a kindergarten,
elementary school, junior high school and
two senior high schools.

3. Each school offers various courses in Japanese and in English such as the
Open Plan Course in Japanese and the English Immersion program. All
schools are accredited Japanese national schools and follow the Japanese
national curriculum.

4. Vision
We pursue excellence in teaching and learning, seeking to give our
students the gift of bilingualism and the skills needed of a global
citizen in the 21st century.

5. Goals
Students will…
1. Achieve functional proficiency in English for academic and personal purposes.
2. Maintain Japanese language development at the same level or higher than non-immersion students.
3. Master subject content at their appropriate grade level. Students acquire the knowledge and
competencies expected of students by both the Japanese Ministry of Education and the International
Baccalaureate Organization.
4. Develop 21st century skills and competencies exemplified in the International Baccalaureate’s Learner
Profile.
5. Become global citizens who are globally minded and interculturally aware while maintaining their own
Japanese cultural identity.

6. In Katoh Gakuen English Immersion Program, by taking advantage of its
educational continuity from kindergarten to high school levels, children
engage in various educational activities that elicit their intrinsic interest and
motivation.

7. Immersion / Bilingual Program
What is Immersion?
Language immersion is an approach to foreign language instruction in which the usual curricular
activities are conducted in a foreign language.
This means that the new language is the medium of instruction as well as the object of instruction.
Immersion students acquire the necessary language skills to understand and communicate about
the subject matter set out in the school's program of instruction.
They follow the same curricula, and in some instances, use the same materials (translated into the
target language) as those used in the non-immersion schools of their district.

8. Generally speaking, at least 50 percent of instruction during a given academic year must be
provided through the second language for the program to be regarded as immersion.
Programs in which one subject and language arts are taught through the second language
are generally identified as enriched second language programs.
Typically, it takes more than two or three years in an immersion program before the full
benefits of immersion become evident. For this reason, it is important that students stay in
the program the entire elementary program in order to realize the second language
advantages of immersion. Students are also encouraged to continue immersion at the
secondary level in order to maintain and develop their proficiency in the language.

9. Typically, it takes more than two or three years in an immersion program
before the full benefits of immersion become evident. For this reason, it is
important that students stay in the program the entire elementary program in
order to realize the second language advantages of immersion.
Students are also encouraged to continue immersion at the secondary level
in order to maintain and develop their proficiency in the language.

10. Bilinguals Outnumber Monolinguals
• International surveys indicate that there are many more bilingual or multilingual
individuals in the world than there are monolingual. In addition, there are many
more children throughout the world who are educated through a second or
foreign language, at least for some portion of their formal education, than there
are children educated exclusively through the first language. In many parts of the
world, bilingualism or multilingualism constitute the normal everyday experience
(see, e.g., Dutcher, 1994; World Bank, 1995).

11. Why is immersion an effective second
language model?
• A great deal of research has centered on foreign language
acquisition in various school settings. Over the past thirty years,
due in large part to the success of immersion programs, there has
been a shift away from teaching language in isolation and toward
integrating language and content. This shift is based on four
principles

12. 1. A great deal of research has centered on foreign language acquisition in various school settings. Over
the past thirty years, due in large part to the success of immersion programs, there has been a shift
away from teaching language in isolation and toward integrating language and content. This shift is
based on four principles.
2. Important and interesting content provides a motivating context for learning the communicative
functions of the new language. Young children are not interested in learning language that serves no
meaningful function.
3. First language acquisition, cognition and social awareness go hand in hand in young children. By
integrating language and content, foreign language learning, too, becomes an integral part of a child's
social and cognitive development.
4. Formal and functional characteristics of language change from one context to another. An
integrated language and content model in an elementary school setting provides a wide
variety of contexts in which to use the foreign language..

13. What are the Goals of an Immersion Program?
Most language immersion schools have four immersion-related goals:
1. To achieve competency in the foreign language (listening, speaking, reading,
writing)
2. To acquire the same L1 language arts skills as students in non-immersion
schools
3. To master content area skills & concepts
4. To gain a greater understanding and appreciation of other cultures

14. What are some of the Key Features of an Immersion
Program?
1. The program parallels the curriculum of the local curriculum. At Katoh
Gakuen, this means that we follow the same curriculum in math, science,
social studies, PE, etc,, with the same outcome expectations of the students
in the regular "non-immersion" program.
2. Material taught in the immersion language is never re-taught in the
students' first language. Japanese teachers do review vocabulary and help
prepare students for the unit and end of the year tests that are given in
Japanese.

15. 3. The school culture mirrors that of the local community. Katoh Gakuen is
not an international school, nor do we impose Western values or
expectations on the students or parents. Foreign teachers must adjust
themselves to this "new culture."

16. What are the Documented Effects of Immersion Education?
A growing body of research on immersion education has shown that
immersion students consistently meet or exceed academic expectations in
the following areas:
1. Foreign language skills: Immersion students by far outperform students in traditional foreign
language classes. Although students usually do not become "native-like" in the foreign language,
they do become functionally proficient in the targeted language and are able to communicate
according to their age and grade level.
2. First language skills: In the early years of first language instruction, there may be a lag in
first language reading and writing skills. By the end of elementary school, however,
immersion students do as well or better than students in "first language-only" classes.

17. 4. Content areas: Immersion students achieve in academic areas as well as students in
"first language-only" programs.
5. Cultural sensitivity: Immersion students are more aware of and show positive attitudes
towards other cultures.

19. Source:
http://bi-lingual.com/elementary.php