ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book focuses on scaffolding learners in their development of non-English languages in Canadian and US immersion and dual language (ImDL) programs. It first describes in detail four distinct models of ImDL education and their foundational principles, and then identifies features that characterize well-implemented programs. Next, the book explains counterbalanced instruction and provides theoretical support from skill acquisition theory, according to which L2 development entails a gradual transition from effortful use drawing on declarative knowledge to more automatic use drawing on procedural knowledge. The contextualization, awareness, practice, and autonomy model is then introduced as a blueprint for designing instructional sequences integrating content and language that enable students to move forward in their language development as they transition from declarative to procedural knowledge.
