Our bilingual school

Cantaleum uses the immersion method of language teaching. The word “immersion” comes from the Latin word "immersio" for “to plunge into, to immerse,” which is the fluid and effective way language can be acquired. In accordance with this learning method, classes at Cantaleum are taught by both German-speaking and English-speaking instructors. The instructors are native speakers of their languages of instruction, and speak the same language both inside and outside the classroom. This allows our students to experience language through everyday activities – in playing, learning, and doing.

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Academic lessons at Cantaleum follows the curriculum for schools set by the Canton of Zurich and are then supplemented with additional enriched instruction in the English language and in music.

Language is more than just a way of communicating information— language also reflects culture and a way of thinking. These aspects of language and also the quality of the spoken language are often better conveyed by native speaker teachers compared those who have learned English as a foreign language. Children are natural linguists and absorb a language through its sounds, words, and context. They imitate and experiment in order to fulfill their need to share information and to interact with others. Proper pronunciation, something that is difficult for adults to acquire, is a skill that even older children can learn through imitation relatively easily.

Schools that use immersive learning techniques report positive results. Students are more confident in both languages because they make a connection between the language and the person speaking it.