Ulpan is an Aramaic word meaning "studying."
Students in an Ulpan study with a teacher, and then spend the rest of their time in an Israeli environment among native speakers of the Hebrew language. The system does work, and students learn the spoken language with a minimum of frustration. They return the following day to their classroom to clarify issues or ask questions before learning new material.
An Ulpan is more structured and controlled than a typical immersion program. Ulpan students do not feel that they have to "sink or swim," since a guiding hand stands behind them.
However, those who study in an Ulpan rarely reach the proficiency of a native speaker. An Ulpan is not designed to create bilinguals.
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