Learning Language the Ulpan Way
Language learning in ulpan is a participation activity. Teaching is built around conversation. Students speak, practice and repeat, absorbing the rules of language as they go along. Vocabulary is acquired through demonstration, not translation and often in the form of idioms and expressions rather than as single words. Grammar is assimilated through intensive daily practice of language structures, not by rote.
Each chapter in the ulpan learning program is built around a practical situation riding a bus or a visit to the post office, a restaurant or the supermarket. Students make natural use of the language as they act out these situations in class, learning the relevant vocabulary, language structures and social behavior as they do so.
The overwhelming purpose of ulpan study is practical to help newcomers function in a Hebrew-speaking environment as quickly as possible. Thus the first lessons taught are the most useful rather than the easiest. Dialogue and conversational tactics are emphasized, and learning about what goes on in the country from Israeli newspapers, radio and TV is an important part of the learning program.
The Cultural Context
Hebrew is taught not only as a key to opening the gate into Israeli society, but also as a way of connecting with Jewish heritage. The language is presented as an integral part of the history and religious and cultural legacy of the Jewish people. Jewish festivals are celebrated in ulpan; classes are taken to Hebrew theater performances; and trips around the country are incorporated into the curriculum.
This strong cultural framework to language teaching has made the ulpan attractive to other nations attempting to revive the lost languages of their own cultures. Azerbaijan, Wales, Catalonia and New Zealand have all modeled their language instruction on the ulpan with the Welsh even retaining the name ulpan for their language schools.
Practicalities and Pedagogics
Since 1949, 1,220,000 persons have graduated from ulpanim.
Ulpan learning is intensive. The classic course runs for five months, with up to 28 hours instruction each week. Classes are generally limited to a maximum of 20 students, and are offered at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Conversation, reading and writing are all equally emphasized.
Despite the warmth and apparent informality of the typical ulpan class, it is underpinned by a sturdy teaching philosophy that rests on three basic assumptions:
- acquisition of a new language is a skill that requires acquiring new habits
- new habits are acquired through intensive practice
- the adult learner, in contrast to the child, must learn a new language gradually and in a consistent manner; vocabulary and especially language structures must be taught systematically and reinforced through drills
Beginners can expect to graduate ulpan with a basic vocabulary of 2,000 words which they can read, write and speak. Students starting on the intermediate and advanced levels will emerge equipped with more advanced language skills in which to express opinions and feelings, as well as with background in Israels history, geography, political structure and culture. Oral and written tests built into the study curriculum allow teachers to follow up on each student.
Variations on the Ulpan Theme
The resounding success of the ulpan approach as a linguistic and cultural entrypoint for newcomers has led to its expansion and adapation. The first ulpanim were residential. Today, students can choose between living in or living out. They also have a choice between the traditional ulpan or one of several types of specialized ulpanim. There are now special ulpanim for:
- the elderly the so-called golden ulpanim
- the hearing impaired and deaf
- the sight impaired and blind
- the mentally challenged
In addition, there are full-time ulpanim (First Home in the Homeland) and combined work-study programs (Kibbutz Work ulpan) on kibbutzim countrywide, for those who want to experience kibbutz; there are advanced-level ulpanim and ulpaniot (shorter ulpanim) for Hebrew-speakers who want to improve their command of the language; there are tailor-made ulpanim for those with professions requiring a specialized vocabulary (such as physicians, teachers and bookkeepers); and there are both residential and non-residential ulpan programs for non-Jewish ulpan graduates who want to convert to Judaism.
One ulpan that stands in a class of its own is Ulpan Akiva in Netanya. Its teaching program has a major additional agenda: it aims to bring Israeli Jews together with Diaspora Jews, and Jews from both these communities together with Israeli Arabs and Druze.