The Benefits of Bilingual Education
What is a bilingual education? A bilingual education is when typical school subjects such as Maths, Geography and Science are also taught through an additional language, other than the mother tongue. Some school subjects are also taught in both languages which is an added bonus!
The sooner you can expose your child to speaking more than one language the better as they are more confident to speak freely in both languages, and less likely to develop an accent. As a child, there are less limitations around a fixed mindset on being anxious about making mistakes. In this blog post, I am exploring the benefits and drawbacks of a bilingual education and whether it is accessible to all families.
Reasons for picking a bilingual school Families will often pick the language of instruction based on either personal preference I.e. to support language spoken in the home if either parent is bilingual, for religious reasons or for professional advancement. For example, in the states, Spanish would be a common second language, due to the close proximity of South America and usefulness for career progression.
Where can you attend a bilingual school? Expats usually send their offspring to international schools if working for companies overseas, where they would like to still follow an American or British curriculum. There are bilingual pre-schools, nurseries and secondary schools in most large cities. In the UK, London has the monopoly on the highly regarded bilingual schools. For example, the Charles De Gaulle French school is one of the most prestigious bilingual schools in the capital. Often, there are bilingual schools in neighbourhoods where certain communities settle. For example, South Kensington is known as ‘Little France’ and there are approximately 300,000 French citizens living in this area, according to the French consultate. Other than Anglo-French schools, there are a plethora of faith schools which teach Arabic and Hebrew in addition to English, as well as Mandarin and Russian instruction in schools.
What are the benefits of a bilingual education? The primary benefit of a bilingual education is to enhance cognitive development. It has been scientifically proven that bilinguals who can easily switch between two languages are better equipped to be able to focus attention and hone in on relevant information more succinctly. Overall, bilingualism is good training and discipline for the brain and we are more able to distinguish sounds in a crowded space as our ears are more attuned to drowning out the noise. The majority of the positives around bilingualism surround brain development and function as language learning can also keep the brain stimulated well into old age and ward off early signs of dementia. There is fascinating scientific research in this field. Aside from science, the promotion of increased cultural understanding and tolerance is highly pertinent in an ever global and multicultural age. When we are surrounded by difference, we start to view it as a normal entity and focus on the positives rather than the negatives to positively assimilate. One of the best associations I can recommend for further learning on bilingualism is Bilingualism Matters.
What are the drawbacks of a bilingual education? Academic rigour is often cited as the main disadvantage of a bilingual or international school choice. As with faith schools, the same criticism can apply in regards to the priority of certain subjects. Bilingual schools may be seem to favour language learning over traditional academic subjects such as Maths and Science. Also, there may be duplication in terms of teaching content if taught across both languages. Bilingual schools may also just attract the same cultural learner and not be as diverse as your standard city or international school, which limits exposure to other backgrounds in the educational setting.
Are bilingual schools accessible to all families? Bilingual schools that are specifically language led tend to be on the whole incur high fees which can make them seem inaccessible and elitist to a lot of families. Like a lot of the high performing British public schools, competitive scholarships are available for academically talented youngsters so it is always worth an enquiry. Also, for a lot of expats sometimes companies cover the cost of a child's education so that could also be a popular route. For those who are not eligible for either scholarships or fee remission, there are alternative options that can mitigate for a lack of a bilingual education I.e. language classes, after school clubs, a French-speaking nanny/au pair or home help, or even exploring what’s going on in your local neighbourhood to stay connected with native speakers.