Why choose a bilingual school

“One brain, two languages, many advantages” is the title of a 2011 research of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice cured by Antonella Sorace, University of Edinburgh & Bilingualism Matters. The result of the research is a census of all the cognitive, social, emotional advantages implied by early learning of bilingualism (look at the video at the end of this article).

The nursery, Home of the children, primary school and Middle school of the International Centre Montessori have a bilingual structure.

A BILINGUAL SCHOOL

A bilingual school is not a school that has a considerable higher number of English hours. In this case, it is legit to talk about “strengthening of the English language”.

But a bilingual school is neither a school where a native speaking English teacher works for a few hours a week with the children. In this case, it is legit to talk about “strengthening of the pronunciation of the English language” through the partial use of a lecturer.

It is legit to talk about a bilingual school when the child works, plays, “studies” in an environment where two different native speaking adults contemporary work full time.

A BILINGUAL CHILD

A bilingual child is simply a child who can use one or more languages regularly.

It DOES NOT mean speaking two languages perfectly. A bilingual child is a child who, at home or at school, normally receives the practice of a second language alongside the so-called native language.

The advantages are remarkable:

• Using two languages changes the brain significantly
• Bilingual children discern sounds and words of the two languages even when their similar
• Bilingual children have two words for the same object (for example apple and mela) and two structures to express the same concept (I like apples – mi piacciono le mele)
• Bilingual children discern better between form and meaning and they comprehend the conventional relationship between objects and the words that represent themselves
• Bilingual children tend to learn how to read early
• Reading skills transfer from one language to another
• Bilingual children have an early comprehension in alphabetical writing of the correspondence between letters and sounds

These are only very few of the numerous advantages of bilingual children. Neurosciences and contemporary neuro-linguistics have widely demonstrated that behind learning a second language very early, infinite possibilities open for the human mind.

Our school promotes a complete path starting from nursery, and thanks to the constant presence of native speaking teachers, who work next to children and teenagers for 5 hours a day, all week through, it offers a programme that allows our students to become bilingual, that is to speak, read and write properly in two different languages, Italian and English.

We cooperate with the British Academy, through which we offer Primary and Middle school students the possibility to take the Cambridge Assessment yearly, to certificate the achieved level.

Furthermore, every year children of mixed couples or children that are already bilingual start attending our school, and this allows all our students to confront themselves with bilingualism also in the relationship with peers and to cultivate multicultural relationships and to achieve open-mindedness, flexibility and attitude towards new social relationships.

Being immersed in the right environment, every child, even if they have two Italian parents, can become bilingual: as effectively explained by the psychologist Steven Pinker in his book “Tabula Rasa” the learning process of languages is one of the aspects that is mostly affected by the environment and less by genetics.
The choice of a bilingual school for one’s own child is therefore a fundamental decision, which will critically influence their knowledge, culture, but mostly their way of relate to others and interact with others both in the daily and work world.

Providing one’s own child the possibility to become bilingual will influence on a practical level, both in the short and long run, not only their skills, but it will determine the opportunity they could receive in the work environment.

Bilingualism is therefore a great investment for individuals and society, choosing now a bilingual school means to give one’s own children a great gift which will last for all life.

The age when languages are learnt and the order they are learnt in can be compared to the arrival of some guests to a party. Who arrives early sets the tone of the night, because they influence those who will arrive later Hernandez).