Topic: School / Industry News
Choosing a school is a daunting enough task, but factoring in alternative curriculum options and additional languages raises even more questions. We’ve rounded up some key information to help you find the answers:
How is bilingual education implemented?
Generally speaking, immersion, or a variation of it, is the most commonly used method. Immersion involves teaching a class in a second (non-native) language. This can be either implemented fully or partially (splitting class time between languages), or as dual immersion, where students are split into two language groups and interact together. At an international school in Switzerland you may be able to choose the primary curriculum & language, and have it supplemented with additional classes in the other language.
Préfleuri International Alpine School is a great example of this, providing British and French curriculum options and students are merged in the afternoon for a bilingual French/English programme. Geography and History are taught in French by French teachers, and Science and Computing are taught in English by English teachers.
When should a student join a bilingual school?
You may be moving to a new area and looking to continue studies in English while also learning the local language. During the middle and senior years of school, such a transition can be challenging. Parents looking at an international school in Switzerland should check to see if the school offers additional language support, such as a language integration programme to support the student’s transition. St George’s International School gives specific support to non-English or non-French speakers via their Language Acquisition Programme LAP which is available to students of all ages.
Alternatively, you may be looking for a pre-school or primary school programme that will encourage a mix of languages. Children under the age of five learn languages in a different way to older children and adults, and they can naturally absorb a second or even third language as easily as their native language(s). College du Léman is one of many schools in the French-speaking part of Switzerland which provides a bilingual (English/French) environment from just 2 years old.
Is bilingual schooling beneficial?
Patterns of language learning and language use are complex. But studies at Harvard cites at least one brain-imaging study on adolescents that shows similar changes in brain structure when compared with those who are bilingual from birth, even when they didn’t begin practicing a second language in earnest before late childhood1.
Bilingual children enjoy a variety of benefits, including improved executive function such as task switching, better communication skills and a higher degree of literacy2. They also develop a better understanding of language structure, making it easier to learn additional languages in the future. As bilingual adults, they’ll enjoy broader higher education and career options, alongside their finely tuned multi-tasking, decision making and problem solving skills3.
If you have additional questions or concerns about bilingual schooling (or any other superpowers!), our team is happy to help advise you and organise school visits on your behalf (in-person or virtual).
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