Bilingualism is a difficult area to research, a dense forest of confounding variables, of which sampling, education levels, tasks used, variations in the languages themselves and different outcomes from different language combinations, are but a few. There is evidence, however, that expertise in more than one language provides cognitive benefits on top of increased opportunities. Findings in neurology have related language acquisition with structural changes in the brain that assist with executive functions such as cognitive flexibility, creative thinking and attention management.
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Qu'est-ce que l'éducation bilingue ?
Le comportement et les perceptions humaines passent par notre langage ; les codes débloqués par l'apprentissage de nouvelles langues contribuent à créer un nouveau niveau de perception. François Grosjean, universitaire suisse de renom et expert en bilinguisme, a montré que l'enfant ou l'adulte bilingue n'est pas simplement la somme de deux (ou plusieurs) monolingues ; il est plutôt le détenteur d'une configuration linguistique unique et spécifique. Le bilingue gère et manipule son attention vers l'une ou l'autre langue, activement, mais souvent inconsciemment. Leurs langues non seulement coexistent, mais interagissent pour produire un système complet qui leur est propre.
Avantages de l'éducation bilingue
Dans le monde globalisé moderne, l’éducation bilingue joue un rôle crucial et offre des avantages distincts, en particulier pour les jeunes générations.
1. Citoyens du monde
Les personnes bilingues sont précieuses dans le monde d'aujourd'hui. Elles verront s'ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives d'emploi et élargir leurs horizons sociaux. Leur engagement envers le monde et la société dans laquelle nous vivons est riche ; leur esprit est agile.
2. Psychological Benefits
De plus, leurs qualités vont au-delà de la simple traduction de mots d'un code à un autre ; bien connaître une autre langue apporte des bienfaits psychologiques subtils. Parmi ceux-ci, on compte la capacité de voir les deux côtés d'une histoire, d'en apprécier le sens étendu et de bénéficier d'une compréhension conceptuelle large. Ces qualités sont bénéfiques pour l'individu concerné et, surtout, contribuent à l'atteinte de cet objectif insaisissable d'harmonie internationale. Les bilingues sont des bâtisseurs de ponts, des intermédiaires capables d'expliquer une culture aux membres de l'autre et de servir d'intermédiaires entre les deux.
3. Language Proficiency
International schooling has helped boost language proficiency. As families become more global and more young people travel for studies and work, they might meet a future partner far from their country of birth, resulting in more multi-cultural families sharing several languages in their international households. While we face the dominance of one language across broad areas of human activity, with English as Language 1 or Language 2 for many, if not most, of those students, it is fascinating to note how that is resulting in more and more versions of English being recognised. The population of global citizens sharing the benefits of various forms of bilingualism is increasing.
4. Understanding Cultures
On top of the functional benefits of language learning, bilingualism is about understanding cultures. With the creation of their unique language system, the bilingual is also making sense of his or her relationship to both of the cultures to which the linguistic code has given access. At the same time as managing their attention to this code, its vocabulary and its syntax, the bilingual will be paying attention to the cultural variants between the languages. They are constantly combining and blending aspects of the cultures they are living, making linguistic and cultural choices according to the needs of the circumstance.
The result is a “space between”, like the habitat of Third Culture Kids. The idea of the Third Culture Kids was developed to refer to children growing up outside the native countries of their parents (who were often expatriates themselves). They become part of a third culture rather than one that derives from a simple mix of the home and host countries.
Bilinguals as Bridge Builders
Francois Grosjean points out that bilinguals who are allowed to be who they are, and to accept their dual (or multiple) lived experiences, are invaluable members of society who bridge the gap between the cultures they belong to. This is an important role played by the sort of educational provision to be found at Institut Montana.
Bilinguals as Bridge Builders
Francois Grosjean points out that bilinguals who are allowed to be who they are, and to accept their dual (or multiple) lived experiences, are invaluable members of society who bridge the gap between the cultures they belong to. This is an important role played by the sort of educational provision to be found at Institut Montana.
The Bilingual Classroom
The bilingual classroom is an inspiring place. Just seeing children’s school-work on display, with captions and labels exhibiting proficiency in two languages, is mind expanding. But it does not happen by itself and the pure quality of instruction is critical – every child must feel happy and confident to be open to the challenges as well as the benefits of learning bilingually. Research into the bilingual brain is guiding teaching methods. It is understood now that these children use both languages to make sense of the world; they are very adaptive, deepening their understanding of the first language while acquiring the second; and the process has important positive effects on other aspects of cognitive development, such as attention management.
A Tradition of International Education
The Bilingual Elementary section of Institut Montana has the school’s long history of international education on which to draw, as well as the dedication and expertise of its staff. Teaching in the bilingual classroom requires a thorough approach, with plenty of individual assessment and on-going help. Quality teaching comes from using evidence-based principles of instruction, such as teacher modelling and verbalizations, guided practice, and brisk lesson pacing to maintain student engagement.
Tailored Support for Every Child
The Montana Elementary school classrooms are tucked away in a pretty corner of the magnificent Institut Montana campus. As soon as a new child arrives, their language needs are quickly assessed and appropriate support organised. It might be that the child has some skills but needs in-class support to benefit fully from the lesson. In this case, teachers deploy the integrative EAL (for English) or DaZ (for German) programme where support is provided by an additional teacher within the normal classroom following the standard lessons. If the child would benefit from more intensive language tuition, they receive help specially tailored to their needs. For half of the English or German language lessons, they work with an extra teacher outside the classroom so that they quickly learn the foundational skills to enable rapid progress in the new language and find the subject matter within their reach. For the other half they continue to participate in normal lessons so that they can interact with their peers.
Balancing Languages and Identities
In this multi-lingual group of young learners, it is important not to hold up one language, and therefore cultural identity, as superior to another. Seeing one of the languages and its culture as the dominant one is counter-productive to the cultural harmony the bilingual classroom seeks to promote, even when the curriculum followed belongs to one of the languages. The Institut Montana Bilingual Elementary School follows the curriculum of its home country, Switzerland, but the balance between the two languages is scrupulously maintained. Teaching is distributed at 50% of the time for each language. Each academic year the groups change Class Advisors, swapping between German and English speaking, so there is a further balance in exposure to both languages.
A Tradition of International Education
The Bilingual Elementary section of Institut Montana has the school’s long history of international education on which to draw, as well as the dedication and expertise of its staff. Teaching in the bilingual classroom requires a thorough approach, with plenty of individual assessment and on-going help. Quality teaching comes from using evidence-based principles of instruction, such as teacher modelling and verbalizations, guided practice, and brisk lesson pacing to maintain student engagement.
Tailored Support for Every Child
The Montana Elementary school classrooms are tucked away in a pretty corner of the magnificent Institut Montana campus. As soon as a new child arrives, their language needs are quickly assessed and appropriate support organised. It might be that the child has some skills but needs in-class support to benefit fully from the lesson. In this case, teachers deploy the integrative EAL (for English) or DaZ (for German) programme where support is provided by an additional teacher within the normal classroom following the standard lessons. If the child would benefit from more intensive language tuition, they receive help specially tailored to their needs. For half of the English or German language lessons, they work with an extra teacher outside the classroom so that they quickly learn the foundational skills to enable rapid progress in the new language and find the subject matter within their reach. For the other half they continue to participate in normal lessons so that they can interact with their peers.
Balancing Languages and Identities
In this multi-lingual group of young learners, it is important not to hold up one language, and therefore cultural identity, as superior to another. Seeing one of the languages and its culture as the dominant one is counter-productive to the cultural harmony the bilingual classroom seeks to promote, even when the curriculum followed belongs to one of the languages. The Institut Montana Bilingual Elementary School follows the curriculum of its home country, Switzerland, but the balance between the two languages is scrupulously maintained. Teaching is distributed at 50% of the time for each language. Each academic year the groups change Class Advisors, swapping between German and English speaking, so there is a further balance in exposure to both languages.
Un avenir radieux
There is no doubt that learning a new language broadens horizons and adds a useful skill. Furthermore, it brings great cognitive benefits which, in spite of being subject to too many variables to separate out, are real and meaningful.
Pathways to Global Opportunities
At Institut Montana, as they reach the end of their years at the Elementary School, these children greet a world of opportunity. They have the advanced skills in German that open the door to the academically demanding Swiss Matura, which they can choose to study in German or German and English. They can embark on the route towards the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a passport to universities all over the world. Or they can continue their bilingual studies at the Bilingual Secondary School while assessing where their ambitions might take them.
Pathways to Global Opportunities
At Institut Montana, as they reach the end of their years at the Elementary School, these children greet a world of opportunity. They have the advanced skills in German that open the door to the academically demanding Swiss Matura, which they can choose to study in German or German and English. They can embark on the route towards the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a passport to universities all over the world. Or they can continue their bilingual studies at the Bilingual Secondary School while assessing where their ambitions might take them.
Résumé
Children coming together to learn, to play and to collaborate in a space where two languages are common currency creates a hybrid space with a culture that belongs to neither one nor the other. The bilingual classroom is a space for inclusivity, where a new light is shone on ideas about cultural identity. Its students will be the global citizens of tomorrow, broad-minded and insightful adults who are adept at sharing and discussing knowledge in a multicultural environment and totally at home in an international Zoom meeting. For these bright children, the future is bright.
Ce que disent les écoles
Les écoles ayant une expérience pratique sur ce sujet partagent leur point de vue.
Bilinguals as Bridge Builders
Francois Grosjean points out that bilinguals who are allowed to be who they are, and to accept their dual (or multiple) lived experiences, are invaluable members of society who bridge the gap between the cultures they belong to. This is an important role played by the sort of educational provision to be found at Institut Montana.
A Tradition of International Education
The Bilingual Elementary section of Institut Montana has the school’s long history of international education on which to draw, as well as the dedication and expertise of its staff. Teaching in the bilingual classroom requires a thorough approach, with plenty of individual assessment and on-going help. Quality teaching comes from using evidence-based principles of instruction, such as teacher modelling and verbalizations, guided practice, and brisk lesson pacing to maintain student engagement.
Tailored Support for Every Child
The Montana Elementary school classrooms are tucked away in a pretty corner of the magnificent Institut Montana campus. As soon as a new child arrives, their language needs are quickly assessed and appropriate support organised. It might be that the child has some skills but needs in-class support to benefit fully from the lesson. In this case, teachers deploy the integrative EAL (for English) or DaZ (for German) programme where support is provided by an additional teacher within the normal classroom following the standard lessons. If the child would benefit from more intensive language tuition, they receive help specially tailored to their needs. For half of the English or German language lessons, they work with an extra teacher outside the classroom so that they quickly learn the foundational skills to enable rapid progress in the new language and find the subject matter within their reach. For the other half they continue to participate in normal lessons so that they can interact with their peers.
Balancing Languages and Identities
In this multi-lingual group of young learners, it is important not to hold up one language, and therefore cultural identity, as superior to another. Seeing one of the languages and its culture as the dominant one is counter-productive to the cultural harmony the bilingual classroom seeks to promote, even when the curriculum followed belongs to one of the languages. The Institut Montana Bilingual Elementary School follows the curriculum of its home country, Switzerland, but the balance between the two languages is scrupulously maintained. Teaching is distributed at 50% of the time for each language. Each academic year the groups change Class Advisors, swapping between German and English speaking, so there is a further balance in exposure to both languages.
Alexander Peipers est cofondateur et directeur général de World Schools et Camps du mondeoù il dirige une mission visant à fournir aux familles des conseils fiables dans le choix des écoles et des programmes qui favorisent l'excellence académique, la diversité culturelle et le développement holistique.
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