Bilingual Schools And The Benefits For Your Child

By Author: Daren
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Did you know that currently close to 70% of the children in the world are bilingual? That is a fairly impressive statistic, especially when you consider that only 7% of children in the United States can make that same claim. But what’s responsible for this disparity?

Although today more and more bilingual schools are being initiated in the United States, for the most part the country is still rather monolingual, with most people speaking English only. In America’s past, many attempts to introduce bilingual schools or bilingual education were met with rancor and parental resentment, so much resentment, in fact, that you can almost hear a chorus of grumbling from parents when the topic was brought up. In light of what we now know about bilingual education, their resistance was obviously misplaced, but in their defense their bitterness towards bilingual schools and education was and continues to be based upon some of the more common myths associated with new language acquisition.

Many people in the United States—and in other countries ...
... as well—have been led to believe that the brain is limited in its capacity—that it is unable to process and fully comprehend more than one language at a time. This is false. They also believe that if their child were to be taught a new language, their competency level in their own language would be diminished—also false. In fact, bilingual education and bilingual schools tend to give children a better understanding of the way language works and can actually make a student’s language skills stronger, while also providing a number of other long-lasting benefits, including:

• Denser Brains = More Intelligence. In slang, when the words “dense” and “brain” are used in combination it usually implies a lack of intelligence, but in reality dense grey matter in the brain actually means the opposite. The hard work involved in learning the new sounds and patterns of another language has been shown to produce denser grey matter in children, and because grey matter in the brain controls language and communication, a density in this area is generally an indication of increased intellect.
• Improved Self Regulation. Pundits of bilingual schools believe that learning a new language can actually cause more confusion in young brains and decrease their focus, but numerous studies have shown just the opposite: that the discipline involved in toggling between two different languages actually improves a child’s aptitude for staying on task, focusing on assignments and regulating their own behavior.
• Improved Reading Skills. Language and reading are both based on phonics—sounding out words and forming sound patterns. Consequently, students who learn a second language at a young age demonstrate increased reading readiness and typically will read at a higher level than their monolingual peers.
• Decreases Risk of Dementia. The cognitive skills required in learning a second language can help to decrease the risk, or delay the onset of adult dementia. Studies show that on average bilingual individuals who develop dementia do so approximately 5 ½ years after those who speak only one language.
• World Readiness. From both an economic and social standpoint, the boundaries dividing the nations in the world are shrinking, making us more of a global society every day. As a result, those who speak a second language will have a better chance to take advantage of the many opportunities a global community provides.

These are just a few of the many benefits provided by bilingual schools and bilingual education. In addition to these, students studying a second language will also have the experience of learning the customs, beliefs and traditions of another culture, which in turn can lead to more friendships and greater cultural tolerance.

About The Author:
This article is written by Daren Kyle, A staff of spainexchange.com where you can find bilingual education, Study Abroad Scholarships, bilingual schools and many more Schools. For details, visit http://spainexchange.com/