The Ultimate Benefits and Struggles of the Bilingual Education System
The concept of educating children in two languages, the native and the second, is called bilingual education. The idea of introducing this education system in institutes must be considered revolutionary. Many of you may ask why so here is the answer. It keeps you connected with your cultural norms and can communicate more effectively.
Learning different languages can be fun for kids, and it should start in the early years. Learning something from a young age has a more significant impact on the mind than doing it later. However, we are still figuring out how to convince the authorities to establish it as soon as possible.
It might sound easy to do that, but in reality, you are supposed to consider every little thing. You can’t just wake up one day and decide to teach students in two different languages although they have sharp minds.
Benefits of Establishing a Bilingual Education system
We should always look on the bright side but that does not mean you should start avoiding downsides. Everything comes with pros and cons, so the implementation of dual languages in schools has both sides. In the following article, you will see both sides of the coin. So, let’s get started!
Improves rational approach
Kids are creative thinkers and develop this approach from a very young age. Since their minds are less complex than adults, it helps them absorb any information you provide them. And if you teach them different languages from the very beginning, it strongly impacts their cognitive thinking. They start developing problem-solving skills and do better in extracurricular activities. Speaking more than one language gives them a sense of achievement, and they become more confident compared to those who don’t.
The great thing about exploring new languages is that you don’t have to limit your perspective when you get older. And you become aware of linguistics on a higher level due to understanding the native language.
Improves memory
During a session on the benefits of bilingual education we attended while finding professional assignment help in Glasgow, we learned one thing. If you don’t want your kid to end up forgetful, you should better teach them more than one language.
Research suggests that children who speak and understand more than one language have a good memory and remember specific details. Unlike other kids, bilingual kids tend to be more attentive and remember names, addresses, and directions.
Better communication skills
However, it’s pretty obvious, and we don’t need to repeat it. But if you are reading this for the first time and don’t know anything about it. Plus, finding an answer to whether you should enrol your little boy in a bilingual learning system or not. Then you must, because it boosts self-esteem and will make him better at communicating with others.
Let’s get this straight; you will not remain in one place for the rest of your life, right? And travelling means meeting and interacting with people from different backgrounds. How would you expect your babies to develop communication skills if they have never been taught any other language than English? But if you opt for this option, you won’t have to be worried about certain things.
More economic opportunities
A huge market needs multilingual staff, so you can expect your future to be quite bright. This is one of those skills that benefit you over time. Learning a new language for an adult is pretty exhausting and difficult compared to youngsters. The reason is very simple: a child’s mind is free from any other complications. The learning process for them is fun and they don’t impose it on themselves. Therefore, there is no better time for them to start learning than in childhood.
Respect for cross cultures
We often feed our generation with negativity — not intentionally, but we all do that. This leads them to form certain opinions about other cultures just because they speak an unfamiliar language. But when you keep them familiar with it from early years, it creates awareness, and they respect the cross cultures. When you learn a new language, you also get to study their folk tales, idioms, and songs to understand their culture. Don’t you think that every person must regard other cultures, norms, and people?
Improve social and emotional skills
If your kids are multilingual, congratulations because they know how to adapt to social gatherings. They are aware of what language they should speak while talking to each person. Multilingual people are not shy, so their ability to handle emotions and social situations is quite different from others. So yea, that is how you can get the benefits of bilingual education.
The struggles of dual language education
The initiative of bilingual education is surely diverse; kids and adults can learn many things from it, but here’s the deal. There are certain struggles we might face due to the implementation of this system.
Non-qualified staff
As diverse and integrated as it sounds, we still need qualified staff to teach the kids. The irony is that it took us too long to understand the importance of dual language. Some teachers are not qualified enough to educate children in their native language.
Challenges
Another struggle is to ensure that you teach each subject in both languages or else kids will face way more difficulties. For instance, instructing half of the subjects in English and asking them to write my essay in French would become overwhelming for them. Plus, there is a possibility that they start second-guessing each course.
Barrier or a bridge?
We took dialects and languages as barriers and not a form of communication for a long time. However, in reality, a different language is just a “different language,” and we must not stereotype people who speak in dissimilar dialects.
Conclusion
According to a statistical analysis that the US Education department sponsored, it was concluded that “Early years evolution for grades K-3 reveals, tutees enrolled in dual language educational programs scored quite low or even below average grades.” Now, this is something that might refrain you from letting your child study in a dual language system. But sit down and think for a moment, what if his grades remain the same even after switching? Grades don’t measure a child’s capability; every kid is different. They take their time to learn and grasp the knowledge of new things.
