The Bilingual Advantage

BRITTANY RAPPAPORT, Enrichment Centre Coordinator

Study students have access to wonderful school experiences, with a multitude of resources and tools at their fingertips.

One of the unique aspects of these experiences is that they are immersed in a truly bilingual environment from Kindergarten to Grade 11. Montreal is a unique city where bilingualism is ingrained in our culture and our daily interactions; it is an especially valued skill for students as they head to post-secondary studies and beyond. However, research shows that there are additional advantages to being bilingual beyond language skills.

Over the years, many researchers have studied bilingualism and the positive impacts it has on cognitive development. Studies have shown that bilingual children are better at solving problems compared to children who speak only one language. These problemsolving abilities include ignoring information that is not relevant and focusing more closely on relevant information, a skill that is helpful in many areas including math, critical thinking, and creativity. Researchers have also explored how processes such as attention are stronger in bilingual people because they are consistently using two language systems concurrently, analyzing how they fit together each time they are communicating or listening.

A bilingual child’s brain is exposed to highly complex learning tasks, supporting the student to learn how to flexibly shift from one language to another. Hearing two sets of sounds promotes a larger vocabulary. Moreover, other cognitive processes such as auditory attention and sensory processing are highlighted in studies where bilingual speakers demonstrated a higher response, better encoding the information they receive and interpret.

Apprendre Dans Les Deux Langues

L’apprentissage d’une deuxième langue à un jeune âge renforce les fonctions exécutives et l’apprentissage. Un facteur clé de l’impact positif du bilinguisme dès le plus jeune âge est l’équivalence de l’exposition linguistique à chaque langue, à l’instar de ce que vivent nos élèves du primaire en passant une journée dans une langue, l’anglais, et une deuxième journée dans une autre, le français, toutes deux enseignées comme langues maternelles. À l’école secondaire, une grande variété de cours sont offerts avec différentes langues d’instruction. à chaque. Certains sont enseignés en français, d’autres en anglais.

Les élèves bilingues de The Study sont non seulement capables de communiquer et de mener leur communauté dans les deux langues, mais elles sont également bien placées pour planifier efficacement, passer sans difficulté d’une langue à l’autre, et retenir les informations importantes.