Dear Parents,
Thank you for joining our Language Curriculum Day in ECE. We hope that you were able to see how our ECE department supports language acquisition. Although we shared some information on the phases of Language Acquisition, we would also like to highlight some of the benefits for students to learn more than 1 language.
Research has found many benefits to being bilingual (multilingual) and biliterate and that learning more than one language is an asset to individuals, families, and society. As educators, we do not only support the acquisition of a second language but find ways to support children's home languages and encourage families to keep their own language strong. Here are some of the ways it benefits students:
Cognitive Development
Children who speak more than one language and are biliterate can switch between languages, making them active and flexible. Research shows that compared to non-bilingual peers, they have an easier time:
Understanding math concepts and solving word problems
Developing thinking skills
Using logic
Focusing, remembering and making decisions
Thinking about language
Learning other languages
Social and Emotional Development
Bilingual (Multilingual) children maintain stronger ties with their families, culture, and community. All of these aspects are a key part of how children develop their identity. They tend to be able to make new friends easier and create strong relationships by accessing their second language. This greatly supports our changing diverse society. Research further found that babies raised in a bilingual household show better self-control and settle in easier at school.
Learning
School readiness and success for children who are dual or multi-language learners is tied directly to mastery of their home language. Children benefit academically from knowing more than one language in many ways. They develop flexible approaches to thinking through problems. The ability to read and think in more than one language promotes higher levels of abstract thought that further develop conceptual learning. They are better at blocking out irrelevant information, an ability that may exist as early as seven months.
As part of our Vision and Mission, we strive to foster language learning and develop our student's life-long learning skills to set them up for success as they build their future.
Kind Regards,
Rene Smal
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