Is Bilingual Education Beneficial? – Being Parents

Many parents wonder if it is okay to offer their children a bilingual education. Is this educational proposal the right one? What are the benefits of bilingual education?

Bilingual education makes it easier to learn two languages ​​simultaneously. In the majority of cases, the programs are structured, and divide the class schedule into two different schedules for each language.

In the rest of this article, we will tell you about the advantages as well as the disadvantages of bilingual education.

The benefits of bilingual education

Here are the benefits of learning two languages ​​at the same time in the classroom:

• Children who participate in educational bilingual education programs learn a second language faster than adults . Such rapid learning is possible because children have to process fairly low levels of complex information. And, of course, they have fewer problems with shame and stage fright than adults.

• Learning two languages ​​simultaneously stimulates the ability to accept and celebrate diversity , moreover, it is a great opportunity to learn from our differences, instead of feeling fear and being discriminated against.
• Bilingual education offers students a lot of opportunities for the future, as it amplifies their professional opportunities. Knowledge of a second language can add up to 20% to a worker’s annual salary! Let us remember that we live in an interconnected and diverse world.

Brain, memory and concentration

Bilingual education:

• Helps in brain development. The part of it that is responsible for learning new things and encouraging its development can be doubly stimulated by bilingual education. This training leads to greater brain growth, so that it can perform two tasks at the same time.
• Stimulates the concentration of students , and, of course, their learning in general. Each language learned stimulates the learning of another language fluently, and with increased speed and ease.

• Improves the ability to memorize , because it provides the student with a greater ability to process new information: concepts, experiences, etc.
• There are many benefits for children who speak multiple languages. Those who show their ability to handle such learning increase their ability to process new sounds.
• These children are also much less prone to developing personality disorders, including anxiety. In general, they are less alone, more surrounded, than their comrades who speak only one language. Therefore, they have a high level of self-esteem.
• Stimulates the desire to know, and creates opportunities for study abroad. In addition, this education encourages enriching personal experiences through interaction with other cultures. All of this contributes to the development of a full and whole individual.

The disadvantages of bilingual education

There are not only advantages in this type of education. There are also a few drawbacks, which we will see here:

• One of the most common arguments used against bilingual education is that it does not help students feel that they are not fully identified with their local culture.
• It tends to widen the cultural gap rather than reduce it. In addition, it adds complexity to other subjects such as math and science.
• Forcing children to learn a second language will limit them in time and effort to complete other tasks and this could affect their true potential. Parents should be alert to any warning signs in this regard.

• Another problem that has been reported in bilingual education is the lack of qualified teachers. This type of educational program requires expert instructors, dedicated exclusively to this task.
• In some cases, bilingual education is provided inconsistently. For example, some educational centers teach it as a dilettante. For the learning of a second language to be effective, it must be constant, daily and must last throughout the school year.
• Second language learning programs are reduced because of their high cost. An educational program delivered in one language is easier and more economical.

We have cited here the main advantages and disadvantages of bilingual education. In conclusion, the decision will be the one best suited to the needs of the child and those around him.

The Spanish case is emblematic in this regard, because it goes from teaching a single language, to bilingual, or even trilingual education: Spanish, English and a regional language.