Language Immersion

IST believes that bilingual is biliterate, and our language programmes have this goal in mind.

The Pre-School programme is focussed on basic oral competency in a non-English language; our students will acquire conversational English outside the school. The Junior School programme is focussed on written competency in two languages in preparation for Middle School where students must be able to (a) read, study and respond to literary texts both orally and in writing and (b) take any or all of their other classes in either or both languages. From J4 , students take a third language which may be another literary language or it may be at a level where they can live and work in that language community, but not necessarily study at college.

Various thought-provoking comments or statements will be added below from time to time.

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Bilingualism appears to boost young children's mental abilities, study reports

When young children learn a second language, it strengthens their ability to pay attention to the right stuff, reports a new Cornell study. "Our study showed that bilingualism in young children strengthens what is known as executive attention, which helps orient individuals in the sea of information coming in ... It helps them know what to pay attention to, what to ignore and what action to take."

Do you know that acquiring new language skills makes children smarter?

A list of resources, articles and organisations about the benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism.

Speaking a second language can delay dementia onset for years

"Speaking a second language may slow the rate at which the brain declines with age, showing that bilingual people are better protected against Alzheimer's disease than people who use only one language ...The latest study, presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, found bilingual patients with probable Alzheimer's were more likely have delayed symptoms compared to monolingual patients. In fact, the effect of speaking a second language produced a stronger effect on delaying the onset of Alzheimer's than any drug currently used to control the disease"

How Your Brain Becomes Bilingual - it's Child's Play

Exposure to Two Languages Carries Far-Reaching Benefits

Two-language program produces results; Dual Immersion students outperform English-only counterparts

Test results show that students enrolled in the Blaine County School District's two-language program outperform their counterparts in English-only classes. Recently released test results show that both Hispanic and non-Hispanic students in the district's Dual Immersion program continue to become more proficient at reading and math the longer they are enrolled in the program.

Raising Bilingual Children: Common Parental Concerns and Current Research

Three Common Misconceptions About Early Language Learning
Despite the growing trend of teaching children Spanish or Chinese at an early age, some parents still struggle with the idea of introducing a second language before their child has mastered his first. Are there any adverse consequences to teaching a second language to children too soon? Will it slow down their ability to learn English? All of the scientific evidence points to children having nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain by learning a second language. Let's talk about three of the most common misconceptions about teaching second languages to children.

Multi-sensory Learning: A New "Old" Way to Learn Spanish
Field trips or museum trips may not seem like cutting-edge educational policy, but they work a lot like the educational tools and strategies of what is known as multi-sensory learning. Multi-sensory learning takes advantage of the way our senses—hearing, sight, and touch, primarily—reinforce one another while learning. Each sense builds toward a more complete experience of a concept or idea. Because multi-sensory learning gives you more than one way of experiencing something, its ideal for children who naturally engage multiple senses in both learning and play. It is also ideal for the creation of the type of immersive environment that is so crucial for learning a second language.

Does Bilingualism Help Children Learn to Read?
Learning and using another language have been linked to all kinds of benefits for children and adults. This is particularly true for young children's expanding cognitive abilities. According to Dr. Laura-Ann Petitto of Dartmouth College, children who have been exposed early to a second language possess an overall "cognitive edge." Numerous studies have also linked language education to higher scores on many standardized tests. But can knowing another language also help children learn to read? A study from Canada's York University suggests that bilingualism may in fact impact the development of literacy in a number of significant ways.