The Underrated Importance of Bilingual Education

Our brains love bilingualism.

“It turns out that, in many ways, the real trick to speaking two languages consists in managing not to speak one of those languages at a given moment — which is fundamentally a feat of paying attention. (Instead it) requires skills called “inhibition” and “task switching.” These skills are subsets of an ability called executive function.”

As a result, Bilinguals are able to pay focused attention and can effectively switch from one task to the other.

Research has also shown advantages in developing empathy and strong reading skills. “Bilingual children as young as age 3 have demonstrated a head start on tests of perspective-taking and theory of mind — both of which are fundamental social and emotional skills.” Language immersions schools are fairly new on the education scene but have exploded as research continues to show overall higher school performance and engagement. The benefits don’t end after the primary school years, in adulthood, people who are equally fluent in more than one language enjoy higher earnings.

Perhaps the most surprising advantage is the long term benefit of protection against cognitive decline and dementia. Bilingualism is essentially a skill that keeps on giving!