Bilingual Education

According to United Nations figures, up to 80% of the world is bilingual, and a high percentage of those are trilingual, so speaking more than one language is not an unusual skill and need not be perceived as something exceptional.

Being bilingual not only means being able to communicate in two languages, but it gives the individual an understanding of two (or more) cultures and two different ways of thinking.

Some of the advantages of learning a second language are:

• Communication:
  • Literacy in two languages
  • Ability to communicate with broader range of people
• Culture:
  • Understanding of and sensitivity to different cultures
  • Tolerance of others
• Intellectual:
  • Development of analytical skills
  • Adaptability and flexibility of thought
  • Increased creativity and problem-solving skills

What is an Immersion Program?

Immersion is a method of foreign language instruction in which the regular school curriculum is taught through the medium of the language. The foreign language – in this case, French – is the vehicle for content instruction, it is not the subject of instruction. In immersion, all schooling in the initial years is conducted in the foreign language, including reading and language arts.

At FASRI, we work towards developing a high level of proficiency in French. Immersion also gives students positive attitudes toward those who speak the foreign language and toward their culture. At the same time, students develop their English language skills appropriate with expectations for students' ages and abilities. Even though a child may show some lag in certain areas of English language skills at the beginning, this is temporary and usually disappears by 3rd grade. It is not uncommon to see immersion students reading English fluently even though there has been little formal classroom English instruction up to that point: this is due to the phenomenon of transfer of reading skills from French to English, made much easier by the fact both languages have the same alphabet.

Immersion requires teachers who are trained and experienced in the grade level to be taught, who have native proficiency in the oral and written forms of the language, and who have a knowledge of the culture.