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Learning multiple languages from a young age has its clear benefits. From increasing brain power to being culturally more aware, educational experts advocate bilingualism as a way to advance students’ overall academic career and personal development.
This is one of the many reasons why Hong Kong’s very own French International School (FIS) has been a popular choice for parents who wish to give their children an exposure to both French and English.
“Learning a foreign language from an early age has many advantages. It promotes the development of greater focus and a better working memory. In addition, there is increased mental flexibility, greater reasoning capacity and faster processing of information, and this is not an exhaustive list!” said Mrs Meriem Belhadj, Director of Primary Campuses and Studies at the French International School of Hong Kong.
Added to this, Mrs Belhadj said that bilingualism develops a “metalinguistic awareness” in children, which not only promotes a deeper understanding of a child’s mother tongue, but it also helps in acquiring additional languages. And finally, a bilingual education also helps to develop intercultural skills, which translates to a better understanding of other cultures which ultimately promotes self-fulfilment, curiosity, openness to the world and the ability to learn. All of these have been proven to help pupils develop skills that later contribute to their future career successes.
At FIS, English and French as a bilingual programme is offered through its French stream from an early age. Its kindergarten programme has always been highly sought after by both native and non-native French speakers. And there are other reasons aside from its bilingual offering.
Kindergarten in the French Education system starts at the age of three, and it is often seen as one of its greatest assets. In 2021, an updated kindergarten curriculum was introduced by the French Ministry of Education taking into account new research in cognitive sciences, neurosciences and active pedagogy. Taking all of the new research into account, cognitive activities were developed and are now delivered in both languages at FIS in the form of concrete problems that children have to solve. This approach has shown to actively promote young children’s desire to learn.
“The students will develop, particularly through play, all the skills they will need later on in order to acquire core knowledge (reading, writing, counting, respecting others). The attention paid by teachers to language, in particular is constant, and all these skills are taught in both languages,” said Mrs Belhadj.
Indeed, another weapon in the school’s armoury is its exemplary team of teaching staff who are experts in the field of early childhood education, who are also trained each in their own language as well as in an intercultural and plurilingual approach. By combining the latest educational research with the team’s expertise and experience, the school is not only able to offer a programme that is adapted to the linguistic profile of each student, but it is also able to satisfy a young child’s need for emotional security in order to develop and flourish.
“The attention paid by our teachers is constant. Our pupils evolve in a nurturing and serene school environment which allows each child to fully develop in the learning process and to give the best of themselves,” Mrs Belhadj said.
Class time is seen as an opportunity for pupils to really express an opinion or need, to ask questions, or to give his or her point of view and to take real interest in what others have to say, all the while conversing in both languages. And this is the essence of what FIS is trying to accomplish amongst its students.
“Learning to live together, the culture of autonomy and critical thinking, reflection and social and environmental commitment are an integral part of the French education system,” said Ms Belhadj. “The values of humanism and tolerance transmitted to the students give them the keys to become committed citizens.”
As to why choose French when living in Asia, Ms Belhadj said that choosing FIS, more specifically French as a medium of instruction, means choosing a network of French schools abroad, present on all continents. There are 550 French establishments implemented in 138 countries.
Furthermore, “learning French is for everyone,” said Ms Belhadj. The language is spoken on five continents by more than 200 million people worldwide. Learning the language further makes it easier to learn other Latin based languages including Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Added to that, Ms Belhadj emphasised that the language can really open up “a resolutely humanist culture and makes major artistic and literary trends accessible”.
For these reasons, choosing FIS also means choosing a multilingual and multicultural education that is based on both academic standards and a constant concern for the development and well-being of students, she said.
