At the Montessori British School, children are not taught one language, but four: English, French, Mandarin, and Spanish. And this program’s efficiency is demonstrated by the overwhelming results in the Cambridge, Alliance Française, YCT (Mandarin), and Saber 11 tests. We interviewed school principal Claudia Díaz to learn more about this initiative.
At what age do you recommend that children start learning a new language?
I definitely think that from the first initial moment it is essential to have a multilingual education. From the moment of birth, it is advisable to procure the learning of a new language. At the Montessori British School, children are taught all four languages from the time they enroll, when they are only two years old. In the case of English, a total immersion is implemented; for the development of the other languages, they attend daily classes.
How do you achieve such amazing results with your students?
For us, the time of children is invaluable. According to Dr. Montessori, children at this stage of their lives feature the best mental and sentimental disposition for learning languages. That is why every minute is important.
How do they take advantage of it, exactly?
At the Montessori British School, we plan each class taught on the day, with clear objectives and activities of great interest to encourage enthusiasm in the learning of languages.
Why is it important to teach children from an early age?
It is important to start at an early age so that the students of the Montessori British School speak the languages they learn fluently and with good pronunciation; that is why the knowledge of a language must begin in childhood. Likewise, learning the form and structure of a language takes time and perseverance, and it is a process the results of which improve if there is willingness and attitude in children. Unlike adults, children do not focus on results, but on processes. For them, every word and phrase implies an achievement to celebrate.
We are convinced that a new language is the best gift that could be given to a child. Do you think the same?. A language will open the doors of the world to your child and give them the opportunity to meet new people and different cultures.
What should a parent do to choose a truly bilingual school?
The school should be certified by international authorities; in our case, AdvancED. We are also a Confucius Classroom, and we have an agreement with the Alliance Française. You must also demonstrate convincing results—like those of our students—in tests such as Cambridge, Alliance Française, YCT, HSK1, and HSK 2. Verifying that all students take the tests is important, because if only few take them, the result will necessarily change.
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