La aventura de aprender nuevas lenguas
Por : Biliana Kassabova Jefe de área de Lenguas Modernas
As a bilingual school , the Gimnasio Femenino has the mission of educating students who can think critically about and through different languages and cultures . In other words , despite some misconceptions , our goal is not to create global consumers – young women who , when they travel abroad , can successfully purchase goods and enjoy the services of fashionable resorts . Instead , by developing students ’ linguistic skills in English , in addition to their native Spanish , we aim to inspire them to consider what it is that languages do and how they do it .
The Modern Languages department , which houses the English Language section , as well as the direction of all bilingual areas in the school , is at the centre of this aspect of our educational project . We work to encourage critical thinking through the reading and analysis of various texts and contexts that present various global issues and , hand in hand with this , we develop students ’ linguistic acumen . If we were to focus more on what “ bilingualism ” means to us , then , we would have to say that we aspire that our students don ’ t just speak in Spanish and English . Rather , we want them to be able to think , feel , and operate in both languages in an interchangeable way .
How do we aim to achieve that ? Through classroom and out-of-class activities , we want students to have a constant interaction with the language . This doesn ’ t simply mean that the students hear their teachers speak in English and then magically absorb the language . One does not learn to play basketball by looking at her teacher shoot hoops . The aim is that students themselves express their needs , feelings and ideas at all times and in all sorts of settings .
This might be a scary process for some – with a new language , one is bound to make mistakes , not be able to fully express herself , be confused and confusing . However , this struggle is at the core of the language learning process . A student – be they 5- or 50-year-old – will make mistakes , but through the process of figuring out how to make herself understood , she will acquire a deep understanding of the language and of the world .
Can parents help in this ? Yes , and it truly does not matter what languages are spoken in the house . If at home a child ’ s active fascination with language is nurtured – through conversations , reading , games – that child will build a subconscious understanding that words are not just signifiers for objects , but that they can be used for building worlds . The step from this to understanding that another language can do that is small .
This is more than a process of translation – it is learning a new way of thinking . In other words , whatever the pecuniary and career benefits learning a second ( and third and fourth ) language might carry , there is a deeper reason why we should encourage our daughters to truly be bilingual . Their world will open up , as will the flexibility of their mental processes . They will learn how to adapt , to find solutions , to discover new aspects of others and of herself .
GIMNASIO FEMENINO GOOD NEWS
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