Bilingual Project: A Great Program that Should Last Longer
By: Paula de Pozo
IES José Luis Sampedro has provided bilingual education in Spanish and English since 2002-2003. More recently, in 2010, our High School has become a member of the Bilingual Schools project of the Community of Madrid. Given Sampedro’s long experience in bilingual education, it is possible to evaluate the impact of the bilingual project on the students by taking into account the advantages as well as the disadvantages of their bilingual learning.
Students are taught to think in English as well as in Spanish. Learning in two languages contributes to the students´ cognitive development. Starting in 1st ESO, most students have acquired an intermediate level of English and are mature enough to commit to seriously studying the English language. Achieving a good English level gives students the possibility to participate in Global Classrooms, which means an opportunity to meet new English speaking people.
Students become more interested in spending short or long periods of time in an English speaking country. This decision not only leads them to an improvement in their knowledge of the English language but, in addition, it enriches a cultural exchange. Bilingual education prepares the students for their future. There’s no doubt that we all work, study and live in an increasingly multilingual world. Moreover, the English and Spanish languages are amongst the most spoken ones.