Bilingualism

A 50%-50% Italian English programme with mother-tongue teachers.

The bilingual programme at BES teaches to read and write in both languages giving our students the possibility of choosing their higher education between international high schools in Milan or abroad or Italian high schools. Differently from the bilingual schools recently adopting teaching in English, the objective of the BES program is to reach the so called “Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency” that gives our students an extremely high level of the two main languages (Italian-English).

THE ADVANTAGES OF BILINGUALISM

Bilingualism does not mean just learning a second language. A bilingual child understands logical connections, reflects, knows how to elaborate and synthesise complex information in a second language. When they leave our school the students are able to express their thoughts in an articulated English, they read with a linguistic and academic competence and understand the concepts of any communication.

HOW DO WE WORK AT BES

During the first years of primary school children use languages naturally. Therefore when a question is asked in English the student replies in English and the same applies for Italian. What is requested at Primary School is that the pupils communicate their ideas and use their academic level appropriately in their second language. It is during the Middle School that the linguistic codes are studied and refined. What is a linguistic code? Each language or group of languages (Latin, Anglo Saxon, or Asiatic) has a code. The English code is considered linear: it is direct, synthetic and efficient. The Italian language is rhetoric. It often uses auxiliary words as, since, as such etc. Bilingual children that read, write and speak with two different language codes are called Proficiency students. It is this ability that makes the Bilingual European School so special.

For more information about bilingualism please go to our FAQ