Interviews on Plurilingualism - Part 01
In the following months, we will be taking the opportunity to discuss La Petite Ecole Singapore’s curriculum of plurilingual learning within a French education setting, in alignment with Odyssey Group’s aspirations. We shall be updating this blog regularly with our staff’s thoughts and views to bring more awareness of the benefits and advantages of plurilingualism in school to our multicultural community. For this first article, we shall be featuring Amrit, our English teacher; and her views on a plurilingual approach to learning.
"We must foster the love of learning in children before they start loving to learn from us."
On Plurilingual Learning
I am a huge advocate of plurilingual learning environments. We take a two-year-old child and empower them to learn in a setting where they are being exposed to various languages daily, and by the time the child is four, they naturally know more vocabulary than their developmental milestones would suggest. By the time these children are in elementary education, they are able to competently switch between these languages. It is during the early years that the brains of children are the most mouldable, their speech patterns are not set like in an adult, and many studies show a clear relationship between the age a child begins learning a language and the success of them being adept at it. Even though English is my first language, I was exposed to a plurilingual environment from a young age. By the time I was seven, I was efficiently communicating in three languages. Today, I can proudly say that I am proficient in two languages, and competent in three others. That is exactly what amazes me about exposing children to plurilingual environments.
I have seen in my experience that making a child do something for the sake of doing it will not develop their curiosity for learning. We must foster the love of learning in children before they start loving to learn from us. I believe there is also always something for us to learn from our students. (Would you believe me if I told you my students were the ones who taught me how to play Sudoku?!)
At La Petite Ecole, you can be assured that your child will be provided with clear learning purposes as well as personalised and relatable experiences. We value innovation, imagination, and individuality, and believe that the best way to invoke a sense of inclusion amongst our students, is to provide opportunities for them to express themselves freely. The true mark of our success is when children tell us they wish there were no holidays as they would rather be with us all day! Imagine such a place, where your child feels safe and comfortable, where your child develops to their fullest potential, and where your child actually feels at home.
