Benefits+of+Bilingualism

It is often questioned, particularly in the United States, whether bilingualism is an advantage or a disadvantage. Internationally, we must look at the level of bilingualism that we’re talking about. Students who are "Limited Bilinguals" are those who are not fully fluent or literate in both their mother tongue and in the second language. This is obviously a disadvantage, and an issue that ISB educators and parents are looking to avoid. ISB and international families must work hand in hand to promote age-appropriate competency in both the mother tongue and the English language. By fully developing both languages, our students will become "Balanced Bilinguals". Balanced Bilinguals are those who have age-appropriate competency in both languages. Balanced bilingualism brings many positive cognitive benefits:
 * Strong level of creativity
 * Solid problem-solving ability
 * Superior awareness of language properties
 * Monolingual people only use 20% of their brain! When another language is learned, a different area of the brain is activated and engaged, utilizing a greater percentage of the brain
 * Greater capacity for inventiveness and creativity with oral and written language
 * Greater sensitivity to grammatical functions
 * Heightened respect for different languages and cultures, creating learners with a more global approach to life
 * Higher performance rate than monolinguals on tests of intelligence and tests of fluency, flexibility, and originality
 * Greater marketability in the professional world