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With digitalization, speaking more than one language is also becoming critical daily. While the data published by llanguages on the subject show that 43% of the world's population is bilingual, experts draw attention to the fact that foreign language education should start in the pre-school period.

*** This release is originally published in Turkish.

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ISTANBUL (TR) - In a world where borders have disappeared with digitalization, the importance of knowing two or more languages ​​is increasing day by day. While the data published by Ilanguages ​​on the subject indicates that as of 2022, 43% of the world's population speaks two languages ​​with the same fluency, research shows that more employment opportunities are opened for bilingual people in the business world. Many global companies prefer bilingual speakers 162% more when hiring. The solution for parents who want their children to learn a language at an early age so that they have all the qualifications they will need in their professional life is for schools that implement bilingual education programs starting from kindergarten.

Pınar Taşezen Arslan, Director of İzmir-based Eraslan Bilingual Kindergarten, drew attention to the fact that children who grew up with bilingual learning use their working memory more actively, based on the opinions of the experts and evaluated the issue with these words: “In this way, students' approach to subjects and concepts becomes more creative and multidimensional. It is possible to observe the outcomes of bilingual education in a short time. In Eraslan, we implement the Bilingual Learners program, which we developed together with academicians, extending from kindergarten to high school. With this program, our students live by speaking two languages ​​with two teachers all day long, which makes them fluent individuals who can speak two languages ​​in the continuation of their education.”

Children build sentences in English in the first few months

Pınar Taşezen Arslan stated that their education programs focus on improving students’ bilingual thinking and self-expression skills and said, “The first phase of our program, which starts at the age of 4, lasts for 2 years. In the Bilingual Learners program, which we have prepared as game-based and interactive, two teachers accompany the students throughout the day. In this way, students can spend every moment of the school day in a pleasant and free language environment, and they can start to construct English sentences in a short time by making foreign language a part of their daily life.”

Making bilingual education a way of life

Eraslan Bilingual Kindergarten Director Pınar Taşezen Arslan stated that they have turned bilingual education into a way of life for students and continued her words by saying that they continue their programs with more advanced applications in primary, secondary and high school: they learn life studies lessons in bilingual for 4 years. When they go to secondary school, students continue to receive all theoretical knowledge in two languages ​​in the classes we organize with the CLIL method. Students included in the Academic Writing program when they start Eraslan High High School can take university courses while still in high school, with the Advanced Placement program accepted by 3,300 universities worldwide as of the 10th grade. They can count their achievements as credits when they start university.”

Intense interest in the 'differentiated education' model from universities around the world

Stating that universities around the world follow the outcomes of the bilingual program they developed and that their teachers are invited to international conferences and asked to share their experiences, Pınar Taşezen Arslan shared the following information about the educational methods they apply: “We know that students' learning styles have an important role in their education. That's why we integrate differentiated training techniques into every stage of our program, where we discover both their interests and the easiest ways to learn. We divide our lessons into stations with educational materials suitable for different styles and design the maximum learning environment suitable for each student. We do all this in two languages.”