Dancing Moose is not introducing a new concept with its Dual Language English/Spanish classroom, but it is certainly taking advantage of the momentum of quality programs around the country that are capitalizing on children’s enhanced creativity and analytical thinking of a dual language program.
Leading researchers in dual language programs, Virginia P. Collier and Wayne P. Thomas, have documented that children exposed to a second language learn at a more rapid rate. Bilingual researcher Ellen Bialystok of York University in Toronto stated that:
“Several studies have linked bilingualism to improved working memory, which is associated with reading and math skills.”
In research conducted at Nanjing University in China, bilingual seven year-old children outperformed their monolingual peers on two working memory tests—one requiring them to recall and rearrange a series of numbers and the other to retrace a pattern of hops made my an animated frog on a computer screen.
Researchers say that the best way to become proficient in a second language is to start young and practice often (Scientific American Mind, July/August, 2011).
Preschool and kindergarten is an ideal time for children to begin to experience the advantages of dual language instruction.
We look forward to launching our new Dual Language Classroom at Dancing Moose this fall.