Benefits of an international bilingual education go beyond content and second language fluency

International Education Day is celebrated on April 28th. The date is an invitation to reflect on the importance of a quality education to prepare children and adolescents for the challenges and uncertainties of the future.

The speed with which technological advances happen and impact all sectors of society, combined with the increasing connectivity between people and companies from different parts of the world, requires people to be able to adapt quickly to these transformations, and to be able to work with different cultures. In this scenario, bilingual international schools, such as Red House International School, stand out as a great differential in the integral education of students.

Unlike institutions that are only bilingual, where part of the learning is in a second language, Red House adopts a bilingual international curriculum, incorporated into the National Common Curriculum Base, addressing more than cognitive development and fluency in the English language. Transdisciplinary characterizes the program and, in this sense, different subjects serve and underpin inquiries and discoveries, and not the other way around.

In a transdisciplinary research activity, one same theme such as water, for example, is explored in various disciplines, such as Mathematics, Science and Language. This enables students to discuss a subject and its processes in order to better understand it when applied in concrete real-life situations. This type of approach makes learning more meaningful and increases student engagement.

In addition, from an early age, Red House’s international curriculum values technological thinking, and not just digital tools. From Elementary School onwards, “maker activities” and design thinking for problem solving are embedded in students’ school journey. Concurrently, children also learn about digital etiquette, cybersecurity and identifying reliable information in the virtual environment – key competencies in today’s world.

This context is at the core of our student-centric curriculum, placing students as agents in the construction of their own knowledge and stimulating emotional skills, such as empathy, resilience, communication and critical thinking. Integral training also prioritizes multiculturalism and makes these future adults know and respect other cultures, encouraging them to have an international mindset, capable of facing the uncertainties of the future with courage and resilience, aware in their own decision-making.