MAPLE BEAR CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL KINDERGARTEN HONG KONG |
The best of Canadian education for a global future.
BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Bilingual education is the use of two different languages in the classroom instruction of academic content. At Maple Bear Kindergarten Hong Kong, students study all academic subjects in both English and Chinese to ensure a bilingual immersive learning experience.
Maple Bear Kindergarten students don’t just memorize vocabulary in the classroom. This is a key difference between the Kindergarten programs offered at Maple Bear and the ESL training offered at other Kindergartens claiming to offer a bilingual education.
At Maple Bear Kindergarten Hong Kong, as in all 17 Maple Bear Kindergartens globally, students begin learning English using a student-focused English immersion learning system based on Canadian educational pedagogy and best practices.
Alongside the English immersion program developed by the Canadian faculty members, Maple Bear Kindergarten Hong Kong students' learning experiences are enriched by a locally developed Chinese curriculum.
There have been concerns that teaching children two languages at once only confuses them. Fortunately, there has been much research—much of it conducted by Canadians—which shows that far from handicapping children, bilingual education can offer benefits from infancy to old age.
WHY BILINGUAL EDUCATION
For a start, it’s very good for English-language development, a goal of many of our parents who chose Maple Bear Kindergarten for their children. Young learners with a bilingual education background have also been shown to have:
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better concentration, analytical skills and multitasking capabilities;
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they learn to read sooner than monolingual students;
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they have an increased sense of self-worth and identity;
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they have the ability to live abroad and learn other foreign languages later in life;
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enjoy exposure to more than one culture which leads to a global perspective.
Numerous studies have confirmed that being bilingual actually makes a person smarter as it has a profound effect on the brain, improving cognitive skills and sharpening memory.
MAPLE BEAR HONG KONG BILINGUAL CURRICULUM
Bilingual Immersion methodology is used in Maple Bear schools to develop competence in languages. Maple Bear Hong Kong students learn to listen, speak, read, and write in both English and Chinese being surrounded by conversation and instruction in both languages. Not only are students immersed in English, they are also educated with a specially developed Hong Kong curriculum that strongly emphasizes on bilingual language and literacy. Children learn in both English and Chinese right from the first day.
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By the end of Senior Kindergarten, Maple Bear students will be able to
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communicate effectively in both English and Chinese by listening and speaking
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have a good understanding of alphabetical symbols
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read basic text in both languages
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use phonic strategies to approach new words
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use writing strategies appropriate for beginners
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use and respond to media
