For many years, research has shown that a bilingual education has many cognitive benefits; it develops the brain differently, stimulating more mental flexibility, creativity, and originality of thought. Bilingual children will have the capacity to look at any problem, big or small, from many different perspectives. Words can have multiple meaning; problems can have multiple solutions; situations can be seen from multiple viewpoints. When children think in two languages, they can easily imagine more than one way to accomplish their objectives and more than one way to approach a complex dilemma.
For almost 35 years the Silicon Valley International Schooll of the Peninsula has been proud to have educated hundreds of creative and critical thinkers who have benefited greatly from a bilingual education and who have gone on to great success in high school, college/university, and beyond.
To read more about the benefits of bilingualism, here is a list of a few articles that may interest you.
"Hearing Bilingual: How Babies Sort Out Language", New York Times, October 10, 2011
"Bilingualism is Good for the Brain", Los Angeles Times, February 26, 2011
"Why Bilinguals are Smarter", New York Times, March 17, 2012
"Bilingual and Bicultural Values Add to U.S. Economy", Philadelphia Inquirer, February 26, 2012
*In 2020, the International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) formally changed its name to Silicon Valley International School (INTL) to better reflect its bilingual programs, location, and international values.
