The Impact of a Multilingual Classroom on Students

Multilingualism has become a necessary need for every student these days. Everyone has a mother tongue that they learn right from their birth; however, in the setting of our fast-paced world, it has become very important to be multilingual to keep up with everyone else. This is the very reason why almost a majority of the schools in our country have started setting up at least one multilingual classroom to teach at least two languages to their students.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the concept of multilingual education and uncover the advantages of multilingualism. So let’s get started. 

What Is A Multilingual Classroom?

A multilingual classroom ensures that at least two or more languages are taught to the students so that they can use them as a medium to communicate and diversify their career options in the future. These classrooms aim to recognise linguistic diversity while respecting and promoting all the different languages around the globe. 

Multilingual classrooms have become an integral part of the schools in our country and have been playing a significant role in developing multilingualism in young minds. 

Importance of Multilingual Education

Multilingual education has become one of the pillars of the modern education system, and there are many benefits one can gain from it. Some of those important benefits are:

• An increase in gray matter is observed in students who are multilingual or learn multiple languages.
• Learning two or more languages can be a great way to boost creativity and brain function over time.
• Multilingual students are naturally more empathetic and do not fear to express and feel the emotions of others.
• Having mastery over multiple languages can be a great way to improve one’s communication skills, as it helps in learning multiple speaking styles, which is beneficial to communicating effectively.
• It can also help build long-lasting bonds along with cross-cultural and lingual understanding in students.

Disadvantages and Advantages Of Multilingualism

The table mentioned below discusses some of the disadvantages and advantages of multilingual education classrooms:

 

Advantages	Disadvantages
Promotes cognitive improvements by developing creativity, multitasking, and problem-solving abilities.	Demands heavy resources like trained educators, extra material, and infrastructure.
Helps in mastering multiple languages, facilitating smoother communication with a wider audience.	Maintaining and designing a multilingual curriculum can be difficult as it requires an ample amount of time and practice to learn a language.
Promotes respect towards different languages and cultures in students.	Alternatively, it can also develop feelings of language dominance over other languages.
Opens doors to international job prospects and opportunities.	Coordinating through different languages can be mentally complex for many students.
Multilingual students often have better IQs than normal people.	Standardised examinations are not that effective in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of students.

Challenges in Setting Up a Multilingual Classroom

A multilingual classroom serves as a very important resource for schools to prepare their students for their futures. However, there are certain challenges that every school faces when setting up these multilingual classrooms. Some of those challenges have been mentioned below:

• Resource Based Challenges

Establishing a multilingual classroom is a resource and skill heavy task. You need trained and skilled educators, the perfect material for every grader, to carry out regular assessments and prepare an effective curriculum.

• Pedagogical Challenges

Effectively incorporating a linguistic curriculum with the already existing one can be a tricky challenge that many might fail to pull off. It’s important that the lingual curriculum aligns perfectly with the curriculum of other subjects so there are no clashes.

• Societal Challenges

Society can be a little biased towards certain languages and not emphasise enough on other languages despite the benefits of multilingualism.

How to Successfully Setup A Multilingual Classroom?

Here’s how K.R. Mangalam World School, Gurgaon has successfully set up multilingual classrooms:

• Policy Implementations

We made strict policies keeping in mind the holistic development of our students and the benefits they could possibly gain from our multilingual classrooms. Finally, we ensured that these policies were approved and positively implemented across all the K.R. Mangalam World Schools.

• Technological Advancements

To overcome the challenges we’d usually face with resources, we have incorporated online resources along with physical learning resources to optimise the learning pathway for our students.

• Choice For Students

We offer multiple language courses that our students can choose from. Whichever language excites them the most or aligns perfectly with their future goals, they can opt for and learn at their own pace at K.R. Mangalam World School, Gurgaon.

Conclusion

The need for multilingual classrooms has been increasing more than ever, and it is a natural consequence of the increasing importance a multilingual classroom holds. Schools like K.R. Mangalam World School, Gurgaon, have already started including multilingual classes in their curriculum, and it’s high time that other schools start doing the same.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it necessary to be multilingual?

Multilingualism is definitely a necessity in the modern world, where international communication is becoming more common than ever. Being multilingual can come in very handy in such situations to communicate and understand people with different language preferences

Do all schools provide multilingual classrooms?

While there are still many schools that don’t have multilingual classrooms, schools like K.R. Mangalam World School have integrated multilingual classrooms into their curriculum.

How many languages should I learn?

A child must know at least 2 languages, with English as their primary or secondary language (since it’s a universally accepted language).