Integral Bilingual Education
At Bonita Learning Academy™ we believe that learning in English as well as in Spanish is not only a privilege but an evident need, particularly in Southern California where multiculturalism plays an important role in everyday life. Spanish is spoken not only in our neighboring country of Mexico but all of Central America, most of South America, Puerto Rico, and Spain making it one of the most predominant languages. In today’s global society our children have a fundamental commitment to bilingual education, and it is our responsibility to open those doors for them. Our language literacy approach surrounds the children in Spanish and English, respectively, for half of their school day; our teachers are native speakers of the language for which they are in charge and they conduct instruction exclusively in that language. The environment in which children learn is also representative of the immersion approach; with books and working materials provided in the language used within each classroom.
While some parents have a concern in regard to the general academic development of children who are exposed to this method of education, it has been our experience that children can quickly determine the difference in the language and absorb the concepts taught with ease. Although this learning system is a relatively new concept in the United States, it is a very common and successful teaching practice in other parts of the world such as Mexico, Europe and Asia. It is a proven method to which children respond effectively.
Emerging literacy in both English and Spanish is only the beginning, focusing on the pre-elementary skills that will support the student in the following school years- speaking, listening, print awareness, reading alphabet letters and words. Additionally, children are exposed to pre-mathematical concepts that guide them from the concrete to the abstract, in preparation for addition and subtraction using the Touch Math method as a basis for teaching. While multiculturalism in a bilingual setting is a key part of our program, it is our high academic standards that make our school a true success. While some of our students attend for one or two school years it is important to note that our three year program is designed to build upon itself; therefore completing the three year cycle yields the best results. Because we study the child as a whole, every academic level is structured according to the potential of each age group, providing individual challenge as well as support when needed. We have developed a curriculum that takes into consideration the different learning stages, aspects, and capacities of children focusing on the multiple intelligence theory (our school focuses on 8) which suggests that each child responds to a unique learning technique. Using this platform of knowledge teachers prepare their lesson plans to specifically target each intelligence.