Advice to Bilingual Learners

When studying at a bilingual school, where you learn in both your mother tongue and a second language simultaneously, have you ever asked yourself:

• How do I develop a passion for the new language that will motivate my learning for and with it?

• Why do I often struggle with verbal expression in English?

• Are there any shortcuts in learning a new language and learning with it?

With 15 years of experience in bilingual and international education, Jakub Peciak is fluent in Polish, Chinese, and English, embodying the spirit of our multicultural community. Ahead of the School Experience Day, we sat down with Mr Peciak for an engaging Q&A session, where he interpreted the essence of BBSG’s Future Ready Complete Education and shared his visionary goals for his new role, along with valuable insights from his language-learning journey.

Firstly, be brave to push your boundaries

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”

—— Ludwig Wittgenstein

Since a very young age, I enjoyed picking up new language from various daily sources (such as movies, online sites, and conversations). Having travelled to more than 40 countries, I quickly realised that knowledge of the local language allows me to have a much richer experience of the local culture and, if I choose to, local professional and business opportunities.

Secondly, I suggest simply having fun with the language and not being afraid of making mistakes or a fool of oneself.

Having spoken to thousands of strangers in one of my second languages, I have yet to meet someone who would laugh at my grammatical errors or mispronunciation. On the contrary, I’ve heard countless positive messages of appreciation for my effort to learn the local language and try to understand the culture.

Finally, be curious and try to engage in as many seemingly unrelated activities and hobbies as possible, from as early as possible.

Throughout my personal and professional experiences, I have increasingly noticed that the “unnecessary” skills I developed decades ago suddenly help me solve problems creatively and efficiently. Therefore, my advice to all my students is to engage in as wide of a selection of activities as possible, nurturing a wide scope of skills you can build on when moving through your personal and professional life.

BBSG’s curriculum and learning activities not only provide the students with a strong academic foundation but also, more importantly, equip the students with the ability to connect facts and skills critically and creatively from seemingly unrelated bodies of knowledge and languages.

With the ever-increasing uncertainty surrounding our futures, teachers and schools, as the cradles of student potential have the responsibility to do their utmost to develop complete and future-ready young adults. We hope that our students, who upon graduation in the future, will be ready not only to follow the developing trends of time but also if they choose to, set their own paths and take an active role in shaping the future world.