BILINGUISMO E EDUCAÇÃO BILÍNGUE NO CONTEXTO DE ESCOLAS BILÍNGUES PORTUGUÊS-INGLÊS NO BRASIL

In this literature review, we analyze the concepts of bilingualism and bilingual education in the context of Portuguese-English bilingual schools in Brazil. The study explores the conceptual complexity of both terms and offers reflections aimed at these institutions. We propose that bilingual education be understood as a teaching-learning process that uses two languages to develop curricular content, aiming to promote proficiency and the functional use of both languages while addressing the students' cognitive, and social needs. We define bilingualism as the coexistence and dynamic integration of two languages in an individual’s verbal repertoire, which interact in a complementary and flexible manner, providing the individual with resources to interpret the world and respond to social demands and personal projects in various contexts.